Desire: Love and Passion - By Lesia Reid Page 0,6

is almost ready," she said.

Her voice sounded lower, throatier. He wondered if she’d thought about kissing him, too. Her eyes held no answer to his silent inquiry. Her hand slipped out of his. She walked back to the counter where the coffee pot gurgled its dark brew.

Willow set a table on the deck just outside the kitchen. There was a picturesque view of the backwoods just beyond the house. Her house was backed up to one side of the national park. There was a man-made waterfall on the large deck. The sound of the water weaving its way through the rocks was musically soothing. He heard birds and was mildly surprise. This wooded respite may feel like the country but it was not entirely so.

"I never hear that many birds from my house," he said taking a seat.

"John built an aviary a while ago. I think he was having a mid-life crisis."

Willow bit into her omelet. He was right, it was good.

"Uh hum, uh hum, hum," she said taking a swallow. "You're almost forgiven for wrecking my car. This is one of the best omelets I have ever tasted."

"Thank you. Now tell me more about this occasionally thing."

Willow almost choked on her last bite.

"I’m starting to think dinner is not such a good idea," she said after a minute.

"Does occasionally mean you have someone you are interested in but don't know where that relationship is going? Or you are not interested in a relationship but like having a companion?"

"The latter."

"I thought all girls wanted to grow up, meet Prince Charming and get married," James said.

"That’s purely the stuff of bedtime stories," Willow said. "I thought all boys wanted to be Prince Charming. You were Prince Charming before you gave it up. I mean the Prince part at least. Relationships are complicated and I like things simple."

"Do your dates think that way?"

"I don't know how my dates think," she said honestly. "As John used to say, that calls for the operation of someone else’s mind. How about you Mr. Monroe? Do your dates know they won't be coming back the morning after?"

"Yes."

James found her honesty surprisingly refreshing.

Chapter 3

Willow was taken to the property in a tinted private sedan. The property itself was about a mile away through heavily treed terrain; it was indeed a true hideaway. The brick walls that marked the boundaries were masterfully disguised behind perfectly manicured hedges and a heavy wrought iron gate swung open as the car approached.

There was a manned security booth with hi-tech cameras and scanners giving the place the look of a fortress. She wondered how he got out. The massive expanse of deep green lawn was parted by a curvy cobblestone driveway, which the car lumbered lazily around. The house did not come fully into view at the entrance. The trees that fanned the front were expertly placed to lend privacy to the house and its occupants.

The car took a small bend and then the mansion came into view. It was a beautiful Victorian masonry two story house that sprawled out against a backdrop of dense woods. They came to a stop outside a carriage house, right in front of the vehicle James had been driving that morning, as well as three other vehicles. The carriage house itself had four garage doors.

The driver opened the door for her and she climbed out. He led her along a cobblestoned path and to the front of the main house. She supposed it was the main house, because to the left and right of the porticoed entrance were what appeared to be townhomes. They were all connected by a cobblestone walkway, but each having individual doors.

The driver, who had introduced himself as Giles, opened the front door for her. When she stepped inside, the door closed softly behind her. Willow stood in the grand entrance way looking around.

“The coat room is to the left,” she heard his voice coming from someplace else in the house.

She stowed her purse and coat, then took a moment to marvel at the house. The entrance way where she stood was lighted by two large globes hanging from chains that themselves hung from the mouths of dragons.

Directly in front of her was a large room. The dark wood of the floor boards that highlighted the perimeter of the room gleamed like onyx. The contrasting gray marble tiles added depth and brightness to the room. Wide Victorian squat stairs were to the right of the room; the staircase curved along the wall