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  She tuned him out, finished working for the day, and walked home.

  Letting herself inside her home, she wrapped her arms around herself. Was this really her home? She hadn’t bought it.

  After a couple of minutes of standing in the hallway, a knock sounded at her door.

  She knew who it was without even looking.

  Opening the door, she looked at Eli.

  “Hey, beautiful. Katie’s at a friend’s house, and I figured you and I could enjoy a date night.”

  “I’m not a whore,” she said.

  Stepping away from the door, she walked into the kitchen. She didn’t own any hard liquor but at that moment, she wanted a drink, a stiff one.

  Instead, she opened the fridge and took out a beer. It wasn’t going to help her mood.

  “Are you going to tell me what that is all about?” he asked.

  “Are you going to tell me why you paid for my house?” She took a long drink of her beer.

  “You know?”

  “How did you even know how to pay for my house? Why would you do that? Is that what you need to clear your conscience or something? You took my virginity so now you’re paying for the privilege so you don’t feel bad?” She wanted to shut up. She sounded mean, and this wasn’t her.

  “You think I paid to fuck you?”

  “Didn’t you? Is that what paying for my place is doing?” she asked, glaring at him. This was all a little too much. She shook her head. “I didn’t ask you to do that.”

  “No, you’re just going to struggle to make ends meet. I saw your calculations, Ann. I should have consulted you before paying for it, but you were going to lose everything. Working different jobs to make ends meet. You think I don’t know what that’s like? My parents did that until I made enough money to pay for their house.”

  “I’m not your parents. I’m not even your girlfriend. I’m a girl you fuck when your daughter is away. Damn it. I don’t want to argue with you. I hate this.” She wasn’t the kind of woman to make conflict but she felt really weird about him paying for her house.

  “Ann, I did it so you didn’t have to leave. You’re a good woman. A hard-working one. I can see that.”

  “We’ve only slept together a couple of times.”

  He stepped up close to her, taking the bottle from her hand. His hand cupped the back of her head and he pulled her close. “I didn’t pay for the house because I got to feel how nice your cunt was wrapped around my dick. I did it to be nice. You need a break and sometimes, all a person needs is a helping hand.”

  “That’s a big helping hand.”

  “I’m a nice guy.”

  “No, you’re not. It even says so. You’re a tough guy, and you don’t take fools lightly.”

  “True. I don’t have any room for assholes. The money is yours. I’m not paying to fuck you.” His other hand went to her ass, squeezing the flesh. “I’m doing that for free.”

  She gasped as he pushed his hand down the front of her jeans, cupping her pussy. She closed her eyes, shocked by the sudden hit of lust.

  “You can stay angry at me. I’ve got no problem with that.”

  ****

  Ann grabbed his shirt and pulled it apart. Buttons flew everywhere. Eli tilted her head back, slamming his lips against hers, pushing her up the counter, and trapping her with his body. He lifted her up and she gasped as he stepped between her spread legs.

  His cock was already hard as rock.

  His friend had called ahead to let him know Ann knew what he’d done. In all honesty, he hadn’t expected her to react the way she did. He truly believed she would’ve been happy. All the stress was gone from her life, but it just went to prove he didn’t know what the fuck he was talking about.

  Not once.

  This woman didn’t act how he’d expected.

  He broke the kiss long enough to tear the jeans from her body. He wanted her pussy wrapped around his cock.

  The fabric of her panties gave way as he pulled them from her body. There was no way she was going to be able to salvage them. They were dead now.

  With her panties gone, he pressed two fingers inside her to find her already wet. Spreading her legs, he stared at her cunt. His mouth watered and he slid his tongue inside her, feeling her tightening around him. Fuck, yeah, that was what he was talking about.

  She had the tightest cunt he’d ever tasted, and he wanted more of her. He used his thumb to tease her clit, watching as she arched up. “Get your tits out. Let me see all of you.”

  She shoved her shirt off, unlatched her bra, and those beauties spilled out of the cups. Perfection. So fucking pretty, and his cock ached to be inside her.

  He changed position so he could suck her clit into his mouth at the same time as fucking her with his fingers.

  In and out, he pumped in deep, watching her come apart beneath his touch. She was so perfect, so beautiful. He wanted to take her.

  “Eli, I’m close.”

  After letting her go, he opened his pants, released his dick, and then he was inside her. Feeling her tight walls surround him. He closed his eyes, grunted, and pulled out of her only to slide in even deeper.

  He wasn’t wearing a condom. They were due at the doctor’s the next day or so but he couldn’t stop. Without a doubt, he knew he was clean, and so was she. Ann wrapped her arms and legs around him as he took her head.

  Lifting her in his arms, he carried her to the sofa, making her straddle him.

  Holding her in place, he began to rock her up and down his length, and he went deeper, harder. He watched her tits bounce and when he could, he sucked on them, feeling an answering pull in his balls.

  He shoved her down on his length and stroked her clit, and only when she came all over him did he find his release. This time, he didn’t bother to pull out. Spilling each pulse of his orgasm into her cunt, he let go, holding her as he did.

  It was one of the longest, most intense orgasms of his life.

  They were both panting, and Ann was the first to move, leaning back a little so he could look into her face.

  “Wow,” she said. “Was that angry sex?”

  “I don’t know, were you angry?”

  “I think so.”

  “Then I guess it was. I wasn’t angry. I just wanted to show you who you belong to.”

  “That was very caveman of you.”

  “I know what I want, Ann.” He shoved her hair out of her face and pulled her back down to kiss her lips. She moaned his name, and he loved it. Running his hands down her back, cupping her hips, squeezing her ass, there wasn’t a part of her he didn’t want. She was everything, she consumed him.

  It means nothing.

  She’s just a fuck.

  “Are you going to stay angry at me?” he asked.

  “Are you going to take away your money?”

  “No. Your house is going to remain paid for.”

  “I don’t know if I feel comfortable with that,” she said. “I can’t pay you back.”

  “I didn’t ask for you to pay me back.”

  “Why would you do something like that? You don’t know me.”

  “I’m a nice guy.”

  “Eli, I’m being serious.”

  “So am I. I like you. What’s there to think about?” He didn’t want to think about it himself. Paying for her house, making a life with her. None of this was part of his plan. It wasn’t even a little part of his plan.

  Finding a woman wasn’t even mixed in with what he wanted to do. Katie needed stability. So what if his parents liked Ann? From the way Katie talked about her, he doubted anyone could ever hate this woman. She was smart, beautiful, and a fine fuck as well.

  Any man would be lucky to have her.

  There was the spike.

  The shock rushed through him, taking him by surprise. He didn’t want any other man to know how good this woman was. They all had their chances with her and fucking failed. They didn’t get to have a second shot.

  Something primal, pos
sessive, and consuming flooded over him. No woman had ever made him feel this way. Something struck him, hard and powerful.

  Ann wasn’t just any woman. She belonged to him. No other man was ever going to get a taste of perfection. Stroking her cheek, he thought about the houses.

  No!

  It was all bullshit.

  There was no way houses brought people together. He could have any woman he wanted. It just so happened he wanted to give Ann a whole lot of firsts and he was only just getting started.

  It didn’t mean anything.

  For once, he was going to be selfish with her.

  She shook her head and wriggled off his lap. Eli wanted to fight her but instead, let her go, seeing she was agitated. He didn’t want to upset her any further. He didn’t fucking get it, though. Why would she be pissed at him for paying for this house? He saw how much she enjoyed the place, and other women, he’d bought flowers, jewels, and many other expensive trinkets. Okay, not in as much value as a house, but he did something nice.

  “This is a house.”

  “I know. I have one next door.”

  “Dammit, I really can’t talk to you when you’re like this.”

  “Then how about we stop fighting, you come to bed, and we make up. We’ve got all evening.”

  He went to grab her hand but she evaded him. She turned on her heel, walking away. He listened as she stomped upstairs and he sat back.

  Their arrangement didn’t include him sitting here, listening to her being pissed, but even still, he couldn’t exactly let her go away. Blowing out a breath, he got to his feet and slowly followed her. This was totally pointless, and he didn’t understand why the fuck he was following her in the first place.

  He found her standing in the bathroom, staring at her reflection.

  “Look, I’m not going to take the money back. You deserve to have happiness, Ann. I don’t get why you don’t see this as a gift, but it is.”

  “Your company, would you have been so damn smug about it now if someone had helped you to build it?”

  “Ann, no one helped me.”

  “Exactly. So you can take all the credit for making it work. Look around you, Eli. What can I do?” she asked. “You know nothing about me. I came from nothing. I was nothing, and now I can’t even look myself in the mirror and say, yep, I totally won this one.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to sound like a bitch.”

  “You’re doing a really good job.”

  “That’s not funny.”

  “I thought I was doing a good thing. I saw all your calculations and starving wasn’t an option.” He stepped into the bedroom, going right behind her. Putting his hands on her hips, he slid them across her stomach, pulling her back against him. “You see, I love the way you feel against me. How you move. I love your body, and starving it won’t make me happy.”

  “You did all of this for yourself?” she asked.

  “Not all of it. I did it for Katie. You were going to have to move away, and I can’t have that. Not even for my own sanity. You see, you’re stuck with me.”

  She chuckled. “I don’t know if I can stay mad at you for long.”

  He slid his hand down between her thighs, touching her pussy. “Then don’t. There’s no reason to be pissed at me. I did a good thing.” And it wasn’t like he was ever going to say sorry to her either.

  He did what he had to in order to keep her around because the truth was he didn’t want to risk some other fucker taking her from him.

  Chapter Seven

  Ann hated to admit it, but without the worry of not paying her mortgage, life got pretty easy for her. For the next couple of weeks, she enjoyed the freedom of paying her bills, spending money on food, hanging out with Katie, baking, and of course when they could, being with Eli.

  He was … a mystery.

  Walking down the street, she remembered the other woman who had been inquiring about a dog walker. She never got around to approaching her, but seeing as she was free for the day, she wanted to check to see if she needed any assistance.

  She’d found the note left at the back of her washing machine, which she pulled out to clean behind, and this was where she had remembered her because of the address.

  Holding the piece of paper, she hummed to herself as she walked up the small incline, going to the door.

  Lifting her hand, she knocked, waited, and a few minutes later, a woman with crisp white hair opened the door and smiled.

  “Hi, I heard you were looking for a dog walker.” Just then, as if called forth, six little dogs came bundling toward her.

  She wasn’t afraid. With Eli paying for her house, she had been thinking more and more about getting the dog she’d mentioned to Katie. Of course this was all subject to her being able to keep both of her jobs. At the moment, her work at the DIY store was more fun than being a legal assistant.

  Getting down to her knees, she stroked them, made a fuss.

  “Well, well, well, I think you should come in, honey. It would seem my dogs have found a match. You’re the fifth dog walker I’ve had come to my door, and all the others have just gone poof as if they’re afraid when they all come out, barreling toward them. I know it’s not easy keeping a lot of dogs, but they’re really good.”

  “And they’re so sweet.” She followed the woman inside. “My name’s Ann,” she said.

  “Ah, Elizabeth, good to meet you.”

  She gave the woman’s hand a shake, noting how firm her grip was.

  “Would you like a cup of tea?” Elizabeth asked.

  “Love one. I want to be honest with you. I’m not a trained dog walker. If there is even such a thing. I work as a legal assistant and at the DIY store.”

  The woman laughed. “You do get around a bit.”

  “I don’t mind, and I’m not looking to be getting paid or anything. I can walk in the mornings and the evenings.” This woman didn’t live too far from her house, so it wasn’t going to be hard to walk. Some of the weekends when Katie was home, it would give her something to do as she wasn’t always happy with being on her own. She could deal, but loneliness was a real heartache.

  “I don’t mind paying you, dear.”

  Ann took a seat at the table and waited for her to finish brewing her tea. It looked like she already had a teapot waiting, and she watched as the woman made them both a small cup. It was beautiful porcelain she served from. She walked toward her, putting a cup down with a saucer.

  “This is beautiful,” she said.

  “Ah, it was a wedding gift. My William unfortunately passed a couple of years ago, but I like to still have the memories of our time together. Love is so precious. It’s not to be wasted. Do you have a suitor?” Elizabeth asked.

  “Me? No, I don’t have a suitor. Well, there is one guy but it’s not marriage or anything. Just se—I mean, friendship.”

  Elizabeth chuckled. “You do know I’m not too old to know what sex is. Me and my William had it plenty of times. Not until we were married, of course. Times have changed. Six kids down the line. They are all off now, doing what they need to, but they always come back to check on me. They’re good kids. They want me to leave this house but I can’t do it. This place has all my memories. All parts of me. If I left here, I’d be leaving my honey behind and that I cannot do.”

  Ann envied the woman’s love. Her relationship. Even in the briefest of moments talking about it, she saw the true love the woman felt. It was real, pure, and damn it, she hated envying anyone.

  “So, enough about me. Do you live far? Will you be able to walk them regularly?”

  Getting down to business, she told her where she lived and before she could even agree to mornings and afternoons, the woman sighed.

  “Oh, I see, your friendship then, the sex one, is with the man next door.”

  Her cheeks grew hot.

  “Another telltale sign, the hot blush. He is hot, isn’t he?”

  “You’ve seen him?”

  “Are you kidding
me? Whenever I hear of a new couple moving into those two houses, my curiosity gets the better of me. I need to know who and I like to have a little guess on just how long it will take them to get together. You and this new guy are taking a lot longer than I guessed. You see, I saw the way he looked at you when you moved in. You both moved in on the same day. That’s what I think the key is.”

  “Key?”

  “To the houses working.”

  “Oh, you think the houses have that curse?”

  “Finding true love isn’t a curse. It’s a gift. Those houses are damn gifts, I tell you. I’ve seen them in action. So many beautiful couples. I mean, they will always have a couple of months or even years when they stick to the two houses as if moving away will tear them apart, but it doesn’t happen. Nope, those houses are everything. I’ve seen them in action, and they really are something.”

  “Wow,” she said.

  “You don’t believe it?”

  “It’s kind of hard to believe houses can bring people together.”

  “Don’t worry, I don’t doubt for an instant other couples didn’t feel that way.”

  “Well, whatever lucky streak they had, it will end with me and Eli. We’re not in a relationship.”

  “No, but again, you didn’t see the way he looked at you. I watched him and I know that look. It’s the kind a man gives to a woman he can’t imagine his life without. I bet this man couldn’t imagine being without you.”

  She laughed. “Oh, I bet he could at times.” But thinking about moving day, it didn’t exactly ring any bells on catching him look at her.

  “You don’t believe, but trust me. If you two are already doing the sex, it won’t be long now.”

  “I don’t know if that worries me.”

  “Love isn’t something to dread, honey. It’s something to embrace. To love.” Elizabeth put a hand to her heart. “And believe me, when you find it, you’re not going to want to let it go.”

  Drawing the subject back to the topic at hand, which was the dogs, she wanted to stay focused on what could, in fact, happen, rather than dwelling on what might or might not be.

  She didn’t want to think of a future with Eli. The sex was amazing, and she loved snuggling up against him, but everything else wasn’t worth dreaming about. She had come a long way to know dreams, and taking the time to even allowing herself to believe was just setting her up to feel pain and misery.