Whispering Wishes (15 page)

“Why is that?”

“Because. I am the ultimate ping pong champion. You are going to want to think long and hard before you even think about challenging me. It’s just not very smart.

“Ah, I see.
But, I think I will take my chances.”

“You may regret that.”

“Maybe so,” I tell him with a smile, “but did it ever occur to you that I may have a lot of surprises up my sleeve too?”

He raises his brows
. “Oh, is that right?”

“Yes definitely.”

“Sounds intriguing.” He turns on his heel and starts back up the stairs and I follow behind him. Once we reach the middle floor, we ascend another set of stairs to the upper level.

On the left is a large bathroom with a door that leads into what is obviously the master bedroom.
Through the door I can see the king size bed draped in gray and black, taking up the majority of the room. The man definitely likes black. “This is my room.”

I feel heat flush as I imagine him sleeping in the bed in nothing but his boxers or changing his clothes and using the bathroom.
It feels intimate to be standing here in his living space and it makes me feel even more aware of him.

“It’s uh, really nice.”

“Thanks.” And it is. Everything is sleek and manly. As we walk out of the room, I even notice a few colognes he has sitting on top of his dresser, and I want to stop, read the labels, and smell them. I wonder if I can find which one it is that he wears the most. It smells amazing.

He also has pictures sitting on his dresser, and I stop to look at them.
A silver frame holds a photo of him standing with two other men and a woman. They are all smiling at the camera, have their arms around one another, and look very happy. Wes looks like he’s the same age he is now, so it must not have been taken that long ago. “That is my brother and my parents.”

“It’s a really nice picture.”

“Thank you.”

I set it down gently and look at him with a sad smile.

“Come on, this way.”

Across the hall is another bedroom. “This is one of the guest rooms, not the one that you will be in. Feel free to use it for a friend if you need to. If you have someone over and end up drinking a little too much or it just gets late, they can always stay over if need be. I don’t mind at all just so you know.”

“Okay, cool.”

He walks further down the hall and opens the door to a bedroom on the right. “This one is yours.”

Inside is a large room, not as large as the master bedroom, but good size nevertheless.
It’s empty – he’s cleared it out like he promised and it’s awaiting my furniture. The carpet is a soft beige color and the walls are white. It smells like paint.

“You painted?”

“Well yeah. I wanted to have it ready for you.”

“But you didn’t have to paint!”

“The walls were blue before, it was a nice blue but just didn’t seem like you. Besides if there is a color you prefer I figured you’d like the opportunity to paint or decorate how you want.” He shrugs absently like it’s a no-brainer.

“Wow, that’s really nice of you.”

Passing a reasonably sized walk-in closet, he walks to and opens another, revealing the attached bathroom. It is spacious and airy with a sink, a few counters with cupboards, a glass enclosed shower and toilet and will work just fine for me. “I know I’m stating the obvious, but here is your bathroom. If you ever want to use the Jacuzzi tub that’s in the master bathroom, that’s fine. Just let me know so I don’t accidentally walk in on you,” he says with a grin. “Actually, on second thought, don’t tell me. Use it whenever you want.”

I laugh
. “You wish.”

He bounces on the balls of his feet
. “So, that’s the place. What do you think?”

“I think it’s really great.
Thank you again for sharing this with me. You are right, there is more than enough room for both of us.” I continue to push the unease I feel away knowing another woman lived here. Part of me feels like I’m an intruder in her territory, but I’m being ridiculous. And besides, it’s not my business.

He claps his hands together
. “Okay, how about we start unloading those boxes. Sound like a plan?”

“Yes.
Let’s do it.”

We head down the stairs, make our way outside and begin the process of moving my possessions into his home.
There’s definitely no turning back now – and honestly, I’m not sure I want to.

Looking in the
truck, I’m pleased to see we have made excellent progress. Just a few boxes left and then only the furniture is left to unload. I’m secretly hoping that Wes’s friends come back soon because carrying my bed frame, mattress, and tables up that flight of stairs is going to be a bitch. If they don’t though, we’ll handle it. Just call me Acme. Truth is, I’m going to be so tired tonight when this is all over. I’m already thinking a hot bath in that huge Jacuzzi would be heavenly, but I doubt I will mention that.

Wes and I walk up the ramp to grab another box.
I lost count of how many trips we have made. We are stacking all the boxes in the large closet in my room and in the corner of the room to keep them out of the way for when the furniture gets put together. Seeing them all stacked together, I’m wondering if I should have downsized even more.

We are about to walk up the steps to the front door, when suddenly the bottom of the box Wes is holding collapses and all the contents spill out onto the ground.
“Shit!”

To my absolute horror, I realize that the box Wes is carrying is the one I marked with a huge red star.
I wanted to be sure that I carried it into the house myself because its contents are highly personal. Obviously, the star wasn’t positioned on the side where I could see it and the warning was lost. Apparently stickers with flames or DO NOT TOUCH written on all sides would have been better.

Later, I’ll refer to it like standing there, frozen, staring at a horrific car accident; seeing it about to happen but not able to do a damn thing to stop it.
I freeze for a moment and watch all the girly self-pleasure items, creams, lotions, cleaners, and lubes that I won and bought from the sex party hit the ground and go rolling all over the sidewalk. Wes instinctively reaches down and tries to grab what he can. When he holds up the item he caught before it hit the ground, he realizes he’s holding a huge fake cock in his hand. He drops it like it was on fire, yelling, “Whoa!”

“Oh my
God, oh my God,” I am whispering under my breath as my eyes dart everywhere trying to figure out where everything went and wishing I could somehow magically grab it all at once. I am going to die of mortification right here on the sidewalk. Please ground – now would be a great time to open up and swallow me right the fuck up. How could this have happened? Of all boxes, why this box? Why, oh why does this shit happen to me?

Having practically tossed the box I was carrying aside, I’m on my hands and knees trying to gather up all the dildos as fast as I can, and toss them – quickly
, but carefully - into the box. I mean I may be embarrassed, but the likelihood that I will need these just increased. I refuse to look up at Wes or to look at anything other than the task at hand. It isn’t lost on me that he hasn’t moved, and not for a million dollars do I want to see the look on his face. He’s likely wondering what the hell kind of sex crazed person he’s about to let live in his house. Oh God, he probably thinks I’m a total slut. My best thought is that he merely thinks I like variety. Oh shit. I pitch a couple more into the box and go running down the sidewalk chasing one that hit the slope and kept rolling.

Once I grab it and head back to repack it away with the others, I finally chance a glance at Wes.
He’s trying to hold in his laughter so hard that his shoulders and whole body are trembling with the effort. My face feels bright red. In fact, I can feel my entire body flush from head to freaking toe, like a wave running the length of my body. I’ve never ever been so humiliated in my entire life. Damn Meg and her stupid sex party. I blame her.

“They aren’t mine,” I blurt.
He raises a brow at my comment because eww, that would be even more gross if I was holding onto someone else’s sex toys. Why the hell did I say that? “Well, they’re mine, but what I mean is that I just got them the other day.”

A laugh escapes those sexy lips.
Shit, I can’t talk – this whole situation has apparently made me stupid and mute.

“I won them,” I say so loud it’s bordering on a yell.

It takes a couple tries, his mouth opening then closing, until he’s able to calm down enough to speak to me. “You - you won them?”

“Yes.
From a sex consultant.” Another laugh escapes those lips so I rush to add, “At a sex party.”

That was the wrong thing to say because the dam opens and Wes can’t hold it in any longer.
He absolutely loses it, laughing so hard he bends over holding his stomach. I feel even more mortified if that’s possible, and busy myself with shoving the rest of the stuff in the box. Looking around, I make sure I got every last item then close the box up once again.

I take the box in my arms, ignoring the other one I had been carrying and start walking in the house.
I’m on the first step when I hear, “A-A-Aspen?”

I take a deep breath before saying, “Yeah?” but refuse to turn around and look at him.

“You um… you forgot these.”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, yet again.
I mean, I’m going to live with the guy, I have no choice but to face him at some point, I may as well get it over with. I can’t just hide out in my room the rest of the day. I slowly turn around to face him, all the while putting an indignant look on my face, daring him to make fun of me. I hope it screams, you’re an idiot for thinking a sexual woman like myself wouldn’t have a vibrator or ten, and not, I’m so embarrassed and I want to die right the hell now.

Oh
God. Who in the world has ten freaking vibrators? This girl.

When I finally look at him, I see that dangling from his fingers are the pink fuzzy handcuffs that were a bonus gift with one of my purchases.
He has a significantly indicting, yet playfully ornery look on his face with upturned lips and eyes shining from unrestrained laughter. He keeps trying to straighten his expression to one of being serious, but he sucks at it because his lips keep turning up over and over when he pushes them straight. It doesn’t help that he has been twirling the handcuffs while waiting for my response.

I snatch them from his hands
. “Thank you.”

I turn around and make it up another stair before, “Aspen?”

“What?”

“Does the strawberries and cream taste good?”

Oh he did not.
He did not just go there. He did not just say that. That’s okay, I can handle this. I will make him pay for that question. I throw him a look over my shoulder and force myself to give him a smirk. “Would you like to find out?”

His grin drops and I swear I see heat flash in those eyes of his.
It makes me brave, and my smile widens. I’ve got him right where I want him. I throw my head back and laugh.

He looks startled and he laughs along with me, but it sounds forced.
I guess the thought of getting busy with someone he thinks of as a sister bothers him. Whatever. I walk up the stairs and shake my ass a little with each step.

Once Wes’s buddies
show up, the furniture is unloaded and transferred up the stairs in no time. Despite trying to help, I realized I was actually in the way while they were trying to do their thing, so I took the opportunity to run to the store and buy a bunch of beers, some chips, and fixings to make burgers.

Returning and lugging the grocery items into the kitchen, I pause at the foot of the stairs, hear them all upstairs obviously engaged in putting my bed and chest of drawers with mirror together.
I move on to the kitchen, unload my bundle, and start rooting around in the cupboards looking for a grill pan, cutting board, knife, and spatula. I wash my hands and the few veggies and dry my hands using a clean towel found in a kitchen drawer, admiring its pretty color and design, then start slapping the chuck into patties, place them in the preheated grill pan, and start preparing lettuce, tomatoes, and onions after freeing a few medium cheddar slices from their plastic bondage and quickly placing a few pickles, olives and jalapenos on a plate in between burger flips. As I pour the chips in a bowl, I hear a stampede down the stairs.

The aroma quickly brings the guys to the kitchen
. “Something smells awesome,” Matt declares when he walks in. I give him a smile and hand him a beer.

“Wow
, Wes, she’s gorgeous and she cooks. Aspen, it isn’t too late, let’s pack up the truck again and you can come straight to my place and move in with me instead,” Ian declares.

I hand him a beer with a giggle that turns into a laugh when Wes smacks him on the back of the head
. “Fuck off, Ian. I found her first.”

I also hand Wes a beer and as our eyes meet, I can’t help notice that his are dancing in merriment and I’m guessing he is thinking about the little accident on the porch.
I ignore it. “The burgers will be ready in ten unless you like yours cooked other than medium.” The guys just smile and nod their heads.

Except Wes.
He touches my arm gently. “You didn’t have to do that, I’m sure you’re exhausted.”

“It’s cool.
I’m starving myself, so I figured I’d feed us all.”

“Wow
, Wes,” Ian punches Wes in the shoulder. “What I’m hearing is that you’ve had her here for a matter of hours and already you’re starving the poor girl. Are you sure Aspen? Come on, last chance. I promise I will treat you right.”

I smile at Ian’s teasing
. “Tell you what, I will remember that if this arrangement ends up not working out, deal?”

“Deal!” he cheers and salutes me with his beer while Wes frowns at my comment and rolls his eyes at Ian.

While the guys banter, Wes comes behind the counter and finishes slicing the tomatoes and onions without a word. While he does that, I tear the lettuce into appropriate sandwich size pieces. We’re standing side by side and it feels nice. I look over at him to see he’s already looking at me with a smile, making me wonder if he’s thinking the same thing. I look away in time to see Ian and Matt exchange a look. I don’t know what that is all about, but I ignore them and walk past them to place the vegetables and the chips on the table. Wes gets condiments from the refrigerator and places them on the table along with plates and napkins. Once the burgers are finished, we all gather around the dining room table.

Raising my beer bottle
, I toast, “Thanks for helping me move, men. To new friends. Cheers!”

They all raise their glasses in turn and yell
, “Cheers!”

Making two burgers for each of the guys appears to have been wise
, as they devour them in the time it takes me to eat one. The chips are quickly eaten, too. They are sitting back and literally rubbing their tummies when I stand to start cleaning the table. “I got it,” Wes pops up from his seat and takes the plates from my hands.

“I don’t mind.”

“No, you cooked, I’ll clean.”

I smile
. “Thanks.”

I watch him for a second, then decide to go on up to my room and start unpacking.
There’s a lot to do and I’d like to get the necessities unpacked so I can sleep in a dressed bed tonight in comfy pajamas.

“Guys, thanks for all your help today.
I’m going to head up and start unpacking.”

“Need any help?” Matt asks suggestively
, making Wes scowl at him as he walks by.

“Matt, leave Aspen alone.
She just met you, she doesn’t know that you’re joking with her.”