Dalton parked his bike under a carport, and I pulled in beside him. “Where are we?”
With an arm around my waist, he led me to the front door. “Welcome to the Mills cabin, Vixen. This has been in my family long as I can remember. Mac and I made some updates when we got it.” He unlocked the door and swung it open, gently pushing me inside. I turned full circle, taking in the sweeping staircase, the deer antler chandelier, and the warm golden wood around us. “What do you think?”
I turned to him, smiling so big it hurt my cheeks. “Can I see the kitchen?”
He laughed. “Yeah, baby, you can see the kitchen. You can go wherever you want. Come on.”
He led me down a hallway with a large sitting room off one side. Opening up a Dutch door, he stepped back to let me in. The kitchen was just as stunning as the rest of the house, and I ran my hand along the grey marble countertops with gold inlay. Over the sink was a huge window overlooking the lake, and the dining room had a large sliding glass door that opened onto a patio.
I turned to Dalton who was watching me carefully, waiting for my reaction. When he smiled at me tentatively, I ran to him and jumped into his arms. He caught me easily and said, “So you like it?”
I kissed him. “Baby, I love it. It’s absolutely perfect. It’s all ours for the weekend?”
He carried me over to the counter and sat me down, running his hands down my thighs and squeezing my calves. “Just you and me, Vixen.”
A little voice in the back ofmy head told me this wasn’t a good idea, but I shoved it away. Just for the weekend, I told myself, and my heart was all too eager to accept what my brain knew was a lie.
Dalton went to grab the bags from our bikes while I roamed the lower half of the house. Each room was just as stunning as the next. The sun sparkled off the lake as it sank lower in the sky, filling the house with a beautiful evening light. I stepped outside and walked down the path to the dock that bobbed peacefully in the water. Before I could think better of it, I took my boots and socks off, then rolled up my pant legs and dangled my legs off the dock. The water was soothing, and the peaceful silence was utter bliss.
I sat there, face tilted towards the sky as I basked in the warmth of the evening. I didn’t even hear Dalton come outside until he stepped on the dock and it wobbled under his weight. I smiled at him over my shoulder, and he sat next to me. Leaning into him, I said, “I don’t think I’ve seen a place so perfect.” He made a general sound of agreement, and we sat there together until the sun touched the horizon.
Eventually he stood up, pulling me up with him. “Come on, I’ll make us dinner.” I gave him a look, and he pushed me playfully. “Yes, Vixen, I can cook.” He grabbed my boots, and I followed him inside.
I sat on one of the barstools at the kitchen island, watching him while he made our dinner, sipping the whiskey and Coke he had made me, and laughing at the stories he told me. I wasn’t prepared when he asked me about my childhood. I knew Nicky’s backstory, but I didn’t want to tell him that one. I wanted him to know the real me—Katie. Not some made-up cover story. I decided that a little truth wouldn’t hurt, and I blended my story with Nicky’s as best I could. The closer we became, the more lying to him hurt like a knife twisting in my chest.
He didn’t notice my inner turmoil as I told him about growing up in South Carolina, weaving myelaborate story like a con artist. I was beyond grateful for the change in subject when he carried two plates to the patio, leaving me to grab drinks. We didn’t say much as we ate—I was watching the sunset as I savored one of the best rib eyes in my life.
When I looked back at him, he was watching me closely, and I smiled nervously. “What?”
But he just grinned back and reached for my hand. We sat there until the moon rose in the sky, and I shivered—at which point, he insisted we go inside.
“Come on, Vixen, let me show you your room.”
I followed him up the stairs, realizing he hadn’t intended on us sleeping together in one room. I didn’t say anything about it, not wanting to come off as needy or worse, but I was surprised. The room he showed me was easily half the size of my apartment, with a massive en suite bathroom.
He pulled me to him before I went in. “I’ll be in the office, just down the hall. Third door on the left. Go ahead and get settled in. Should have everything you need.” He squeezed my waist, but I stopped him when he stepped back, standing on tiptoes to press my lips to his.
The kiss was burning hot and excruciatingly slow. I nipped gently at his lower lip, running my tongue over the spot, until I felt him smile against me. He wedged a knee between my legs, and I rubbed against him, relishing the delicious friction. I tousled the hair at the base of his neck between my fingers, pulling him closer to me in a way that made him moan. Hands on my hips, dragging me closer, until there wasn’t an inch between us. Like we couldn’t get close enough. When I finally pulled away, I was panting a little, and his eyes were hooded. I smiled softly before reaching for my door and watched him walk away, enjoying the view—and hungry for what was to come.
The bed was ridiculous, and I was instantly in love. I plopped down on the cloud-like mattress and lay there fora minute, my mind racing. Taking the DiAngelos down was still important to me, but the Mills brothers were… unexpected. Even more surprising were my feelings for them, and I wasn’t quite sure what to do with them. I had tried staying away, but my body responded to them in a way that was completely foreign to me. It was like an addiction.
In short, the whole situation was fucked.
I groaned and dragged myself up, deciding to check out the rest of the room, specifically the bathroom. I all but jumped for joy when I saw the tub big enough to fit a small family in, and the jets lining the sides of it. My apartment had a tub that barely came up to my knees when I was standing, and I wasn’t entirely sure a ten-year-old could stretch out fully in it. This tub was heaven, and I needed a slice immediately. I went back to my bags, pulling out some pajamas. I found the bathroom cabinets fully stocked with everything a girl could need.
Turning on the tub, I filled it with some delicious-smelling lavender vanilla bath salts and soap. As the tub filled up with bubbles, the whole bathroom started smelling like a bakery. I stripped eagerly, pressed the button for the jets, and slid into the hot water with a groan. At first, the burn was almost too much, but once my body adjusted, I could practically feel every sore muscle and knot easing itself out. I decided that if I were to die right in this moment, I would do so in total bliss.
I sat there, enjoying my bath, until the water started to cool. A fuzzy robe and a pair of house slippers were neatly stored in the same cabinet I had found my bath things in. Slipping those over my PJs, I grabbed my phone and took a picture of the bathroom and bedroom. Sending both to the girls, I also texted Uncle Tommy to let him know where I was—I didn’t say with whom, even though I bet he already knew. I tossed my phone on the bed, determined to ignore it, lest I receive an unwelcome response from Braxton.
When I foundthe office, the room was dark except for a couple of lamps. Dalton sat in an armchair, under one of the lamps, reading. I leaned against a nearby bookcase, smiling at the sight of him. He was a big man for the chair, but he looked completely at ease. His heavy boots were propped up on a footrest, and his black leather jacket was draped across the back of the chair.
I wasn’t even sure he had heard me come in, but then he said, “Like what you see, baby girl?” My smile grew wider, and he looked up at me with a grin of his own. “Come here.”
My smile became seductive as I walked towards him.
He kicked the footrest to the side and watched me saunter to him. When I was within grabbing distance, he dropped his book to the floor with a thud and pulled me until I stood between his legs, looking down at him. His eyes never left mine as he untied the robe until it fell open, revealing my shirt that ended at my belly button, and the shorts that didn’t even cover my ass. They were the same shorts I had been wearing when he and Mac had come to my apartment, and I had packed them deliberately, remembering the hungry way he had looked at me in them.
Before I could think better of it, I straddled his lap and leaned in to nuzzle his neck, loving the smell of him. The expensive, sweet-smelling oil he used on his bikes, combined with the scent of warm leather and musk, wrapped up in one delicious package. His hands roamed my body freely, and I shivered under his touch. I sat up, arching into him as his hands found my breasts under my shirt and tugged at my sensitive nipples. I could feel him under me, his hardness pressing into my core, and I groaned, “Dalton,” as I rubbed against him. He pressed his face into my chest, biting me through my shirt, and I moaned. I felt his cock twitch in response.
