“Would you like me to get tested again just for peace of mind?”
He thought about it, then shook his head. “No. I believe you.”
That made me smile.
Omg. He trusted me! Swoon!
“Now, for the rest of it, I wasn’t kidding before about setting some hard boundaries. We got carried away today, but I agree that we should avoid marks on faces from now on for the sake of your business,” I said, turning the car in the direction of my townhouse.
Ryan examined his face in the car mirror again with a grimace.
“I would appreciate that. I have no idea what I’m going to do about this. I have another service tomorrow, and I look like I tripped and fell into a meat grinder…”
“I think I know someone who can help with that.” I winked, and Ryan gave me a curious look, but I just smirked at him as I pulled into a suburban area.
“I can’t promise I won’t mark you in other places, though. I murmured, turning onto my street.
Ryan gave me a careful look as if he wanted to ask me more about where I planned on marking him but was still too shy.
“Where are you taking me?” he asked quietly, frowning at our quaint surroundings.
“I’m taking you to meet my sister,” I said as I parked in the driveway of our townhouse. Quietly, I noted that Vox was parked down the street in my—well, I guesshis—red Aston Martin.
I frowned. I could see his bleached head in the driver’s seat. That was interesting. I hadn’t asked him to swing by. Whipping out my phone, I fired off a text.
Cal:
What are you doing here?
Vox:
*laptop emoji*
Cal:
If you were waiting for me, you know you could have just waited inside, right?
Vox:
*Eye roll emoji*
I chuckled and glanced up just in time to see he had started the car and was now driving away.
Weird.
Getting out of the G-Wagon, I went to Ryan’s side to help him out, but he was already nearly at the front walk, his brandy eyes wide as he took in his surroundings. My lips quirked at the way his gaze seemed to pause on each of the garden gnomes he passed.
“I thought I already met your sister?” he asked, and I grinned.
“That was my older sister.” I winked and got to work unlocking the front door. “I also have a younger sister. She’s much less prickly than Cass, and luckily for you…”
I swung open my front door and gestured for Ryan to walk in.
“She’s excellent with makeup.”
Cal’s house was… not what I expected. For some reason, I imagined he lived in some dark dungeon of a basement filled with X-rated posters, gaming consoles, and improperly stored firearms.
Instead, I found myself standing in a bright, clean townhouse that was tastefully decorated in whites, golds, and neutral beiges. It could have been a model home, except for the obscene amount of gnomes gathered on every surface.
