Making Home with You

by Claire Raye

  “Hey, wine or beer?” Sarah says, holding a bottle of each in her hands as I walk in the front door.

  I grin, dropping the food on the kitchen table and pulling her into my arms. “How about this instead?” I ask before kissing her hard on the lips.

  I feel her smile against my mouth, before her lips part and she deepens the kiss. Walking us backward, I back her up against the kitchen counter, letting go of her only to take the drinks from her hands.

  Sarah’s hands slide around my waist and under my sweater now, her fingers trailing up my spine. “How about we eat and then take a shower?” she murmurs.

  “Deal,” I say, kissing the tip of her nose. “Open the wine.”

  We chat over dinner, with Sarah telling me about her first day and how her boss’s last assistant now has some high-profile job within the company that could be something Sarah could have one day if she puts in the time.

  It feels like she’s holding something back though or she isn’t as excited about the job as she originally thought she’d be. I try to ask her more about that, find out what’s bothering her, but she assures me it’s just the sales aspect, how it’s not really her thing.

  “So, what is?” I ask.

  “PR,” Sarah says, gathering our plates. “Marketing and promotions, that was my specialty.”

  I nod like I know what she’s talking about as I gather up the now empty Chinese containers. “Maybe something will open up in that area?” I offer.

  Sarah shrugs. “Maybe.”

  I watch her start to clean up the kitchen, try to work out what it is she still isn’t telling me. Just as I’m about to ask though, she stops, turns to me and smiles.

  “How about that shower then?”

  I return the smile. “Let me just run this out to the trash,” I say. “But go ahead and get the water warm,” I add, winking at her.

  Sarah giggles before heading down to my bathroom.

  I gather up the boxes and the trash and head outside. Shoving them into the trash can, I pull it down to the curb, ready for tomorrow’s collection before turning and heading back inside.

  But as I walk past Sarah’s car, I freeze at what’s been done to it. The five letters spelling out the word WHORE in bright pink lipstick across her windshield. It definitely wasn’t there when I came home, so whoever did this, has done it recently.

  I turn, search the street for any sign of who could have done it, even though I know there can only be one person who could be responsible. One person who seems to have an issue with Sarah and me.

  “Fucking hell,” I mutter, as I storm back inside the house and grab some things to clean it off. The last thing I need is Sarah seeing this and wondering what the hell it’s about, or more importantly, who did it and why.

  Eventually, I get the car clean and I know by the morning, Sarah will be none the wiser.

  Me on the other hand, will be paying someone a little visit.

  “What took you so long?” Sarah asks, when I step into the shower. “God, you’re freezing,” she says as she pulls me into her arms.

  I step under the water, the heat of it burning on my cold skin. “Trash can was knocked over,” I lie. “Had to clean it up.”

  “Yuck,” she says, slipping her arms around my waist, her hands moving to my ass. “Let me help you get warm,” she murmurs, pressing up on her toes and kissing me.

  I slide my arms around her shoulders, pulling her closer as I turn us so her back is against the wall. Sliding my hands to her ass, I grab her and hoist her higher, smiling as she wraps her legs around my waist.

  I moan when I feel her hand move down to my dick, her fingers wrapping around my already hard shaft as she slowly starts to stroke me, all thoughts about her car quickly disappearing.

  “Sarah, fuck,” I murmur.

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking,” she whispers as she guides me toward her.

  I grin, lifting her a little higher as I slide inside her now. “God, you feel good,” I whisper, my mouth on hers as I slowly start to move.

  “Harder,” she moans.

  I deepen the kiss as I comply with her request, my hips now slamming against hers as I thrust into her, over and over until my head feels like it’s going to explode.

  Sarah moves her hand between us, her fingers brushing over my cock before she starts to rub at her clit, her heels digging into my ass and urging me deeper.

  “Fuck, Sarah,” I groan. “I’m gonna come.”

  “Finn,” she screams just as I feel her clench around me, her head falling back against the shower wall and sending my own body into a freefall as my balls tighten and I explode inside her.

  Both of us are breathing harder now, our bodies still joined as we lean against the wall for support. Sarah’s head rests on my shoulder and I can feel her breaths against my neck.

  “God, that was just what I needed,” she murmurs.

  “Me too,” I admit, even as the memory of what I saw on her car still lingers. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.”

  “Round two?” she asks, as I lower her to the ground.

  I grin. “Don’t you have an early start?”

  Sarah swats me on the ass as she turns and gets out of the shower. “You’re worth being sleep-deprived for, Chief,” she says, before she saunters off to my bedroom.

  The next morning, Sarah’s alarm rings out early, cutting through the silence in my bedroom. I feel her stir in my arms, the grumbled murmurs about it being too early for this shit that only remind me of how this can’t possibly last.

  I reach out and silence her alarm, pulling her against me for a second longer. “I’ll make you some coffee,” I whisper, trailing a hand down her spine.

  “I can think of a better way to wake up,” she mumbles, her hand moving between us.

  I kiss her in response, letting her do whatever she wants to me, if only so I can hang onto this for a little while longer.

  By the time we say our goodbyes, it’s just after six. I know it’s too early to go and pay Carla a visit, so I head into work instead, sending the duty officer home for some much needed sleep.

  I distract myself by making some coffee and going over the report from last night. Nothing much happened, as expected. Nothing ever does in this sleepy ass town. By eight o’clock, Mavis and Sam are arriving and I know, now is as good a time as any to go and sort this shit out with Carla, once and for all.

  Grabbing my jacket, I walk out of my office to let them know I’m popping out for a few minutes. Just as I grab the keys to a squad car though, Carla walks into the station.

  Shocked that she’s actually had the gall to show up here, I re-hang the keys and step toward her.

  Ignoring me, Carla turns to Mavis and says, “Can I speak with Officer Corcoran, please?”

  Mavis turns to me, a confused look on her face that I’m sure mirrors the one on mine. Without giving anything away, I turn back to Carla who still refuses to look at me.

  “Carla,” I say, my jaw clenched. “Would you like to step into my office?”

  “Officer Corcoran, please,” she repeats, still staring at Mavis. “I have something I’d like to report.”

  What the fuck is going on here?

  Chapter Eleven

  Sarah

  It’s been two weeks since I started my job and I’d like to say I’m settling in, but that would be a lie. This commute is killing me and I know if I’m going to stick this out I have to find a place in Boston.

  Who am I kidding? I have to stick this out; I have no other choice. My only hope is that dealing with Handsy McGuire pays off and I land myself a marketing job. This sales shit is for the birds and honestly, I kinda suck at it.

  I’m sitting at my desk, the feeling of complete and utter exhaustion taking over. It’s finally Friday, but my five a.m. wake up call is totally catching up with me. It’s not just the waking up early, but it’s also the late nights I spend at the office. I’m lucky if I
step off the train before eight p.m.

  My weekend is packed with shit; dinner with Erin and Kelsey tonight and then Kelsey and Beck’s joint bachelor/bachelorette party on Saturday, and right now I’m regretting every second of it. I shouldn’t be, because since moving to Rockport I finally have a social life. It’s just too bad this damn job is getting in the way.

  I’m sure the majority of people spend their days like I do; in an office, in a meeting, on phone calls, on the train. And it isn’t so much the job, but the commute that is brutal. Seventy-eight minutes one way; over two hours of my day is spent commuting, and honestly, this isn’t where I saw myself when I graduated from college or when I applied for the marketing job here, but I gotta take what I can get.

  I’m supposed to meet Kelsey and Erin at the inn for dinner at seven, but it looks like I’m going to be late unless this conference call ends in the next ten minutes.

  Basically, I’m at my desk taking line by line notes of what everyone says so later I can sit down with Andrew and relay all the information back to him. Something I hope gets put off until Monday.

  Surprisingly the call finishes up quickly and when I glance at my watch, it’s nearly 5:30. If I bail now, I can make the 5:50 train and make it in time to meet Kelsey and Erin.

  I pop my head into Andrew’s office and unsurprisingly in this case, there’s a petite blonde trying to maneuver her way out of his awkward embrace.

  “Um, Andrew,” I say, my eyes wide and a fake smile plastered on my face. “Is it okay if I leave now? I’m supposed to meet some friends for dinner at seven in Rockport.”

  He pauses momentarily, but that doesn’t stop him from patting the tiny blonde on her ass, and I watch her recoil. She looks right at me, her face marked with fear, and I watch her hand tremble as she reaches for the doorknob. But before I can say something she scrambles out the door.

  “Yeah, sure,” Andrew responds, but there’s an annoyance in his tone as he flips his hand in my direction as if shooing me away.

  Without waiting for him to say anything more, I duck back into my office, grateful for the lack of attention he is suddenly giving me. I gather my stuff quickly and call a good night to him through our adjoining doors as I make my way to the elevators.

  But I should’ve known I wouldn’t be let off that easily because just as the elevator is about to close, Andrew steps in.

  “Did you say you you’re meeting some friends in Rockport?” he asks, as he shifts his laptop bag into his left hand and presses the floor for the parking garage.

  I let out a quiet sigh, again grateful for the fact that I’m exiting at the ground level and his unwanted attention will be halted in its path.

  “Yes,” I reply trying not make eye contact with him, but I fail and look over as he moves closer to me.

  “Did you drive here today?” Andrew asks, his fingers reaching out to tuck a wisp of hair behind my ear. I cringe and even though I try not to show my disgust, I can feel it sweep across my face and I suck in a hard breath.

  “I’m taking the train.”

  “Oh, you’re never going to make the 5:50. Let me give you a ride,” he says, never asking me if I want a ride, but rather assuming I will accept his offer.

  And when the elevator door slides open on the parking garage level, Andrew places his hand on my lower back, pressing firmly as he tries to guide me out.

  I step to the side, but the elevator isn’t big enough to avoid his roaming hands and I’ve now practically placed myself in the corner.

  Nice job, Sarah.

  I begin to review all the ridiculous self-defense moves Ryan taught me, wondering if I can break his nose and run, but I talk myself down. He hasn’t done anything other than make me feel uncomfortable and I’ve never once mentioned to him that he does.

  “I’ll take the train, thank you though.”

  I lean forward and press the ground level button again hoping it will get him to move his ass, but of course not. He stays as the doors close and once more I’m trying to remember how to break his nose.

  He corners me, pinning me in with his arms, his hands on either side of my head and I swallow hard, repeating to myself, open palm, drive hand up.

  I want to close my eyes and scream out loud, but I’m stunned into silence by his boldness.

  “I don’t like the idea of you walking to the train in the dark, Sarah,” he says, his voice low and deep. “I also don’t like to be told no.”

  His breath is hot against my face and he smells of cough drops and bourbon, and I want to gag.

  “Listen,” I say firmly, finally finding my voice. “I’m not certain what you’re referring to, but my answer will always be no.”

  I shove his arm out of the way as the elevator door opens revealing the security guard and I breathe a sigh of relief.

  Without looking back at Andrew, I exit and hightail it to the train station.

  I walk into the inn, but can’t seem to find Kelsey or Erin. It’s busier than I expected it to be given it is winter, but I guess that’s good for Kelsey.

  I ask the desk attendant and she directs me to Kelsey’s office in the back where I find Erin and Kelsey sitting at a small round table with a bunch of takeout containers.

  “Ordered from the bar again?” I ask, pulling up a chair and flopping down into it.

  “Currently Erin will only eat the corned beef tacos Ryan makes,” Kelsey laments, taking a bite of her burger.

  Erin rolls her eyes but shrugs her shoulders and adds that baby wants the tacos every single day.

  “Shit, you look exhausted,” Erin says as she hands me a container with my usual order of Shepherd’s Pie. When Ryan took over the menu at O’Loughlin’s the place really took off. He added tons of Irish fare but with a twist, like adding pico and cilantro lime aioli to the corned beef tacos. His ability to plan meals and create recipes is still astounding to me.

  Not only am I exhausted but I’m also starving, and I waste no time digging in and the room falls silent for a few minutes as we all eat, taking the edge off our hunger.

  “Why are we in your office?” I ask, looking around at the business cards and mailers that are scattered on Kelsey’s desk.

  “Because Kelsey never stops working,” Erin says answering for her.

  “Whatever, Erin,” Kelsey comments back, shaking her head. “I was going over some new marketing material for the inn and the time got away from me. Erin was helping me go through some mockups…” She trails off, grabbing a few things from her desk and setting them down in front of me. “Maybe you can help us. Something about these just doesn’t feel right to us.”

  I take a quick look and immediately see what she’s talking about. The placement of the inn’s name is off, the font is too small. The business cards are missing the website and email address.

  “Who does your marketing?” I ask immediately knowing that even in the small amount of spare time I have I can do better than this.

  “I don’t have a huge budget. Mostly just word of mouth and tourists who visit regularly for a city break, but I just hired someone I found on the Internet. The prices were cheap.”

  I flip through some of the ideas that she’s been given for Internet marketing and social media, and I’m wondering if I should offer to take this on for her.

  “You don’t have any social media pages?” I ask, but my question comes out higher and more shocked than I plan.

  Kelsey looks away from me and says, “Nope, nothing. Just a website for booking.”

  “I know you paid this person already, but would you mind if I took a look at this stuff and came up with something for you? I think I can help you out. Marketing is kinda my thing.”

  “Oh my god, seriously? Why didn’t you ever say anything? Please do. I need all the help I can get.” She then piles everything into a file folder and hands it to me, and I agree to get some stuff back to her in the next few days.

  As we finish up eating, Erin
tosses a few boxes of chocolates onto the table and Kelsey lets out a loud laugh and scowls at Erin.

  “Sarah and I don’t want your leftover shitty candy you got as Christmas gifts from your students.”

  “I’m going to throw it out then,” Erin says, like this is a threat. She’s been pawning this stuff off on anyone within a ten-mile radius. “You sure you don’t want these?” She picks up a box of chocolate scotch shots and Kelsey shakes her head.

  “Fuck no. You know I don’t like it when things squirt into my mouth.” Her nose is crinkled up and she shakes her head quickly, but Erin doesn’t let her off the hook that easily.

  “Oh really? I’m pretty sure Beck would disagree with that comment.”

  “Erin!” Kelsey screams, but we’re all laughing so loudly I’m certain her guests can hear us.

  “Speaking of Beck, you guys ready for the party tomorrow?” Erin asks, wiping the tears from laughing that streak her cheeks.

  “Yeah, I think so. I’m a little worried people won’t come dressed up, but I thought it would be a fun way to celebrate.”

  “I think the famous TV and movie couples thing is super fun. I’m totally in,” I say, but both Erin and Kelsey give me a look that says they’re a little confused.

  “You and Finn are dressing up?” Erin asks, but it’s like she knows something I don’t. “Finn doesn’t dress up for anything. Every year Kelsey throws a Halloween party and he never comes.”

  “I got us costumes and he didn’t say anything otherwise,” I tell them, but now I’m concerned that he’s just placating me, that I’m forcing him into doing something he doesn’t want to do.

  “I’d be surprised if he came too,” Kelsey adds. “Rumor around town is that he’s dealing with some shit at work. Carla’s been giving him a run for his money.”

  “What?” I ask, now completely confused. He hasn’t mentioned a word to me about any of this. “Who’s Carla?”

  “Oh, one of those twats who thinks Finn should’ve married her,” Erin says, flicking her hand around. “She owns that little fish restaurant down by the water, the one that someone painted a giant cock on the side of. Fucking priceless.”