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She huffed a laugh like she thought I was exaggerating. I meant every word, but I didn’t need to damage the fragile trust between us.
She stepped into the water and I watched it cascade down her body. The moisture stirred up the scents coating her skin, and my cock stirred again, but I forced myself to ignore it. As much as I still wanted her,always wanted her, I knew we’d had enough sex.
At least, for today.
I moved closer and took hold of her hips again, turning her to face me. She arched as I ran my hands up her back before digging my fingers into her hair, massaging her scalp until most of her weight was resting on my chest, her cheek pressed over my heart.
“Thank you.”
The words were soft, and I couldn’t see her face from the way she leaned against me, but I didn’t need to when I could imagine the serious look on her face. Her heat, and her lack of trust in me regarding it, had been an unspoken barrier between us that I hoped was finally gone.
“You don’t need to thank me for taking care of you.”
She hummed but didn’t say anything else as I reached for the shampoo I’d bought for her. I lathered her hair, taking my time as I enjoyed the slide of the wet strands between my fingers. It was still long by most standards, but it was easier to manage since she’d gotten it cut, and we were well beyond her protests about me washing it for her.
I wondered if we were beyond all her barriers now. Would she finally believe me when I said I wanted her, forever?
She stared at me in silence as I tipped her head back to rinse the suds away, her face calm and impassive. Her brain was always going, and it was obvious she was dealing with a tangle of emotions and thoughts, so I tried to come up with a way to pull her out of her head.
“You know, you just banked like eighty hours. Only eight-hundred or so more to go.”
Her lips twitched as she scoffed, glancing away before bringing those beautiful brown eyes back to mine.
“I should make parent visits and heats worth double.”
Grinning, I leaned forward and pecked a kiss on the tip of her nose as I reached for the conditioner. I loved when she got cheeky, and I wanted her like that more often. It showed she was comfortable with me, and there might just be more there than the bargain we’d struck.
“Deal. Familial visits and heats are worth double. It’ll only take you another four months, three family dinners, and another heat until you’re imaginary-debt free.”
I was guessing at the numbers since I hadn’t been keeping track, but she had a little sheet taped to the wall in my office that she had added numbers to religiously each time she was there for the first few weeks. As we began to spend more time away from the club, she slowly stopped adding up her time with me, but I left it there as a reminder.
My phone dinged on the counter across the room, breaking us out of the little bubble we’d created. There were a slew of messages waiting for me on it, but I didn’t care. Making sure Cadence was taken care of was more important than anything that could have happened in the last few days.
“That’s probably saying our food is on the way.”
There was still a smile on her lips, but her eyes had gone distant again, and something inside me deflated. I knew her worry wasn’t as simple to extinguish as flipping a switch, but a part of me had still hoped. No matter how long it took, I’d wait it out and still be there for her. I couldn’t imagine anything that would make me give up my Blossom.
Chapter Five
Cadence
Going home to Michael and Momma was awkward, but it wasn’t like I could hide from them forever. I’d already been gone three whole days, and I was scared of what I’d return to until I walked in the front door and it seemed like any other day. Michael gave me a look, but Momma was bustling around the kitchen so he couldn’t really question me.
“You’re home early, sweety. Everything okay?”
I tried to bury the swirling emotions and gave Momma a smile as I walked to the sink to fill a glass with water. Leo had made me stay until I’d eaten and finished three glasses of water at his place, but my body still craved liquid.
“Yeah, I just wanted to spend a little more time with y’all before I have to go to the diner.”
My stomach twisted at how good I’d gotten at lying. I didn’t even have to think about it anymore, they just came out of my mouth.
Momma patted my cheek and went back to the dough she was mixing. She’d always loved to bake, and she did it whether she was happy or stressing, so it was hard to tell how things had gone.
Michael was sitting at the table with the old laptop I’d saved up to get him a few years ago, and I took a seat beside him to pretend I was looking at what he was doing. He still had a little time before school started again, but he liked to take online classes over the summer when he could get in the programs that offered them for free, and it looked like he was working on some kind of graphics course.
“How was she?”
I kept my voice low and ignored the way he stared at me. He raised one shoulder and let it drop.
