And right now, I can tell Michael wants to show me around.
“Upstairs,” he says in answer to my question about what type of place he likes. “I’ve made the upstairs my place and the downstairs Jase’s place for now.
“Come see,” he says, taking my hand before noticing something on the bench.
“What’s this?” he mutters, and I recognize a boutique-labeled paper bag on the countertop.
There’s a slip of paper with Jase’s writing tacked to it.
“This is yours,” Michael says, turning to me smiling, passing me the note.
Hi Dad,
Vanessa left this in my car over the weekend. Can you make sure she gets it?
J.
I flush with embarrassment, knowing what’s in that bag too.
All the ‘sexy’ underwear that Jase talked me into getting too, along with a dress that I thought was way over the top.
“Just some clothes,” I tell Michael, almost snatching the bag from him as he cocks a brow once he notices my look.
“Then you’ll have a change of clothes for dinner,” he says, and I blush harder.
So much for going home for dinner.
And after dinner?
Well, shoot. I haven’t thought this through at all.
“Dinner?” I croak, feeling a fresh wave of nervous energy.
Because what do people do after dinner?
They go to bed, usually.
After a few hours.
I just know Michael wants to spend hours picking up where he left off in his office earlier, with his face between my legs. And then some.
I feel my whole body shiver at the thought. A fresh wave of arousal ripples across my core while my stomach does a butterfly dance.
“Too fast?” he asks me, creasing his mouth, but I feel my head shaking.
“I just hadn’t thought that far ahead, is all,” I murmur, forcing a smile.
I’m kicking myself that I’m still hung up on what my Dad will think or what Jase will do if he finds out what’s going on here with his Dad and me.
Wishing I could be more like Michael, who seems perfectly at ease and in control of the situation.
“C’mon,” he says, taking my hand again. “Let’s go upstairs.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Michael
I don’t hate the place, not really. But it is a little…over the top, I guess.
Huge is the word.
It’s a great house for someone who wants to show the world what they have, but the only thing I want, the only thing I really need right now, is Vanessa. Not a giant house.
Although there is plenty of room for a growing family, even Jase could keep his own privacy if he wanted it.
And we’ll have plenty of privacy while he’s away.
But if Vanessa isn’t sold on a big house on the hill, then I have a plan B.
I’ve always dreamed of a house, and it’s not three thousand square feet per floor either.
I’d be happy with her anywhere, though, but after seeing her place and knowing she’s stuck in the idea of living with her Dad, for now, I think we can do better than a two-bedroom shanty in a bad neighborhood.
And as for ‘work’? I think her best job skills are yet to present themselves if her performance on my desk this morning is anything to go by.
I know I said I could wait, but having her all to myself so far today, now having her home?
Claiming her properly is the only thing on my mind.
I lead her up the wide staircase, up to the floors I live on. Happy when she instantly relaxes.
Downstairs is how the house was when I bought it, a modern version of everything. Gleaming marble and stainless steel.
Sterile, if you ask me.
I guess my world upstairs is old-school – lots of wood, heavy leather furniture, and plush carpeting.
There are some heavy drapes and a few jungle-looking house plants I can admire without having to water them every day if I’m away.
The original fireplace is the centerpiece of the main living area. It’s set in the middle of a huge space, so I can be on one side or the other, depending on my mood.
Plus, it gets cold in winter.
Jase likes his duct heating, but I prefer a stack of logs I can poke as I sit thinking things through or just watching the flames dance.
I spend most of my time at home relaxing or eating, so the entire place, even though it’s spotless, gives off a bit of a bachelor vibe. I don’t hunt or fish, and I’m not into cars or motorsports. I build things, but I like to relax once that’s done for the day.
“I guess I just like a simple life,” I hear myself telling Vanessa as she moves from one room to the next as I give her the tour.
Hugging her elbows at first until I move closer to her.
My arm slips around her waist and pulls her closer to me.
“I can’t believe we’re in the same house,” she exclaims, looking up at me and smiling.