Janae chuckled. “Privacy can be a fleeting thing out here. Even still, knowing your neighbors and building community is a huge part of living in Monroe Hills. We’re all here for each other.”
Vanessa couldn’t imagine what it would be like to live like that. Living in New Jersey, she knew her neighbors. Well, she knew the names of the people who lived in closest proximity to her large estate. She was unaware of anything regarding their personal lives beyond the orchestrated glimpses they’d allowed her, however.
That kind of structured social distance was great for keeping things hidden, like the abject misery you lived in when your husband’s emotional torture was at its height and his cheating was an open secret in your marriage. What it wasn’t great for were the moments when you desperately needed someone to comfort you.
“Well, I’ll be there for a night, no more than two. I’m gonna text Michael as soon as I get off with you. He needs to set up this little meeting so I can be in and out with my grandmother’s ring.”
“Humph.” Janae’s discontent was clear in the rough tone of her voice. “I’m glad you’re getting your grandma’s ring back. Still, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t disappoint me you weren’t staying long enough for Cree and me to enjoy your company. I get it, though. You gotta handle your business.”
If she’d handled her business a long time ago, her marriage would’ve lasted at least fifteen years less than it had. She was a slow starter, apparently.
“I just want this over. Karl needs to be a memory after this. It’s my time.”
“And like Auntie Maxine, you’re reclaiming it. Girl, I would pay money to see Karl’s face when you bust his con wide open.”
Vanessa chuckled because she wasn’t above the pettiness. Aside from getting her grandmother’s ring back, that moment was the most tempting part of all of this.
“All right, girl, let me go. Gotta call a sheriff about a meeting.”
Michael peered down at his phone again. It had been days since he’d heard from Vanessa. He was getting frustrated, to say the least. Yet every time he picked up the phone with the thought to text or call her, he remembered what Adam had said about his divorce. Maybe this was taking more of a toll on her than he’d accounted for when he’d hatched this plan. With the weekend fast approaching, however, he was hard-pressed to allow any more time to pass by.
He tossed the phone on the coffee table and flopped down on his couch. He could pretend all he wanted that his angst where Vanessa was concerned was all about his sister, yet deep down he knew that was bullshit. Yeah, Cindy’s situation was definitely at the forefront of his thoughts. There was more to it, though.
He wasn’t quite sure what that “more” was; he merely understood that there was something about Vanessa that made him think about things he hadn’t given significant thought to in a long while. Things like dating, having a partner, having sex.
He huffed as he stretched out on his couch and tried to remember the last time he’d taken a trip to Philly to hook up. In a town as small as Monroe Hills, there was no way he could have a casual situation with anyone. It would be all over town, and before he knew it, the locals would have him married off.
He wasn’t looking for any of that. His sister still needed himand being available to her was still his priority. Yet even he needed a little release that didn’t come from his own hand.
And Vanessa is reminding you of that because?
“Because she’s gorgeous and sexy as fuck.”
There was no denying it, so he wouldn’t even try. Full, dark, kissable lips and a body that felt so good pressed against him, he had to force himself to step away from her. Thick thighs and plump backside, pretty much his walking wet dream. Except she was the ex-wife of his sister’s fiancé. And ultimately coming to town to presumably break his sister’s heart. There was no way they could be anything after her conversation with Cindy.
He knew that, only his treacherous body didn’t seem to give a damn, if the hard-on he’d woken up with after dreaming about stripping Vanessa naked and sexing her all night long was any indication.
He hadn’t been that excited the last time he’d had sex with an actual woman instead of the figment of his imagination in his head. In spite of that, the vivid sensory details had set his blood and body on fire, even in sleep. When he awoke, before he could even open his eyes, his fist circled around his cock and he stroked himself to a quick and explosive release.
It wasn’t until after the bliss of orgasm had dissipated and he was cleaning himself up that he realized the only image dancing around in his mind this time, or the previous time in the shower, was Vanessa Jared in all her glorious flesh on replay.
“Fuck me.”
You wish.
He certainly did. His desire for her notwithstanding, he knew none of his imaginings would ever be more than just a dream. He was responsible for saving his sister. And getting involved with Vanessa would only complicate this situation.
He was about to repeat the same edict to himself again when the sound of his phone ringing made him sit up. Vanessa’s nameflashed across the screen, making his mouth go dry. He wasn’t shy and rarely found talking to people difficult. Yet suddenly he felt like sixteen-year-old Michael trying to ask Janet MacGregor to junior prom. His palms sweating, his throat dry, and his heart pounding.
He shook his head, trying to snap himself out of it, and accepted the call before it could go to voice mail.
“Hello.” He swallowed after managing to get his voice to sound normal over the phone.
“Hi, Michael. This is Vanessa Jared.”
“I know who you are, Vanessa.” How could he not? Especially when he’d been lusting after her for the better part of the day. “How can I help you?”
“I’m planning to arrive in Monroe Hills Saturday evening.”
