We pull up to a random house, and I furrow my brows. I glance out the passenger side window, taking in the neat front yard and the brick home that looks like something from a suburban dream magazine.
“Where are we?” I ask, turning to Ford in the driver’s seat. Jacob stares out his window, looking just as confused as I am.
Ford flashes his mischievous smirk that always makes my heart race. “This, Kitty, is our new place.”
My mouth drops open. “What? You’re joking, right?”
Jacob turns to Ford, his eyes wide. “Wait, what do you mean, our new place? We can’t afford this. None of us even have jobs here yet.”
Ford shrugs, his grin never leaving his face as he turns off the engine and gets out and we hurry to meet him on the sidewalk. “We don’t have to pay anything. This is my parents’ property. It’s usually an Airbnb, but they took it off the site for us. It’s ours for as long as we need it.”
Jacob and I stare at him, stunned, as the realization sinks in. I look back at the house, my heart pounding. Our own place. No dorm rooms, no cramped spaces, just this… house.
“Holy shit,” I whisper. “Our own house? This is… fuck, this is cool.”
Ford grabs my hand and winks. “Well, you wanna see the inside?”
I practically run up the steps, my excitement bubbling up to the surface. “Yes!” I shout, not even caring if I sound like a kid on Christmas morning. This is huge.
Ford dangles the keys from his finger, flashing another one of those grins as he unlocks the front door. Jacob’s right behind me, his excitement finally catching up to mine, and together we follow Ford into what’s about to become our home.
As soon as we step inside, I’m hit with the fresh, clean scent of the house, and I’m already sold. The place is gorgeous. The hardwood floors gleam in the sunlight filtering through the big windows, and it’s already fully furnished, like something out of a high-end magazine.
“Oh my god,” I breathe, spinning around to take it all in. “This is insane.”
Ford laughs, throwing an arm around my shoulders as he guides us through the house. “Welcome home, Kitty.”
The tour feels surreal. There’s a cozy living room with a massive sectional couch, a kitchen with stainless steel appliances and marble countertops, and even a cute little backyard that’s perfect for hanging out when the weather’s nice.
Then we head toward the bedrooms, climbing the stairs, our footsteps echoing softly in the hallway. Each room we pass has its own character, but it’s the master bedroom that truly steals the show.
It’s huge. Way bigger than I expected. The three of us stand in the middle of the room, taking it all in. I can already see usspending lazy mornings here, curled up together in bed as I read one of the erotica books I love so much.
“We should get a bed big enough for all of us,” Jacob says, his voice filled with excitement.
Ford smirks. “Already on it. I’ve been looking at beds big enough to fit an army.”
Laughter bubbles up my throat as warmth settles in my chest. I’ve never had something like this before—a real home with the people I care about. When my parents were together, they fought all the time and ignored me mostly, and then, after the divorce, we all know my mom turned into a bitch. It feels like the start of something incredible. Four years we’ll be in this place—four years of making it ours.
As I’m imagining all the little touches we can add to make this house feel even more like home, my phone buzzes in my pocket. It’s Matthew. I hesitate for a second before answering.
“Hey, where are you guys at? I can meet you.” Matthew’s voice comes through the line, husky and familiar.
I glance at Ford, who’s still grinning like he just won the lottery. “What’s the address, Ford?” I ask, covering the phone with my hand as we head back down to the kitchen.
Ford rattles off the address, and I repeat it to Matthew. “He says he’ll be here in about thirty minutes,” I tell the guys, hanging up the phone. “He’s just gotta clean up before heading this way.”
Ford’s grin widens. “Plenty of time to get my Kitty fix, then.”
Before I can react, Ford grabs me and throws me over his shoulder with a playful growl. I squeal, my hands instinctively reaching for his back to steady myself as he heads toward the stairs.
“Ford!” I laugh, kicking my legs playfully. “What are you doing?”
“Oh, you know exactly what I’m doing,” he says, his voice low and teasing as he carries me up the steps, Jacob following close behind with a smirk. “We’ve got the house all to ourselves for now. I think we should christen it properly.”
The bedroom door swings open, and Ford tosses me onto the bed with a seductive glint in his eyes. I’m breathless from laughing as I sit up, watching him close the door. Jacob leans against the wall next to it, arms crossed over his chest, looking at me with that familiar heat in his eyes.
“You look way too cute when you’re flustered,” Jacob teases, stepping closer.
