REESE
It was another glorious day the moment I opened my eyes. She was sound asleep beside me. Her dog was just below my feet at the foot of the bed. This was one hell of a way to start the day.
I very slowly and carefully maneuvered onto my side while doing my best not to disturb the dog. I wasn’t sure how much leeway I had when it came to violating Thea with her guard dog at my feet. It would determine just how long the dog was going to be allowed to sleep in my bed. If Kona was kind enough to let me get in some early morning loving, she could stay. If she got in my way, I would kick her out and lock the door.
I slipped my hand under the sheet and caressed over her breast. She moaned softly and stirred just a little. I pulled the sheet down and used my tongue to trace lines over her chest and breasts.
“What are you doing?” she murmured.
“Waking you up,” I replied.
“You are definitely better than an alarm clock.”
“I know. Now how much is this dog going to let me do? If I make you scream, is she going to kill me?”
She laughed softly before moaning when my fingers pushed inside her. “Kona, down,” she said with no conviction.
“Kona, go,” I ordered.
The dog didn’t move at first, but with a gentle nudge of my foot, she hopped off the bed, gave a good shake, and trotted out of the room.
“Ah, we’re alone now,” she said.
“Yes, we are,” I whispered against her belly.
After our early morning delight, we both showered and dressed in jeans and tennis shoes. It was moving day. I couldn’t believe she had agreed to move in with me. While we were saying it was just a temporary solution, I was hoping it would turn out to be more than that. The idea of living together should terrify me. It didn’t. I wanted to wake up with her every morning. It just seemed so much more efficient to be under the same roof. Plus, sex at night. Sex in the morning. Maybe even Sunday afternoon sex was very appealing.
When we got to Thea’s house, we brought along coffee and donuts for Clay, who had stayed his first night in the place. Rich showed up not long after we did to help pack up some of Thea’s things and get their dad settled.
“What do you think?” Thea asked her father. “Is this going to work for you?”
Clay smiled and nodded. “It is going to work great. Are you sure I’m not chasing you off?”
“My neighbors chased me off,” she replied. “This is perfect. It was an excellent idea. You’ll have everything you need while you get back on your feet.”
“And you get my sister,” Rich muttered.
We were carrying boxes of Thea’s things into the attic. I knew this was going to be an issue and decided to handle it now versus letting it fester. “Look, I know I did her wrong back then. I’m not going to deny it. I already told you I was young and foolish. You have to know people change. I’ve changed but my feelings for Thea have never changed. I want her. I’m crazy about her. I don’t even hate the dogs.”
“I don’t think you understand how my sister works,” Rich said. “She goes all in. When she loves someone, that’s it. She doesn’t let anything else get in the way. She gives her entire being. You have a lot of power in this situation.”
“Power?” I questioned. “Because she’s moving in with me?”
“Temporarily,” he corrected. “And yes. That and because like I said, Thea doesn’t just care about people. She loves them. She’s giving you her heart once again. I hope you realize how special that gift is and respect it this time. Don’t fuck her over. Don’t hurt her. She’s the same girl you knew and, also, different at the same time. If you’re just playing a game or seeing how this goes, walk away now. Don’t string her along.”
“Rich, I’m not,” I said. “I can’t tell you what our future holds, but I know I want Thea in mine. We’ve reconnected and I know how lucky I am she’s given me a second chance. I don’t plan on screwing that up. I’m not a total idiot. I know she could just walk away. I know that and I’m going to do everything I can to show her why she shouldn’t.”
He was quiet for a minute. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Okay. I’m giving you another shot as well. Don’t fuck it up. I will kick your ass if you screw her over.”
I grinned and slapped him on the back. “I’m sure you’ll certainly try.”
We walked back downstairs to help move things around. Clay came with almost nothing. He was going to be using all of Thea’s things for the most part. She was packing up her personal belongings and either storing them or taking them back to my place.
“This one goes,” she said and pointed to a box.