Page 40 of The Spare

Her voice jolts me back to reality."Yes."I place the razor down and lean my palms on the vanity, forcing myself to not stare at the monitor and take a deep breath. "Of course my hand's okay." When I feel like I've got a grip, I resume shaving and chance a peek at her. I tilt my head, eying her through the monitor.

Melody pauses. "You know, I still think you're an asshole for not letting me have a drink last night." She sounds mildly annoyed, which puts a grin on my face as I make the last pass over my jawline.

"Trust me when I say I am so very unbothered."

Finished, I swish the razor under the water and put it to the side, grabbing a towel and wetting it. I wipe my face clean of the little spots of gel and squirt some soothing cream into my hands, smoothing it over my jaw and cheeks.

"'Fuck you," she whispers, making me smile because I think I'm the only one in the family who's heard her cuss like this.

"Good girl. Show some of that temper, birthday girl. You deserve it."

I run a comb and some product through my hair until it's perfect then give myself a glance over in the mirror. My eyes lower to my aching cock. I grab it and give it a little tug, my breath hitches, but I won't pleasure myself right now.

That'll come later.

Turning away from the monitor as she's gone now, I pad back into my bedroom where I grab my phone, switch the call over to it, and look over my stocks. And hers.

I smile at the numbers. "Mel, I'm happy to tell you your stock is doing well."

I bring my phone into the closet and get ready for the day. There's something about the both of us dressing at the same time that feels so intimate. I soak it up with a deep appreciation, not having had that many of these moments.

"It is?" A door shuts on her end, informing me she's in the dorm bathroom.

"Yeah, it's up a few percent. I mean it's not a ton, so don't go all crazy with excitement or nothing, but it's a bit more than it was." I spray cologne on and take a second to pick out my cufflinks. I settle on the ones that say "M," for Melody, though people only assume it's for Mason.

They'd be wrong.

"So that's good, right?" She huffs as the sound of a whisper of fabric whooshes over the phone, letting me know she's taking off her shirt.

"If you consider being a few grand richer good, thenyes."An amused smile tugs my lips as I pull on my briefs, then my pants. "So, are you excited about tonight?" The door closes softly again, and I hear her beginning to walk rather briskly through the hallway. "I hope you are, since we had fun last night."

"I actually am."

"Can I pick you up from school?" I sit on the bench and begin to pull on my socks and shoes. My heart beats a little faster as I force myself to wait for her answer, tying the laces and exercise what so far has been hard won discipline over my patience.

"You want to pick me up? That's going out of your way, isn't it?"

I frown, tugging on my shirt and buttoning it up quickly, attaching the cufflinks and tucking in my shirt. A door bangs, and I hear her huffing as she does her warm up routine before her running. "Only thirty minutes. I don't mind."

There's silence for a very long stretch of time as she makes me listen to her warm up without answering me. My neglected cock hardens more, and I seriously wonder how gentle I'm going to be able to be when the time comes for us.

I've waited too long.

I can't wait for her to finish school. It's selfish, but I won't.

It's been three years since I told Hendrix I would, but it was a very obvious lie. In just a month she's going to be moving to her own apartment, so she thinks.

I walk into the kitchen and sit at the breakfast table where my chef has a bowl of oatmeal already waiting for me. It sits steaming, topped with brown sugar, diced green apples, and a small bit of butter. A coffee cup sits to the side, along with a men's multivitamin.

I give a nod of thanks and sit. Setting my phone down on the table, I take advantage of her silence and begin to eat silently.

Eventually Melody goes to speak, but I interrupt her before she can get a word in. She waited too long to give me her answer. "I'll be there at five-thirty sharp to pick you up. Meet me in front of the campus library."

Twelve hours seems so far away, but it hasn't been near as long as these last three and a half years have been, I'll tell you that.

Three years of celibacy. Three years of turning down every woman who's approached me. Three years of having a carrot dangled in front of me that I can't have. Well, enough is enough. Melody won't be moving into an apartment at the end of the month.

No, she'll be coming with me. Where she belongs.