She flinched when I touched her, but when her eyes met mine she slowly relaxed, her tight body sagging against mine. I helped her get to the door, her fingers shaking badly as she took the keys out of her purse, trying to unlock the door. She sneezed in the cutest possible way, and the keys dropped on the ground between us. We both bent down at the same time, nearly bumping heads.
“I’m s-sorry,” she stuttered, and I picked the keys up before pulling her up with me.
“That’s alright, princess,” I told her, dangling the keys in front of her eyes. “I think you dropped these.”
She looked right into my eyes as she took them from me, unlocking the door for me. So, she was alone. Fucking perfect.
I followed behind her into the cottage. It hadn’t changed much since I’d last been in it—there were barely any personal belongings in there, and the interior seemed sterile and boring. Not like my Ella at all. I bet if it was up to her, she wouldn’t have the house the way Martha liked to keep it.
“Are you going to come–” she started, turning around and bumping against my chest.
She let out a small panicked gasp and took a step back. My eyes were fixated on her lips, barely open and looking up at me like she was awaiting further instructions. Fuck, she really knew how to get me hard in seconds. I’d only come over to make sure she’d gotten my invitation. It had barely been a minute and she already had me thinking about putting her on her knees and teaching her how to fucking treat a cock properly.
“I’m already here,” I muttered, and she swallowed thickly when she looked up at me. “Are you going to offer me a cup of tea?”
“Of c-course,” she stammered, motioning for me to follow her.
I walked to the kitchen, bending down so I could get under the low support beams on the ceiling. She turned around and stifled a giggle at the sight of me standing there like a giant in a dollhouse.
“What is it?” I asked her, a hint of a smile playing on my lips. “Are you surprised to see me?”
She shrugged, starting to prepare the cup of tea she’d promised me.
“A little,” she said softly, her sweet little voice making the hairs on my arms stand up. “I was hoping I would see you before…”
I took a step closer, my words a breath against the shell of her ear.
“Before the ball?” I asked her gently, and she shivered, the cup she was holding dancing in her fingers. I caught it and held it with her own hand, saying, “You better be careful with that, little princess.”
“T-thanks,” she said, letting go of me and filling the cup with boiling water. “Why did you think you’d get to see me at the ball?”
I furrowed my brows in confusion. “Did you not get my invitation? I told them specifically to deliver it here while you were home.”
She turned around, offering me the cup of steaming tea and looking up at me with those sinful fucking eyes. She made me want to rip both our clothes off, take her right there on the fucking floor. I could barely resist the urge, letting out a growl at the sight of her hopeful eyes, those pillowy lips parting slightly for me.
“I did get it,” she said slowly. “But Martha said it was for her.”
“Martha?” It took me a second to realize what she meant, and then I burst out laughing. “Oh, God no. I… How could she think that? Of course, she’s welcome to come, but… Not like that.”
“You sure she knows that?” Ella asked me with a little smile that made me laugh out loud again.
I took the cup of tea from her and she led me into the living room. This was the room where I could see Ella the most. There was a chunky blanket folded neatly at the end of the sofa, and a small frame with an older man and a younger Ella in the photo. I stared at it for a long time, and she must have seen me noticing because she reached for it and put it face down.
“This is the only photo she lets you keep out?” I asked her gently, the tea warming my hands through the porcelain.
She averted her eyes, obviously not wanting to answer me.
“She lets me have some things in this room,” she finally admitted. “Since I sleep here.”
“You… sleep here?” I gave her a confused look. “What, on the fucking couch?”
“You don’t have to growl,” she said. “It’s not so bad. It’s warm in front of the fire.”
“Ella, this is a two-bedroom house,” I said harshly. “Why aren’t you in the other bedroom upstairs?”
She swallowed, refusing to look at me.