by Zoe Reid
“Come with me,” Sean growled against my mouth.
“Yes,” I said, repeating the word over and over until I came again.
He grunted and dug into me faster and faster. It wasn’t until I felt all of his muscles contract that I knew he finished. I slowed my pace, riding him down from the high we’d experienced together.
We fell to the bed in a sweaty mess.
“God, um, wow,” Sean said.
“Yeah,” I said.
He kissed me again and as much as I wanted to snuggle with him the entire night, we’d never be able to do this again if we were caught.
“I should go,” I said.
He nodded. “I understand. I’ll see you in the morning?”
I smiled and kissed him again, slow and passionate. “Of course.”
I put on my robe, stuffing my clothes into the folds. Practically floating back to my room, I didn’t know if there would ever be a time that I could be happier.
Chapter 11
Sean
A buzzing sound gradually grew louder, bringing me into the present. Rolling over, I glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand blinking 3:04 in the morning. Outside it was much lighter for that early. I searched my strewn clothes on the floor to find my phone. It was just after five. Standing in the middle of the room in little more than God gave me, I wasn’t chilled at all. The heat must have turned back on when the power returned.
Today was going to be much easier, and I hoped the power stayed on for good.
The memory of last night burned into my brain. The scent and taste of Brooklynn clung to my skin and tongue. I raked a hand through my hair and smiled. That smile turned to a frown quickly after. I thought if I got her out of my system then I would be okay to complete this job with no issues. But that wasn’t the case. I wanted more.
What had we done?
A swirl of guilt moved through me, and I had to get her scent off me if I was ever going to function today.
I went into the ensuite bathroom and took the fastest shower I could, scrubbing her off me until there was little left but a visceral memory of our night spent together.
After dressing in a new set of clothes that I brought with me from the guest house, I felt a little more normal.
Unlike our first kiss, Brooklynn didn’t flee from the room last night. Sure, she had to go, so we didn’t risk getting caught, but I wasn’t sure what to expect this morning. It wasn’t as easy as telling her family that we were going to be together. Mrs. Turner might keel over if we did and I was sure that Paul wouldn’t be so pleased to hear his handyman boned his daughter.
No, we had to play this cool. Talking to Brooklynn was high on my list this morning now that we were clear-headed and didn’t have that sexual tension hovering over us anymore.
I wanted to check to make sure the rest of the estate was running since the power had returned.
Out in the hallway, the sconces on the wall were dimly lit.
Halfway down the stairs, someone called my name. I whipped around, expecting to see Brooklynn, but I knew exactly who it was by the gruff voice.
“Good morning, Paul,” I said, slowly turning around.
He was dressed in jeans and a thick parka, ready for the morning. “Sean,” he said with a curt nod. “Nice to see the power back on.”
“Yes,” I said. “I was just going out to check to make sure all the breakers are good before walking the property.”
“Good,” he said. “I’ll come along with you.”
I sucked in a breath, low enough that he couldn’t hear my hesitation. “Are you sure? I can do it on my own.”
“Yes,” Paul said. “I insist.”
The way that he didn’t want to leave my side made me worry that he heard something last night. Though, if he did hear something, his reaction might be a little different, unless he planned on hitting me with a shovel and burying me in the backyard.
Everything appeared to be in working order. I tried to keep the conversation light and far away from his daughter as I could. He didn’t seem as if he knew anything, but that didn’t stop my palms from sweating in my gloves.
Paul and I stopped at the front of the house and looked up at the lights that twinkled against the massive house.
“Brooklynn was a big help,” I said, looking up at the lights.
“I’ve noticed that the two of you have been spending a lot of time together,” he said. “She’s taken a liking to you.”
Was this it? Did he want to take me outside in the freezing cold to fire me? It made sense. At least if he had a bad reaction, no one would hear us.
I trod lightly on what I said next. “She’s a very nice girl. Your whole family has been kind to me.”
“I don’t think I need to tell you that if something happens between the two of you then you will be fired on the spot.”
I tried my best to appear affronted. I hoped I succeeded. “I would never. I’m sorry if I gave you that impression. I’ve been trying to get to know everyone here. If Brooklynn has said something—”
“She hasn’t,” he said, interrupting me. “Just nipping that in the bud before something happens. My daughter is very spirited and used to getting what she wants. She does have a small sense of the world since I’ve given her everything. A young man such as yourself might turn her eye, but everyone needs to know his or her place.”
“I understand,” I said. So he didn’t know I just fucked his daughter last night. That was a relief. Now I had to get Brooklynn on the same page. I hoped she wouldn’t be spiteful and tell her father that under his not-so-watchful eye the handyman took advantage of his hot-as-hell daughter.
He was right, though. I had to nip something in the bud, and that had to by my urge to do it again.
“I would never have thought she’d help string lights, though,” Paul said, admiring my work. Then he clapped a hand on my back. “Maybe you’re starting to rub off on her.”
I coughed, choking on the mental image of us fucking last night that shot to the front of my mind. There was a lot of rubbing, alright. Just not in the way that Paul would have cared for.
He checked his watch. “Well, I should head inside. I’ll let Bethany know the power is back on.”
“I’ll check the guest house to make sure that I have a place to sleep tonight.”
Paul smiled at me. As much as he wanted me to stay in the house, I wondered if he felt better that I wasn’t going to be near his daughter overnight. His accusation of Brooklynn and me flirting wasn’t paranoia. It was true. We weren’t careful. If Brooklynn flirted, I knew he wouldn’t have a problem, for him to mention it meant that I wasn’t careful enough. If I was going to keep my job, that needed to change. She could prance around me in her underwear, but she wasn’t the one about to lose a lucrative job over it.
I stayed away from the house for as much of the day as I could. At least until Mary came out into the garage and invited me inside for dinner.
Grinding my teeth together, I accepted her invitation. I didn’t want anyone else to wonder where I was and possibly suspect that the conversation between Paul and me was what was really happening between Brooklynn and me.
Inside the dining room, the entire family and Adelle were already seated.
“Morning, Sean,” Brooklynn said with a big smile.
“Morning, everyone,” I said, taking my seat. I shoveled food into my mouth quickly while Paul and Gavin talked about work. I tried to appear interested in their conversation while Adelle and Brooklynn carried on with their own conversation.
I strained to hear them. Brooklynn wouldn’t talk about last night right in front of her parents, would she? My skin heated so much that I started to feel faint. I guzzled the glass of ice water in front of me to cool myself off.
“Sean, I expect the rest of the decorations to be completed today,” Mrs. Turner said.
“I’ll get right on that,” I said. Now that the storm was over, I could stay outside for the rest of the day, avoiding Brooklynn completel
y. Since we were stuck inside for the better part of two days, I knew there wasn’t much left to be completed.
“We want to help too!” Brooklynn said.
I glanced at Mrs. Turner.
“I suppose you can help, girls,” she said.
“Great,” I said, trying to appear chipper and not at all like I’d banged their daughter last night. “I’ll be outside.”
“What about the inside?” Brooklynn asked.
“Looks like you have it covered,” I said and then got up from my chair. “Thanks for breakfast, Mrs. Turner.” And with that, I left. Once I got out into the hallway, I exhaled the breath I’d been holding
Even though I was so cold I was convinced my dick was going to fall off, the rest of the property was almost fully decorated by the time I got back to the main house. I needed to get my essentials that I brought with me the night before. After dinner, I hightailed it upstairs and used the servant’s stairs to come back down.
I thought I was safe until Brooklynn cornered me in the foyer.
“Where are you going?” she asked, a sly smile on her face.
“To the guest house,” I said, not quite meeting her eyes. The fire crackled from the other room, and I heard Adelle and Gavin’s voices from inside. I had to be careful here.
“Oh,” she said. “How come? Was the bed not comfortable enough?” Her eyebrows lifted. This wasn’t about the bed.
“It was fine,” I said. “I don’t want to overstay my welcome.”
“You’re not—”
My gaze snapped to hers. “Brooklynn. I have to go.”
She blinked a few times and nodded. “Oh, okay. Have a good night.”
“You too,” I said and turned on my heel. As much as it hurt to walk away from her, it was what I had to do.
Chapter 12
Brooklynn
Early Saturday morning, Adelle’s dad came to pick her up. With her there, I was able to keep Sean out of my mind for a little while. He was so sharp with me the night before that I started to wonder if he didn’t have a good time the other night. I had no reason to doubt my performance. I knew if I stayed the night with him he would have wanted me to. He was probably being careful and making sure no one found out about us. I’d feel terrible if I got him fired and that’s what would happen if Daddy found out.
With Adelle gone, I was back to wandering around the house and thinking about Sean. I hadn’t told Adelle about him, but her boy-crazy mind kept all thoughts of him at bay.
I was back to wondering what he was doing that second. I walked around the house on the pretense of looking at the decorations, but I couldn’t find him anywhere.
Why was I so obsessed with him? I supposed it was because I liked the mystery of him. Even though we’d talked to each other about a lot of things, it was mostly about me or the job at my house. I didn’t even know much about his family other than they lived nearby. Every time I talked to him, I could feel him wanting to tell me more, but he held back. Was that because of Daddy? He shouldn’t have a problem with us getting to know each other. I knew all about Mary’s family. Though, I supposed that was because she was here for years. Sean hadn’t been here that long, and maybe he wanted to make a good impression. I doubted Daddy would worry that I was going to sleep with Mary.
What if Sean had a terrible past that he was trying to hide from us?
My nipples perked up thinking about him hiding a deep and shameless secret. He was so different than any man I’d ever known before. I shivered and attempted to let all thoughts of his imagined sordid past go. At least until he gave me all the details.
Eventually, I got bored of waiting around and went upstairs to my bedroom to do some active searching into his life. Maybe if I found something we had in common, then I’d be able to get his attention again.
I knew a lot of people didn’t think I had a brain in my head, but just because I wasn’t working, didn’t mean I was stupid.
It took less than an hour to turn up with nothing. He didn’t have any accounts online, and there was no mention of him anywhere. The best I could find was a graduation announcement from ten years ago. It listed all the graduates from that year and that was it.
I knew he was a hard worker, but having no Internet presence seemed odd.
A small knock on my door made me jump. I quickly closed out my browser and turned in my chair. “Come in!”
Daddy stepped into the room. “Hey, I’m headed to the office. I have to catch up on a few things since I missed out yesterday.”
“Okay,” I said. “Where’s Mom?”
“She’s coming with me,” Daddy said. “She needed to get a few things in town. Gavin is already in the office. Will you be okay on your own?”
I rolled my eyes. “Of course!” This was perfect. With everyone out of the house then I’d be able to talk to Sean without anyone suspecting us of having sex. Speaking of, maybe we’d be able to have a repeat in the guest house. No one went out there, and it had a view of the driveway so we’d be able to see if anyone was coming.
“See you at dinner,” he said and then closed the door.
I spun around in my seat, pumping my hands in the air. I needed to freshen up before I saw him.
I waited to make sure that my parents were gone before I went in search of Sean again. Outside, the sun was shining, and the snow started to melt against the back patio. Sean must have shoveled it earlier.
I trekked out to the guest house to find him. Knocking on the door a few times, I realized he wasn’t there.
Walking around to the front of the house, I saw the plow truck moving further down the driveway. I frowned, knowing he was going to be a while.
I sighed and went inside. I’d wait until lunch to see him.
At lunch, I was the first one there. I made sure my hair and makeup were in place before seeing him.
When the door to the room opened, I sat up straighter.
Sean came into the room; his pants coated with a thin layer of snow. He probably knew that Mom wasn’t in the house. Though I liked how he did whatever he wanted. It was freeing to be with someone who didn’t always want to impress Mom.
Mary came out of the kitchen, dropping sandwiches and soup in front of us.
I waited until we were truly alone before I spoke. “Busy morning?”
“Uh huh,” he said, dipping his spoon into the clam chowder.
I waited for him to elaborate but he didn’t.
“The decorations really look beautiful,” I said, trying to start up a conversation that didn’t involve a few syllables.
“It was a group effort,” he said, glancing at the door.
He was already through half the soup bowl. I knew he had a lot of work to do, but he didn’t need to rush.
“My parents and Gavin are gone for the day,” I said.
He chewed on his lip and then took a bite of his sandwich.
“Can we talk about the elephant in the room?” I asked, wanting him to say more than polite things to me. Sure, Mary was in the other room, but she didn’t eavesdrop.
His eyes slid to the kitchen door then locked on mine.
I sighed. Finally. I had his attention.
“There isn’t anything to talk about,” he said to his plate.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
He cleared his throat and stood up, walking to the door. “I should go. I have a lot of work to do.”
He wasn’t getting away that easily. I sprinted across the room and stood in front of the door.
“What’s your problem?” I asked, searching his eyes for the answers. It was clear he didn’t want to talk about it, but why?
He lifted his chin. “I don’t have a problem.”
I touched his arm, and he pulled it away.
“There’s no one here,” I said, reaching out to him again.
“Brooklynn, please stop,” he said.
Tears pricked at my eyes. “Was I terrible? You regret it, don’t you?”
He looked a
round the room as if my family were about to appear.
“We can talk about it. I want to talk about it. I—”
“It was an oversight, and it won’t happen again,” he said then pushed past me and into the hallway.
I sulked back to my seat and plopped down. My shoulders slumped. What happened in two days to make him change his mind? And why wasn’t he talking to me about it?
Giving him the rest of the day to himself, I watched three Christmas movies. My mind wandered to Sean, but I forced myself to stay put on the couch. If he wanted to talk to me about what a jerk he was, then he’d have to come to me.
No, that wasn’t fair. He probably wanted to keep his job. But why would he avoid me even when my parents weren’t here? We had sex with everyone in the house, granted it was far away from the bedrooms. What had changed?
I was almost relieved when Mom and Daddy came home later that afternoon. At least then, Sean would have an excuse not to talk to me.
I arrived at dinner later than everyone else, dreading the silence that was sure to make the evening awkward.
Entering the room, Daddy and Sean were in the middle of a conversation.
“Then you should take tomorrow off, too,” Daddy said to him.
Why did Sean need the time off? Did Daddy know something about what happened between us? If he did, then Sean wouldn’t be given a day off, he’d never be allowed back to the house.
“What for?” I asked.
Sean looked up at me as if he didn’t realize I’d walked into the room.
“He deserves a personal day,” Daddy said to me with a smile.
I glanced between them. They were hiding something. Why did I have to wait to come into the room and miss the juicy part of the conversation?
“Sit, dear,” Mom said, and I did.
The way that Sean stared at his plate while he ate gave me enough of a hint not to talk to him. Fine. He could have it his way. At least Daddy wouldn’t think anything was going on between us now.
I was a little bummed that I wouldn’t be able to see him for at least another day. I hoped that everything was alright with him. I didn’t even have his number to check in, so it was going to be a long day without any answers to satisfy my curiosity.