she’ll think of
the overhaul. A lot of fuckin’ sweat and endless hours went into
the restoration, but all well worth it, in my opinion.
She’s already far into the oversized room when I
flick on the light switch and lean a shoulder against the
ten-foot-high doorframe. She still has her back to me, but I see
how she’s taking it all in, inspecting everything from the relief
work surrounding the fireplace mantel to the original moldings that
decorate the walls. Her eyes linger on the four-foot-across carved,
circular ceiling medallion that surrounds the original though
refurbished crystal chandelier.
Very slowly she turns around and whispers in shock,
“ You fixed all of this?”
I break her stare, suddenly embarrassed. Fiddling
with the label on my beer I ask, “Yeah. You like it?”
“It’s breathtaking. It reminds me of a house I knew
long ago. A once magnificent house. What you’ve done here is
remarkable, Colton. Honestly. I’m quite impressed.”
An intense sadness fills her eyes as she walks over
to run her fingers along the curves of the ironwork bed.
I clear my throat and say, “Yeah, well, the bed frame
came with the place—thought it was cool. Sanded it down to get the
rust off and then painted it black. The sofa was here as well.
Liked the curved lines, had it restuffed at a fabric place and took
the dude’s suggestion to cover it in brown velvet. Feels good to
sleep on. It’s where I crash most nights, actually. Come over here
and sit down with me.”
I sink down into the sofa and watch her walk toward
me. Christ, even her walk is seductive as hell. Mental note:
keep at least a three-foot distance.
She sits close and shifts to face me, our knees
nearly touching.
Fuck.
Still staring in wonder she says, “I’m really
impressed by what you’ve done. I can only imagine what it looked
like before this.”
“I’m a determined man, sweetheart. Figured I didn’t
stand a chance unless I went room by room, so that’s my plan. When
I got the place, everything had basically been stripped down to the
beams. Guess the last owners gave up or ran out of cash trying to
tackle this house. Slow and measured seems to work for me, until
it’s all done right.”
She smiles, her white teeth gleaming from full,
inviting lips. Fuck, I want those lips like a man in hell wants
two blocks of ice, one to sit on and one to lick.
Time to switch gears. Rapidly. Time for answers.
“You wanna explain to me why a wolf that huge and
aggressive wanted to rip us to shreds?”
“It never came close to harming us.”
“Bullshit, darlin’. I saw it. Thing matched my
weight, maybe more. I want you to explain to me what the fuck it wanted with you and how in the world you were able
to stop it. Seein’ as my brain can’t come up with one single
logical solution.”
She says solemnly, “I believe it was a Dire
Wolf.”
I shake my head in annoyance. “To hell it was,
sweetheart. I know wolves, used to shoot ’em for tryin’ to get at
our livestock back in Montana. That thing was different—a mutation
or somethin’ ’cause of its size alone. Besides, Dire Wolves have
been extinct for thousands of years.”
“Ten thousand years, precisely.”
“Fine, smart ass, ten thousand years. That doesn’t
explain why an animal that was easily forty percent larger than any
wolf I’ve ever crossed paths with was prowling around in the
fuckin’ middle of the night in a coastal southern city or how you, a woman who can’t weigh more than a buck twenty drippin’
wet was able to stop it without a weapon of any kind. You should’ve
been mauled to death, yet here you sit, without a darn scratch,
having a conversation with me about it. Now start talkin’, ’cause
my patience is wearin’ thin.”
In an eerily calm voice, she responds, “And just how
are you entitled to believe that you’re owed an
explanation from me?”
I lean in close, making sure that she can feel my
breath against her face. “ ’Cause,
the overhaul. A lot of fuckin’ sweat and endless hours went into
the restoration, but all well worth it, in my opinion.
She’s already far into the oversized room when I
flick on the light switch and lean a shoulder against the
ten-foot-high doorframe. She still has her back to me, but I see
how she’s taking it all in, inspecting everything from the relief
work surrounding the fireplace mantel to the original moldings that
decorate the walls. Her eyes linger on the four-foot-across carved,
circular ceiling medallion that surrounds the original though
refurbished crystal chandelier.
Very slowly she turns around and whispers in shock,
“ You fixed all of this?”
I break her stare, suddenly embarrassed. Fiddling
with the label on my beer I ask, “Yeah. You like it?”
“It’s breathtaking. It reminds me of a house I knew
long ago. A once magnificent house. What you’ve done here is
remarkable, Colton. Honestly. I’m quite impressed.”
An intense sadness fills her eyes as she walks over
to run her fingers along the curves of the ironwork bed.
I clear my throat and say, “Yeah, well, the bed frame
came with the place—thought it was cool. Sanded it down to get the
rust off and then painted it black. The sofa was here as well.
Liked the curved lines, had it restuffed at a fabric place and took
the dude’s suggestion to cover it in brown velvet. Feels good to
sleep on. It’s where I crash most nights, actually. Come over here
and sit down with me.”
I sink down into the sofa and watch her walk toward
me. Christ, even her walk is seductive as hell. Mental note:
keep at least a three-foot distance.
She sits close and shifts to face me, our knees
nearly touching.
Fuck.
Still staring in wonder she says, “I’m really
impressed by what you’ve done. I can only imagine what it looked
like before this.”
“I’m a determined man, sweetheart. Figured I didn’t
stand a chance unless I went room by room, so that’s my plan. When
I got the place, everything had basically been stripped down to the
beams. Guess the last owners gave up or ran out of cash trying to
tackle this house. Slow and measured seems to work for me, until
it’s all done right.”
She smiles, her white teeth gleaming from full,
inviting lips. Fuck, I want those lips like a man in hell wants
two blocks of ice, one to sit on and one to lick.
Time to switch gears. Rapidly. Time for answers.
“You wanna explain to me why a wolf that huge and
aggressive wanted to rip us to shreds?”
“It never came close to harming us.”
“Bullshit, darlin’. I saw it. Thing matched my
weight, maybe more. I want you to explain to me what the fuck it wanted with you and how in the world you were able
to stop it. Seein’ as my brain can’t come up with one single
logical solution.”
She says solemnly, “I believe it was a Dire
Wolf.”
I shake my head in annoyance. “To hell it was,
sweetheart. I know wolves, used to shoot ’em for tryin’ to get at
our livestock back in Montana. That thing was different—a mutation
or somethin’ ’cause of its size alone. Besides, Dire Wolves have
been extinct for thousands of years.”
“Ten thousand years, precisely.”
“Fine, smart ass, ten thousand years. That doesn’t
explain why an animal that was easily forty percent larger than any
wolf I’ve ever crossed paths with was prowling around in the
fuckin’ middle of the night in a coastal southern city or how you, a woman who can’t weigh more than a buck twenty drippin’
wet was able to stop it without a weapon of any kind. You should’ve
been mauled to death, yet here you sit, without a darn scratch,
having a conversation with me about it. Now start talkin’, ’cause
my patience is wearin’ thin.”
In an eerily calm voice, she responds, “And just how
are you entitled to believe that you’re owed an
explanation from me?”
I lean in close, making sure that she can feel my
breath against her face. “ ’Cause,
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