Page 38 of Pretty Wild

After taking care of the boat and getting Grandpa’s truck put away, I got everything out to clean the fish. Usually, I wouldn’t worry about one singular fish, but I want Ryan to experience it all. Sure, we might have experienced a little too much, considering we both took an unplanned dip in the lake. Eating our catch is all part of it.

Anytime Grandpa and I went, we always cleaned and cooked our catch. When Grandma was still alive, she’d be waiting back at the cabin, the supplies ready for our return. I remember asking Grandpa why she didn’t help, and I’ll never forget his answer.Cleaning the fish and doing the dishes afterward is all part of it. If we catch the fish, we clean ’em. Never expect a woman to have to clean anything, especially when we’re perfectly capable of doing it ourselves.

Not that I have a woman to clean—or do anything else around here—but I’ve never forgotten that. Grandpa would always help clean the house, insisting we pick up after ourselves.And likewise, Grandma was always capable, and sometimes very happy to help keep up the outside chores. She mowed and would pick up sticks. Even handwash vehicles in the driveway. It wasn’t until the cancer took over her body that she stopped, and within a few months, Grandpa and I were the only ones left to do all of it.

Since I’ve been fishing and taking care of my catch since I was little, it took me no time to get our dinner cut and soaking in a bowl of salt water. Then, I went inside to shower. My dick was still hard throughout the whole thing, as memories of Ryan and that kiss filtered through my brain. I almost reached down and grabbed a hold of it to relieve some of the pressure but decided against it. My luck, she would have shown up early and found me stroking one off in the shower. Not exactly the impression I want to make with her.

Now that I have the lake and fish washed off me, I’m in the kitchen, trying to figure out what to make with the fish. Spotting a few potatoes, I pull those out and start dicing. They’ll be great with some avocado oil and seasoning, roasted until brown and crispy.

Just as I pull a few fresh vegetables out of the drawer, a knock sounds. Buddy instantly starts barking, his legs carrying him as fast as possible to the front door.

“Hi, Buddy,” I hear Ryan say as I round the corner, and the front door comes into view.

“You can come in,” I say, reaching the entrance and pushing open the screen door. “You stay and be good,” I tell the dog, who’s eager to jump and play with our new visitor.

She enters my home and glances around. “Wow, this is just as beautiful as the outside.”

I glance around the open living room, with the floor-to-ceiling windows and the stone fireplace. The furniture is comfortable, and the TV is mounted over the fireplace. It’s a tadbit too large for the space, but it suits me just fine, even though I don’t watch it much. “Thanks,” I reply, stepping back so she can take it all in.

My eyes are on her.

She’s wearing another one of those sundresses with the thin straps. This one’s green with little white and pink flowers on it, and it hugs her slender waist and the curve of her breasts like it was designed specifically for her.

Hell, for all I know it was.

Someone of her status and wealth can surely have their designer clothes custom made, right?

My eyes travel down to what’s covering her feet. They’re strappy little things that tie in some intricate bow around her lower calf. I don’t know why I find them so sexy. Maybe it’s because they remind me of lingerie. You know, ties and bows and if you give it one little tug, it exposes the goods behind it?

“Do I get a tour, or can I just wander around and snoop?” she asks, glancing back at me with a mischievous smile on her pink lips.

“I can give you a tour,” I confirm, hands shoved in my pockets, so I don’t reach out and touch her. “Buddy, go lay down.” He does as instructed, walking over to the elevated bed I bought for him. He grabs his bone and starts to go to town.

Ryan falls in line with me as I move toward the back of the cabin. “Let me guess, bedroom first, right?”

I crack a crooked smile. “After I feed you,” I reply. “You’re going to need the nutrients.”

I swear I witness a shiver run through her body at my comment. “Okay then.”

“There’s one bedroom down here,” I tell her, showing her the guest bedroom. It has a full-size bed and a dresser, but other than that, I use it for storage. Not that I have a lot of stuff, but sometimes it’s easier than taking it down to the basement.

“Nice. Do you have a lot of visitors?” she asks curiously.

I don’t even have to think about it. “Not one,” I state, earning a laugh.

“Then why do you have a guest room?”

I shrug my shoulders, glancing around the room. “I don’t know. I guess when I built this place, it was customary to have one. But all my friends live in town here, and I don’t have any family, so I don’t really need it.”

Her chocolate eyes transform into sadness. “You don’t have any family?”

I shake my head, hating this conversation. Not that I’ve had it a lot over the years. The locals know my story, and the women I tend to sleep with don’t really care. I’m there for one reason, and it’s not small talk.

“Come on, let’s finish the tour,” I say, exiting the spare bedroom. “Bathroom here,” I say, pointing to the open door, “and laundry room. The original house plan was for two bedrooms downstairs and the laundry room either in a small room off the kitchen or in the basement, and I didn’t like either option. I barely use one guest room, let alone two, so I turned it into the laundry room and made the bathroom bigger.”

“It suits the space,” she says. “And with those enclosed cabinets, you get a lot of storage.”

I nod, turning and heading for the stairs. Ryan doesn’t say a word as we move up. Each step we take echoes off the hardwood, and once we clear the landing, the master bedroom comes into view. It’s completely open with a picturesque view. In the front, there’s a railing that looks over the living room, as well as the windows at the front of the cabin. So even when I’m in my bedroom, I can see the driveway and front of the property. And at the back of the room, more of the windows that aim directly at the back of the property where it meets the lake.

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