Out of Bounds Ch. 01

Disclaimer: This story is a slow build so if you are looking for something quick that jumps right into the action, you won't find it here. This "chapter" contains no actual sex but I promise, it's coming!

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"Daddy, I'm home" Rylee called out as she entered her childhood home. She has just driven 3 hours after packing up her dorm room for the summer and hauling it all into her car. Needless to say, she was exhausted. She was expecting for her father to come barreling into the room and swoop her up in a huge hug once she made it home. Instead, she was met with silence. Where in the hell is he? She wandered through the house, dropping off an overnight bag in her bedroom on her way. Rylee worried that maybe her dad had forgotten she was coming home today. Maybe he had to go into work?

Moments later, two booming voices followed the sound of the back door swinging closed. A rumble of laughter erupted into the kitchen where Rylee stood.

"Daddy!" Hank chuckled as his little girl bounced up into his arms. He lifted her body against him twirling in a circle as he embraced his daughter.

"God I am missed you baby girl!" Hank put his daughter down and then took a minute to look her over. "'Are you getting enough to eat? What about sleep? You look kind of tired. I know studying and all that is important Ry but you can't get good grades if you aren't sleeping."

Rylee rolled her eyes at her dad's protectiveness. "Dad, I just spent all morning packing and driving here. I'm worn out but I promise I am taking care of myself!" A small chuckle on the other side of the room broke Rylee's attention from her dad who still examined her, a frown on his face. Her grin widened at the sight of the man standing in her kitchen.

"Dante!" Rylee broke free from her dad and ran over to his best friend, a man she has known her whole life. She wrapped her arms tight around the mans hard body and breathed in his scent as she hugged him. She always loved the way he smelled, woodsy like leather or a forest or something. Dante in turned, hugged her tighter, kissing the top of her head.

"Hey sweetheart. You staying out of trouble?"

"Never." She winked back at him and was rewarded with a laugh. Rylee had been crushing on her dad's best friend since she was 13. Before then, he had been Uncle Dante but when she had started seeing him in a different light, the title just hadn't fit anymore so she had dropped the "uncle" part and had been working hard to get him to see her as a adult ever since. What she didn't know was that he had been well aware of her efforts. He had watched as her oversized basketball shorts and baggy tee shirts had turned into tight, low cut tank tops and extra short shorts that showed off every curve of her body over the past few years.

"Alright girl, let's go to the living room and hear what you have been up to. Wait, do you need help unloading your car or something? There can't be that much, those dorm rooms are small as hell but still, you shouldn't have to unload it all yourself." Rylee waved her hand and brushed off the idea. There was plenty of time for that later.

"Nah. I have all summer to worry about unpacking. I would rather hang out with you guys. I missed you both so much!"

"We missed you too kiddo."

Rylee cringed at the pet name. She hated that he thought of her as a kid. She was 20 years old for god's sake. Rylee glared at Dante to remind him how much she disliked the nickname. They had this fight many times over. Dante held his hands up in defense and laughed at her scrunched up nose and pouty lips. In truth, he hated calling her kid as well but it helped remind him how off limits she was. He was there the day she was born. Hell, he was her godparent. Viewing her as any thing other than as the little girl he helped raise was just wrong.

When they got to the living room Hank sat down in the arm chair leaving the couch to his daughter and friend. Dante sat to the far end of the couch leaving plenty of room for Rylee to sit on the other side where she would be well out of reach. He should have known better than to assume she would do the appropriate thing and sit down like any normal person would. Instead, she lay down across the couch using his thigh as a pillow to prop her head up. She faced her father this way and could see him easily as they spoke. Unfortunately for Dante, her position also allowed him to see straight down her tank top to the swell of her breasts. He fought the urge to stare and focused hard on participating in their conversation. If Hank thought the situation was odd, he said nothing.

The three chatted for a long time. Rylee filled them in on how her last year at school had gone. A few times she had considered telling them about her recent decision regarding college but it hadn't felt like now was the right time. She wasn't sure how her dad was going to feel about her news and didn't want to ruin his mood on her first day home. They talked about how her dad's business was doing. He ran a small hardware store on Main Street. The store had been in their family for years and was always a source of pride for Hank. Maintaining a speciality store was no easy task now that Amazon and big box stores pulled away so much of their business but Hank had done well in keeping up the times. He had figured out how to adapt his business and with the help of Dante, had even started offering online shopping.

In turn, Dante managed a moderate size marketing company. He had around 100 employees and had done well for himself. Growing up, he had bounced around from foster homes after his parents died when he was only 5. As much as the earlier years had been hard on him they led him to Hank, the only true friend he had ever had. Hank's parents had been the first foster parents he had that had actually cared about him. He was placed in their home when he was about 15 years old and him and Hank had bonded instantly. His parent's had never officially adopted him so while Hank and Dante were not technically brothers, they were still family. Hank's parents supported Dante until the day they died only a few years ago. They had even put him through college and made sure he had all the love and support he needed to make a good life for himself.

Hank, Dante, and Rylee had talked well into the night laughing and catching up. It was around midnight when the exhaustion of the day settled in on Rylee. She found herself nodding off on Dante's lap. Deciding it was time to call it a night she pulled her body languidly from the couch. She said her goodnights and headed down the hall to her old bedroom. As she closed the door she heard her father tell Dante that he should just sleep in their guest room tonight. It was late and he was planning on coming back here in the morning anyways. Dante agreed and headed down the hall after Rylee. The guest bedroom was just next door to her room. Dante could hear her shuffling around opening and closing drawers as she searched for her pajamas, or at least thats what he thought she was doing.

Rylee was fast asleep the second her head hit the pillow. She hadn't even had the energy to remove her makeup so by the time she woke up hours later to go to the bathroom, her eye liner was smeared under her eyes and her hair was in a loose mess falling out of the ponytail holder she hadn't bothered to remove. Rylee had always slept naked when she was home. It was a freedom she didn't have in her dorm considering she had a roommate so she took full advantage when she was home. It had been something she had done since she was little and she just slept better that way. She rose from the bed, almost forgetting to slip her robe on, before heading across the hall to the bathroom.

Rylee emptied her bladder, washed her hands then moved down the hall to get a drink of water before returning to bed. She found Dante sitting in the dining room in the dark working on his laptop. He wore glasses in place of his usual contacts, no shirt, and his hair was messy from sleep. Rylee almost moaned out loud at how sexy he looked. He didn't notice her at first, clearly absorbed in his work as the keys clicked away under his fingers. Rylee took the opportunity to study him. She hadn't seen the man since Christmas but still, he looked the same. He had the same sandy blonde hair that hadn't changed since she was a kid. There wasn't a spec of gray that she could see, though he was only 36. Her parents had had her young when they were only 16 so he dad was the same age. Dante had deep blue eyes that sparkled with happiness no matter how bad of a day he had. She could hardly remember the man being in a bad mood though at times, she could clearly see the stress of his job getting to him. Now was one of those times.

Dante jumped a little, started by her presence when he noticed her standing there watching him. "Hey Ry. I didn't hear you come in. What are you doing up so early?"

"Early? Don't you mean late? It's the middle of the night."

"Sweetie, its 5:00 AM. Most people would consider that early." He responded chuckling.

"Oh. Well shit, I didn't think I had slept that long. I just woke up to pee and get a drink."

As Rylee spoke, Dante became very aware of what she was or more accurately, wasn't, wearing. The belt of her short silk robe was tied loosely around the waist allowing the fabric to gap from her body. It was evident that she wore nothing underneath. The garment was hardly long enough to cover the apex of her thighs allowing Dante to imagine what lie just beneath that thin fabric. She looked sexy as hell with her makeup smeared and sleep still clinging to her, leaving her groggy. Her voice had a slight rasp that she had always had right away in the morning. It took awhile for her vocal cords to warm up, something he had always found adorable.

As Dante studied her body, Rylee realized just how she must appear right now. She was both thankful and regretful that she had remember to put her robe on. Not that it would have made much of a difference as the thing hardly covered her body. She could feel a blush rising up her cheeks. She considered pulling the tie loose and the martial drop to the floor for just barely a second but knew she didn't have the nerve. The idea didn't stop her from giggling at the idea.

Rylee laughing and the mischievous look in her eye made Dante question what could be possible going through that pretty little mind of hers. He recognized the look she got when she was up to no good and it was the same one that she wore now. He figured that was better than storming off disgusted at the way he ogled her body though,assuming she had noticed. Dante knew that there was no way that her thoughts matched his own at the moment. She looked at him like a father or uncle. No doubt she would be horrified to find out that he thought of her very differently than the way he should.

"Do you mind if I join you?" Rylee asked motioning to the chair across from him.

"Huh?" Dante's thoughts were still in the gutter so her question confused him.

"Well, there is no point in going back to sleep now. If I do, I will just end up sleeping the day away. Plus I have some work to get done."

"Oh, yeah." Duh. She meant join him sitting at the table. "Of course you can." Dante hoped to god she would put some clothes on before sitting down across from him half naked for god knows how long. Luckily, Rylee headed back towards her bedroom allowing Dante to return to his work.

Unfortunately, she returned only moments later with her own laptop, notebook, and pen. She hadn't bothered getting dress. Dante worried about how this might look if her father were to wake up and find them both half naked together before the sun had even fully risen. Matters only got worse as she sat down in the chair across from him, her robe gaping even further open and now that she was sitting with her foot tucked beneath her, the robe had risen up her thigh exposing even more than he thought possible. So much for getting any more work done this morning, he thought.

Over the course of the next hour, Dante managed to return his focus to his work. He had several marketing campaigns to give his final stamp of approval on before they were presented to their clients. He would sneak a peak up at Rylee every so often and regretted it almost every time. She sat focused on her screen with a pen lightly tracing the outline of her lips as she read. Each time, he fought hard not to picture he doing that with his cock. So far he wasn't having much luck on that front.

In turn, Rylee sat staring at her screen for what felt like hours reading and rereading the same email over and over. The email had been sent from her advisor over a week ago and Rylee had read it at least a hundred times since then. She honestly didn't know what to do with the information. When her eyes began to burn from staring for so long, she dropped her head into her hands and squeezed her eyes shut. She had to refrain from banging her head against the table in frustration.

"Everything okay there love?" Dante pulled her from her thoughts and she lifted her head to meet his concerned gaze.

"UGH!" was all the response she could manage. Dante's laugh frustrated her further. She glared back at him.

"Come on baby girl, what's going on?" Rylee hesitated for a minute. She considered if she should even be telling Dante before she had the chance to talk to her own dad about it. Figuring that maybe he could help give her some perspective on the situation, she decided to fill him in.

"I got an email from my advisor last week." She began. Dante's face fell assuming the worse. Rylee was a smart girl, there was no way she was failing college! "She had this recruiter reach out to her looking for students who would be qualified for an internship with their company. My advisor forwarded my name along with a few others and apparently the person loved my resume and portfolio and wants me to start with them in a few weeks."

"Holy shit Ry. That's amazing! What are you so stressed about. This is an incredible opportunity for you! Wait, its not in fucking Spain or some shit is it?" Rylee laughed. Part of her clung to the idea that Dante didn't want her leaving the country. Of course, it was probably because he knew that would break her fathers heart, but still, a girl could dream.

"No it's not in Spain. Actually, it's in Hamilton." She referenced a town about a half hour away from her father's house. It also happened to be the same town that Dante lived.

"No shit? Again, why are you so stressed about this. This is great news. Your father is gonna be through the roof!"

"Well that's not all. The internship is full time 9-5 for the next year." Realization set in and Dante understood her problem.

"So what, they want you to drop out of school or take a year off or something? Did they mention anything about employee possibilities after the internship ends? Exactly what company is this with? Are they reputable? Have you checked into them. What is the name, I'll reach out to some of my contacts and get the low down?" Dante rattled off his questions and concerns faster than Rylee could keep up with. He had jumped into dad mode but she actually found it sweet.

"Calm down there cowboy, one question at a time. First off, yes I have checked into the company. They are very well known and have a great reputation. They do tons of charity work and community outreach. Truly, they would be a dream come true to work with. I would be working one on one with their whole team of graphic designers. Basically, I would be working with the same people who do what I want to when I graduate. They said if I show potential, they may even allow me to do a few projects on my own. Given that a senior designer is allowed to make changes and give the final okay." Rylee's whole face lit up as she spoke about the work she would be doing and what it would mean for her future career. "As far as school, well, thats my biggest hold up. I wouldn't have to take time off from classes necessarily. My advisor said she can arrange for me to do most of my remaining coursework online and what I can't do online, she said she can set up so that I can do as independent study projects. I could still graduate on time and possibly even have a career ready for me to jump into when I finish."

"Baby, what the hell is your hold up? This sounds totally perfect. I don't see any reason for you to say no!" Dante voted that there was no way he could possibly allow her let this opportunity go. He knew the company she was referring to, a few of his own graphic designers had worked there in the past and had nothing but wonderful things to say about them. He had even partnered with them a few times in the past on particularly large project that he simply didn't have the man power to tackle himself.

"It isn't that simple Dante. There are so many other things to think about." Rylee sighed feeling defeated.

"Ry whatever it is, we can figure it out. Are you worried about leaving your friends? About joining the 'real world', what is it?"

"I mean yeah, I will miss some of my friends and some of that college experiences, but that's not even it. I couldn't afford my own place in Hamilton and wouldn't have the time between the internship and school to get a job to support myself and I know I could live here with dad but to be honest, I would just feel like I was taking a step backward in my life if I moved home. I waited for so long to be out on my own and independent. I know dad isn't strict or anything but it wouldn't be the same. Plus I would never feel right mooching off of him like that. Do you know what apartments cost in the city? Their fucking insane and that isn't even considering food and other expenses. I just can't figure out how to make it work." The look of regret and frustration about broke Dante's heart.

"Come live with me!" The words were out of his mouth before he even had a chance to consider the thought. Sure it would be hard as hell (literally) living with her and seeing her parade around in his tiny shorts and tight shirts all the time, knowing she was so close by and not being able to touch her or love her the way he wanted. But none of that mattered if it meant helping Rylee get what she wanted and deserved.

"Dante, how is that any better? I don't want to mooch off you any more than I want to my own father. I couldn't never impose like that."

"First of all, you would never be an imposition. It would actually be kind of nice to have somebody else around. It gets pretty lonely being by yourself in an empty house all the time. Second, you could rent a room from me. Then you wouldn't be "mooching" as you put it. Maybe you could clean the house for me and do a little cooking to cover rent. I have been considering getting a housekeeper. I just don't have the time to keep up with everything with as busy as work keeps me. Honestly, you would be doing me a favor!" The more Dante tried to convince Rylee, the better the whole thing was sounding in to himself. He wasn't lying about the housekeeper bit. His secretary was actually working on getting a list of potentials to him in the next week. Rylee still looked unsure.

"What would dad think?"

"What would dad think about what?" Hank strolled into the kitchen, dragging his feet, still wiping the sleep from his eyes. He looked at his daughter curiously wondering what she was referring to as well as why she was up at this early hour and sitting at his table half naked with his friend. Hank cocked an eyebrow at Dante conveying his interest in the situation he had walked in on. Dante stiffed a little suddenly feeling very guilty. He knew how this must look. He was surprised that the look from Hank was more one of curiosity than anger and even more surprised that Hank hadn't thrown him out the door on his ass yet.