Her CEO Stalker and Her Second Chance Mate Chapter 28

Carter

We clinked our glasses and downed the whisky. When our eyes met, I saw her differently, and I wanted to know just what her connection to Jake was. I didn’t care what it was, really I just wanted to know more about Briar. Yeah, I was supposed to be collecting information to figure out just who she was and why she was here. Personally though, none of that mattered much to me anymore. He would just have to take my word for it. My phone chirped again as if on cue. I’d have to give him something soon to get him off my back. I didn’t know why, but I felt like I needed to be careful with what I told him. He couldn’t know my loyalties could be compromised in this until I had more information. 

I cleared two full plates of food and Briar was watching me, amused as I went for another helping of salad. She collected the empty plates, and the now empty salad bowl, from the counter, and  started stacking the prep dishes at the sink.

“What are you doing?” I asked, around a mouth full of cucumber and lettuce.

“Dishes.”

“You’re supposed to be resting, that’s what the dishwasher is for.” She made a face. “What?” I asked.

“Do those things even clean properly?”

“Good enough for me. What? You never used one?”

“What about “Appalachian poor”, says “had a dishwasher” to you?” she asked. 

Well, I suppose she had me there. She opened it and peered inside like she was trying to figure the thing out. I got up with my salad, taking another obnoxiously large bite, before setting it on the counter and grabbing the dishwashing pods from under the sink. She stepped back to allow me to drop the pods into the compartment and close it. She watched me as I added cups and silverware and then bowls and plates. I picked my salad up again, and she started condensing the food on the counter and adding things into the dishwasher. When I finished, I added my bowl to the top rack,  shut it, and pressed a few buttons on the dial to start it. She looked at me strangely then shrugged. 

“I still don’t trust it,” she said, walking away and wrapping up the last plate of food with foil. She slid it into the fridge and before she could shut it I stopped the door and offered her another beer while grabbing myself another one. 

“You gonna be alright taking me home," she asked, eyeing the bottle nervously.

“Yeah, I promise I’m not a lightweight, but if you’d rather stay, I have three empty bedrooms with beds more comfortable then Jake’s couch,” I pointed out. It was her choice, of course, I was just giving her options. She made a noise and wandered through to the laundry room to switch the load to the dryer.

I left her to it. I flipped the TV on and left the remote on the arm of the couch so she would have something to do and made my way upstairs, to my bathroom, the one I let her use earlier. The faint scent of her hung in the air here. What was I going to do with all of this? I pulled my phone out of my pocket and clicked to his texts.

Him

What do you mean delicate?

Carter?

I’m counting on you to get to the bottom of this. I’m contacting Jake’s lawyer to verify on Monday

Any update?

I sighed before tapping away at the keyboard on my phone as I let the water warm up.

Carter

By delicate I mean she’s coming from a bad place, she’s jumpy. It’s gonna take some time to gain her trust. I will get to the bottom of things and let you know as soon as I know something of value. Until then, I’m keeping a very close eye on her. Keep me updated on whatever you find. I can tell you one thing, I know where Jake went every September, she isn’t lying, she’s telling the truth as far as she knows it.

Hopefully, that would be enough to get him to back off. I pulled off my clothes and sighed staring at my throbbing dick. I guess this would be my life for the foreseeable future. Nothing my hand couldn’t tend to in the meantime.

No sooner did I step out of the shower did I hear the shatter of glass. I darted out of the bathroom and down the stairs in nothing but a towel to see Briar standing there, staring at the screen, the glass bottle shattered on the wood floor. Her heart was pounding out of her chest and she was struggling to take a full breath of air. She was having a panic attack. I closed the distance and turned her to me cupping her face.