He pulls away, swatting my ass lightly. “Absolutely not. No clothes allowed in the pool. I’d just have to take them off to fuck you, so what sense would that make?”
He makes the statement so nonchalantly; I just shrug and say, “Good point. I’m ready when you are.” In a few moments, we are in the parking garage, and he is leading me toward the Range Rover. I cover my mouth dramatically, saying, “Oh, wow! Lucian Quinn is going to drive today. Is Sam busy?”
He backs me up against the car, running a hand down between my legs to cup me through the material of my pants. “Maybe Sam doesn’t want to see me touching your sweet * today.”
I moan, shamelessly riding his hand. “Good point,” I croak out, making him laugh. I want to object when he releases me but manage to swallow my protest; it’s enough right now just to be with him again. For the first time in eight days, my world is bright, and it’s all because of the man sitting beside me. When he reaches over to take my hand before setting them both on his thigh, I sigh in contentment.
Twenty minutes later, we are pulling through an impressive set of stone pillars, down a well-manicured driveway, and pulling to a stop in front of an equally impressive home. The bottom is made of stone and the top a shingle-type siding; it seems to sprawl out in every direction. Large picture windows gleam in the sunshine, and the circular drive in the front is lined on both sides with flowers. Even though the house must be worth a small fortune, I am surprised at how unassuming it seems.
Lucian walks around and opens my door, kissing me briefly on the lips before shutting it behind me. “Welcome to Casa Quinn, baby.”
“Why, thank you. It’s really beautiful here.” I look around, seeing no other houses in the distance. “I’m surprised you have this much privacy here. Most of the houses seemed pretty close together on the way in.”
“My parents purchased several lots to build on. They loved the area but didn’t want close neighbors. Come on, I want to say hello to Fae before she leaves.” I assume Fae must be the caretaker; a house this size probably requires several people to keep it in such great condition.
I’m surprised when instead of using a key to enter his home Lucian rings the bell. The door is pulled open almost immediately and an attractive woman in blue scrubs stands there beaming at us. “Luc! Honey, I’m so happy to see you. Why in the heck do you insist on ringing the doorbell, though? You do know you own the place, right?” Before he can answer, she throws her arms around his neck and without hesitation, he returns the embrace. When she releases him, he turns to me, taking my hand to pull me closer.
“I want you to meet Lia. Lia, this is my Aunt Fae. She raised me after my parents died. She was my dad’s sister.” The woman studying me in something akin to shock looks far too young to be Lucian’s aunt. Her long, dark hair is pulled up in a ponytail and even through her scrubs; her figure is fit and trim. Her face is unlined, and she could pass easily for his sister.
I extend a hand to her, saying, “It’s great to meet you.” Since Lucian has never mentioned her, I have no other pleasantries to add, and a moment of silence ensues.
Finally, the other woman takes my hand, giving me a genuine but curious smile. “It’s a pleasure, sweetie. Sorry to zone out on you there, but my boy here hasn’t brought a woman home since…well, you know, in a long time, so this is a bit of a surprise.” A look passes between Lucian and his aunt so fast I’m not sure if I have imagined the whole thing. “Anyway, you two come on in. I have some coffee in the kitchen. I was just straightening up before I left for work.” Lucian explains that his aunt works at the memorial hospital downtown as a nursing supervisor.
I follow Fae through a large foyer with Lucian trailing behind us. The house has an open floor plan with high ceilings and tan-colored walls. We make our way past a curving staircase and into a bright, airy kitchen. The cabinets are antique-distressed, and the granite is a matching light color. Fae walks straight to the coffee pot and fills her mug. A grin spreads across my face at the caption on the cup: ‘Nurses do it for twelve hours straight.’ Judging by the house, Lucian comes from money, so his aunt is a bit of a surprise. “How’s the new groundskeeper working out?” Lucian asks.
Fae takes a sip of her coffee before answering. “He seems okay. I walked him through everything, but you might want to talk to him while you’re here today. I saw his truck come in a few minutes ago, so he should be out at the barn.”