All He Desires: The Complete Series by Erin Lark

his hands in the air. "Great, now I get to compete with a cartoon." He ran a hand through his brown curls. "So, you want the three hour tour, or just the necessities?"
    "Three hours?" Is it really that big?
    "Well, if we do things my way...it would probably take days."
    His wicked smile wasn't lost on me. "If by tour you mean having sex in every room..."
    "Ahh, you catch on fast. Good. Come to think of it, I haven't christened the west wing yet."
    "Is that a movie reference, or are you for real?"
    "You never know. Try to find the magic rose, and you'll find out."
    It was surprisingly warm in the lower level, and even as my heels clicked on the polished marble, it didn't feel nearly as empty as it looked. The fireplace glowed with orange flame, throwing light to the farthest corners of the room. It may have been open, but in its own way, it was enchanting.
    Jake could've furnished his mansion with the usual, but from what I could see, every chair—hell, even the sofa—was leather.
    "Black leather?" I asked, running my hand over the smooth surface.
    "To match the décor, of course."
    I raised an eyebrow at him. "And you did this all yourself?"
    "Hey, just because I'm a Dom, that doesn't mean I don't have good taste in furniture."
    "Uh huh." I looked back at the staircase that serpentined up and around the room. "So, do I need to run a marathon every time I want to have sex, or what?"
    Jake laughed. "Thirty."
    "Thirty what?"
    "Steps. Well, to reach the top floor, that is. But to be honest, it isn't as bad as it looks. You can even take two of them at a time."
    "Okay, Mr. Long-legs. What about those of us who are closer to the ground?"
    His grin widened. "Not close enough for me, babe." Jake tugged gently on my hair until I caught on. He cleared his throat when I glared at him. "Besides, we have a downstairs as well. Care to see my dungeon?"
    "Seriously? As in chains, cages and stuff?"
    "Oh heavens no! I don't do the cages. Pet play—not really my thing." He shivered then, but I couldn't decide if it was an involuntary reaction or some more theatrics. "Chains however, those we do have. And cuffs."
    "And balls?"
    Jake puffed out his chest. "Those too."
    Somehow we'd gone from small talk in his living room to sexual innuendos by the time we reached what I assumed was the kitchen. It’s hard to say when I stopped paying attention to the furnishings or whatever frames he had hanging on the walls, but the only thing I was interested in looking at now was him.
    His worn hands. The tie coming loose from around his neck. He'd invited me here as a companion, or in his case, a sub, but it seemed he was averting his gaze away from me as much as I was from him.
    I looked at him. Met his fierce eyes. 
    When neither of us broke eye contact, I spoke. "It really doesn't bother you, does it? The size."
    "Oh, size still matters," Jake replied.
    "You know what I mean. All this space, it doesn't bother you?"
    "Not really, no." He stared at the floor. Looked at me again. "I kind of section parts of the house off so it feels smaller than it actually is."
    "And what about the echo?" I shuddered when the click of my heels bounced off the surrounding walls.
    "Again, not nearly as bad as it could be if I left most of the rooms open. I've tried covering the walls the best I can to make it more homey but...there's only so much I can do."
    "I suppose putting a drop ceiling in the main room wouldn't really work, huh?"
    He crossed his arms over his chest and pressed his back against the wall. "Imagine that, a woman who knows a thing or two about construction. See? I can use clichés, too."
    "Okay, fine. You know how to decorate. But you still haven't answered my question."
    "Putting in a drop ceiling wouldn't really mesh well with that staircase you were ogling earlier. Besides, the lights are above the third floor. Not sure how we'd see anything with a drop ceiling in the way." He paused to open a door just beyond the kitchen. "Shall we?"
    I craned my