He quickly responds with a firm “Uhh. Yeah. No.” However, our attention suddenly diverts as Cain appears in the doorway, wearing nothing but a police vest and covering his cock with his hands.
Mike exclaims, “What the…”
“Where’s Tessie?” I ask Cain. He just walks in and heads towards the sink to fill a glass of water. Cain smirks and responds, “She’s upstairs handcuffed to the bed with a sock in her mouth. She wanted a drink...”
Mike and I exchange a perplexed look, which quickly turns into laughter.
Cain makes his way towards the door. He turns around to ask us a question. “You two wanna join in?” he inquires, a mischievous glint in his eye.
I look over at Mike and smirk, shaking my head. “Nah, we’ll let you have fun playing cops and robbers,” I reply. As Cain steps through the doorway, his backside becomes visible, causing a small chuckle to escape from Mike’s lips.
We step into the dimly lit lounge. I notice the warm glow of the fireplace in the corner. I make my way towards it and sit on the floor. I beckon Mike to join me. As he slumps down, I ask him how he’s feeling. He remains silent, hugging his knees tightly to his chest, his gaze fixated on the flickering flames. After a moment of silence, I speak up, trying to comfort him. “You can’t save everyone, Mike. I understand why you feel the need to, especially after what happened with your family and Rhett.”
The only audible sound was the gentle crackling of the wood burning in the fireplace. Occasionally, a soft moan emanates from the bedroom.
CHAPTER
SEVENTEENTESSIE
Mike and I hold hands as we make our way up the winding gravel path leading to the main house. Cain and Nate follow closely behind us, their footsteps crunching on the rocky surface. As we walk through the small forest, the air is filled with the soothing sounds of rustling leaves and chirping birds. The scent of pine and fresh earth surrounds us, rejuvenating our senses. As we approach the house, I step forward to push the door open, but it’s already pulled open before I can do so, with Amara standing there. “Miss Tessie!” she exclaims in her thick Greek accent, her face lighting up with joy as she rushes forward to embrace me.
I embrace her tightly, feeling the warmth of her body against mine. Looking at her, I notice she hasn’t aged a day since I last saw her. Her gorgeous, sun-kissed skin glistens in the light and her midnight black hair is elegantly pulled back into a tight bun with many strands of gray peeking through. I’ve always been captivated by how her body curves in all the right places as I hold her.
Amara steps back and looks at me with surprise. “Miss Tessie, it’s been years…” she says, her eyes widening. She then turns to the trio and says, “Oh, you must be the gentlemen. Miss Mavis has told me everything.”
The trio nod their heads and wave.
I interrupt her, saying, “Please, Amara, you don’t have to refer to me as Miss Tessie. I tell you every time.” Amara giggles and gestures towards the kitchen, saying, “Come, come...Miss Mavis has cooked you breakfast.” She leads us into the kitchen where the aroma of freshly cooked food fills the air.
As we walk into the kitchen the aroma of freshly cooked breakfast food fills the air. The island in the center of the room is adorned with a colorful display of ripe fruits, sizzling bacon, spongy pancakes, and perfectly toasted bread. My eyes widen in amazement as I gaze at the magnificent spread of food. I turn my head and notice my nan standing by the stove. “Nan, you’ve cooked everything you’ve got,” I exclaim in awe.
She turns around with a warm smile and replies, “No, dear. This is just breakfast. I didn’t know what the guys like, so I cooked a little bit of everything.”
Mike pulls out a stool and takes a seat by the island. “It looks amazing, Mavis,” he compliments, his eyes scanning the array of food in front of him.
Nate pulls out a stool and takes a seat while saying, “Mavis, you really didn’t have to go through all this trouble.” My grandmother turns around and elegantly places a jug of freshly squeezed orange juice on the kitchen island with a gentle smile. “It’s no trouble at all, dear,” she replies warmly.
Meanwhile, Amara gracefully walks over to Cain and introduces herself. “You must be Mr. Cain. Miss Mavis mentioned you have very distinctive, dark eyes. Would you like a coffee?”
Cain’s eyes shift from side to side nervously before he finally responds, “Uh, yes, please.”
We all gather around the large kitchen island while my nan cooks up something on the stove and Amara prepares coffee.
My nan starts pouring the contents of a pot into a large porcelain jug. “I made hot chocolate, I know it used to be your favorite, Tessie,” she says with a warm smile, placing the jug on the island and sitting on a nearby stool.
The sight of the steaming hot chocolate brings back fond memories of my childhood. “Nan... You didn’t have to,” I say, grateful for her thoughtfulness.
As I turn my attention to the trio, I notice them hungrily devouring the delicious food that my nan has prepared. Their eyes light up with pleasure as they savor each bite.
“Did you sleep okay?” my nan asks, looking around the island with a caring expression.
“Yeah, I slept fine. The bedroom is still cozy as ever.”
“Mike, how did you find the size of the bed being so tall?” my nan asks, sipping her juice.
I pause for a moment, trying to remember the previous night. Mike and Nate slept in separate rooms while Cain and I shared a bed.
“I’m used to bending my legs in bed now,” Mike replies with a chuckle. My nan nods.
“Cain, Nate...How did you find your rooms?”
“Uhh, yeah. My room is lovely, thank you,” Cain says, taking a bite of his toast.
Nate nods in agreement, looking up from his plate of bacon. “Yeah, my room is great, too. The view from the window was amazing.”
“That’s what I like to hear. So tell me a bit about yourself then. What do you do for work, Mike?”
Taking a deep breath he replies, “I am a professor at the local college. I teach sports theory.” My nan seems intrigued by this and turns her attention to Cain. “Oh, interesting. What about you, Cain?” she inquires.
Cain looks up from his plate of food and responds, “I am a police sergeant.”
Nan raises an eyebrow and remarks, “Oh, really? Bet you have seen some questionable things.”
She then turns to Nate, who has been quietly enjoying his meal. “And what do you do, Nate?” she asks.
“I’m a gas engineer, but I also do odd jobs as a handyman,” Nate responds.
Nan looks around the island, sipping her juice as she does so. “You all have good jobs, then...Tessie, are you still working in customer service, dear?” she asks, a hint of concern in her voice.
