Fallen Too Far

He quickly scribbled his number down and then handed the paper and the pen to me. "Call me. I mean it."

I would never call him but it was nice that he was offering. I nodded. I hadn’t promised anything.

"I hope you sleep okay in here." He looked around the small room with concern in his eyes. I would sleep wonderfully.

"I will," I assured him.

He nodded and stepped out of the room closing the door behind him. I waited until I heard him close the pantry door as well before I sat down on the bed beside my suitcase. This was good. I could work with this.

Chapter Three

Even with no windows in the room to tell me if the sun was up, I knew I’d slept late. I had been exhausted but a long eight-hour drive and footsteps on the stairs for hours after I’d laid down kept me from sleeping. Stretching, I sat up and reached for the light switch on the wall. The small bulb lit the room and I reached under the bed to pull out my suitcase.

I needed a shower and I needed to use the restroom. Maybe everyone would still be asleep and I could sneak in and out of a bathroom without anyone noticing. Grant hadn’t shown me where one was last night. This was all I’d been offered. Hopefully a quick shower wouldn’t be pushing the limit.

I grabbed clean panties and a pair of black shorts with a sleeveless white top. If I was lucky, I’d get in and out of the shower and be cleaning up before Rush made his way downstairs.

I opened the door leading into the pantry then walked through the rows of shelves that held more food than anyone could possibly need. I slowly turned the doorknob on the door and eased it open. The kitchen light was off and the only light was the bright sun streaming in through the large windows overlooking the ocean. If I didn’t need to pee so badly I would go enjoy the view a moment. But nature was calling and I had to go. The house was silent. Empty drinks littered the place, along with leftover food and some pieces of clothing. I could clean this up. If I proved to be useful I might get to stay until I could get a job and a paycheck or two.

I slowly opened the first door I came to, afraid it could be a bedroom. It was a walk-in closet. Closing it, back I made my way down the hall toward the stairs. If the only bathrooms were attached to bedrooms I was screwed. Except… maybe there was one that people used outside after being in the beach all day. Henrietta had to take showers and use the restroom too. Turning around I headed back to the kitchen and the two glass doors that had been standing open last night. Glancing around, I noticed a set of steps going down and underneath the house. I followed them.

At the bottom were two doors. I opened one and life jackets, surfboards and floats covered the walls. I went and opened the other one. Bingo.

A toilet was on one side and a small shower took up the other side of the room. Shampoo, conditioner and soap along with a fresh washcloth and a towel was on the small stool beside it. How convenient.

Once I was clean and dressed I hung the towel and bath cloth over the shower rod. This bathroom wasn’t used often. I could use the same towel and washcloth all week and then wash them on the weekends. If I was here that long.

I closed the door behind me and headed back up the steps. The ocean air smelled wonderful. Once I got to the top, I stood at the railing and looked out over the water. Waves crashed onto the white sandy beach. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

Mom and I had talked about seeing the ocean together one day. She’d seen it as a little girl and her memories weren’t that great but she’d told me stories about it all my life. Every winter when it was cold, we would sit inside by the fire and plan our summer trip to the beach. We never were able to take it. First mom hadn’t been able to afford it and then she’d been too sick. We still planned them anyway. It helped to dream big.

Now, here I stood staring at the waves we’d only dreamed about. It wasn’t the fairytale vacation we’d planned but I was here seeing it for both of us.

"That view never gets old." Rush’s deep drawl startled me. I spun around to see Rush leaning against the open door. Shirtless. Oh. My.

I couldn’t form words. The only naked male chest I’d ever seen was Cain’s. And that had been back before my mom got sick when I’d had time for dates and fun. Cain’s sixteen-year-old chest had nothing on the broad, cut muscles in front of me. He had actual ripples in his stomach.

"Are you enjoying the view?" His amused tone didn’t escape me. I blinked and lifted my eyes back up to see the smirk on his lips. Dangit. He’d caught me ogling him.

"Don’t let me interrupt you. I was enjoying it myself," he replied, then took a sip from the coffee cup in his hand.

My face heated and I knew I was three kinds of red. Turning back around, I stared out at the ocean. How embarrassing. I was trying to get this guy to let me stay for a little while. Drooling was not the best move.

A low chuckle from behind me only made it worse. He was laughing at me. Fantastic.

"There you are. I missed you in bed this morning." A soft female coo came from behind me. Curiosity got the better of me and I turned around.  A girl in nothing but her bra and panties was snuggling up to Rush’s side and running a long pink fingernail down his chest. I couldn’t blame her for wanting to touch that. I was pretty tempted myself.

"It’s time for you to go," he replied taking her hand off his chest and stepping away from her. I watched as he pointed in the direction of the front door.

"What?" she replied. The confused expression on her face said she hadn’t been expecting this.

"You got what you came here for, babe. You wanted me between your legs. You got it. Now I’m done."

The cold hard flatness in his voice startled me. Was he serious?

"You’re kidding me!" the girl snapped and stomped her foot.