Chapter Sixteen
“Did you talk to Tony today?” Lily asked Adam as he carried another box into the kitchen.
“Yes, he said Cassie is proving harder to break in than he thought.” He laughed. “He said you spoiled him.”
Lily opened the box and started stacking the books on the counter. “I still can’t believe he broke up with Renee. I don’t understand why I can’t talk to him. I mean, it’s been months—and besides, you get to see him and do your guy things.” She read a title, The Distinction of Light in Photography. “I don’t see why he’s stayed away so long.”
Adam stopped unpacking the box he’d been working on. “He wanted to give you some space. Things have been so hectic with me selling my apartment and moving in here. I have an idea.” He stood up and wrapped his arms around her waist. “How about we interview for someone to live in the stable house again? I mean, how about someone you’d like? She could help you around the house…and with other stuff.”
“She?” Lily teased. “What makes you think I want a girl in the stable house?”
He nestled his nose into her neck, giving her a kiss. “Because it’s been a long time since you’ve tasted a pussy, and I know what you need.”
She giggled, letting him tickle the sensitive space behind her ear. “I do miss it. Okay, let’s send out e-mails to the people who came to the party. Maybe one of them might need a place to stay.”
“Sounds good.” He pulled away from her. “I was making room for my boots in the hall closet and moved a box that said letters. Do you want me to take it up to the attic?”
“No. No. That can go in the closet in the bedroom next to ours. I want them close.”
“Whose letters are they? Do you have some sexy pen pal you forgot to tell me about?”
“No, silly,” she said as she started to walk out of the kitchen.
“Hey, wait. Whose wrote the letters? Are they yours?”
Lily stopped in the doorway. “They are the letters my grandpa wrote to my grandma when he was in the war. Well, and a lot of them were written after too. He was a poet with a romantic heart and wrote her beautiful letters. I never had the heart to throw them out after she died. Putting them up in the attic seemed cruel, so I left them down here where I could be close to them.”
“Tell you what,” Adam said as he went to her and pulled her in for a hug. “Let’s forget this unpacking for a little bit and relax. Let these boxes sit and go get me the salve from the fridge.”
“But Adam…” she pleaded.
“We need to get you somewhat healed up and fast. I want to punish you again, and I can’t very well do it with your back looking like that.” He pulled the cotton shirt up over her head and spun her around. He had been extra harsh on her yesterday. She’d kept coming and coming; he’d enjoyed it as much as she had. He smacked her on the ass, sending her toward the refrigerator.
* * * *
“Please, Adam.” Adam heard Lily’s cries from behind the wooden door. “Please let me out!” He leaned against the outside of the door as she banged her fists against the solid wood. “Please. Don’t do this to me.” Tears had to be drenching her cheeks by now. Adam’s heart sank. “I promise to be good. I won’t touch it again. I promise! Please!”
Adam continued his stoic stance, waiting for her pleas to stop. He rubbed his forehead, knowing soon enough she’d fall into the blackness of what was happening and find the joy in it. A small grin tilted his lips as he thought about the look on her face when he’d found her in the outdoor bathtub. He’d told her not to masturbate and there she was, working that little hand as hard as she could to make herself come. It was his fault. He sighed. He hadn’t fucked her in over three days. They were both going mad, but he had to force her into despair so he’d have a real reason to truly punish her.
The bangs on the other side of the door slowed, as did her cries. Footsteps echoed from inside the tiny shack. She was walking around. He’d been down the hill a few days earlier and prepared everything. The basics were all she’d need—a mattress he’d bought and laid on the wide planks of the hardwood floor; a sheet he’d folded up and laid at one end of the mattress and a pillow at the other; a large porcelain basin; the journal he’d found inside a box while he was unpacking; and last a pen. He’d bring the rest later.
He turned to the door and fastened the heavy hook-and-eye latch. There. She’ll be content soon enough. The noise stopped completely from inside the little shack. Adam sat down on the thin wooden planks of the front stoop. Nick had done a nice job securing the roof and fixing the water pump. He’d even painted the handle bright red. Adam sighed as he leaned his elbows on his knees. Had he put sunscreen on her today? He’d bring some tomorrow. For now, he wanted her to get settled in and accept that this was her time to face the demons haunting her. She might live in her grandmother’s house, but the void left by her grandmother’s death wasn’t going to be filled by material objects. Just like Nick. A bathtub and a few paintbrushes weren’t going to bring him back. Losing two very close people would be too much for anyone to handle.