Eternally Yours: Bliss Series, Book Six

by Hall, Deanndra

As we’re eating lunch we pore over a catalog of homes from a bin at the front door of the restaurant. There are all kinds of houses in there, townhomes too, and apartments, but I want a single-family dwelling. That shouldn’t be too hard to find. She circles all the ones that have open houses, and then we go on to look at some that will be in the same areas. By the time we get finished, we have three open houses to attend and about a dozen places to drive by.

  We drop off the necklaces at the jewelry store with the instructions for engraving―neither of us tell the other what we’re having etched on them―and then head out. The first house is a monster―five bedrooms, five and a half baths, huge dining room, huge kitchen, huge living room, full basement den, and a pool. I can’t afford help and I’m not sure I want to take care of it all.

  The next one is more to my liking with three bedrooms, three bathrooms and a powder room, a decent-sized dining room and kitchen, and a big living room. It’s an open floor plan with a high ceiling in the living space, and I love the spaciousness and roominess.

  We drive by about eight of the others on the way to the third one. There are a few that look good. One has no yard; one has a yard that’s the size of a football field. They’re all nice, but I can tell most of them are well out of my price range. And then we pull up in front of the third open house.

  And there stands a house that looks like something out of a movie set. It’s white with black shutters, a bungalow style, with a long, low front porch. “Oh, sir. This is so pretty.”

  “It sure is.” Hand in hand, we walk up the front steps and through the open door.

  It’s like something from my dreams. The inside is sunny and bright, light pouring in through the big nine-pane windows. Four bedrooms, four baths and a powder room. The master bedroom is huge, as is the bathroom off it, but the other three are just moderate-sized bedrooms, each with its own bath. The powder room is off the back hallway, so it’s perfect for guests. I love the big kitchen with white cabinets and black and white tile floors. And then we step out the back door.

  I don’t think I’ve ever had an experience like this. I feel like I’m … home. It’s beautiful and understated, not a lot of plantings, a small patio, a swing in the yard, a fire pit, and a little fish pond. It’s stunning in its simplicity, and I’m struck by how much the owners must love this place. Why they’d ever leave, I have no idea. I know I sure wouldn’t. “Oh, Lucien,” Rayanna whispers. “My god, this is beautiful.”

  “It is. It most certainly is.”

  “Like it?” a voice asks. When I turn, the woman smiles. “Lucien!”

  “Hey! Audrey! Rayanna, this is Audrey. She works at Riley Real Estate. This is my girlfriend, Rayanna,” I say and watch her blue eyes squint with a smile.

  “Rayanna! What a lovely name!”

  “Thank you,” my Precious says and blushes.

  “So do you like the property?”

  “I do! This is really nice,” I answer, but that doesn’t even begin to touch how I feel about this place. “I take it the fence is on the property line?”

  “Yes, on three sides. The garage opens outside the fence,” Audrey points out.

  “Oh. I see. Yeah, that’s pretty handy.” The garage is attached, so that’s a non-issue with the fence. “May I ask why they’re selling?”

  “The owner passed away and his wife doesn’t want to live here alone. Says it was their home together for so many years that she just can’t.”

  “How many years?”

  “She said forty-two.”

  “Wow.” I don’t know what else to say. The people lived here forty-two years. How hard must it be for her to leave this place? Or to live here without him? “Lucky for a new owner but sad for her.”

  “It is. She’s such a nice lady too. So are you really looking?”

  “Yeah.”

  “The bonus, huh?” I just laugh. “That deal’s going through, Lucien. You’re going to have a healthy bank account for a while. But buying property will be your best use of that money.”

  “I think so too.”

  “You two thinking of settling down together?” she asks, and I see Rayanna blush again.

  I wrap an arm around her waist before I say, “Maybe.” When I glance at her and smile, she bows her head, but she’s grinning from ear to ear.

  “Well, this would be a great place to do that. Just look around all you want. And she said if there’s furniture a buyer wants, that’s negotiable.”

  “Thanks, Audrey.” She disappears into the front of the house and I can hear her greeting other lookers.

  “Did you mean that, sir?”

  “What?”

  “About the ‘maybe’ thing?”

  “Have you known me to lie?” I say with a smirk.

  “No.”

  “It was just maybe,” I remind her.

  “And maybe isn’t no,” she counters.

  “True.” I take her by the hand, drag her out onto the patio, and press her up against one of the posts supporting the patio roof. “Listen to me. I love you. I love you more than any woman I’ve ever met. But we need to get all this shit with Bacchus behind you so that you and Carly can be together. That should be your focus right now.”

  “And if Carly and I are together, where does that leave us?” she asks, her fingers reaching up to drift across my close-cropped beard.

  “I never thought I’d have kids, Rayanna. That wasn’t something I dared to think was in the cards for me. But I want you. And if Carly comes with you, then I want Carly. Does that make sense?”

  Her gaze drops. “I don’t want you to take her just because it’s the only way you can have me.”

  “I wouldn’t do that to a child―ever. That would be grossly unfair. And we don’t even know if Carly will like me.”

  “She will. I know she will,” Rayanna says, her voice almost pleading.

  “Still, we need to know that. So let’s be careful how we move in that direction. That’s all I’m saying when I say ‘maybe.’ Are we on the same page?”

  “Got it.” She seems a little disappointed, but I’m trying to be realistic. As much as we care for each other, there are numerous things that could force us apart.

  “I think we should just concentrate on being together and moving forward.” This time when I kiss her, she molds herself to me and I can feel that oneness I’ve come to crave.

  Breaking away, she looks up at me and smiles. “But I really want to move forward with you.”

  “And I want to move forward with you. Like this house?” She nods. “I do too. I’m going to talk to Brian about it.” He knows a lot more about the residential market here. I need his opinion.

  But I want this house. I think I could be happy here, that I could call this home. For the first time, I think I could actually have someone to make a family with, someone who’d bring a family to me.

  And that’s enough to make me want to live here.

  * * *

  “Well?”

  “I think it would be a good buy. I can front you the money until the bonus comes in,” Brian offers.

  “All I’d need is surety money. The closing would be at least a month away. By then we should have the ball rolling on the property deal.”

  “Not so fast. It’s commercial. This stuff doesn’t move as quickly as residential, which is why I said I’d front you.”

  “And if it falls through?”

  “You’re my brother, Lucien. If you want that house, you should get it. Anybody in particular you’d like to share it with?” he asks with an evil twinkle in his eye as he tosses his head toward the female voices coming from the kitchen.

  “Yep. I think so. But she’s got a long way to go before we can make a decision like that.”

  “I get it. But don’t let this house get away. And don’t let the person you want to share it with get away either.”

  “Don’t worry. I don’t plan to. What the hell are they doing in there?” I can hear the two of them laughing and carrying on f
rom here.

  “I have no idea. Who knows? Woman stuff. You know how they are. Get two of them together and you’ve got trouble. And each additional one you add is just that much more trouble.”

  “Yeah, but it can be fun trouble!” I say with a laugh.

  “You’re right. It can. By the way, good job last night. You guys look great together.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome. Stay for dinner?”

  I shake my head. “Nope. Don’t want to impose.”

  “Nonsense! You’re not imposing! I like having family here.” He claps me on the back with that statement, and something inside me quivers for a second.

  “Can I talk to you?”

  “Sure! About anything!”

  I hope he can’t hear the desperation in my voice, the desperation coming from my soul. “Do you think I’m moving too fast with this? That it’s wrong, that I can’t possibly love her in such a short time, that―”

  “Lucien! Stop! Just stop.” His voice is commanding and calming, and I can feel my slamming heartbeat start to slow a little. “Let me ask you a question. If she disappeared tomorrow, how would you feel?”

  It’s a good thing there’s a chair right behind me, because I slump into it, feeling totally deflated at the thought. “The truth?”

  “No. Lie to me. Of course, the truth.”

  “I’d be devastated.”

  The nod he gives me is comforting. “Uh-huh. And if anybody tried to hurt her, if that, what’s his name, that guy―”

  “Connor Bacchus.”

  “Yeah. If he appeared tomorrow and tried to hurt her, what would you do?”

  I feel my eyebrows shoot up and white-hot anger behind my eyes. “I’d kill the son of a bitch with my bare hands.”

  “Lucien, there are no rules for how long it takes for two people to fall in love. Sometimes it takes years for them to realize what they mean to each other. Sometimes it takes a split second for them to look into each other’s eyes for the first time and know they’re utterly and totally lost. Only you can answer the question of how fast something like this should go. How do you feel when the two of you are together? The intimacy? Your connectedness?”

  “It’s like nothing I’ve ever known.” That’s not a lie.

  “Then I think you have your answer. Do not let this get away from you, especially not out of fear. Pursue it by whatever means necessary. But if you know in your heart that she’s the one, do what you have to do to grow that love. I know what I’m talking about. Cirilla is the most precious thing in my whole world and how I survived without her before, I have no idea. How I’d survive without her now? I couldn’t. Not when I’ve known this kind of love. Don’t hesitate. You don’t want to lose that.”

  All I can do is nod. “You’re right. I guess I haven’t wanted to admit to myself that this is it for me, but I swear, the woman pushes all the right buttons. And Jesus, she turns me inside out in the sack. She’s amazing. But mostly it’s just her … way. She doesn’t have a mean bone in her body. The girl’s kind and sweet and she just … loves. That’s it. She just loves and wants to be loved. She’s not complicated.”

  “But her situation is.”

  “But not that complicated. Ted says it’s amazing the strides she’s made just since she’s been with me. And you saw last night―you saw how we worked together.”

  “She trusts you, Lucien,” he says in an ominous tone.

  “I know, and I trust her.”

  “That’s not what I mean. She trusts you to not hurt her.”

  I feel the indignation come bubbling up again. “I’d die before I’d hurt her.”

  “Okay. That’s what I wanted to hear. You’ve made her a lot of promises.” I give him a blank stare, I suppose, because he says, “You’ve promised to help her with her GED, driver’s license, all that kind of stuff. And she may not be able to do all that.”

  That kinda pisses me off. “You don’t think she’s capable of it?”

  “No. It’s not that. It’s just that if something happens that sets her back, it’s going to be harder for her, that’s all. No, she’s totally capable of it. I have no doubt about that.”

  “Yeah, well, I made her those promises and I damn well plan to keep them,” I growl.

  “Good. She needs somebody who’ll do that for her, who’ll come through for her when nobody else will. Honestly, from what I’ve seen of you, if anybody could do that for her, it would be you.”

  That hits me square in the chest and for a split second I feel like I can’t draw a breath. Then I sputter out, “Th-thank you. I appreciate that.”

  “You’re welcome. And I mean it. You may be my brother, but you’re a great guy. Any woman would be lucky to have you.”

  “And I’m lucky to have you as a brother,” I reply, and I mean it. My heart’s full. I came here alone and now I have a family. That’s more than I ever expected.

  “I feel the same way about you. And listen, we’re a tight bunch. You’ve got the whole group behind you, Lucien. Any one of the other guys would do the same things for you that I would. They wouldn’t hesitate.”

  “And I’d do the same for them. Which reminds me, there’s something I was wondering about. It would be a lot to ask, but …”

  “Yeah?”

  “Rayanna’s birthday is next week. Thursday. Do you think the girls would plan a surprise party for her?” Thank god Ted told me or I never would’ve known, because she sure hasn’t mentioned it.

  Brian laughs loudly. “Would they? They’ll be pissed at you if you don’t let them! I’ll talk to Cirilla after you guys leave tonight and I bet they have something together by tomorrow evening.”

  “Thanks. I don’t want it to be me. I want it to be them, because I want her to realize she has friends. I think she needs that.”

  “I think you’re right. We’ll get right on that. Boone and Melina’s place is the biggest, so I bet they offer. We can plan it so the kids are there too and it’ll be one big-ass blowout.”

  “That’ll be great. I’d bring something but then she’d know and …”

  “Don’t be silly. Now, let’s sit down and talk about this house you’ve looked at. Tell me about it,” he says as he heads into the den with me trailing behind.

  I’m about to buy a house. Holy shit―I’m about to buy a house. I can’t believe Master Lucien is about to take the plunge. I never thought that would happen.

  Funny what the right woman can do.

  Chapter Ten

  “Get on the internet and look up restaurants. I want you to pick out a very fancy one, and I want you to be in charge of making reservations for tonight.”

  “Where?” she asks.

  “Wherever you want to go.”

  “But what if it costs too much, sir?”

  “It won’t. Wherever you want to go, whatever time.” I’m spreading hazelnut butter on my toast and sprinkling blueberry ginger sugar on top of it.

  “Anywhere?”

  “Yep. Anywhere.”

  “Well, okay, sir. Hope you’re not mad.” When she says that, she gives me an evil grin.

  “Just don’t make it someplace that I have to rent a tuxedo for.”

  “I thought you said anywhere,” she reminds me, her tone most definitely sarcastic.

  “Anywhere except that. I’m not renting a limo on a Sunday evening. That’s just nuts.” The idea makes me laugh.

  “Okay. Spoil all the fun,” she play-grouses.

  “I’ve got to go to the jewelry store and pick up our pendants. They should be done. Do you want to go, or is there something else you need to do?”

  There’s an evil edge to her voice when she says, “Actually, I wanted to go back to bed with you.”

  I snort when I laugh this time. “Oh, is that right?”

  “Yeah. That’s right.” Now she’s laughing, and she stands, comes to me, and gives me a hazelnut-flavored kiss. “And you’re going to tell me you don’t want to?”

  “Ne
ver. I’d never tell you that,” I say as I kiss her back. I feel her arms cross behind my neck and all I can think about is those beautiful tits under that old tee shirt of mine that she’s wearing. “We’ll never get to dinner if we spend all day in bed.”

  Her kisses are hungry, as hungry as mine. “I’d rather stay here.”

  “I would too, but we really need to make an effort to do some couple things. I mean, real couple things. Not just fucking.” That makes her laugh. “What?”

  “I have to laugh when you say things like that. I mean, the couple thing. Not the fucking. That’s nothing to laugh about,” she whispers against my lips and kisses me again. I jump just a little when I feel her hand close around my hard cock―I didn’t notice she’d slipped it down the front of my boxer briefs. “Yeah. I see you feel the same way.”

  “I do. Once. That’s it. I mean it. We’re going to dinner tonight. Okay?”

  “Spoil sport,” she whines.

  “I’ll show you spoil sport. Get your ass in that bedroom and get that tee shirt off,” I tell her in my best growly voice.

  In two minutes, I’m balls-deep in her, pounding away. She’s hot and slick and tight, and for a few minutes I forget about dinner and our jewelry and all that other shit and just fuck her. After I’ve drilled her for about five minutes, I flip her over and go at her from behind. Damn, that ass is fine. Finest ass I’ve ever seen. I’m thinking about slapping on some latex and boring into that pretty little brown rosette when I realize I’m not going to last long enough to do that. “Rest on your shoulder and finger yourself until you come, Precious. Do it.”

  “Jesus, Lucien, harder. Please, just harder and faster.” I can barely hear her with her face pressed against the mattress, but I do as she’s asked. The headboard of the bed is banging on the wall and I wonder if the neighbors can hear. Not that I care. Fuck them too. “Ohhh. Oh, hell,” she whispers.

  “That’s it, girl. You want it. You know you do.” I have to hiss out the words because my jaws are clamped tight with the effort I’m expending. “Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, girl. That’s it, babe. That’s it. Come on, come for me. Do it, babe. Do it.” I slap her ass and she lets out a little squeal. “Yeah, let go. Squeeze me hard. Milk me, girl.”