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That was more Pippa’s influence.
But that’s all over now and I’m more than happy to marry and settle down.
Him, though, he’s well-traveled, loves the busy city, has been with a million beautiful women, and word in the family is that he’s a serial one-night-stander. He can’t or won’t be in a serious relationship.
Not that he would be interested in me even if I developed a little crush. Which I SO will not. I may not have experience with men but I’m smart enough to know to keep this relationship in a nice, neat box.
He's the bodyguard who keeps me safe, helps me…um…clear away my emotions when I get overwhelmed, offering me a moment of freedom from my own mind though pleasuring my body.
Full of delicious food and fairly sleepy, I sink back in my cushy captain’s chair as we ride in a long line of black Mercedes vans to the place that we’ll be staying the next few evenings. The roads are dark, lined with a forest of massive, thick-trunked, moss-covered evergreen trees.
The scenery is so different from where we live, a true rainforest. And the skies are gray and cloudy and just yummy for us homebound reader types. I glance around the van at the muscular men, their eyelids heavy as they try not to fall asleep.
We turn, the car slowing and tires crunching over gravel as we make our way onto a dark, private drive off the main road. I come to attention, sitting up, scooting to the edge of my seat. I’ve never been here before—obviously—but there’s something familiar about the drive.
Now, a few soft lights appear, large bulbs glowing from the tops of black iron posts. A gorgeous, massive, fully lit modern home made of glass and steel with an angular metal roofline.
It’s the house.
The one described in the book is much different than the home featured in the movie, the latter the one I’m currently viewing in person. I find myself wishing Alfie was in my car right now so we could discuss this very important fact, but I’m mostly just speechless, watching the stunning work of architecture come into view.
A tour guide dressed in pink meets us at the door, offering her hellos. The house is all squares and rectangles, warm wood, and cool light. The furniture is clean lines of leather.
Sav heads up the men as they scope out the interior and exterior. I get a private tour with the tour guide to walk through the entire home, perma-grin plastered on my face the entire time. Luckily, she walks slowly, letting me re-live the movie scenes in my mind as we go. She tells me about the architect, and we have a nice girly moment together on the landing, dreaming about vampires living here.
Nearing the end of the tour, I see Sav standing by the island talking to Mars, the leader of his night shift. When he’s done giving instructions and Mars nods, walking away, I slip in for a quick moment.
Seeing me approach, Sav grabs a wineglass, filling it halfway with the open bottle of red that sits on the counter next to a spread of food. “Thanks.” I take a sip, letting it warm me. I lean against the island, crossing my arms over my chest. “Hey. This is a really cool surprise. I thought maybe at best, we’d get a drive by. But this,” I glance around the gorgeous kitchen, “this is amazing. How’d you pull this off?”
“The tour guide, she’s a real estate agent responsible for overseeing some of the long-term rentals in the area. We called and found out this house was currently available and worked some magic so we could stay here.”
“Can you ask Lindy for the contact info for the company? I’d like to add them to my list. I have a running tally in my phone—thanks for finally giving that back, by the way—of people who’ll be receiving a handwritten note from me for making this tour possible.”
“That’s sweet.” He pulls out his phone. “I have it.”
“Oh, don’t worry—I’ll get it from Lindy later.”
Her dark eyes meet mine. A sheepish look crosses his face. “Ah—she doesn’t have this one.”
“You mean—” I have to hold in a giggle, picturing Sav—my Savage—all six foot plus of muscles—on his computer researching vampire romance novel fan hysteria online, figuring out where to go.
Get it together, Paise.
I take a breath, not wanting him to mistake laughter for ungratefulness.
I finally finish my sentence. “You booked this place?”
“Yeah?” He shrugs, nibbling at a charcuterie board of meat, cheese, and fruit that’s been laid out for us. “You want something to eat?”
Full from dinner, I can’t eat a bite—um, well yeah, I’m gonna hit that extra piece of chocolate cake when I’m alone in bed later tonight—but these guys—they don’t stop. All those muscles, they burn calories just standing around babysitting me. “No. I’m good. That’s cool, though. That you booked this place for me.”
He shrugs, an olive suddenly his one true love as he focuses solely on stabbing it with a toothpick. “We had to sleep somewhere. The forest here is dense. I like the security setup way better than some place off the highway. Not to mention the possibility of bedbugs in one of those middle of nowhere town motels.”
“The people are nice, though.” Not ready to part company, I try to lure him into a conversation. “Even though these towns are small. They’ve been so hospitable.”
“Yeah.” He goes to the sink, washing his hands. He grabs a towel, drying them thoroughly before turning his attention back on me. “You ready for bed? We can’t lay out final positions until you’re locked up tight for the night.”
I’m shy to ask for more after all he’s done for me, but I’d be putting all us fans to shame if I didn’t. “You know what room I want, right?”
