Page 81 of Caruso

I stare wide-eyed at the gorgeous house that is way bigger than any ranch home I’ve ever seen. It’s completely built of wood, as natural as the terrain it sits on, and yet it’s not a house; it’s an estate.

“It’s huge!” I gasp as I stare open-mouthed at an experience.

Despite the rough terrain around it, the Freedom Ranch sits on landscaped grounds that are at odds with nature. We pull in through an arch into a courtyard where huge wooden doors lead inside.

“I can’t believe you don’t live here.”

I gasp as the door opens and Tommaso’s guard stands to attention, his eyes scanning the horizon, always on alert.

Tommaso grips my hand, and it reminds me of the magnetic pull I have toward these brothers. A shock ofdesire ripples through my entire body as he pulls me from the car, and I swallow hard.

Of all the brothers, Tommaso is an enigma. A dark force, strong, deadly, unforgiving. He hides his emotions and offers only threats. A sleeping lion that could strike at any time. Unlike Giorgio, who uses humor to disguise the fact he’s a psychopath behind his smile. Matteo is all about business, a shrewd individual who takes no prisoners.

Tomasso is like a demon walking between them. Alert for danger, always ready to strike.

I have yet to figure him out, which is half of the attraction, and as he pulls me toward the open door, I take a deep breath, wondering what lies waiting for me inside.

As it happens, a whole lot of luxury on a grand scale.

Our first stop is a giant living area with a view of the mountains that takes my breath away. One entire wall is glass, allowing nature inside. Outside is a veranda with comfortable seating set facing the view. Inside, the stone fireplace also offers a view through it to the landscape outside, and I can only imagine it lit in the harsh winter while the snow-capped mountains glisten in the winter sun.

Stone walls are bare with only a stag head and swords decorating them. Fur rugs align with throws on the battered brown leather couches, of which there are four.Wood, glass and stone are softened with fur, and the space itself in this one room is the largest I have ever seen.

“What do you think?”

Tommaso is studying my reaction carefully, and I gasp. “I love this place. If it were mine, I would live here and never leave.”

“Then don’t.” He shrugs as I stare at him in shock.

“Excuse me.”

“Don’t return to Vegas. Remain here and find the woman you have lost somewhere along the way.”

“But I would still be a kept woman for you all to use when you visit.”

My breath catches as I conclude that’s all I will ever be to them.

“You believe you have no value to us.” Tommaso sits on the edge of the couch, his forearms resting on his knees, leaning forward with a piercing gaze. In this room, in his presence, I feel so small and like the ragged girl from the trailer park I always was.

“You tell me.” I shrug, sighing as I glance around at a life I never actually realized people live.

“You think we only want you for sex.”

“Don’t you?” I arch my brow, and he leans back, my desire only increasing as I regard the rippling muscles that appear to move with the silk of his shirt.

“You are wrong.”

“Then what do you want?”

He cocks his head to one side and his gaze pierces my soul as he says gruffly, “We don’t want you, Taylor.”

My shoulders sag, and my spirit dies a little.

“Look at me.”

His strong voice tugs my gaze back to him, and the dark expression in his eyes warns of a storm approaching.

“We need you, Taylor, because the moment you lit a burning rag and set fire to the demon from your past, we all realized that you are the only one who can save us.”