Her surreptitious tone piqued my curiosity. “Is there something you know that I don’t?” I waited for Lou’s answer, but it never came. I mock-glared at her. “Lou?” She motioned, buttoning her lips, and laughed.“You’re going to make me guess, huh?”
“I think it’s something you need to find out on your own, yes.”
Dammit. She was mentally torturing me. Whatever insight she had on Byron, I was dying to know about it.
Lou snuggled further into me and closed her eyes. “Everything will work out.”
“You have such deep faith in all of us,” I pointed out.
“Yes, I do.”
She began drifting to sleep, and I loved that she was falling asleep against me.
“Are you two canoodling without me?” Royce murmured as he rolled over and spooned with Lou. His arm fell across us both. He didn’t even open his eyes and was asleep again in an instant.
Lou mumbled something I couldn’t quite make out, then she was out like a light. It took me a little longer to go to sleep since I was enjoying being here with both of them.
What the hell was Lou not telling me about Byron?
Louisa
From the outside, our accommodations in London looked exactly as I had imagined a British terrace house to look. The iconic white brickwork of the Regency period was bright in the otherwise dreary, rainy December morning. Once we stepped inside, however, I was met with a fully renovated and modernized interior that was directly opposite to the classic exterior.
Byron shook droplets of water off the umbrella he’d held over my head as we rushed inside from the chauffeured SUV that had delivered us from the airport. I peeled off my all-weather coat and stared at the sheer black, freestanding stairwell that led from the entry hall up to the rest of the house.
Tate held his hand out to me. “Welcome to our home for the next couple of weeks.”
Sliding my hand into his, he led me up the stairs to a long, galley-style, open-plan room that incorporated the living and dining areas. The low line, white leather couches begged me to touch them, so I ran my hand along the back of one as my gaze moved from the black glass coffee table to the modern open fireplace and matching dining table that could easily seat all of us. It may have been relatively modern, but I felt right at home here.
“This place is—”
“Damn insane!” Jack finished with a smile.
Grinning at him, I glanced at the Rawlins guys. “Did you rent this especially for our two-week stay?”
“No. It’s a part of our property portfolio,” Byron answered.
“You own it?” Jack’s eyes widened. “It doesn’t bleed your money?”
“No. We rent it out to people all the time… business people, dignitaries, celebrities, and journalists. It’s in a prime location for such people, given its proximity to Buckingham Palace and The Mall,” Tate explained.
My mouth dropped open yet again. “It’swhat?”
“Come and have a look, sweetheart.” Eric drew open the cream curtain, revealing a large balcony.
The seven of us headed outside, and I immediately hugged my arms around myself as I tried to ward off the chill. The rain had eased back to a fine mist, but it was enough to bite into my skin.
Tate opened his coat and drew me into the warmth of the thick woolen material and his body heat.
“This street here? It’s not any old street. It’s The Mall, and it leads all the way up to—”
“Buckingham Palace?” I couldn’t resist cutting Eric off. This was the most royal street in all of England—of the entire Commonwealth. I stood on my tiptoes and tried to catch a glimpse of the Palace when Eric pointed in its direction.
Tate diverted my attention when he pointed directly in front of us. “That’s the Queen’s Horse Guard right there, along with Downing Street, where the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and his cabinet hold office. Big Ben and the London Eye are beyond that.”
Suddenly, I realized the extent of the Rawlins’ wealth exceeded my understanding. Standing here now, seeing with my own eyes where I was and the fact their neighbors included Queen Elizabeth II really hit home for the first time, precisely what kind of lifestyle I’d let myself in for.
Tate was the only one who exuded the billionaire status in his clothing, stature, and carefully measured personality. There was something about him that made everyone take notice. He commanded a room, his brothers, and tried his best to command me.