Page 76 of Reaper

As I follow Anthony further in, I realize there are four houses nestled back here as well as a few townhouses.

Anthony parks his bike in front of a two-story farm-style house that has white siding and black trim. Internally I do a little happy dance when I see he has a wraparound deck. I’ve always wanted one but had resisted putting one in on our family’s house because we wanted to rebuild it as close as possible to what Grandpa Raymond had built.

Parking next to him, I unclip Void’s carrier, grab the tote bags, and go to open my door, but Anthony beats me to it. He holds out his hand to help me, and for a moment, I flash back to when he did the same thing at my house after the fire.

Shaking off that memory, I smile up at him, take his hand, and step out, closing the door behind me. Already I can hear Igor barking madly from inside and I shake my head as my smile widens.

“Igor certainly seems excited.”

Anthony huffs, and mutters something low under his breath. My breath hitches at the words I don’t think he meant me to hear.

“He isn’t the only one.”

My gaze flicks down to his pants and I quickly look away. Yup, Igor isn’t the only one. My body hums in agreement, and for a moment, my old worries come forward, but I shake them off. Anthony’s already proven that he isn’t going to just use me and discard me. If sex was the only thing he wanted, he would have pushed me for it last night, and I most likely would have let him take things further.

Anthony grabs my bags out of my backseat and I follow him up the steps. He unlocks his front door and then we’re surrounded by a whirlwind as Igor happily runs around Reaper and then me before he starts sniffing me. A moment later, he smiles a doggy smile up at me as his little tail and rear end wiggle in excitement. I lean down and pet Igor, who has, not surprisingly, already wormed his way into my heart.

“Let’s go inside and you all can get used to each other.”

Looking up, my breath hitches at seeing a soft look on Anthony’s face as he watches me with Igor. Void wiggles in my arms and snaps me out of my thoughts. Smiling, I follow him inside with Igor hot on my heels.

Anthony closes the door behind us and without being told, Igor sits obediently, but he’s eyeing Void’s carrier with interest and curiosity. Glancing down at Void, I can see him through the little plastic ‘windows’ and he’s looking at Igor just as curiously. I breathe a sigh of relief.

“Well, so far, it looks like Void is more curious than upset, so that’s a plus.”

Straightening, I look around Anthony’s house.

My breath catches when I realize he has floor to ceiling windows along the back wall of the living room with a view of the forest. The ceilings in here are vaulted with exposed beams and trusses and there’s a stone fireplace on the exterior wall with a large flat-screen TV mounted above it. In front of the fireplace are a couple of leather couches and a leather recliner.

Behind us, the vaulted ceilings continue into the kitchen, which also has a lot of windows. There are shaker-style cabinets along two walls as well as for the island. His appliances are stainless steel, and I love that he has a large farmer’s sink which is also mirrored on his island. My fingers itch to cook, but that will have to wait for later. Everything so far looks very homey, and while it’s definitely masculine, I can see myself being happy here.

Turning back toward the living room, I walk over to the coffee table and set down Void’s carrier in the center of it. Igor follows me and sits down next to me as he intently watches every move I make. Slowly, I unzip the carrier, but I don’t reach in for Void. Stepping back, I sit on the nearby couch and watch as they sniff each other from a distance.

Anthony sits down next to me, and when he throws an arm around my shoulder, I snuggle into him.

A cat tree catches my eye and once again, my heart does a little flip that Anthony already prepared for Void’s arrival. It’s situated in the corner of the same wall as the fireplace and the wall of windows. It’s got a few levels that Void can hop around on, columns covered in rope that he can scratch at, and there’s spots where he can lay down and enjoy the sun. The last bit is something I know he’ll greatly enjoy. Nearby, there’s a little basket of toys next to the fireplace and I spot some of his favorites already tucked inside it.

Twisting slightly, I look up at Anthony and cock my eyebrow. “Did you get a little insight on what all Void likes?”

His cheeks tinge pink a little as he gives me a sheepish look. “I asked Emma if she could let me know things that Void liked as well as what food he likes to eat.” He pauses and a look I can’t quite decipher comes over him and he reaches forward, cupping my face as his thumb caresses my cheek. “I want you to be happy here, which means, I want Void to be happy here too. I love you, Lark, and I want this to feel like home for you.”

I melt into his touch and turn, kissing his palm before looking back up at him. “I love you, too, Anthony. It means a lot to me that you did this for Void, and so far, I love your house.”

His breath hitches and I hate the vulnerability that shines in his eyes before he masks it, but I’m going to address it before his mind decides to focus on it.

“Did you notice anything on the drive here?” I ask him.

His brow crinkles as he frowns and nods. “People waved to me. They haven’t done that since before…” His voice trails off but he doesn’t need to finish his thought since I know what he’s referencing.

I smile mischievously at him. “Did you really think Derek Colewasn’tgoing to tell his wife about last night at the bar?”

His frown deepens before he looks at me in shock. “Betty Lou?”

I nod. “I’m sure that as soon as Betty Lou heard, she was spreading the word. My guess is that by the end of the weekend, the entire town will know you did what you had to to protect Levi, even though it meant pain for you.”

“That’s why you were smiling last night after he got his drink.”

My smile widens before I sober. “I tried to tell them that it wasn’t what they thought, but not very many would listen to me. On more than one occasion I wanted to smack some sense into some people because they were being pigheaded and absorbed in their own worries about it—they were scared they would get hurt if they got close to you or the club.”