I mention that Titus is still up at the house alone and Claudia mentions that maybe we’ve overstayed our naked welcome on motel sheets. I wait for her to use the bathroom and grab all her shit, and we go. Some guy I’ve never met named Jake is working the desk at the Lodges and maybe he checked Claudia in or some shit, but he’s eyeing me like something’s up. I don’t owe him an explanation for why she’s leaving with me.

I double check to make sure she has all of her things loaded in the trunk of her rental car and then I tell her to follow me to the market because once we get up to my place we’re not coming back down until what I plan to order for Claudia arrives at the post office. By the time we check out, I give up all illusions that anyone will even notice that Claudia is with me. Not that it crosses my mind to keep her some kind of secret, but the mountain gets plenty of visitors. She’s no different.

We run into Rich in the bread aisle and he’s not subtle in the way he greets Claudia or the way he waggles his eyebrows at me. If he wasn’t practically my cousin I would punch him in the face. I know the longer she stays in town the more people are going to talk, but I can’t bring myself to give much of a shit, especially when I look at her.

It takes twice as long as usual to get back to my place. I go slow so she can follow easily. When I get to my road, I see the gate is open. I know I closed it, but I have an idea who’s looking for me. May-Bell’s red SUV is on my lawn when we pull into the clearing of my property.

“I’d tease you for driving like an old man,” Claudia says when she climbs out of her rental. “But that road is no joke.”

“Safety first. Leave your stuff. I’ll come out and get it in a minute.”

“I got it,” she says as she walks around to the trunk. She nods up toward the house. “You have a visitor.”

I don’t turn around. “Come on,” I say once she’s loaded down with all her bags.

We walk up to the front door and sure enough May-Bell is waiting on my porch. She’s got a few dishes in her hands. She doesn’t look amused with me, but she has a smile for Claudia.

“Shep,” she says.

I lean down and kiss her cheek. “Hi May. This is Claudia.”

“For conversation’s sake, I’m this one’s aunt. It’s nice to meet you. How are you doing?” May-Bell says as I open the front door.

“I’m well, thank you.”

“Come on in.” I nudge Titus out of the way. He’s always glad to see me, but he’s been hyper as a bag of dicks since Claudia showed up. It’s hard to ignore.

“Just brought you a little something to eat. There’s plenty for two,” May says.

“Thank you,” I say as I put the groceries down on the counter. Claudia slides her things over in the corner by the fireplace.

“So how long are you in town?” May asks Claudia.

“Uh, about a week. I was out here about six months ago, but my trip was cut short. I just—”

“You don’t—you don’t have to do all that. I know who you are.”

Claudia’s back snaps straight and her eyes flash between me and May. “Oh. Well. I wanted to see Shep again. I didn’t really get a chance to talk to him before I went home. And we forgot to exchange numbers,” she adds quickly.

“Well it’s nice to have you back in one piece. I can’t imagine what you went through. My husband, Jad and I live down the road a ways. Make sure Shep here gives you my number. It works out here with the wireless fi. You just call me if you need anything.”

“Thank you.” I can hear the confusion in her voice.

“Well I’ll leave you two to the rest of your day. Shep, you want to walk me out to my car?”

“Sure thing.” I grab my keys off the table and follow May-Bell to the door. I stop and kiss Claudia on the forehead. “I’ll be right back.”

“’Kay.”

I leave the door open for Titus to follow me, but he seems way too interested in Claudia. I follow May-Bell across the lawn. She’s parked right near the tree line. When she reaches the driver’s door she turns on me.

“This is the girl you saved.” May-Bell and Jad never laid eyes on Claudia, but they know enough. “Do I need to ask what’s going on?”

“You can.”

“Well?”

“What’s bothering you about this?”

“I heard that she came into town to say thank you to some folks, you included. Which is lovely. It’s a very sweet gesture, but—”

“She’s clearly staying with me.”

“Connie messaged me this morning. She said you two came down for breakfast together.”

I shake my head and try not to laugh. “I should have never taught either of you how to text.”

“Well it’s too late. You can’t take it back. You sleeping with this girl?”

“May.”

“No. I’m asking. You haven’t brought anyone up here since—”

“Since, I know. She came to town to see me. She’s here for a few days and as much as I’d love to hang out at the Lodges, it just made more sense to come up here.”

“Mhmm. Get all the privacy.”

“I’m a grown man, Mrs. Tierney.”

“No you’re not. You’re just tall.”

“I should get back. Thank you for the food. I’ll bring the platters back.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll come by in a few days.”

“Is there a nice way to ask you to call first?”

“I suppose that’s a fair request.” She tilts her cheek up for a kiss and then hops in her SUV. I wait until she’s backed down the drive until I wave and head back inside. I find Claudia in the kitchen, putting away the groceries. She’s on the phone. She turns and looks at me.

“He just came back—yes, mom. Hold on—no, I know,” she laughs. “And I love you for it. Hold on.” She drops her hand down by her side. “It’s my best friend, Liz. She wants to talk to you.”

I hold my palm out for her cell. “Voice verification required.”

“Something like that.”

“Hello?”

“Is this Shepard Olsen?”

“It is.”

“Hi, yeah. Great to chat with you finally. Here’s the deal. My amazing, beautiful, well-meaning friend who is the most important thing in the world to me besides my own sister, didn’t tell me where the fuck she was going when she dipped out of town.”

I look right at Claudia. “Did she tell you she was leaving town at all?”

“Yes, but not to track you down.”

“Oh? Where did she tell you she was going?” Claudia makes a face that lets me know she knows she’s been caught.

“To San Jose. To see her brother’s girlfriend. Or his ex.”

“I see.”

“Here’s what I’m gonna need from you, Mr. Olsen.”

“Sure.”

“Your phone number. Your home address—she’s at your house right now, right?”

“Yes.”

“Great. So yeah, your home address. A copy of your driver's license. I will accept a picture via text. I would also like a picture of you and Claudia together so I can see that she is in one piece.”

“We can arrange all that.”

“Good. If I actually trusted the police I’d send them there to do a wellness check, but she sounds normal so I figure that would be way more trouble than it’s worth. Plus I don’t want to get one of you shot by accident.”

“I appreciate that.”

“That’s it. Be good to her. Or I swear to god—”

“I understand. I promise you she’s in good hands. Do you want the picture of us together right now, before I give her the phone back?”

“Actually yes.”

“Hold on.” I grab Titus by the collar, then wave Claudia over to the couch.

“What are we doing?”

“Quick family photo so your friend knows I’m a real person and you’re not dead.” I sit and pull her into my lap. Titus jumps on the couch beside me. I stretch my arm out and snap two pictures. Claudia is scowling in both. “You look like you’re having a real blast.”

“Oh sorry.” We try again and I manage not to laugh when she flashes a wide grin and a thumbs up. It takes a few seconds but I text the photo to her friend that she has saved as Mrs. Darcy.

“Photo sent.”

“Got it. Thank you.” She pauses. “Yeah, okay. You’re kinda hot. Has that dog had its shots?”

“Yes. One hundred percent healthy and mountain rabies free. And he doesn’t bite.”

“Good to know. Well… Thank you. I still need all your information though.”

“I’ll text it over as soon as you and Claudia wrap up your conversation.”

“Thank you—”

“You can call me Shep.”

“Thank you, Shep. Seriously don’t hurt her. I will find you and I will fuck you up.”

I do laugh this time, but only because she’s caught me off guard. “I promise I will return her safely to the East coast.”

“Great. Let me talk to her.”

“Here.” I hand Claudia back her phone and start to put away the rest of her groceries. I catch a glimpse of her as she slips into the bedroom and closes the door, but not before making the “just one minute” gesture with her finger.

She’s in there for longer than a minute. I put away all the groceries and set the steak for dinner in its marinade. I’m about to get back to work at my dining room table when she finally comes out of my bedroom. Titus is knocked out, but he lifts his head the minute she opens the door.

“Sorry about that.”

“I’m not going to say it’s okay,” I tell her.

“You’re right, it’s not. I just didn’t know how to tell her. ‘I’m going to track down this guy who saved my life to see if he’ll give me a hug’ doesn't usually come out the way it’s intended.” It’s funny, but I can’t let this go.

“She sounds like she really cares about you.”

“She does.”

“We’re going to send her some apology flowers today.”

Her eyebrows go up.

“I’m serious. I think you really scared her and that’s not cool. I might live up here all alone, but even I know when I’m in a fucked up place I have to remember that there are people who care about me.”

She glares at me for a second. She’s not in the mood for a lecture, but I don’t give a shit. “And the last thing I need is the Feds coming back around looking for you ’cause your friend has legitimate reason to think you went missing.”

That softens her expression, but her body is still tense. “You’re right.”

“Come here.” I push back from the table and make room for her between my legs. I pull her close. I wrap my arms around her. I look up into her beautiful hazel eyes. “I understand how you feel, but you come first. Never put yourself in even questionable danger. Not for anyone.”

Her gaze roams all over my face, but she won’t look me in the eye. I notice the way her throat is moving. She’s holding back tears. “Yeah I kinda fucked this up. I’ll send her something nice and make sure I thoroughly apologize the second I get home. Is everything cool with your neighbor-aunt?”

“Yeah. She’s just… concerned. Nothing to worry about though.” I reach up and run my thumb over her cheek and cup her face. She leans into my hand.

“She was interesting. I thought New Yorkers had a bad rep for being ultra direct.”

“It’s not you at all. She’s pissed at me.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. She and Jad have looked out for me since I was a kid and she’s had a hawk’s eye on me since my grandfather died. She’s also a really nosy old lady who knows you can set your watch by my comings and goings. Hearing that I have a visitor and didn't tell her about it is making her a little uneasy.”

“Oh. Anyone else in town I should be worried about, thinking I’m disrupting your perfect mountain routine?”

“I don’t think so.” I know I fucked up the moment I hesitate. Dropping my hands down to her ass doesn't seem like enough to distract her from the question.

“I don’t believe you, but I’ll have to take your word for it. So what do we do now? I'm yours but clearly you have stuff to do,” she nods toward my laptop.

“How are you feeling? Are you tired?” I give her ass another squeeze. She moves even closer and leans her stomach against my chest. It’s only been hours, but I can feel how comfortable she already is with me.

She finally looks me in the eye. “I’m exhausted. Did the riverboat-sized bags under my eyes give me away?”

“No, I was thinking about the cross-country travel and sleeping in different bed part, but now that you mention it, you do look pretty terrible.”

“Oh you’ve got jokes, do you?”

I smile at her a little. “Why don’t you lay down for a while and then I’ll wake you when I’m finished uploading this stuff.”

She looks at the images on my computer screen. “Yeah, okay. That’s a good idea.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Honesty is a lot harder than most people think.”

“And lying or not telling me something for an unknown reason doesn’t work well either.”

“I’m...thinking about the time we have together.”

“Yeah.”

“It is limited.” She pauses and I think she might bite clear through that sexy bottom lip of hers. I stand and smooth her hair back away from her face. I kiss her.

“Tell me.”

“I can’t, seriously. I’m not trying to keep anything back or anything, it’s just… this kind of frankness is weird for me. Isn’t it weird for you?”

“No.”

“Well I still need some time. Maybe like forty-eight full hours to feel a little more comfortable just blurting out everything that crosses my mind.”

“That’s fair.”

Her phone chimes and vibrates. She looks down at the screen. “It’s Liz. She’s waiting on your license picture. Also I can’t believe you’re so secluded out here, you don’t have to lock your wifi.”

“One less thing to remember,” I say as I pull out my wallet. I throw my ID down on the table and let Claudia snap a picture.

“That’s the correct address right? She’s gonna look it up on Google Maps.”

“Right address. Was living right here when I got my learner’s permit. The address never changed.”

She tries to hide a little smile, but I still catch it. I decide to let her have this one. Once she sends the picture, there’s some more texting before she turns her full attention back to me.

“I should probably look into that nap. The couch okay?” she asks.

“Mind if I join you?”

“Not at all.”

She goes to sit down and I gather up my computer and my drives and all the rest of the shit I need to work and set it all up on the coffee table. I grab the other blanket May-Bell made sure I had around for guests and drape it over her lap.

She curls up beside me as I finish uploading the shots I took that morning. Before I even open my design email, she’s out cold.

* * *

She sleeps the rest of the morning and the whole afternoon. I finish almost all my work, make lunch and have a conference call before she cracks an eyelid. I’m just about to get started on dinner when she wakes up. I turn from the fridge and watch her as she stretches and looks around. She looks at me and blinks a few times as she tries to get her bearings.

I almost laugh. She’s looking right at me, but she looks comically confused. “You okay?”

Her eye twitches in the oddest way and I do laugh. She rubs her face then forces her eyes to open wider. “I had a dream I was in a pumpkin patch maze and it was fucking terrible. I couldn’t get out and every time I thought I found the exit it would disappear.”

“Aren’t pumpkins pretty low to the ground?”

“Yes! And I couldn’t step over them. I kept trying and my legs would only go so high.” She groans and rubs her face.

“Should we break that down any further?” I say. I’m just fucking with her though.

“Oh, I know it means my brain is all fucked up right now, but I’m not paying you hourly for couch space. Can I use your shower?”

“Of course. Come on.”

She follows me to the bathroom and I show her where the towels and the wash rags are. “I’ll be out in the kitchen.”

“I know you didn’t build this shower for two, but god it’s big.”

“The water was hitting my chest before. I had to make some adjustments. Do you want me to join you?”

She looks me up and down for a moment. “Is it about what I want now? Sir?”

I feel myself getting hard and irritated. “This is all about what you want. You’ll see that.”

“Hmmm.” She starts peeling off her clothes. I've already seen her naked, but I appreciate her body just as much the second time around. I need to be inside of her again, but not like this.

“Do I have to beg again?” she says. “Do I say please?” She smiles at me as piles her hair up on her head in one of those sexy as fuck ponytails and turns the shower nozzle. I glance down at her hard nipples when she turns to wet her back. My cock almost tears a hole in my jeans. I want her, but not like this.

“Get washed up and we’ll figure out what we want to do tonight.” I turn and walk out of the bathroom. I close the door, but I can still hear her call my name.

I’m already fucking up. I can feel it. I need air. I need to step outside. I go out the back door. Titus follows. The sun is down and the temperature has dropped. It's going to start raining again any minute. I think about going back in for my phone. I think about calling Mistress Evelyn, but I know what she’ll say. She’ll tell me to take a deep breath. She’ll tell me there’s nothing wrong with taking a step back. She’ll tell me that Claudia or any submissive deserves my best when they are in my care. She’ll tell me to tell the truth.

I try not to think about Sarah, but it’s impossible. She’s in every fucking corner of my mind and every fucking wall of this house. When Titus and I step back inside, I can hear the shower is off. I find Claudia in my bedroom. She’s still naked, digging through one of her bags. The towel she’d borrowed is wrapped around her hair. I look at her body, her brown skin tinted red from the heat of the water.

“Hey,” I say.

She turns and looks at me. “Did I say something wrong?”

I look at the bottle of lotion in her hand. “No. And I need to apologize for making you feel like you did. I need to be honest with you right now because I don’t think I can change my whole personality overnight. Just like you can’t be boldly honest, I can’t predict when this … shitty part of my past is going to spring up in my mind and turn me into a massive dick.”

She smirks a bit. “Okay. Go on.”

“Come with me a sec.”

“Are we going outside? Do I need to put on boots at least?”

“No. You’re fine just the way you are.” I hold out my hand. She crosses the room and wraps her fingers around mine. I lead her into my office that I never use.

I give her a minute to look around at the boxes I have stacked in the corner, the loft bed that’s stacked with odds and ends that belonged to my grandparents. Some of my mom’s things. The dust on most of the surfaces is pretty obvious to me. I’m not sure if she sees it.

“This was my room,” I tell her. “It was my mom’s room and when I remodeled the house it was going to be a nursery.”

Her head snaps in my direction and I realize what I just said.

“I didn’t lose a kid.”

“Oh. Okay. What happened?”

“I had a girlfriend who I wanted to marry. She knew how things were for me. What I... need.”

“She couldn’t do it?”

“No, she couldn’t but she made me think she could and she made me think she wanted to. I tried to turn this place into a real home for us. I proposed, but she split with some guy who she met online.”

“Yeah, that’s shitty.”

“I’m not trying to get you to take her place. You’re only staying a week.”

“Oh. I didn’t think that.”

“Nah, I just—I know how to dominate someone who is already in that headspace. The, uh, the woman I deal with in LA is a submissive twenty-four seven. She’s been in the lifestyle for over ten years. I have it very easy with her. I know I take that for granted. I don’t know how to dominate someone who could possibly just be going along with what I want just to make me happy. Or for whatever reason. I know it feels like we’re going in circles here, but when you said ‘Sir,’ that’s why it reminded me of her. Of my ex. She used to tease me like that. When we finally talked about shit, she said it was my fault. I was pushing her.”

“You don’t think I want you to dominate me for real.”

“It’s just where my head’s at.”

She steps in front of me and puts her hand on my chest. “If you did believe that I wanted you to dominate me, what would you do to me right now?”

I figure I might as well tell the truth. There’s no harm in hypotheticals. “I’d have you get on your knees right now and I’d fuck your mouth.”

“Okay.”

I watch Claudia as she pulls the towel off her hair and starts to fold it in half. She folds it in half again. She steps back just enough to place it on the floor. Then she kneels in front of me.

“You were saying?”