“You left your shoes by the front door last night. I figured you’d want them.” His deep voice sends heat to my core.
“Thank you,” I answer as I pull myself up from the floor. “I didn’t remember.”
“I’m not surprised. Yesterday was a lot.”
He’s not shitting, either. It’s the understatement of the century, or maybe the millennium.
I take the shoes he’s holding. When I step into them I immediately grow four inches. These guys are so tall, I need every advantage possible.
Andrew’s gaze slides over me, approval shining in his gaze as his eyes meet mine. “Ready, baby? I bet you’re hungry. You didn’t eat that much last night.”
“Yeah, let’s do this,” I say, trying to sound more confident than I feel as I follow him down the hallway toward the front door. I’m not the only one who’s dressed for work today.
Andrew could be in the California office, not at the top of the mountain, dressed like this. I almost sucked my tongue down my throat when I looked up and saw his ocean-blue eyes staring down at me while I was kneeling on the floor. The sky-blue button-down he’s wearing makes them even more vibrant. But walking behind him, I can’t pull my gaze away from his perfect ass. His bespoke black slacks hug it like a second skin, and I lick my lips in appreciation.
“See something you like?” he asks.
Heat radiates from my face when I realize he’s watching me over his shoulder. Oh well, might as well own it. It is a very fine ass. “For sure. Your tailor knows what he’s doing.”
His chuckle settles the butterflies swarming in my stomach. “I’ll be sure to let him know. You look gorgeous. It’s going to be hard to concentrate with you around.”
What does he mean by that? Am I in for another inquisition after breakfast? After taking a deep breath and letting it out, I follow him out the door and onto the front porch of the cabin. I couldn’t see much last night in the dark, but with the sun shining bright in the cloudless sky, the view is breathtaking. Every inhale fills me with air so sweet-smelling, it doesn’t seem real after growing up in the city. There’s no exhaust fumes, either, only the scent of pine. No honking horns or sirens, just the chatter of the birds in the trees. To quote The Wizard of Oz, “We’re not in Kansas anymore.”
Andrew leads me toward the garage next to his cabin, as I carefully navigate the uneven ground. High heels may be part of my daily uniform in the city, but up here, my sneakers would be better.
“Are we driving somewhere?” I ask as he raises the heavy garage door, revealing a large black truck.
“Over to the main house. I figured it was safer to drive than have you twist your ankle in those shoes,” he answers, holding open the passenger door.
I have a pair of Mary Janes and a pair of kicks in my suitcase, but I wanted to seem professional. Now it feels like I’m trying too hard. “Wait, I was fine when we walked home last night.”
“I know, but I’m not taking the chance of you getting hurt.” Andrew says it like it’s perfectly natural for him to be so concerned.
Crossing my arms over my chest, I lift my chin so I can meet his gaze. Yesterday I was off-kilter. I still am today, if I’m honest, but it doesn’t mean I have to let him see it. “If you give me a minute, I’ll run inside and change.” There’s no way I’m letting him drive me the two thousand or so feet to the main house like some pampered princess.
At my words, Andrew’s grin lights up his whole face, eye crinkling at the side, and a dimple even appears just above his close-cropped beard. “Okay, but be careful. The door’s unlocked.”
I’m smart enough to hold my eye roll until I turn toward the cabin. You’d think I didn’t make my way across cracked sidewalks and storm drains every day for the last few months. It’s still sweet that he’s worried about me, but I don’t get his motivation. He didn’t even let me get him off last night. When he returned from his shower, he climbed into bed and pulled me into his arms, telling me to go to sleep, even when I offered to give him a blow job—not that I’d be very good at it. Is it weird that he refused?
As I hurry back to the cabin, last night replays in my head, and I almost trip on a rock next to the porch. When I don’t hear the expected “I told you so,” I carefully make my way up the stairs and through the front door. After leaving my pumps by the door, I run down the hall to the bedroom and grab my flats from the suitcase. They are much comfier, but I miss the extra four inches already.
Andrew is leaning against the porch post when I step back out the front door. “Ready?”
“Yup, lead the way, boss.” I try not to smirk, but I don’t think I’m very successful when his eyebrows climb toward his hairline.
When he responds with, “I prefer Daddy,” in his deep, commanding voice, my pussy clenches, and I might as well say goodbye to dry panties for the day.
Last night, I thought it was part of his bedroom play. But hearing him say it now feels totally different. Surely, he can’t be serious. My instinct is to throw it back in his face, or to ask him what exactly he means. Instead, I squeeze my lips together to avoid saying something I’ll regret.
While we walk toward the main house, I try to take in as much of the area as possible. Living on this mountain must be amazing.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he asks.
“Absolutely. Like nothing I’ve ever seen before. I don’t blame you for living here instead of California. If I had a choice, I would, too. Wow, is that a garden?” I sound like a child on a class trip, oohing and ahhing over all the sights.
“It is. Rebekah and Hannah have mostly taken it over since they married my brothers. We try to live off the land as much as possible. We hunt and fish for a lot of our meat when we can. Although Asher used to hunt daily before Emma.”
“Really? Is that why he’s not part of the company?” I know I shouldn’t ask questions, especially when they’re already suspicious of me, but I can’t resist learning as much as possible.
