For now, I’m content just kissing her. To hold her generous curves against my body and drink from her lips. She sucks on my tongue, surprising me, and I moan into her mouth, unable to keep my hips from bucking against her belly.
“Hello!” Ethel shouts.
Natalie and I pull apart, dazed and drunk on each other. Her lips are swollen, and her lip gloss is smeared on her chin.
Ethel laughs as she uses her hand to block the sun from her eyes. “You two are just darling.” She sighs, the sound wistful. “Typical newlyweds.”
She shoos us toward the house, insisting we can visit another day, before thanking Natalie once more for the book.
We stroll back toward the house, fingers entwined, shooting each other wicked smirks filled with promises of what we intend to do once inside. But the moment we make it to her bedroom, her phone rings. She sees that it’s Lindsay, and frowns as she tells me she has to take the call.
I give her privacy as I head downstairs to wait for her. An hour later, she emerges from her room, wearing a fitted graphic t-shirt and dark chinos––her standard work outfit.
“Vyla texted me while I was talking to Lindsay. Dominic’s not coming in tonight. I guess he had a personal emergency. Vyla asked me to cover.”
“And?”
I’m annoyed. Not at her. At Lindsay. At Dominic. At everyone even distantly involved in preventing me from spending the evening with my stunning roommate.
She sighs. “I can’t turn down any shifts right now. Not with all the bills I’m still behind on.”
“I understand,” I tell her truthfully. Pulling her into my arms, I kiss her hair, breathing in her strawberry scent. “Be careful, Natalie.”
I keep my gaze on her delightfully plump ass as she walks out the door. The silence of the house near deafening.
Shifting into mist, I float toward the attic where I’ve left my sketchbook. Suddenly, I feel inspired to draw. As I reach the third floor, Lindsay’s sharp, angular features pop into my mind, stopping me short.
This isLindsay’shouse. Natalie has no legal claim to it. How could I have let that slip my mind? Here I am, becoming obsessed with Natalie’s scent, her taste, the mere presence of her, and soon she’ll have to leave. How soon must I face that reality?
The thought feels like a knife through my chest.
Chapter 14
Natalie
I’m exhausted. Three days in a row of working double shifts at Fast Glass has been great for my bank account, but terrible for my sleep schedule and sex life. I’ve been dying to get Winston alone since we teased each other in the garden, but I’ve been working so much that by the time I get home, I barely have the energy to make it up the stairs before I pass out.
That hasn’t stopped Winston from crawling into my bed each night and snuggling with me. It’s surprisingly sweet. I didn’t think he’d be interested in sexless cuddles, but it’s been nice having someone to hold me at night. Even when I wake up and start pawing at him, he presses a kiss to my forehead and gently scolds me about needing more sleep.
“My body no longer requires rest,” he reminded me last night as I tried to unbutton his pants. “Yours still does. I’m not selfish enough to rob you of that in favor of my sexual pleasure.”
My ghost is so noble. It’s incredibly annoying.
Though, it’s possible he’s more worried I’ll fall asleep in the middle of it, which would be an obvious blow to his ego. I can’t blame him. It’d be hard not to take it personally if the roles were reversed.
I should hate it when he gets bossy with me, but I find it kind of hot. Especially when he’s reminding me to drink more water or other basic things that grown-ass adults should do that somehow always slip my mind.
After I finish wiping down the bar and putting the clean glasses on the shelf, Dominic drives Vyla and I over to the Pebblebrook Inn for the town meeting. They have a massive white tent behind the inn that can be enclosed and heated for winter weather or opened up for warmer days. The tent seats two hundred people, and I’m shocked to see that almost every seat is taken when we arrive. This is one dedicated community.
It doesn’t hurt that there’s a giant pitcher of apple cider at the front table. I fill two little cups just for myself before taking my seat.
Mayor Crane welcomes everyone to the meeting and begins by addressing the list of concerns residents had at the previous meeting, as well as the steps she has taken over the last month to address those issues. Her chief of staff, Ezra, records the minutes on a tablet, and looks extremely serious while doing so.
“You should see that one on karaoke night,” Vyla whispers to me, chuckling. “No one gets more drunk than Ezra.”
With how buttoned up and rigid they look with their perfect posture, pinstripe vest, and matching pinstripe slacks, I can’t even picture them having a beer at the end of a long day, but hopefully I’ll get to witness Ezra sloppily belt out a few pop hits at the next karaoke night.
Mayor Crane goes through a few announcements, mostly regarding the upcoming 5K race that’s routed through town. There will be street closures, swag bags for the participants, a prize ceremony for the top finishers, and a pizza party at Crust Lust Pizzeria for the participants and volunteers afterward.
