08
drop your stuff off and decide what to do. You can look at the
09
groceries I picked up as well to see if I need anything.”
10
She took his free hand and he calmed.
11
“Horses?”
12
“Yeah. They’re mainly Ezra’s thing. He loves them. My dad
13
uses the ATVs, but Ezra rides out to check the orchards and fi elds.
14
He’s got dogs too. Chickens. Pigs.” He opened up and ushered
15
her in, her bags in the hand not in hers.
16
She stopped, her mouth dropping open. “Damien, this entry
17
is stunning.” Letting go of his hand, she turned in a circle,
18
checking the place out.
19
Flagstones and slate covered the fl oors. The entry was open
20
to the second fl oor. Huge windows let the light rush in
21
“Thank you. Come in and see the rest.” He drew her upstairs.
22
“Let’s drop your bags off in the bedroom.”
23
The fl oors up there were hardwood. Honey maple. He loved
24
the warmth it lent the space. His bedroom took up half of the
25
entire second fl oor. She went in fi rst.
26
“I remember seeing a sitting room in some movie when I was
27
a kid. I’ve always wanted one in my bedroom ever since.”
28S
She motioned toward the two love seats and the fl oor-to-
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ceiling bookcases bracketing the large windows. “More than a
01
sitting room. How you even manage to make it outside is beyond
02
me. I’d be curled up on that couch all day long reading books.”
03
He made a mental note to be sure to keep a throw out there
04
so she’d be warm while she did.
05
“The main room is through here.” A fi replace open to both
06
the sitting room and the main bedroom served as a divider. His
07
bed was custom, as was the mattress. He liked a very large bed,
08
and this one fi t the bill. It dominated the space.
09
She looked back at him over her shoulder. “This is a rock-
10
star bed.”
11
He laughed. “Totally. What’s the point of being one if you
12
can’t have a giant bed and a house you designed?”
13
She went to the windows to check the view. He came up
14
behind her, one arm sliding around her waist. “That over there
15
is Ezra’s house. His horse pasture. His is the house closest to
16
mine. Orchards over that way. On the other side is where we
17
grow the alfalfa. The main house is around that bend. You can
18
see the roof from the guest room. Paddy is over that way and
19
Vaughan on the other side. He’s got a pool. The girls love it as
20
does Ezra’s damned Lab.”
21
“This is huge.”
22
“It is. When we fi rst came here it was about a third this size.
23
We had the alfalfa fi rst. Then my dad picked up some more
24
acreage a few years later and then when we broke, me and my
25
brothers all kicked in and grabbed up the surrounding land
26
when it came up for sale. It made sense to live here in the off-
27
season. Close to family but not on top of one another. Then of
S28
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Lauren Dane
01
course Vaughan got married and they lived here for a few years.
02
I think he’d be pretty happy if he could get his ex to move back
03
to Hood River so he could see the girls more often.”
04
“It’s nice that you like being around your family. By the way,
05
I heard Paddy tossed some photographer out when he tried to
06
take our picture. Why didn’t you tell me?”
07
“I didn’t want you to panic and not want to come see me
08
play anymore.”
09
She paused and leaned into him again. “I appreciate the ges-
10
ture. Seems to come with the territory. I know I don’t like it.
11
But I appreciate your trying to protect me from it anyway.”
12
He wanted to get into it a little more, wanted to pursue this
13
discussion about taking their relationship to the next level. But
14
he sensed she wasn’t ready yet.
15
It was hard to be on someone else’s schedule. But if she was
16
worth it— and he thought she was— it was what he needed to do.
17
“Want to see the rest of the house?”
18
“Yeah.”
19
He drew her into the bathroom where she stared, open-
20
mouthed. “Holy crapdoodle. Damien, this bathroom is a temple
21
to hedonism. Oh my god.”
22
“In a good way?”
23
“Yes. Yes, defi nitely.” She peeked in the huge soaking tub
24
and he noted her smile.
25
“See the benches? I’m going to have you sit there while I eat
26
your cunt until you scream.”
27
She blushed.
28S
“The shower has six showerheads. Two are removable. I’m
29N
going to use those to make you come too. The fl oors are heated
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so you won’t have to be cold walking around naked. The win-
01
dows are treated so you can’t see in.”
02
“You’re a deviant, Damien.”
03
He caught her up, laughing as she did. “I am. You make me
04
that way. All I can do is note all the places I want to fuck you.
05
I don’t see any place like I did before you.”
06
He kissed her, tasting her mouth, loving that he knew it and
07
yet craved more.
08
09
10
Forehead to forehead, he let himself enjoy the very essential
11
pleasure of being with her. “Kitchen?”
12
“Yes, please.”
13
He led her past the guest rooms and down the back stairs.
14
“Screening room.”
15
She poked her head in. “I’ve had such media- room envy since
16
I met Adrian and saw his. This one though? This beats his hands
17
down. Wow.”
18
“I love to watch movies. It’s hard for me now.” He shrugged.
19
Getting recognized was fun. At fi rst. Now it just stood in the
20
way of doing normal stuff like going to the movies. He could go
21
in town, and he did from time to time. But generally, he was sent
22
movies all the time and he liked holing up and watching them
23
all day.
24
“I imagine.” She tucked her hand in his and he marveled,
25
just for a moment, at how it made him feel. Calm.
26
“We’ll watch movies later then. Come on.” He tugged her
27
down the hall and into the kitchen.
S28
She didn’t say a word. He leaned against the doorjamb and
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01
watched as she slowly moved through the huge room. She poked
02
open doors and peeked in his pantry. Covetous fi ngers slid over
03
his countertops and the knobs on the stove and grill.
04
He noted the way her eyes had glittered as she opened the
05
fridge drawers built into the center island. He hadn’t really cared 06
one way or the other when they’d suggested them to him. But
07
now he got it. He looked at his kitchen through her eyes and
08
appreciated it on a whole new level.
09
“Even if you didn’t have a massive cock and a private plane,
10
this kitchen would totally get you lucky.”
11
He laughed, pleased to his toes.
12
“I’m glad you like it. So you think you can cook in here
13
then?”
14
She turned to face him, so much pleasure on her features. Her
15
cheeks were fl ushed, eyes bright. “I’m not sure if I could leave
16
this kitchen. This kitchen is like a wet dream. I want to make
17
something right now. Oh my god, you have refrigerated racks
18
for dough? How is this even a thing?”
19
“Am I going to have to get jealous of my kitchen?”
20
“It might be close. But for now you’re in the lead.”
21
He laughed, hugging her. “You up for a walk? Or some
22
ATV’ing? Or horseback riding? Swimming? Fucking? I should
23
qualify this with the fact that my family wants to meet you.
24
Fucking is always at the top of my list where you’re concerned,
25
but I don’t know how long they’ll leave us alone.”
26
“I want to ATV, absolutely. I love it. But I’ll be dirty and
27
stuff after. Not really the way I want to look when I meet your
28S
family. So how about we walk?”
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“I think that’s a fi ne idea.” He took her hand and led her out
01
the front. She paused to look at the big swing.
02
“I like that. You know what I saw the other day? We went to
03
the home and landscape show; don’t ask. The things I do for Jules.
04
Anyway, they had beds for porches. Like on swings. It was the
05
awesomest thing. Just to nap on the porch. Not very applicable
06
in Seattle though.”
07
Boy, once you got her away from Bainbridge she turned into
08
a chatterbox. He liked it.
09
“I think I could warm up to that. You and me out here on a
10
lazy Sunday. Drinking coffee and reading the paper in bed.
11
’Course if we did it inside, I could have sex with you as well.”
12
“You do have a point.”
13
They started to walk up the road toward his parents’ place.
14
In the distance he heard a bellow and a string of curse words.
15
It was Ezra, and if Damien heard right, the demon pig was on
16
the loose again.
17
“Um.” He looked to Mary, who clearly had no idea what
18
was happening. “There’s a pig on the loose.” He shrugged.
19
“A pig?”
20
“Ezra has pigs too. Anyway, he just took on a new one, a baby
21
that had been abandoned, and he’s hoping the others will help
22
this baby calm down a little. It’s, the pig I mean, a little, um,
23
vicious.”
24
The pig came up and over the rise, trotting in their direction.
25
Ezra came shortly after.
26
“Aww!” She knelt and the pig ran to her. “Aren’t you just a
27
teeny tiny wee piggy baby?”
S28
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01
Damien had been poised to snatch her away from the demon
02
pig’s jaws. But it turned out to be unnecessary.
03
Instead, the damned pig looked up at her and made a few
04
squeaky grunts. She reached out and Ezra hissed, but instead
05
of a bite, the pig got closer when she pet its head.
06
Ezra looked at Damien, surprise on his face. Mary sat down
07
right there in the dirt and the pig got into her lap.
08
“Well, we now know Pork Chop isn’t always a demon pig
09
from hell.”
10
“You named this sweet baby Pork Chop?” Mary’s tone was
11
scandalized.
12
“That sweet baby bites! And poops.” Ezra saw that she didn’t
13
believe it. “And is not nice,” he added.
14
“If you named me after meat, I’d bite too. I think her name
15
should be Violet.” She got close to Pork Chop’s face and the pig
16
gave her a few soft grunts. “She approves of the new name.”
17
Ezra sat down across from them. “I’ve been trying to get that
18
pig to be nice for the last two months. You’re clearly magic with
19
pigs, and drummers too.” He held his hand out and she took it