“Later, when he’s cooled off.”
“Are we toasting something?” Murphy lifts his glass. “Or did you pour these for looks?”
“Grinder, why don’t you do the honors,” Z says.
“All right.”
We all raise our glasses.
The words come automatically.
“Kings forever, forever kings.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Serena
The truck rolls to a gentle stop.
“Hey, sleepyhead. Time to wake up,” Gray whispers.
I open my eyes.
Where the heck are we?
Lights. Hundreds of tiny, twinkling white lights line a stone walkway, leading to a lovely front porch covered in more sparkling lights. Sturdy white columns frame an elegant black front door.
“Gray?” I blink and stare at the house, trying to pick out any identifying details. “Where are we?”
“You’ll see.” He steps out of the truck. “Wait for me.”
He opens my door and carefully guides me to the ground.
“This is so pretty,” I whisper.
“I’m glad you think so.” He takes my hand and leads me along the path to wide stone stairs and a porch that extends the length of the house. At the front door, he stops and pulls out a piece of paper. He punches a code into the box on the door and it beeps.
“Whose house are we breaking into?” I ask.
“That depends.” He pushes the door open and motions for me to go in ahead of him.
The soles of my boots squeak against the shiny wood floors. Gray bends down and unlaces my boots, slipping them off one by one, then taking off his own.
“They’re neat-freaks like me, huh?” I ask, trying to figure out where the heck we are or who we’re meeting. This will teach me to fall asleep in the truck.
A long staircase winds to our left. To our right a comfortable living room with a generous blue stone fireplace. Everything is white with black accents. We pass a pretty powder room, a dining room, laundry area, another den or living room, and a room in the corner of the house with glass doors.
The black and white theme carries throughout. Although, the kitchen adds stainless appliances and gray cabinets. “Wow, this kitchen is amazing.” During the day, the wide windows must let in tons of light.
“I thought so too. Enough room for two people to cook together.”
“Definitely.”
He pulls me toward the room with the glass doors. “It’s being used as a home office now,” Gray explains as he turns the handles.
“Some office.” Pristine white shelves and drawers from floor to ceiling line the walls, with a built-in desk facing one of the three windows. The other two windows have low, comfy benches built into them. “Oh, window seats! I always wanted one in my bedroom.”
“I remember.”
A metal desk on a pretty pink rug sits in the middle of the room. A stab of envy pokes me. I could arrange this into one hell of a makeup studio. All the natural light would be perfect for filming tutorials. The shelves and drawers would more than hold all of my supplies.
“It must be a woman’s office. What does she do?”
“I didn’t ask.” He shrugs.
I wander to the window facing the backyard. With the outside lights on, I can make out a stone patio and flat expanse of neatly trimmed grass. To my right, another building catches my eye. “Is that another garage?” I ask.
“Yup.” He rests his hand on my shoulder and tugs me away from the window. “Follow me.”
Anxiety creeps over me as we ascend the stairway to the second floor. “Are you sure we’re not going to scare the crap out of someone?” I whisper.
“I’m sure.”
We emerge in the middle of a wide square landing. Thick, fluffy carpet cushions our steps. Each corner has a room. Gray starts at the farthest one.
Here is where the black and white scheme ends. Soft blues and greens cover the walls and ceiling. Gray ducks into the attached bathroom and we emerge on the other side in a room painted pink and purple. “Oh, how cute! It must be a brother and sister sharing a bath?”
“I think so.”
We leave the pink bedroom and pass another bedroom, a closet, a bathroom and, at the other end, double doors. “I was told this is the primary suite,” Gray says as he twists one of the handles and pushes the door open.
“Oh, wow! It’s huge.” I can’t help gawking as I cross the threshold. “Oh my God, is that a spiral staircase?” I run over to the narrow, iron stairs. “Does it go somewhere?”
“There’s a small room up there.”
“Oh my God, I could live out my Rapunzel fantasies here.”
He chuckles as I carefully climb the twisting stairs. At the top, it opens into a circular room with enough room for a chaise lounge and side table. White built-in shelves similar to the ones downstairs line one wall. These are stuffed with books and candles arranged in rainbow order. Lights dot the dark hills and valleys visible beyond the one large, round window.