Miss Elizabeth’s sleek black hair looked beautiful in it.
She was beautiful. I felt comfortable enough admitting that to myself, now that we were outside and in our own little spaces. Everyone had retired for the evening, and the lightning bugs twinkled around us while we sat with our dirtied, emptied bowls and plates. I watched her while she giggled at the lightning bugs, holding out her hands just to see if one would land in her palm.
She had such a softness about her.
I decided to silently gather the dishes. While she sat there, enjoying the lightning beetles that flickered around us, I figured we could prolong the evening by not attracting every ant in the vicinity.
It also gave me a chance to get away from her long enough to breathe.
I couldn’t breathe around her sometimes. Like my lungs forgot how to inflate. I placed the dirty dishes in the sink, rinsing them off and loading them into the dishwasher so Brutus didn’t hop down my throat again about it. He was a stickler for how his kitchens were.
Even though this was technically my kitchen.
Just as quickly as I placed the dishes into the dishwasher, Miss Elizabeth went from sitting in her chair to lumbering around the pool. My gaze shot out the window, and I quickened my movements so that I could get back out to her. I didn’t want her falling in and someone not being out there to fish her out.
She still limped pretty deeply, after all.
But as I made my way back outside, I noticed she stopped at the edge of the hot tub. She peered down into it, and when a gust of wind kicked up a cloud of steam, I watched her close her eyes as it rushed over her like a misty waterfall.
The words were out of my mouth as I made my way back to her. “You can get in if you’d like.”
She gasped softly, and I held my hands up beside me in a sort of mocking surrender.
“Didn’t mean to startle you, Miss Elizabeth.”
She drew in a deep breath when she saw it was me and went back to staring down at the unmoving hot tub water. “It’s okay. I know you didn’t.”
I clasped my hands behind me and went to stand beside her. “Would you like a hand getting in?”
“No, I couldn’t.”
I peeked over at her. “Why not?”
She just shrugged.
“Really,” I said as I nudged her softly with my body. “If you want to get in, you’re more than welcome. The grounds are open to everyone, including you.”
That got her chewing on the inside of her cheek.
I grinned down at the top of her head. It was like I saw her thoughts swirling through the black locks of her hair. She looked back at the house. Up at the sky. Out and around the property. Like she was searching for some sort of sign that she made the right decision.
She reached for the arms of the outfit she was wearing.
I quickly turned my back. I puffed out my cheeks with a silent sigh as I heard her clothing bunching up against the concrete surrounding the inground hot tub. Just her shadow alone teased my body in ways that had me shaking my head.
No, I couldn’t turn around.
No, I couldn’t look.
No, I couldn’t get in with her.
“Ooooooh yeeeeeah,” I heard her groan.
Thank fuck my back was turned to her.
Because my cock kicked.
I’d love to make her sound like that.
