Tyler
We slept through the nightand late into the next morning, waking up at hour intervals no matter how grumpy Stella was about it.
Sleeping naked proved to be convenient by the time we decided to get up for good, me rolling her onto her back and plying her sleepy body with my fingers and tongue until she was turned on enough to take me. I’d rocked into her slow but deep, committing the sound of her little gasps to memory, loving the way her pussy clenched down on my cock whenever I pulled back, like she was desperate to keep me inside her. All my time studying people for tells came in handy as I learned what she liked, what she loved. The way her thighs shook around me when I hit a certain spot, the way her breath caught when I brushed my thumb over a nipple.
I made her come twice before I let myself, and afterward I carefully settled my weight down onto her while she held me close.
Eventually, we found the willpower to get out of bed and cleaned up. I’d only booked the room for one night, and Stella probably couldn’t afford to be gone from work for more than a day or two. She hadn’t said anything, but I knew she must have lost money from how much she had to cut back on hours because of me. Just another reason to be pissed off at myself. There was no way to go back and change how I’d behaved, so I’d have to find some way to make it up to her, maybe intercept Runa’s medical bills or take a page out of Junior’s book and secretly pay off her mortgage.
“Do you mind if we stop by the cemetery?” I asked as we packed up. “It’s on the way back, and it’s been a while since I visited.”
“Of course I don’t mind,” Stella said. “And I’d like to come with you, to see her, if that’s okay. But I understand if you want time alone, too.”
I shook my head. “No. I want you there.”
Together, we checked out and got back on the road, driving forty minutes south before taking the exit for the sleepy little lakeside village that Mom had always loved. The church was small and humble, but the white paint was fresh, and it had a nice view of the water. I led Stella to the top of the hill where Mom was buried, glad to see that the flowers by her headstone were still fresh and making a mental note to text Mr. Ansel a thank-you.
“Mom, this is Stella,” I said. I knew she wasn’t still around, knew she might not even be able to hear me from wherever she might be, but it always felt right to talk to her. “She has very kindlynotmurdered me despite the fact that I gave her several good reasons to.”
“It was touch and go there for a while,” Stella said, speaking straight to the headstone like she didn’t think it was weird at all.
We stayed there for an hour, Stella eventually wandering away to give me some alone time, and when I was done saying my goodbyes, I knew what I needed to do next. My mother wasn’t around to tell me what happened all those years ago, but my father still was.
I threaded my fingers through Stella’s as we walked back to the car, grateful that I didn’t need an excuse this time, recognizing that I’d spent the last month constantly looking for reasons to touch her.
“Is it okay if we make one more stop before I drop you off?” I asked, holding her door open for her.
“Sure,” she said, sinking into the passenger seat. “Where are we going?”
“To see Richard,” I said. “I can go alone, but... I’d rather have you there.”
Her expression softened. “I’ll go with you.”
¦ ¦ ¦
Night was falling by the time we made it back from our road trip. I expected Richard to live in some sky-top palace, or on a grand estate like Stella’s parents, but she directed me to a neighborhood right in the heart of the city. It was still aniceneighborhood, the streets lined with private brownstones, the landscaping immaculate, but it wasn’t even close to the most expensive in the area, and that surprised me.
“He liveshere?” I asked.
Stella snorted. “Now who’s the snob?”
“No, I just mean, he could live anywhere. Why here?”
She shrugged. “You’ll have to ask him that yourself, but he’s always been pretty private.”
Easier to get away with being a fucking asshole when there aren’t any eyes on you,a dark thought bubbled up.
Shit. I was obviously still harboring a lotof anger toward this man. Was I really ready to face him? Maybe it was too soon, and I should give myself more time first.
Stella touched my shoulder, her voice soft, obviously sensing my hesitation. “We don’t have to do this.”
I shook my head. “No, I want to. The sooner I can start piecing together the truth, the better.” Speaking to Richard was the right move, the starting point I needed to regroup and decide where I went from rock-fucking-bottom.
I dragged in a deep breath as we exited the car, and together, we took the stairs up to Richard’s front door. He met us there, Stella having texted him that we were on our way.
“Hey, you two,” Richard said, pulling the door open. He was dressed in dark slacks and a white button-down.
A knee-jerk wave of anger rose within me at the sight of him, but I quashed it. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with us.”
