AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He pulled out his cell. “We made it here. Everybody check in.” She listened as not only Seth, but several other male voices chimed in. “You wait until I open your door.”
He got out of the car, grabbing both of her bags and then coming around to the passenger side to open her door for her. She walked beside him into the house and gasped quietly. It looked like something out of an interior design magazine. It was comfortable, cozy, and elegant. It was one great room with an enormous kitchen spanning the back of the cottage. There was an island with soapstone counters and a stovetop. Hanging above it was an ornate pot rack with what looked to be very expensive cookware.
“There are two bedrooms, each with its own full bath. Then there’s a half bath off the kitchen area. The pantry in the kitchen has a wine rack at the back. You pull it forward to reveal the stairs down to the tunnel. I’ll show you which bottle activates it. It closes automatically.”
“Do you really think I’m in that much danger?”
“They’ve tried to kill you more than once. If what you suspect is true, whatever is going on is worth a lot of money, and those responsible would most likely go to jail. So yeah, Anabella, I think your life is in danger.”
“Which bedroom should I take?”
He grinned. “The one on the right is the one we usually put vanilla clients in. The one on the left has some of the same kind of amenities as the room you stayed in.”
She felt the heat and color creep up along her cheeks. Taking one of her bags from him, she walked into the bedroom on the left, hearing his quiet chuckle behind her. She had been thinking a lot about what Miley had said about how a session with a good Dom could help her relax. Anabella couldn’t remember the last time she had been truly at ease. Maybe Miley was right. Maybe ceding control to someone you trusted wasn’t such a bad thing. She trusted Cooper, and Miley had said he was good with a variety of instruments.Instruments? That was pretty clinical. If Miley was to be believed, the man was good with whips, floggers and all manner of sex toys.
He followed her into the bedroom and lifted her other bag up onto the bed. “Let me know if you have any questions or would like a practical demonstration.”
The exaggerated and leering look he gave her made her laugh and relax at the same time. Cooper had a way of making her feel safe, not just physically but emotionally as well. She could feel her guard dropping around him. She turned her thoughts to more practical matters, such as putting her things away.
When she heard him in the kitchen, she wandered in to join him and found him with a laptop open on the countertop while he had things sizzling and smelling divine on the stove. “I was making a potato and onion frittata, but if you’d like something else, I’d be happy to make it for you. They stocked the kitchen, and I’m a pretty good cook. I noticed you had a pod coffeemaker at your loft. We have one here, as well as an espresso machine. There are all kinds of pods, so pick your poison.”
“Thanks,” she said walking to the fridge. Sure enough, Seth had done his homework; it contained Diet Coke and her favorite IPA. She grabbed a beer. It had been a while since she’d allowed herself to indulge.
“The glasses are over by the window.”
“Glasses are for wimps,” she said, taking a long draw on the ale. “That’s good. Can I get you something?”
He smiled. “Drinks my brand of ale and scotch and does it without a lot of fuss and bother. Careful, Anabella, you’re starting to look like the perfect woman to me.”
“Don’t kid yourself, we both know that’s not true.” She went around and sat on one of the counter stools. “How’d you learn to cook?”
“I had to learn when I was young. My dad was an Army Ranger. His CO talked him into extending his stay in Afghanistan to do one more mission and it got him killed. It took my mom a long time to recover. She wasn’t doing too well, so I took over a lot of things she used to do.”
Despite the sadness of the tale, there was a softness in his eyes that should have been in contrast to the pure alpha male she knew him to be. She realized that he was perfectly comfortable in the kitchen and had talked about having someone to care for.
“Why are you smiling? That sounds like you had a tough childhood.”
“I did in some ways, but it made me very self-reliant, and it made me and my mom close.”
“Is she still alive?”
“Yep. Alive and well and happily married to a Marine. He’s a good man and he makes her happy. He works at the Pentagon, and they have a lovely townhouse in Falls Church.”
“Do you like him?”
Coop shrugged. “Well enough. Nah, that’s not true. I do like him. He brought so much happiness into my mom’s life. But he’s a jarhead, and I’m a squid so there’s that.”
“Do you like to cook?”
“Yeah. I find it relaxing, and I like being able to feed people something that tastes good and is nutritious. How about you?”
“I hate it, and I burn water. I’ll make you a deal; you cook and I’ll clean up the kitchen.”
“You’re on. Anything you don’t particularly like?”
“Any kind of organs, Brussel sprouts, and mushrooms.”
“Not a problem. How do you feel about asparagus?”
