Page 79 of Unbound

I slept in Walker’s room two nights ago and ended up pantsless. Then the next morning I got to see him naked and watch as he⁠—

“I can just sleep with you.”

25

Walker

Asmart man would have made better use of the few hours he has remaining of an empty house. A smart man would have carried the woman quickly becoming his priority upstairs and proven any and all claims he has made about his sexual abilities.

But a smart man would’ve probably also had more than one furnished guest room, so I can’t be too mad at my own stupidity since it’s what will be landing Sybil in my bed tonight.

“I think that’s everything.” Sybil carries in the last of the items she had in the guestroom, placing them on the nightstand before swiping at the bit of loose hair that’s fallen from her messy bun. She wipes both hands down the front of her leggings, brow pinching as she studies me. “Are you sure you don’t mind my mom staying in that room?”

She’s not asking if I mind whether or not her mom stays with us. I would hope she knows I don’t care about that. Sybil’s worried I might not be comfortable putting her mother with my mother’s belongings.

“I think my mom would be happy your mom’s in there.” I almost smile imagining what my mom might have to say about my current circumstance. “She would’ve liked you.”

Not necessarily because of how funny Sybil is, or how committed she is to what she wants—though I do believe my mother would appreciate both of those things. The primary reason my mother would like Sybil is because Sybil cares about me.

Even if she hadn’t abruptly admitted to liking me, it was already obvious. It’s there in how careful she is when navigating topics she knows will be difficult for me. The way she’ll face a painful moment head on so I don’t have to. Her concern over me getting hurt.

The screensaver was also a decent indication I was more than just a research project.

A smile blooms across Sybil’s face.”Yeah?”

I move closer to her, smoothing my hands over her flushed cheeks. “Yeah.”

The past couple hours have been a race to get everything in order. As soon as we finished placing a grocery order—that included the items her mom’s cat will need—we went to work readying the space where she’ll be staying. I put fresh sheets on the bed and gave the toilet and shower a quick scrub, while Sybil spent the time collecting her belongings from the bedroom and bathroom.

It took longer than I was hoping to get the space ready, and now we’ve got less than thirty minutes before her mother arrives. Definitely not long enough for me to do the things I want to do to her.

“Why don’t you take a little break until your mom gets here?” I press a kiss to the end of her nose. “Get some rest since it’s going to be a long night.”

“My mom goes to bed at nine o’clock every night.” She gives me a little poke in the stomach. “It’s not gonna be a long night.”

“Your mom isn’t the one who’s going to be keeping you up, Snoopy.” I brush a kiss over her lips, surprised at how easy it is to be affectionate with her. “Now go lie down.” I turn her toward my bed, giving her a swat on the ass. “I’ll come get you when she’s pulling in.”

I have to walk out of the room before I try to push my luck and the limits of time, so I leave Sybil in my room—our room for now—while I go downstairs to finish getting shit ready for my second houseguest.

Ever.

I keep the place clean—what the fuck else have I had to do—so all it needs is a quick scrub of the toilets and wipe down of the counters. Once I’m finished with that, I check the map Sybil’s mother sent me of her progress, and find she’s going to be pulling up any minute.

I make my way back to the room I’ll be sharing with Sybil for the foreseeable future, intending on letting her know her mom is almost here. But I walk in and find her totally passed out. She’s sleeping hard, face smashed against my pillow, arms flung across the mattress. There’s no way I’m going to wake her up. Not when she gets so little sleep as it is. She’s probably gonna be pissed—and her mom might not be thrilled either—but I don’t give a shit. It’s what’s best for Sybil, so that’s what’s gonna happen.

Plus, I want her fresh and well-rested tonight.

Quietly closing the door so any sound from downstairs won’t inadvertently wake her up, I hustle back to the main floor. I don’t want to run the risk of the security system alerts waking her up either, so I open the app on my phone as I go and turn down their volume. By the time I reach the front door, a sleek luxury SUV is pulling into my driveway.

The woman behind the wheel looks me up and down as she shifts into park, gaze assessing. I stand taller. Normally I don’t give a shit what people think of me, but life will be easier if Sybil’s mother doesn’t hate my guts. Not only because we’ll be living under the same roof, but because I’m thinking more and more that my plan to take care of Sybil might not have an expiration date.

It’s not like she’s going to be less likely to get hurt, even once no one’s after her. She almost walked into a wall the other day, and only managed to avoid bruising the shit out of her shoulder because I caught her in time and redirected her path. She was so absorbed in her own thoughts, I honestly don’t even know if she realized I did it.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly blow it back out as a woman who looks a hell of a lot like the one sleeping in my bed steps out of the vehicle. Sybil’s mother’s hair is the same pale blonde as her daughter’s, but styled shorter. Her eyes are equally big, but brown instead of blue. And while Sybil’s are open and friendly, her mothers are a little more closed off and cautious. She seems more reserved. More serious.

I think we’re going to get along just fine.

I go to the trunk of her SUV. “How was the drive?”