Page 82 of The Renter
“Why not settle? Why drag it out in court?”
“We’ll need a bottle of whiskey and a few hours to properly answer that question. But there was no way I was giving her half of Harris Ventures.”
There’s so much I don’t know about him.There’s so much of his life that I know nothing about.
“Where’s your brain at?” Adam asks after a few silent moments.
“I’m going to take you up on that bottle of whiskey sometime.”
“Tell me when,” he says lightly, and I like that. I like that he is ready to tell me the whole story.
I take a sip of my wine, then point. “Kent’s house.”
As we enter Williams Bay, I gesture over to the Municipal Pier. “My parents’ house is a half mile from there.” He nods, and I ask, “You run on the path, right?”
“Every morning.”
Pointing at the lakefront path, I ask, “Do you come from Fontana this way toward Williams Bay or the other way?”
“This way.”
“It’s my favorite stretch.” I smile. “When I came to see you after a run, that’s the way I came.”
Adam stares at me for a moment before saying, “I like this. You driving the boat and me being the passenger.”
“You like when I’m in charge?” I flirt.
He chuckles at the innuendo. “You know …” he starts, then pauses. “We haven’t talked about boundaries.”
I giggle, then bite my lip. “Like in bed boundaries?”
“I’ve noticed you like it rough.”
“Me?” I ask coyly, playing up the innocence.
“Do you want us to take it up a notch or … ?”
The question hangs, and I think about it, sipping my wine. I like where we are and what we’ve been up to. “I don’t want to be in a true Dom/sub thing. Like, I don’t want you to give me a listof rules to follow and then if I don’t follow them, get punished. That wouldn’t turn me on.”
He smirks. “I’m very happy with what we’re doing.”
“No notes?” I tease.
“Definitely no notes.”
I giggle, loving everything about my summer with Adam, loving having him as my boyfriend. As we near the pier by the cottage, Adam asks, “What will you do with the boat?”
“I reserved one of the guest slips for the night.”
“So prepared. I love that.”
65
“Ihonestly missed you,” I whisper, hugging Dani closer to me. After the boat ride, we fucked for hours before changing into casual clothes and lounging on the patio. I’m relishing the tranquility and change of pace from Summit and my last couple of days in Chicago. And most of all, I am enjoying every second with my girlfriend.
Watching the sun begin to set over the lake, I replay so many of the memories we’ve made this summer in the cottage. My lease ends at the end of August.I should buy it.I should give the cottage to her for her birthday. It’s our special place, after all.
“Let’s go for a swim,” she suggests.
