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Right now she needs to rest, and I have work to do.
I use the the quiet time to research Xavier Cerelli, Jr., and his missing wife. There isn’t much about him online, and virtually nothing about her. No social media accounts, which is strange for a young woman. There is basically nothing about her on public record. I find it interesting, but not surprising, that there is no official missing persons report on her. They had only been married for about a month when she disappeared.
It’s so weird that I make some calls to the few contacts I have in Vegas. They don't have much information for me either. Her name is Analise, and she is a couple years older than Faye. She has been missing for five months. It’s like she vanished into thin air. There are no rumors of foul play, and one of my sources said that her husband hasn’t been the same since she’s been gone. All things considered, it sounds like she most likely ran off or someone snatched her.
If he’s not been in good shape since she went missing then it most likely wasn’t his doing. I know how it feels to not know if someone you care for is safe or not, and I feel a swell of sympathy for the guy.
I do find a couple photos of her online, but nothing great. Old ones from her high school back in New York and that’s it. I can’t say I’m surprised. She is married to a mafia prince and moved west to be with him, at least that’s what it looks like. But if she relocated to be with him, why did she take off? There is no obvious answer…so I let it go for the moment.
With my work done, my thoughts return to Faye. Glancing at the clock on my phone, I realize I have been busy longer than I thought. It's time to wake her up and get her fed again. It’s been hours since she ate, and I really don’t want her missing meals if I can help it.
The sight that meets my eyes as I walk back into my bedroom is absolute perfection. My heart beats faster at the rightness of seeing her there. She is awake, leaning against the cushioned headboard with Max across her lap while she lazily strokes his fur.
“He's yours?” she asks, ruffling his ears. “I thought maybe he was Blake's.“
Happiness shines on her face. It looks good on her. “Nope, he's mine. Brought him back from Afghanistan with me.” She wraps her arms around his neck and snuggles her face into his fur. I hear her whispering sweet words to him. “He is such a good boy. I had to convince him to come cuddle with me.”
“He was watching over you while you slept. I'm surprised he left his post.” I chuckle, knowing I would leave mine for the chance to have her love on me like she is on my dog. I can’t blame him for wanting her sweetness showered on him. Part of me wants to move him out of the way and take his place so she can pet my hair with her delicate hands.
“You and Max should come downstairs so we can make something to eat.”
“Are you trying to fatten me up, Travis?” she says, giggling. It’s a sound I don’t think I will ever get enough of. Even when she was a child she didn’t laugh much.
Now, much like then, I hope to bring laughter to her life.
“Just a little bit,” I toss over my shoulder as I turn to head back down to the kitchen. “Help yourself to anything you need out of the dresser. Shorts or sweats. Socks, whatever.”
I don’t actually know what I have on hand to cook. It’s been a while since I ate anything at home but takeout. Becca keeps the fridge at the offices pretty well stocked with home cooked meals, so I don’t really have much need. I will take Faye grocery shopping tomorrow, but I don’t want to have to run to the store now. If nothing else, I can order a pizza.
A few minutes later I’m rumma
ging through the meager contents of my fridge when I hear Max’s claws clicking on the hardwood floor behind me. The soft padding of Faye’s feet follows immediately after. I glance up as she enters the brightly lit room and I can’t stop the laughter that bubbles up inside me.
“What?” she exclaims, rolling her eyes, full of sass. “You said to use whatever I needed...So. I. Did.” She spins around, showing off a pair of my socks pulled up to her knees and just a small strip of her skin showing between them and the hem of my tee shirt. If it wasn’t for the soft swell of her breasts pressing against the thin cotton she would almost look like a child playing dress up.
Almost… but not quite.
My eyes linger on them for a moment, even though my mind screams at me not to stare. My cock twitches against my thigh as I watch her nipples pebble under my heavy gaze. There is nothing childlike about that, and I force myself to look away, not wanting to scare her.
“We need to go shopping.” I can’t hide the roughness of my voice. I want her. She isn’t a child anymore and this teasing, flirty, adorable adult version of her challenges my resolve. I don’t want to wait. I want her to be mine NOW.
Chapter Ten
Faye
Rifling through his drawers looking for something to wear, I find something that I bet he didn’t intend for me to find.
Yes, I may have been snooping, but only just a little.
In the back of his dresser drawer, looking as tattered and well-read as mine do, is a bundle of letters from me. It looks like he still has every single one, even the ones I wrote with the help of a kind teacher during recess in elementary school.
There is also a pile of pictures. Photos from when I was a kid, some even from before my mom and I went to live with Brad. Some of them are framed, and I remember them being on the wall of my house before my dad died.
I have no idea how he even got them. I’m not sure what it means, if anything, but my heart soars when I see them. I put everything away just the way I found it and pull out the first thing I touch: wool socks.
I’m happy and a little excited when I walk into the kitchen in his big t-shirt and socks, which are WAY too big and go up to my knees. He gives me a quick glance before laughing at my appearance and I remind him that he told me to use what I need.
My feet are cold, so I need socks.
