Worth Every Cent

by Lexy Timms

  I pointed up the road to the dilapidated sign of the motel. He turned around to look at it as he sat there on the side of the road. I dipped into his car and grabbed my apron from work, then proceeded to talk down the sidewalk.

  “Michelle, wait.”

  My shoulders tensed and my heart thundered in my chest as I turned around.

  “Yes?” I asked softly.

  Then, I watched as he parked his car and got out.

  Chapter 11

  Grayson

  Over the past month, there was only one thing I’d truly been obsessed with. And ever since I’d gotten back into town, I couldn’t get it off my mind. Hell, since the moment Michelle first crawled into bed with me that night, nearly naked, I hadn’t been able to rid my mind of those thoughts. The one thing that consumed me more than anything was feeling her naked body against mine.

  And I’d had her. Outdoors. Riding my cock and pressing her tits against me after tasting the fountain between her thighs. Such a primitive, raw moment. A moment unlike anything I’d ever shared with any other woman. Even as I laid there in the grass with her, bathing our bodies in sunlight, my head spun from my orgasm. It was one of the most powerful sexual experiences I’d ever engaged in, and I was about to ruin things again.

  Ruin shit with the woman who had turned my world upside down.

  I was about to drop her off at a shitty motel and head back to a dead man’s house alone. And it was the last thing I wanted to do. I didn’t want to let her walk off and stay in that place by herself. I didn’t want her sleeping in whatever bedbug-infested mattress that place had in its dusty, molded rooms. I wanted more time with Michelle. More moments to cherish her and feel her and please her. More moments to tease her and pleasure her and bring her to heights I knew she had never experienced with any other man.

  I wanted to wake up next to her, and I wasn’t above bribery to make it happen.

  I hopped out of my car as horns honked at me, but I didn’t care. I knew I was blocking the lane parking on the curb of the road, but I didn’t give a shit. I needed Michelle to wait. I needed a chance to fix things. The last thing I wanted was for my own insecurities to get in the way of the beauty we experienced together in that meadow.

  A beauty I knew we could recreate so long as I was in Stillsville.

  She looked back at me with an expression so cute and so curious. There was a hope in her eyes that made my heart soar. It gave me the push I needed to walk towards her, and soon I was standing in front of her and gazing down. My wet shirt clung to me and my jeans were far too tight due to the waterlogged fabric. Then again, her clothes looked pretty rough on her as well.

  I had a notion to rip them right off her and take her to Anton’s so she could wear mine.

  “Yes, Gray?” Michelle asked.

  “The room in Anton’s place is still open,” I said. “You’re more than welcome to it again.”

  “Aren’t you selling that house?” she asked.

  “I’ll need to stage it, so it won’t look the same. But it’s there for you to use. All of it, if you want it. I’ll be doing some things here and there. Cleaning. Dusting. Packing the rest of Anton’s things up and finding a buyer for his furniture.”

  “The buyers don’t want the furniture?”

  “They aren’t acting like they do.”

  “Wish I had a place to stay,” she said. “I’d gladly take the furniture.”

  That statement sent the gears of my mind immediately turning. Now I knew there was no way I could let her go back to that fucking motel of hers.

  “I’ll need help with it,” I said.

  “Gray, don’t do that. I already have a job,” Michelle said.

  “It’s only cleaning and packing here and there. We can work it around your schedule,” I said. “But if you want the job, I’ll pay you the same rate I did before along with free room and board.”

  “Gray—”

  “Come on, Michelle. Just say yes and spare us both the back and forth. Whatever you think I think of you, it’s not true. However you see yourself, it isn’t how I see you. I see a hardworking woman with an entire life ahead of her. I see a woman scrambling to piece together a decent life for herself after being tossed out by some bullshit excuse for a man. You see weakness where I see strength, so stop fighting and just say yes.”

  I looked down at her and could see how torn she was. But the shock of my statement also parted those plump lips of hers in surprise. Michelle was one of those women that attempted to hide her thoughts, but they broadcast themselves all over her face. It was easy to read her. From the way she carried herself, to the way she spoke, and to the way her eyes told her entire story. She was adorably innocent and wildly untamed, and it did things to my insides I had no idea how to reconcile.

  “I really appreciate the offer, Gray. But I have my job at the diner. I can’t quit it to come work for you temporarily. I need something long-term.”

  “I’m not asking you to quit. I’m asking you to work around the hours you’re already working. Like a second job,” I said.

  “I do have to sleep and eat at some point in time.”

  “You’ll do all those things. I won’t take up all your free time. Come on, Michelle. Don’t do this.”

  But I could see it in her eyes that I was losing her. She was backing away from me, and nothing I said got through to her at all.

  “We really should keep things professional if this is something that’s going to happen,” she said.

  “Define professional.”

  She giggled and shook her head. A sound I felt I would still be robbed of even though she was about to take me up on my offer.

  “If I’m going to take this as a second job, I’m going to treat it like one. Which means no living with my boss,” Michelle said.

  “Miche—”

  “No, Gray.”

  The harshness of her voice took me by surprise.

  “This is a temporary job. I’ve taken great strides over the past month to get over a lot of things, and throwing me back into Anton’s house isn’t going to be good for anyone involved.”

  The sadness that filled her eyes laced my tongue with every curse I could pile onto it. Because I knew she was talking about more than Anton’s death.

  She was talking about me.

  “The halfway point between the diner and Anton’s house is Cecily’s. I’m sure if I talk to her, she’ll let me stay with her.”

  “That isn’t necessary,” I said. “You can sleep anywhere. Hell, Michelle. Anton’s got a guest house out back. You could stay-”

  “This isn’t up for discussion. I won’t be there long. I have the next couple of days off work, so the plan was to go apartment hunting for myself anyway. But it’ll make the journey from the diner to Anton’s and back again easier from Cecily’s. If you want the help, I’m more than willing to give it. But I’m not staying in Anton’s house with you. I can’t.”

  The idea of her living right next to that damn ex of hers made my blood boil, but if she took the job that meant I was guaranteed more time around her. And she said it herself. She wanted to go apartment hunting. Something I could definitely help her with. Which meant I could keep an eye on her and make sure things weren’t getting out of hand with Andy. It was the only compromise she was giving and I wanted to be around her too much to turn it down.

  “Okay,” I said. “The job is yours. Let’s go get your things from the motel and I can drop you off at Cecily’s.”

  “Thank you,” she said.

  I helped her back into the car and we went to get her stuff. I was very disappointed she wouldn’t be staying with me, but getting her to take that job again was a victory in and of itself. I watched as she walked into the main office and talked with the man behind the counter, and he went to embrace her with a smile on his face. I wondered what they were talking about. What they were rejoicing about. He gave her a kiss on the cheek before she came back out, then her beautiful legs carried her to the very la
st room on the facade of the building. I rolled into a parking space and sat there, waiting for her to collect her things.

  The cobwebs in the window told me everything I needed to know about the condition of the damn place.

  The second she piled her things into my car, I peeled out of there as fast as I could. Her eyes widened as she looked over at me, a breathless giggle falling from her lips.

  “Well don’t be too eager to leave the place,” she said.

  “I’ve got a realtor friend helping me with the sale of Anton’s home. I’ll ask him to send over some rental listings for us to take a look at. What’s your budget?”

  “Us?” she asked.

  “You’ll need a ride around town to look at the places. I figured I could take you.”

  “You want to go with me to find a place.”

  “Yes,” I said. “Will you let me?”

  I looked over at her and watched as a smile crossed her apple-peaked cheeks.

  “I’d like that,” she said. “Thank you, Gray.”

  “Anything I can do to help.”

  And I meant every word.

  I pulled into the driveway of the dilapidated house and got out to help Michelle with her things. I slung her duffle bag over my shoulder and carried it up the rickety brick steps while she fished the key out of the dead potted plant. She pushed herself into Cecily’s place and the dank smell that hit my nose made my stomach curl.

  Did the woman not know how to clean?

  “Are you sure you want to stay here?” I asked.

  “Yep,” Michelle said, as she took the bag from me. “I’ll be fine for a couple of days. Thanks for the help.”

  “Anytime,” I said mindlessly.

  The floor sloped and pictures were hung crookedly on the walls. The furniture looked stained and had big holes. The part of the kitchen I could see had my skin crawling. Dishes were piled high and flies sat in the windowsill.

  If I didn’t think Michelle would ban my existence from her world forever, I’d yank her out of that place and drag her back to Anton’s.

  “Okay,” I said. “I’ll see you tomorrow for the rental hunt. Pick you up around ten?”

  “Sounds good to me. I’ll see you then.”

  It took all the energy I could muster to watch her walk into that place. She shut the door in my face and I walked back to my car, pulling my phone from my pocket. I had to find her a place and fast. A place she could afford. And if she couldn’t afford it, I’d make it look like she could and pay the damn difference out of my own pocket.

  Anything to get her into a place that was clean and worth her time.

  “Malcolm Angier.”

  “Mr. Angier, Grayson here.”

  “Mr. MacDonald, it’s nice to hear from you. To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?”

  “I need you to send me all the listings of rental houses and apartments in the Stillsville area that are as close to the town diner as you can get. I want to see them over the course of the next two days,” I said.

  “I can send you over to a colleague of mine, but I don’t handle rentals, Mr. MacDonald. Only purchases.”

  “I’ll give you five thousand dollars in cash to have those places sent to me by the end of the day.”

  “How does six o’clock sound?” the man asked.

  I grinned as I cranked up my car and sped out of the driveway. I fed my stipulations to the man while he jotted them down, then I hung up the phone and drove around to find the nearest ATM. After collecting the money I owed the man, I drove back to Anton’s and went inside. I pulled out a small manila envelope and stuck the money inside, then took it out to the garage with me. I needed to do some more work on the Chevy, especially if I was going to be with Michelle for the next couple of days. I set the envelope down on the driver’s seat, then rolled myself underneath the car after jacking it up.

  I tinkered with the powertrain and replaced a few parts before I heard a car pull up into the driveway. I rolled out and wiped my greasy hands off, grinning as Mr. Angier stepped out of his car. He had a folder of files waiting for me and I had an envelope of cash with his name on it.

  “Here are the rentals in town that fit all the stipulations you asked of me.”

  “And here’s the money I promised you,” I said.

  The two of us exchanged folders and I saw his eyes sparkle with green dollar signs.

  “There are a couple in there that are listed as purchase properties, but I talked to the owners and they said they would be willing to rent the properties out for a year or two. They’ve been struggling to sell the homes, so it’s money in their pockets. I jotted down some notes on who to call, but I notified all the properties that you would be coming by to look at them within the next couple of days. Their contact information is available on the sheets, double-checked by myself.”

  “I appreciate your timely efforts, Mr. Angier.”

  “And I appreciate your business. How is the house coming along for showing?”

  “I’m getting it ready. I’ve got three more rooms to clean and organize, but once the next couple of days get past me, the house will be ready to see.”

  “Perfect. The people who are interested in the property are coming into town this weekend. I assured them they could see the property once they got here,” he said.

  “That won’t be a problem. Thank you for your time.”

  I smiled down at the folder of listings as I peeled open the cover. I couldn’t wait for tomorrow. My slow seduction of Michelle was coming to a head. The idea of spending the next two days at her side trying to figure out where she was going to live served two purposes. One, it gave me more time next to her to help her figure things out. And two, it gave us more time to connect without the looming cloud of Anton’s death hovering around us.

  It gave us a chance to escape that grief and tap into the connection the two of us shared.

  And I couldn’t wait to revel in my victory.

  Chapter 12

  Michelle

  I reached down for the cold water and flipped it all the way over. My nipples were puckered to painful peaks and the hot water only reminded me of the hot encounter I’d had with Gray yesterday. I dreamed of him all last night as I slept on Cecily’s couch, waking up with panties so wet I could smell them without even lifting my damn blanket. I had to calm myself down and get myself under control. I was about to spend the entire day with him looking at rental properties, and the last thing I needed was for my body to be focused only on him.

  But it was hard.

  Our encounter took me by surprise and had taken over my conscious mind. I’d been aroused ever since our time together, despite the hiccup we had. I shivered in the cold stream of water as I washed the conditioner out of my hair, but thoughts of Gray’s body still rattled in my mind. His thick muscles. His pulsing girth. The way he filled my body perfectly and the way he loved my curves. Most men had sex with me despite them. Ignoring them, like they were doing me a favor. But not Gray. He enjoyed my curves. Relished them. Covered them with his lips and massaged them with his palms. I’d never been treated like that before. I’d never experienced the feeling of sheer beauty like I did when I was against his body.

  He was so damn sexy, and he knew exactly what my body needed.

  I had no idea where I conjured the strength to turn down his offer. Staying with him at Anton’s would’ve been a dream come true. I would’ve rather been in one of those guest bedrooms than on Cecily’s lumpy couch, but I knew that being close to Gray like that would be too damn dangerous. It took me so long to get over him leaving the first time. To let him go only for him to come barreling back into Stillsville. The last thing my life needed was to lose myself in him again, just in time for him to leave.

  Because once he left, there would be no more of Anton’s estate to bring him back.

  I wanted him desperately, and I knew if I spent another week around him all the time, I would be lost. I’d lose myself in him. In the breakfasts he cooked
and the dinners the spoiled me with. In the afternoon delight whenever he slipped behind me in the shower and the evening dessert sessions when he sank me to the glass table on Anton’s porch and devoured me whole. I’d lose myself in him. In the dream of him. In an expectation of him that was unfair for me to hold him to.

  Gray wasn’t a staying man.

  He marched into Stillsville again knowing one day he would eventually leave.

  Gray wasn’t the keeping type, so it didn’t make sense to fall in love with him. It didn’t make sense to convince myself that anything else would happen other than a fleeting passion and a raw desire, again left cold by his absence. I stepped away from the stream of water as my toes turned to ice, thoroughly settled down as my mind calmed its lewd thoughts.

  “Michy?”

  “Yeah?” I asked.

  “You got company.”

  Wait, Gray was already at the door?

  I reached for a towel and wrapped it quickly around me. Shit. I was running behind. How long had I been in the shower? But the second I heard the bathroom door slam open, I knew it wasn’t who I thought it was. I stepped out of the shower in my towel and stood face to face with the one person I never expected to see.

  “Andy?” I asked. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  Why in the world did Cecily let him into the bathroom with me?

  “You always did look good in a bath towel,” Andy said.

  “What are you doing in Cecily’s bathroom?” I asked.

  “I want to talk, and you won’t talk to me.”

  “Because I don’t want to. It’s not your right to talk to me. I want you out. Now.”

  “Well, it’s not really your place. Only Cecily can kick me out. And she’s the one that let me in.”

  “A talk which I’ll have with her later. But I’m running late, and you’re in my way,” I said.

  “I’ll let you go when we talk, Michy.”

  “Michelle,” I said. “My name is Michelle. I’ve always hated that nickname.”

  “You didn’t hate it when I whispered it in your ear while fucking you from behind.”