Which meant we had roughly two weeks to get the job done.
“Wow. This is impressive,” Heaven said from the backseat as I pulled down the long dirt drive leading to the garage.
The big metal door opened when the sensor hit the answering one on the front of the Escalade. My cell phone buzzed, notifying me when the motion was detected. I didn’t release Everly’s hand, simply waited a moment before pulling into one space. Ian exited first, motioning for Dante to pull into the only other empty space in the five-bay building.
“A Stingray?” Heaven asked.
Ian was the one to respond. “My baby.”
Heaven chuckled. “Doesn’t surprise me. Boys and their toys.”
I could’ve told the woman there wasn’t a boy amongst her, but I refrained. Not to mention, our toys came in the human form, not vehicle.
I didn’t think she’d care to hear that, either.
I glanced over at Everly. “I’ll get your bag. You sit there until I get your door.”
“Yes, Sir.”
If I hadn’t known Everly, hadn’t interacted with her so much at the club, I wouldn’t have been quite so demanding with her. Not this early in a relationship, anyhow. But I’d gotten to know her, and I wanted to think I understood her needs. She craved dominance, appreciated it even. That was evident in every Dom she interacted with at Dichotomy, male or female. From what I’d seen, she gravitated toward those who didn’t waffle, leaving the passive ones in her wake. Perhaps because her needs aligned with my own, every second I’d spent with her over the past six months, I’d done so with the intention of connecting on a different level from anyone she’d ever known. And I had never been the sort to let a perfect opportunity pass me by. I wasn’t about to do so now.
Ian took Heaven’s bag while he waited for Dante to join us. I grabbed Everly’s, then moved around to the passenger side, opening her door. I did my best to ignore the bruise that had turned an ugly purple over the course of the past few hours. It pained me to see her hurt, made me want to rip someone’s throat out. I fought back the anger, knew it wasn’t necessary right now.
I led the way into the house, set Everly’s bag on the kitchen island. “Anyone hungry?”
“Starving,” my brother noted.
Not surprising. He was always hungry.
I glanced at Everly, warmth filling me when she smiled. “I could eat.”
“I’ll cook,” Heaven offered.
Four sets of eyes turned to her.
“What?” she asked, glancing between us. “I like to cook.”
“Is that true?” Ian asked, looking to Dante for the answer.
“Yes, Sir. She loves to cook.” He smiled. “And she’s quite good at it, too.”
“You do much cooking for five?” I asked.
“From time to time. I’m sure I can make it work.”
“Let me show you your room first,” Ian said. “Then the kitchen’s all yours.”
I watched as Heaven’s eyes tracked Ian when he moved. I could see her interest and it made me curious. While I knew Everly was a submissive and I highly suspected Dante was, I didn’t get the same vibe from Heaven. However, the way she looked at my brother told me there was a spark there.
This just might take a turn not even I could’ve seen.
Everly
When Isaac took my hand, I followed him through the door separating the garage from the house, into the elaborate kitchen, past the stainless-steel appliances, the miles of glossy countertops, the large island that stood proudly in the center, then beyond to a series of floor-to-ceiling windows and bifold glass doors. We passed through a large den, complete with oversized furniture and a wall dedicated to the entertainment system, including what was likely an eighty-inch television.
We ended up in a long, narrow hallway that branched off to the left and to the right with doors down one side as well as one on each end. Isaac went to the left, while Ian and Heaven went to the right.
The sexy man holding my hand stopped at the first door we came to, opening it into what appeared to be a guest room.
“This is all yours,” he said, stepping back so I could go in.
As I entered the beautiful space, the first word that came to mind was soft. Not quite feminine, but not masculine by any means.
The walls were what I’d describe as a light apricot, the color carried throughout the decor in varied tones. The king-sized bed with its large headboard and four thick posts sat along one wall, flanked by two tall windows with vintage night tables in front of them. At the end of the bed was a bench as wide as the footboard and topped with a cushion slightly darker than the walls. The wall to the right of the bed had two doors and a squatty four-drawer dresser between them. A tall chest stood catty-corner on the farthest end of that wall. One door led to what I could see to be a bathroom; the other I assumed was a closet.
