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“So, okay,” I slurred, my body like jelly. “I can’t move.”
He picked me up and carried me to his bedroom.
“Your office,” I murmured.
“Can be finished tomorrow.” I sighed at the gentle kiss he placed on my head.
After laying me down on his bed, he disappeared into the bathroom. Hearing the running water, my eyes fluttered closed thinking he might be taking a shower. Then I heard the water turn off and his steps coming across the room. When he crawled up the bed and began wiping between my legs, I let him.
The way he took care of me made both of us happy. I noticed it in the smile that crossed his face more frequently, the small touches when he had been so closed off, and how I only had to say something once and he made it happen.
This was who I knew he could be and loved that he was finally realizing it too.
CHAPTER 26
Jareth
Imoaned as the first sip of black coffee hit my tongue. That was why it was the nectar of Gods and the one thing that gave me a jolt of energy. I’d been awake for the past half hour after only getting three hours of sleep.
Restless energy poked and prodded at me until I decided to get up so I didn’t wake Hazel. She needed a full night’s sleep. I, on the other hand, was used to late nights and early mornings. Not that my body recognized that schedule much over the past week with Hazel.
It wasn’t just the sex. I enjoyed being with her, spending time, getting to know her. This was a whole new experience for me.
I took another sip and headed back to my office. There was a small part of the room we hadn’t finished cleaning. When I was done putting everything away, it would allow me to catch up on any correspondence I hadn’t gotten to while we were in Bali.
Hazel’s acceptance of me seemed to know no bounds. There were aspects of my past we didn’t talk about, and I preferred shielding Hazel from the rough life I lived when I was finding my way after my father died. If she knew she’d worry about a past that couldn’t be changed. Instead, I wanted to look forward to where she and I were going.
For the first time in my life, I saw more than just wanting a woman to leave before the next morning.
I placed my coffee on top of the coaster sitting on the edge of my desk. My breath caught in my throat as I pictured Hazel laying there, her ass in the air, begging for my cock. She was fucking amazing. And if I let myself believe it even for just a moment, perfect for me.
I ran a hand through my hair. I needed to wipe those scenes from my memory so I could finish what I’d intended to do in this room. Otherwise I’d be waking Hazel up for round two or taking myself in hand.
I shuffled to the side of my desk and picked up the last of the papers littering the floor and a stray folder or two. Beside that was the pile of things I truly regretted tossing to the floor. Books that had belonged to my dad. I had a hard time holding on to the things of my childhood, but a few things survived.
I’d had more but between storing things at friends’ homes when I didn’t have my own or was on the streets, things got lost. These books and a few knickknacks he’d loved were all that remained.
My fingers trembled as I picked up the first of five hardback books. It had been twenty years since I’d flipped through these pages. Ones that were worn from use and had a weak spine from being cracked open so many times. I scanned the first chapter, noticing the handwritten notes on the side margin. I’d forgotten he did that.
One by one I carefully picked up the remaining books, skimming through them, seeing what parts of a story made him think or what questions he’d ask the author if given the chance. I smiled. Dad had been smart. He’d passed his intelligence on to me and, for a time, a love of learning. After his death, it was more about survival and nurturing the seed of revenge instead of learning for the sheer joy of it.
The last book I remembered had been a particular favorite of his. A mystery. He always liked to claim he could figure out the ending and fancied himself to be a real life Sherlock Holmes.
I frowned. The spine had come loose. I carefully picked it up not wanting to damage it further. Regardless of how gingerly I handled it, the back cover had pulled away from the cardboard backing.
“Shit,” I muttered. I turned the book over and surveyed the damage. As the hard piece of cardboard cracked open, I noticed something metal stuck in the crease of the spine. “What the hell?”
I gently tugged at the crumbling binding to discover a small metal key hidden there.
A chill raced down my spine. There was no way Dad had put this here on a whim. I plucked the object with a scrolled design at the top, tapering down the blade of the key to the end with an unusual ridge section. It looked vaguely familiar.
I turned the piece of dull gold metal in my hand. It wasn’t a house key. It didn’t have the same look or feel. This was light and more decorative.
“What do you have there, handsome?” Hazel stood in the open door, covering her mouth as a wide yawn escaped. My gaze softened as I took in her tangle of hair and my button-down shirt she’d thrown on. She was all that was good in this world. I loathe the day she realizes I was right all along and leaves me.
I shrugged. “I found it in a book that belonged to my dad.”
She shuffled into the room, rubbing her arms, a curious expression on her face. “Can I see?”
