“Is this a friend’s house?” Seamus asked wearily. “I don’t mean to be a dick, but I’ve had a really bad morning and I don’t think I’d be the best company right now.”
“Kiss me.” Bellamy didn’t wait for him to agree. He faced him, hiding them from the front door as he took his mouth hungrily. Seamus moaned, leaning into his touch.
“That’s all for now,” Bellamy sighed when he lifted his head. “But we’re getting back to that later. I missed you, gorgeous. Two days is too long.”
“Are you going to tell me where we are now?”
Bellamy glanced away almost nervously, cuddling Vini. “That depends. Are you going to keep an open mind?”
Before he could answer, he heard his daughter scream and started to run. His first thought was Presley, but as soon as he walked through the door he realized Penny wasn’t screaming in fear. She’d just realized she’d found heaven.
Holy shit.
If he’d never seen Declan’s house, he would probably be breathing into a paper bag right now, but even with that as a benchmark, this place was impressive. Just as huge, but the open design, sinking floor and curving walls made it feel...warm. As homey and warm as a ridiculously expensive mega-mansion could get.
The living room could fit three of his, but it still managed to look comfortable. An open, spacious gourmet kitchen in the back looked out into a room filled with wide, puffy couches and a theater-quality television equipped with every entertainment bell and whistle in existence.
Through the open archway Penny was hopping up and down in, Seamus could see books. Walls of books.
“It’s here!” She cried happily, her face flushing from exertion. “The liberry!”
“Library,” Bellamy corrected with a gentle smile.
“That’s what I said. He gave it to her but it’s here!”
“Who gave it to her?” Seamus asked, frowning. How many books were in that room?
“The Beast,” Jake and Bellamy answered together.
Oh.
Oh.
Seamus joined her inside and wondered if maybe they were at Disneyland. A curved wall of books surrounding them, a small domed skylight made of stained glass above them, and a thirteen-year-old boy was already sitting at a desktop computer, his eyes nearly as bright with excitement as Penny’s. “What are you doing, Jake?”
“This is the same computer they had at the campus, Dad. I told you about it, remember? It’s got all the learning and research software already uploaded.” He paused and clicked the mouse a few times. “Hey, Bell, this program says it can teach me how to speak and read French.”
“It’s a good second language option,” Bellamy responded with a grin. “Very popular with college girls, I’m told.”
Was his son blushing?
Seamus could feel those bright green eyes on him as he watched Penny run the width of the room, touching every book she could reach. “Daddy, they have more than you do here,” she sighed happily. “They smell so nice. Can we have a room like this?”
Before Seamus could think of an answer, Dan poked his head in the open doorway. “The boys have found the pool. Should I let them in the room?”
“The what?” He spun on his heel and walked out into the living room without looking at Bellamy. “Wes?” he called, a trace of panic in his voice. “Sean? Where are you?” He followed the sounds of their excited shouts down a long hall and stopped dead.
There was an indoor swimming pool that looked a lot like the one at the hotel they’d stayed in. The glass doors were closed and obviously locked, which was a good thing, since Little Sean couldn’t swim and he was desperately trying to find a way inside.
Seamus scooped him up in his arms. “That’s enough, buddy.”
“But—”
“No pool right now. And never without me, understand? Just like the lake.”
His lower lip poked out, but he nodded.
Bellamy had set the dog down somewhere, because his arms were crossed tightly over his broad chest. “If you go further down the hall, there’s a fully equipped exercise room—also locked for safety. And in the backyard, there’s an outdoor kitchen and entertainment area, a clubhouse for the kids and a dog run.”
Seamus was wound so tight he felt something was about to snap. “What’s upstairs, Bellamy?”
“Seven bedrooms, three bathrooms and an office for telecommuting.”
“I see.” He set Sean down and looked at Wes. “Take your brother and go get Penny and Jake. I want you to wait with Dan in the car.”
“But we just got here. We haven’t seen the clubhouse.” Wes looked anxious and Seamus took a deep breath and gentled his smile.
“I know, son. There’s nothing to worry about, I just need to talk to Bellamy alone for a few minutes. Will you help me out?”
Wes nodded, obviously still confused and disappointed, and Seamus couldn’t blame him. But there was nothing he could do about it. Bellamy had made sure of that.