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I headed to Rian’s house. I was relieved in a way to be going there.

For one, it would put me out of the reach of my family.

When I refused to return to the office, they came to find me.

Since they knew where I was to be, it wasn’t hard to locate me.

Only they got fooled, and when they arrived, I was gone.

Claudia had called me and warned me they were headed my way.

My brothers talked about what was wrong in front of her, Maria, and Massimo.

Claudia told me that she and Maria agreed with me while Massimo was on the guys’ side.

No surprise there. He had the same mentality as they did. It must run in the male DeSantis line.

With her warning, I was able to leave before they arrived.

I went to another location. It was one I’d found but hadn’t mentioned since it was a far more unlikely spot to acquire our perp.

I spent the remainder of my day there and worked on other tracking efforts on my laptop, which I took with me almost everywhere.

My only concern was acting normal so Rian wouldn’t know anything was wrong.

I wanted to share it with him, but I didn’t want him to become angry and get into it with my brothers.

It would only make matters worse. If I didn’t tell him, it could come back and bite me.

People shouldn’t keep things from the person they are building a future with.

I wouldn’t want him keeping secrets from me.

When I stated my name, the compound gate opened, and the guard manning it waved me through.

I didn’t know his name, but I recognized his face.

I smiled and waved back. I’d have to get to know everyone’s names.

I wondered how many there were. As I approached the gate, I noticed a few people parked a distance away.

They were watching the estate like hawks.

I swore they had cameras. Those must be the paparazzi I’d been told about.

Eventually, they’d find out about me and Rian, and then I’d have to deal with them.

He promised that he’d teach me how to handle them. I wasn’t looking forward to it.

After coming onto the compound grounds, Darragh’s house was in front of you.

Off to the right and back from his was Aidan and Karizma’s.

To the left, directly aligned with Aidan’s, was Rian’s.

They had ample yard space around each house, giving plenty of privacy, though they didn’t fence their lots off from each other.

Rian promised to take me to see all the houses so I would know who lived in each one.

When he explained that they all built houses after they came of age, I thought it was cool.

They were a very close family, like mine, but still had their own space.

I loved the layout of his home. His taste was very elegant yet homey and comfortable.

I wasn’t afraid to touch anything. Each house was different, he said.

I hadn’t told him, but I was eager to explore the family home, which was a monster.

The fact that three families had lived in it with fifteen children boggled the mind.

I didn’t know how the three sets of parents and their grandma, who lived there, didn’t get lost.

I parked in his driveway. I hadn’t bothered to change before coming.

I was afraid my family would be waiting for me if I went to my place.

I wasn’t ready to deal with them. I opened my door and barely got out before the front door opened, and out came Rian.

He gave me a look that told me he had missed me and that I was due for a kiss. I waited, smirking.

He wrapped me in his arms as soon as he reached me. I put my arms around his neck. He had to lower his head some, but at least he wasn’t breaking his back to kiss me. Right before our mouths touched, he growled, “It’s been too damn long without you.” Then his lips were sealed to mine.

As we kissed, my entire body came to life.

My skin tingled all over. My nipples grew taut, and between my legs, my pussy throbbed and became slick.

By the time he let go of me, I was one massive ball of desire.

It was all I could do not to tear his clothes off and climb him right there in the driveway.

If anyone saw us, I wasn’t sure I’d care.

“Gianna, a stór mo chroí , get in the house before I ravish you on the driveway. Chíost , you’re killing me.” He gestured to his pants.

I giggled when I saw the erection he was sporting.

Then, to be a tease, I lightly patted it before sashaying toward the door.

He let out a low growl, and then I was swept off the ground, tossed over his shoulder, and carried into the house.

I couldn’t prevent the shriek that escaped.

I wiggled, which earned me a slap on the ass. I moaned.

Immediately, my mind went down a dirty path.

I loved it when things got a bit rough in the bedroom.

I wasn’t into anything that would leave me permanently marked or scarred, but pain could be an aphrodisiac for me.

I’d discovered that by accident years ago.

The thrill of not knowing when the pain would come, how much it would be, and how it would excite the nerves in my body all did it for me.

I’d found a few men who could play that way with me over the years, but none had lasted.

It would be too much to hope that Rian would be so inclined.

I knew we’d soon have to talk about our sexual preferences.

I was debating whether I should be candid or keep that back.

Again, it felt so dishonest not to tell him the whole truth if we were to stay together.

One of the issues I had with men I dated or had short-term affairs with was that they’d want to do the same thing every time we had sex.

It was like they were following a script.

They would do it in the same order and not change it up.

Hell, it even felt timed to last a certain length of time.

Three minutes of foreplay and then have me suck their cock before they’d get to the main event, which would be this position and last this many minutes.

If I dared to suggest changing the order, they would get insulted.

As Rian cleared the doorway, he shoved it closed with his free arm. He kept walking until we reached the couch in his living room. I was lightly tossed down on it. I bounced, and then he was next to me. His hand was in my hair, and that sinful mouth of his was consuming mine again.

He hoarsely said between kisses and nips, “I missed you, Gianna. I thought today would never end. I almost called you a hundred times just to hear your voice.”

“I missed you, too.”

“ Dia , you make me wild,” he muttered.

“That seems only fair since you do the same to me. We’ve got to stop, Rian. If we don’t, I’ll never be able to,” I whimpered.

The sound of a buzzer interrupted us. He groaned. “Saved by dinner, though I’ve never not wanted food as much as now. Come before I forget my manners and let you starve.” He grinned.

“Another thing to know about me, since we’re learning all our likes, dislikes, wants, needs, and quirks, is that I love my food. If you get between me and it when I’m hungry, you take your life in your hands,” I warned him.

We were walking to the kitchen. Each of us had an arm around the other.

Being here with him and having his touch, as well as that kiss, had already helped ease the tension in my body.

As those hours in the vehicle passed and I thought of what had happened, I came to a decision.

Even if I hesitated, I would tell him what went down with my family.

We shouldn’t start out withholding things.

It wouldn’t be good for our future. I planned to wait until after dinner to tell him.

We needed food, and not to spoil our appetites.

The aroma was tantalizing. I followed it to the stove.

Unable to resist, I cracked the lid open.

It appeared to be a thick stew, though I wasn’t sure what the smell was.

It was full of dark, thick broth, vegetables, and chunks of meat.

On the counter, cut up and in a basket, was a loaf of crusty bread. I groaned.

“What is this?” I asked. I didn’t recognize it, but it smelled so good.

“I hope you’ll like it. This dish is a family favorite and reflects our heritage. This is Irish stew. I hope you don’t mind lamb. It can be made with beef, but we do it the traditional way. I should’ve asked you if you liked it or not.”

“Rian, there are very few foods I dislike, though I did have someone one time convince me to try sauerkraut. Oh my God, I can’t do it. If that’s a favorite, forget it.” I made a gagging face. He laughed.

“You’re in luck, that’s German. It’s a different country, so you’re safe. This also has stout beer in it.”

“I can’t wait to try it. The smell is delicious. Did you make it?” I asked.

“I wish I could say yes, but I didn’t. Could I?

Yes. But since I was working all day, I wasn’t here to keep an eye on it.

I got all the ingredients, and Agatha came over and put it together for me, and on the stove.

The bread was all hers. I can cook decently, but baking bread defeats me every time.

It never rises and comes out like a hard hockey puck,” he grumbled.

“You probably have your liquid too hot, and when it combines with your yeast, you kill it. Lucky for us, I make great bread. That’s not me bragging.

I’ve been told that by several people. And we’ll get you a slow cooker.

That way, you can put your stew together and let it cook all day on low so it’s ready when you get home. ”

“All this talk has made me hungrier. That buzzer was to tell us it’s done. Are you ready to eat, or do you want to wait?”

“Show me where the bowls and silverware are. And don’t get in front of me, or I’ll trip you,” I threatened.