Independent Braylee Mitchells faces the prospect of falling in love with her new roomie: self-proclaimed player and long-time friend, Dominick Mulder, when a damaged apartment and old vows force them together... and make them possibly confront and d...
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Chapter 5
BRAYLEE
It was a good day.
I drove slowly with my windows down along the gravel road that winds through a small valley towards the property I was going to be living on, Geralt calmly peering out of his carrier in the back seat. Surrounded by mountains, trees, tall grass, and nature, I really felt in my element.
The hustle and grind of a city never sat well with me and I had been looking for a means to move away from Johannesburg for some time. Working from home as a freelance copywriter provided me the opportunity to live where I wanted, although with the emergence of AI taking over, my clientele base was slowly diminishing on that front.
But that was a worry for another day.
The plot that the bungalow was on formed part of a greater reserve that was home to an abundance of wildlife, meandering streams, and several hiking trails I couldn't wait to conquer. My closest neighbours were on the other side of the mountain, about a ten minute drive away.
Bliss.
Dom was already at the electric gate when I pulled up to the entrance. He drove a massive 4x4 that he had parked to one side while he leaned against the back. I glanced at the time on the dashboard of my little crossover, making sure I wasn't late.
"You're early," I told him when I stopped before the gate. Fumbling with the remote attached to my car keys, I pressed the button that activated it. The heavy gate began to slide open, accompanied by the grating whir of a lazy motor.
"Just arrived," Dom said, pushing off the back of the car. His steel-grey eyes darted to the moving van that was following me, but then he was leaning on the edge of my window. His entire frame encompassed that opening of the car, his huge, beefy shoulders spanning the entirety of it. His forearms rested on the edge, lined with sinew and hard flexing muscle. He dipped his head slightly, leaning in more. "I believe I was promised McDonald's?"
I snorted when I noticed his nostrils twitching, realising he was sniffing out the food. Reaching over to the passenger side of the car, I grabbed the brown bag of fast food and pushed it into his chest. His expression lit up with delight and he took the bag from me, straightening away from the vehicle. "There's coffee in there, too. Really, though, you should know that McDonald's is responsible for-"
He was already pushing a breakfast muffin into his face while wagging a finger in mine. "Nah uh, Brayson. No lectures. Not today."
I bit back a smile and glanced around the exterior of the property while Dom feasted on his grease muffin. In the back of his car, his huge mixed breed dog named Trevor yapped excitedly as he wagged his tail, obviously eager to get this show on the road- as was I.
"Where are your things?" I asked Dom, noticing the lack of a van that would surely contain all his larger furniture items. My own was rumbling slowly towards us some way up the road.
