Page 6 of Danger and Dominance (Black Fox Security Doms #1)

When Jensen had moved in, he and his brother had started doing a lot of work on their house, fixing it up.

The house was historical, originally built in the 1920s, and had a lot of beautiful carved wooden detailing on the wainscotting that went throughout the house and on the staircase banister.

There were also several original stained-glass windows.

They hadn’t taken any of it out; instead, they’d been refinishing and enhancing what was already there.

The front porch had needed some shoring up and repainting, as had the back.

As security went, they’d installed an alarm system on every single one of the doors and windows up all three stories.

The closeness of the neighbors also meant that people noticed when someone new was around.

Several were out on their front porch watching with interest as Jensen parked his car, followed by Kincaid and Cassidy, and finally David.

He waved at old Mrs. Tulieman when he got out of the car, and she waved back, grinning. He gave it twenty minutes before she was knocking on Jensen’s door, pie in hand, wanting to find out what was going on. Thirty at the most. He swore she kept a freezer stock full of them to excuse her nosiness.

Nosiness they were counting on, along with several of the other neighbors.

If Cassidy’s shitty ex somehow found out where she was and started hanging around the neighborhood, these were the kinds of neighbors who would notice.

Unlike the condo building where David lived—half of the condos were rented out to tourists regularly.

No one paid attention to each other, much less to who belonged there and who didn’t.

He'd liked the anonymity, but it made for a less secure place.

Something that he hadn’t minded up until now.

Though he had to admit, it wasn’t like his sterile, millennial gray décor was going to get the same reaction from Cassidy as Jensen and Mick’s house did. Even before they went inside, he could see her wide-eyed reaction to the gigantic house, staring up at it from the street.

“Damn.” Even Kincaid was impressed. “This place is huge.”

“Just wait till you get inside,” Jensen said, grinning as he came up beside them where Kincaid was opening the trunk.

David got there before him, though, pulling the large suitcase from the interior.

It had wheels, but he held it by the handle.

While it wasn’t exactly light, he could bench a hell of a lot more than its weight.

Jensen grabbed the smaller duffel bag instead, leaving Kincaid to take the slightly larger duffel.

They trooped up to the front porch, which had a table and benches on the right-hand side and a porch swing on the left. David saw Cassidy looking at the swing wistfully, like she wanted to try it out immediately.

Not advisable, considering it was on the front porch, in full view of anyone driving by on the street. On the other hand, as long as her ex wasn’t driving around the suburbs of Pittsburgh, and why would he be…

No. Stop it. She needs to start as she means to go on. And why do I care whether she wants to sit on a front porch swing?

Yeah, he did not want to examine the answer to that question too closely.

“Let’s get inside and off the street,” he said gruffly, gesturing as he moved. Jensen opened the door, and David was the first one through, taking a moment to look around and make sure the area was clear, even though Jensen had a top-notch security system.

It was just habit.

It also meant he got to see Cassidy’s face when she walked inside and saw the interior for the first time.

The way she lit up, her mouth dropping open as she took in the chandelier hanging from the copper ceiling over the foyer, the ornate staircase coming from the back of the house, and the colorful wallpaper lining the walls, made something in his gut stir.

She looked more like her picture and less like the frightened little mouse who had shown up at Black Fox Security’s door.

“Oh my God…” Slowly spinning in a circle, she took in the entire foyer and the rooms beside it.

Jensen had a home office off to the right, and the living room was on the left.

He and his brother had chosen to furnish the first floor with heavy antiques, adding to the overall atmosphere. “This is incredible.”

Pure joy had lit up her face, and she walked forward as if in a trance, going straight for the staircase and placing her hand on the end of the banister, tracing her fingers over the carved decoration on the top of the column.

“I’ve never seen anything like this outside of a movie,” she said. “It’s beautiful. And you just live here?”

“Yup. My brother and I like old stuff.” Jensen grinned.

“Me, too.” She turned and beamed at Jensen.

Yeah, she would not have liked his apartment at all. Not that it mattered, and it should definitely not make him feel jealous of her reaction to Jensen’s house. Jensen’s house was amazing. Everyone always agreed on that.

“Then you’ll definitely love this place.

” Jensen chuckled. “So, you have your choice of where to sleep. My brother and I are both on the second floor, and there is a third bedroom there, but we also have the third floor, which is set up for guests. We figured you can pick wherever you feel most comfortable.”

David set down the suitcase when Cassidy hesitated.

“Why don’t we have a look around,” he said, walking toward her, gesturing to the stairs. “I can show you around and show you all the security, and you can make your decision once you’ve seen the house.”

Immediately, Cassidy nodded, looking up at him with not just relief but trust brimming in her hazel eyes. Trust that he knew what he was doing. Trust that he would keep her safe.

Something squeezed inside his chest.

He was so fucked.