This man, seriously.
Two dreamy sighs came from my right and I knew we had company. I already liked Mitch and Nic; they seemed like nice guys, even if they drooled over my man. Couldn’t fault them for that, though.
“I love you,” I said, accepting his hand, then when I was back on my feet, I kissed him.Then, knowing we had an audience, I deepened the kiss, loving that I’d made both of them jealous.
This would be fun.
He groaned. “We don’t have time to celebrate like that, baby. The food will be here in under ten.”
I grinned as I tugged him down on the couch with me. Dave had left his old couches behind, but we would order new ones soon. We’d taken Jackson’s old bed at first, but had ordered a bigger one for delivery next week. “Let’s watch a movie while we eat,” I suggested, loving that we would eat Chinese on the couch.
“Sounds perfect. You pick something while I grab plates and such from the kitchen.”
“Deal.” I turned on the TV then picked a random action movie. It was something both of us enjoyed watching, that and comedies. I was a sucker for fantasy and sci-fi, but it wasn’t really Jackson’s style. Surprisingly, he liked rom-coms, who would’ve guessed?
Jackson had just placed everything on the coffee table when the doorbell rang. Perfect timing.
We settled in and began eating. I couldn’t have pictured a better way of celebrating this new chapter for us. We clinked our glasses of pink lemonade together and toasted for what we hoped would be many good years here.
When the movie was over, we were about ready to pass out, so we each took a quick shower,separately, since we had every intention ofcelebratingin bed, too. We’d gotten dressed in our sleepwear since we had to do a quick run down of the whole mansion, making sure every light was turned off and that all doors and windows were locked.
It wasn’t a surprise that Mitch and Nic were already in the bedroom waiting for us. They were silent as they watched us undress, but cheered as more clothes were shed. I had no idea I would be so into having sex in front of an audience, but I was loving it. It wasthrilling having their eyes on us as Jackson caressed my body with his mouth and hands. I felt so wanted. Worshipped.
Jackson was on top of me, ready to push inside me when he whispered, “Welcome home, baby,” then claimed my body as his while our ghosts looked on with eagerness.
Chapter 24
Jackson
These first few weeks at the mansion had been perfect. Pete and I had finished unpacking, and most of the renovations were finished by now. We had six rooms that would be used for our future club members, with two larger rooms for parties and other gatherings. One of them had a bar and an eating area. Three other rooms could easily be used for our members too, but we didn’t want to do all the rooms ahead of time. Just in case it wouldn’t work out as we hoped.
Each room for rent had an ensuite and a small wardrobe where we’d put items for them to use. We’d even made bathrobes our members could use. And good quality ones too. We’d also bought matching towels, bringing the whole luxury feel to another level.
We’d had fun decorating each room and then stocking up on the things that could be needed. Pete wanted our bedroom to be separate from the rooms for rent, ensuring we still had plenty of privacy. We had two wings, so we’d decided to keep one of them just for us, and the other for the club, and adding walls and another staircase had done wonders.
Pete hadn’t been at his “real” job, but was still employed by them, “just taking a break”, he’d said. Whenever a call came from his boss, he’d slip away to speak in private. Once he even had to drive to a meeting, but had been back not even an hour later. I respected that he had his secrets regarding missions, or as he called them,assignments, but I kept fearing when he’d return again. I selfishly didn’t want him to be in danger, and considering how new our relationship still was, I felt it would be too fragile for us if more trauma was dumped on him. I never wanted him to experience another incident like the one in the club, but with his job, how could he not? FBI work had to have some kind of danger no matter the assignment, I just couldn’t ask him questions to learn more about just how dangerous they could be. Considering how Linda wasn’t too surprised when he got hurt toldme enough, and that hadn’t even been from work. Not that Linda knew about that.
I was so busy worrying about Pete that I didn’t even realize Harold, my general contractor, was waiting for my reply on something. “I’m sorry, Harold, what were you saying?”
He sighed. “The house needs two exit routes added. For safety reasons, such as fire, you need at least three options of escape. It wouldn’t be necessary if the house was only used as a private residence, but since you’ll be renting out rooms, you need them added. Not doing so would be illegal in this state.”
“Oh.” I still had so much to learn, but adding stuff for the safety of others, wasn’t something I would reject. “Let’s do that then. Um, where? It’s not like we have perfect options for it.”
He waved me off. “We can add them to the balconies. Hidden stairs that can be pulled out so people can climb down will be sufficient enough, and they won’t be visible either. With that said, you’ll need to inform all your guests where they are located so if a fire should break out, or in case of a home invasion, they’ll know where to go. I can’t place permanent stairs since that’ll only invite trouble, suchas burglars. No reason to make their job easier.” I nodded, not really feeling discussing fires and people breaking in.
“I trust your judgement on it. Let me know if you need me to sign anything.”
“You will, since this is an addition to our agreed upon plan. I’ll have the paperwork ready by tomorrow, then have the work done within the week.”
“Thank you, Harold. I like the new windows by the way. You were right about adding better insulation.”
“It’ll help with the power bill too, believe me.” I snorted in reply, then shot him a smile and left him to work.
I’d just returned to the living room, when Pete came running in, his eyes wide as he sought me out. “What’s wrong?” I asked, hurrying over to him.
“Um, work,” he replied, swallowing. “It’s a big case. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
Be back…. “What do you mean?” I couldn’t demand he stayed here with me… right? That wasn’t what a supportive boyfriend would do, was it?
