Page 8

Lucy

B illy and I spent all morning taking the rotted wood off the porch and putting it in the trunks of our cars. Sweat beads on my brow, and I swipe it with the gardening glove.

He wipes his forehead with the bottom of his shirt. My gaze lingers on the contours of his slender physique, the taut muscles adorned with intricate tattoos. As our eyes meet, the jarring ring of my phone interrupts the moment.

Tensing at the unfamiliar number on the screen, I answer with a shaky, “Hello?”

“Lucy? Finally!” Barb’s voice filters through the phone. I roll my eyes, glancing at Billy, who’s gone back to tearing off the rotting wood.

“Do you know where Miles is? I’ve been to his apartment, but he isn’t there, and last night, his car was picked up from downtown.” Her voice pierces my ear like a dentist’s drill. I struggle to resist the urge to end the call.

“I haven’t seen him in weeks. If I hear anything, I’ll let you know.” I stare out over the front yard. In time I will add gardens to the entrance of the house and liven it up a bit.

“I’ve been calling for weeks. You never pick up the phone.” Her voice drips with hate.

“Didn’t recognize the number. Try calling his new girlfriend.” I pull the phone away from my ear and block her, then turn back to the porch.

Billy has gotten us a glass of ice water each. “Thanks,” I mutter, grabbing the cup.

“Who was it?” We sit on the edge of the porch where the boards are still good.

“Miles’s mother. She’s such a cunt.”

I think about my mother and how she never lived up to the role of a mom. No matter what I did, I could never get her to focus on anything other than herself.

Nothing was ever good enough for her. Neglect ran rampant, and my father compensated with the most dreadful form of attention.

“Want me to kill her?”

I turn to stare at him.

Billy arches a brow.

“Nah, death is too easy for her.” I laugh and glance down into my half-empty glass .

“Anytime you need someone taken care of, I got you, Lou.”

I nod without looking at him.

His fingers grip my chin with force, tilting my head towards his. I gaze into his dark brown eyes. “Seriously.”

“I know. How do we fix this? Now it has a hole in it.” I jerk my thumb to the porch, changing the subject so I don’t have to dwell on killing Miles’s mother.

“We’re almost done. The supplies are in the car. That Cruze might be a pain in my ass and wallet, but it’s got junk in the trunk.”

I bite my lip to hide the smile that wants to creep out. “What about the swing?”

“I know what I’m doing. I’ll be able to make you a cushion this week. That wood is too hard.”

I press my lips together as my brain rots in the gutter.

“Lou, you want my wood?”

As butterflies dance in my stomach, I shake my head and straighten up from the corner of the porch. With our glasses in hand, I make my way inside.

“We still need to put that wood at the back,” I call out.

When I turn from the sink, I collide with his solid, muscular body. He’s so fucking quiet I never hear him. His intense gaze locks with mine, sending shivers down my spine.

As his fingers graze my cheek, I savour the warmth and comfort of his touch. He has always been on the outskirts of my life, similar to a ghost haunting my thoughts, but now that he’s here, I can’t help but blush and giggle like a lovesick schoolgirl.

“Let’s go do that, then we can spend the afternoon on the porch. I won’t have you falling through the fucking wood and breaking an ankle.” He lowers to grip my chin and tips it before leaning down. “Because you mean a lot to me, darlin’.”

Without the sear of his kiss on my lips, my thighs clench together. He grabs my hand, pulling me out the door. We drive the cars on the winding path to the old buildings. Once we reach the back of the barn, there is a clearing with a fire pit.

We make quick work in hauling the wood, and once we’re finished, I’m covered in mildew, dirt, and sweat. The tin roofs of the buildings are both rusted. Everything is overgrown with weeds, and the garage seems ready to blow over at the next strong wind.

“Ready to explore?” Billy grabs my hand and leads me into the barn.

We walk through the hall and the open door slams shut. Darkness coats us, and I trip over something. “Creepy, eh? ”

Nerves race in my stomach. I hold on tighter to his sweaty hand. “Yeah. Glad you could use it for something, because I sure wouldn’t.”

“The animals won’t mind. I’ll take you back another time when I’ve got lights set up.”

“Sounds good. Let’s get the hell out of here,” I whisper and walk backwards.

Billy pushes open the door. The light illuminates the hall we came from. A skull lies on the floor and I jump.

“It’s all good, Lou, he’s dead—can’t getcha.”

Once we’ve driven back to the house, we continue to work on the porch.

I use my phone to check the time, and he grabs it out of my hand. “What’s up, darlin’?”

“I have dinner with JoJo tonight. She’s my best friend and I don’t want to stand her up.”

He moves from kneeling to sitting down and tosses the phone back at me.

“Go up and shower. I’ll finish the porch and get to the swing later.”

His tone is demanding. He doesn’t look up at me as he flips over to nail the boards down. Billy’s change in demeanour is something I haven’t seen before. His usual goofy and easy-going side has dropped.

He looks over his shoulder and arches his eyebrow, which sends desire straight down my spine. “ I didn’t say stay there and stare at me working, I said go get ready.”

I pad past him into the house. I’m in a state of surprise and arousal all at once.

Climbing the stairs to my bedroom, I grab a sleek, long black shirt, a vibrant blue bra and thong set, and a fresh pair of leggings.

After I strip the sweaty clothes off, I grab my new toy and head to the shower. Pulling back the curtain, I step in, letting the water wash off the dirt of the day.

I suction the dildo against the wall and lean forward, gripping the side of the tub.

The toy fills me as I push into it. My eyelids flutter closed as I focus on the sensations running through me. The pleasure mounts with each movement, edging me closer to one of the most intense solo orgasms I’ve ever experienced.

When my body tenses, I bite my lip to hold back a groan and ride out the waves of bliss.

I rinse myself and the toy and get out. The hammering has stopped as I head to my bedroom to get dressed.

“The porch is done. I’ll be back tomorrow, maybe to fix up the swing. Shouldn’t be that loud, so you’ll sleep through it,” Billy says from outside my door.

“Amazing, thank you. I’ll be on nights this week, but maybe when I’m done, we can work on other things.”

He nods, running his tongue over his lips. “Sounds great, Lou. I’ll get out of your hair and head home. Have a good night.”

I don’t want him to go, but I have no reason to make him stay. “Thanks for everything.”

“Of course, and when you’re off, I’ll come to collect.” He walks down the hall.

I follow him to the door. “When will you move in equipment?”

Billy turns and pulls off his hat, running his hand through his hair. “Soon. Have a wonderful dinner, darlin’. If you need me, you know where to find me.”

With a small dip of his head, he plants a tender kiss on my forehead, then wraps his arms around me, inhaling as if savouring the moment.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” he whispers into my hair. His warm breath tickles my ear, sending a shiver of anticipation down my spine.

“Which leaves everything open?” I retort.

“Pretty much. Take ‘er easy.”

“So, you’re saying your hot step-uncle is fixing your house?” JoJo raises her eyebrow and sips her mocktail.

“He’s not technically my uncle.” I stretch my sore muscles.

“Right, but his ex-wife is your aunt?” She stirs the straw in her drink. We’ve finished dinner and are relaxing on her porch.

“Technically, she was my step-aunt. The way my father acted, I’m pretty sure she’s dead.”

“You want to fuck him because of a technicality? Or because he’s fucking hot?”

I press my hand against my forehead and look down, shaking my head.

“Listen, it has nothing to do with whether we’re related, which we are not,” I tell her.

The sun has set. The vegetable pasta bake she made was delicious, but the peach cobbler settles like a rock in my stomach.

“I’m so excited. I’ll be able to have you over and sit on my porch.”

“It’s not like porch wars, you know.” JoJo smirks.

“Asshole. It’s nice to have someone around.”

“So, if you need to tap out during the epic sex, do you call out ‘uncle’ ?”

I glare at her. Christ.

“No. Besides, I’m happy for the company and the best friend who told me to buy a dildo.”

The grin on her face grows, and she tilts her head .

“That’s what I’ve been missing for years?” I smile.

JoJo only grins before finishing her drink.

“If you find a guy that you’re in sync with, it’s better than that. Did you use the website I gave you?”

I nod.

“Actually, play the field a little, try new things. See what you like.”

“I could play the field, though I wouldn’t even know where to start. Did I tell you about my story idea?”

She shakes her head.

“Serial killers in love. I know it needs work. It’s been done a million times, but I feel like I have something.”

Crickets chirp, and I enjoy the sound.

“Get it out of your head. Sure, maybe it’s been done, but it hasn’t been Lucy-told.”

She always makes me feel better. I stand and grab our glasses before heading into her cottage to put them in the sink.

“I’m gonna take off. I want to get work done on the story before I fall off the earth for work.”

“Sounds good. Make sure you indulge in self-care .”

I wrap my arms around her. The comfort of her hug is always something I need. “Love you,” I say, heading to my car.

When I pull into my laneway, I remember I need to get a light for the front porch. It’s eerie with the moon not being full, but at least the boards are fixed, so I don’t have to worry about falling and breaking anything.

Seeing a package, I grab it and bring it into the house. I balance it, my purse, and a glass of water in my arms as I head up to my new office.

When I get everything turned on, my fingers dance across the keyboard, the words spilling out of me. I check my notebooks and realize I’ll have to make new character bios before diving back into the document.

Leaning in the chair, I glance at the package before grabbing it. The plain brown paper has no postage on it like it was hand-delivered, but only a handful of people know where I live.

I peel back the tape, revealing a gorgeous leather notebook with my name across the front. The material is smooth under my fingertips. It’s stunning. When I open the cover, the first page has a message:

Lucy,

Did you enjoy coming all over my cock? Not once, but twice. I’m so glad I satisfy you. Every single one of your orgasms belongs to me .

Xo

The book slips from my hands, crashing to the ground like it’s on fire. Miles is playing a twisted prank on me. He’s the only person who comes to mind.

He must have a camera in the house. His twisted way to keep tabs on me.

I pace in my office, the creaking of the floorboards accompanying my movements.

Flashbacks of calling the police the first time Miles hurt me play in my mind. No one believed me and he got off scot-free.

My stomach knots and I wring my hands, knowing that no one of the law in this small town is going to be of any help.