Page 45 of Never Going to Care

I smirked at her, amusement in my words, “It’s a key.”

“I can see that,” she deadpanned. It should have annoyed me. From almost any other woman it would have made me scowl, but not with her. With her it only made me want her more. “A key to what?”

“Here,” I answered her simply with a shrug of one shoulder. “Since you’ll be staying here for at least two weeks, you need to be able to come and go as you please.”

“Just two weeks,” she reiterated the terms of our bet from the night before, but I saw a little glimmer of hope in her eyes that it would be more than that.

I made a non-committal sound and then showed her how the alarm system works before we had to part ways. When I kissed her goodbye, it took all my strength to let her go.

I murmured against her lips, “Make sure you pack a bag, Starlight. Bring over as much stuff as you want.” I winked at her. “I’d be fine with you bringing everything over.”

She scoffed and shook her head but couldn’t hide the smile on her lips from me. “It’s two weeks Hale. I’m not moving in with you.”

“We’ll see,” I grunted and kissed her forehead.

The moment she was gone, I could feel something in my chest try and pull me in her direction. I fought it because I knew she was going to need a little bit of time to process everything. She needed to accept my words and the way she felt about them, about me, about us. I could see her wheels turning and I wanted her to be able to take a breath.

As long as she knew I wasn’t going to let her take too much time by herself, I could let her put a little bit of distance between us. That didn’t stop me from texting her as soon as I arrived at SP to let her know I was at work, but always available to her.

She just sent me back an eyeroll emoji. I was chuckling when the doors of the elevator slid open, and I saw Piper looking at me with a huge smile on her face. Her excitement was evident even at a distance and I knew it was about more than her newlywed status.

“So,” she drew out the word which reminded me of my sisters when they were about to give me shit, “Celeste is moving in with you for two weeks, huh?”

I smirked at her and rubbed the back of my neck in the attempt to fight my blush. I was glad Celeste had such a good friend in Piper. She deserves it and so much more.

“It’ll be more than two weeks if I have anything to do with it,” I grumbled.

I swear her smile stretched a little farther across her face with my words. Suddenly, her expression shuttered, and she narrowed her eyes at me. I knew what was coming before she said a damn word.

“If you hurt her, I will castrate you,” Piper’s words were succinct and full of venom which I could appreciate even though it made me bristle.

“I’ll never fucking hurt my Starlight,” I growled the words with an edge of a threat to them.

She didn’t shrink back from my aggression, she just nodded with a triumphant smile on her face. “Good, that’s good.” She sighed, no longer feeling the need to defend her best friend against the possible hurts which could be inflicted on her even though it was the last thing I would ever do to her. “Just remember that she grew up with an overprotective brother. She’s always fought against it. Sometimes she might just need some space and not so much,” she paused as she looked me over, “testosterone.”

I barked out a laugh. “She likes my testosterone just fine.” Piper scrunched up her face and she opened her mouth to say something, but I cut her off as I held up a hand. “I get it. I can tell she’s independent and I don’t want to take that from her. Far from it. I just want her to know she doesn’t have to fight her battles alone anymore. I have her back. If she needs a little space, I can do that. If she needs me to crowd her or force her to talk it out with me, I can do that too.”

A look of pride covered Piper’s face and I was only mildly embarrassed at how much I liked seeing it. “Then you have my blessing,” she circled her hands in the air with her words as if she was anointing me.

“Don’t need your blessing, Piper,” I groused.

She giggled and shrugged as if it didn’t matter what I said. It probably didn’t. I stalked off to my office with a big smile on my face. It felt like I was on cloud nine the entire day, but the closer it got to me going home, the more worried I was that she wasn’t going to be there. I didn’t think she would back out of the bet, but fear can be a real bitch.

I’ve never felt such relief as when I walked through the front door of my place to find a bag of hers next to the couch and her sweet voice singing off key coming from the kitchen. Did I lift her onto the small island and feast on her pussy until her thighs were shaking? Yup. She deserved the reward for allaying my fears without even knowing they were there.

Celeste stretches against my body, pulling me out of my thoughts and reminding me she’s right here next to me and she’s mine. All fucking mine.

I know she’s not ready for me to reveal everything about how I feel about her, but I think she’s getting closer and that’s enough for me right now. I want her to be comfortable with me. I want her to know what home feels like and that she can find it right here with me, in my arms, in my bed, in the life we’re going to build together.

One of her eyes cracks open, her voice low and a little rough with sleep, “Morning.”

I kiss her forehead and then nuzzle into the crook of her neck, my voice a rumble against her skin, “Morning, Starlight.”

There’s amusement in her voice, “Were you watching me sleep again?”

I chuckle, not pulling away from her and soaking up her warmth instead. “Yes,” I answer her honestly. “You’re adorable when you sleep.”

She snorts. “I probably snore and drool.”

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