Page 21 of Beneath the Blue Moon

***Casey***

Wow. This place is gorgeous! It’s spacious, secluded, and

elegantly decorated. He has good taste. The size of it surprised me; I was

expecting a small log cabin, not a country mansion. My dad would love this

place. He wanted me to follow in his footsteps and become an architect, but

that just isn’t for me. I absorb the sight before me—marble floors, high

ceilings, everything in varying shades of brown. A winding staircase leads to a

second floor that’s probably just as beautiful as the first.

I follow him around as he gives me the grand tour—living

room, library, office, and family room. The last has to be my favorite so far.

I can easily see a family spending many evenings here… kids playing, parents

watching TV. There’s a powder room, and he informs me that there are two

bathrooms upstairs. As we move through the house, he explains the significance

of some paintings and sculptures. I watch his lips as he speaks and can’t help

but wish he would just shut up and kiss me. A huge portrait of an older couple

catches my eye, and I move toward it.

“Are these your parents?” I ask.

“Yes.”

“Wow. You look just like your dad.”

“So I’ve been told.”

He really does. That’s probably exactly how he’ll look at

his father’s age. They have the same eyes, nose, lips, and hair, except his father’s

is greying. His mother is beautiful, regal even. She shows few signs of aging,

not even a wrinkle. Her blonde hair is perfectly styled, blue eyes sparkling,

full lips pouting at the camera. They look great together—a striking couple.

Next to the portrait, are smaller group photos. In one, Ethan

is surrounded by five men. Now, these are obviously his brothers. There’s no

mistaking it. He points to each one as he tells me their names.

“Josh, Taylor, Michael, Andrew, and… Kyle.”

There is a hint of sadness in his voice when he says Kyle’s

name. The hurt in his eyes affects me to the point where I think I can feel his

pain. I touch his arm, and he turns to me.

“Kyle was the oldest. He was killed four years ago in a

fight.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I just… I really looked up to him. Now I’m the oldest,

and everyone’s looking to me.”

I slip my hand into his, lacing our fingers. He’s hurt, and

I have no idea why, but I have a bone-deep need to comfort him. “Well, from

what I’ve seen, you’re a great role model. Having more men like you around is a

good thing.”

The sadness vanishes from his eyes and he smiles.

“Thank you.”

He leads me up the stairs and points out a bathroom before announcing

with a sweep of his hand, “And these are the bedrooms. Four of them.”

Bedrooms, huh? I smile at him deviously. “Which one

is yours? You know, for future reference.”

His nostrils flare and his eyes are suddenly darker. Not

taking them off me, he points it out.

“That one at the end.”

“Cool.”

I throw him a seductive stare over my shoulder as I make my

way back downstairs. He stands at the top, watching as I descend. Back on the

first floor, I move to the sliding doors which lead to a swimming pool.

“You swim a lot?” I ask when he walks up behind me.

“When I can. It’s good exercise.”

I look over his body and have to agree. He’s wearing another

one of those T-shirts that hugs his torso, and jeans that show off his ass-ets.

“It sure is.”

He chuckles and takes a step forward. “You’re something else,

you know that?”

I move closer to him and trail my finger down his sternum. “I

like you, Sheriff. I don’t see the need to be coy or play games.”

“You like me?”

“I thought that was obvious.”

“Like is a very… safe word.”

“Who knows?” I shrug. “Maybe it’ll change by the end of the

night. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

“I guess so.”

“Now, where is this steak you promised me?”