Lord of Destiny (The Dragon Demigods #6) - Charlene Hartnady Page 0,17
feel sorry for him. That’s all that’s left. It makes me feel sad for him too. I’m not changing my mind, though.
Back to being mortified. I’m mortified at my own behavior, rather than West’s. What I can’t believe is how I retaliated against him. I acted like a child by doing exactly the opposite of what West wanted. Namely, me and Stephan in different houses, and West at my side.
Not happening!
Not in a million years! I feel guilty about my behavior because of Stephan. Poor guy. I pulled him into this. I put him squarely between West and me. That was wrong of me. I need to apologize. To explain.
I can see how quiet Stephan is being. He hasn’t said more than two words on the trip to his house.
House.
Huh!
It’s not just a house…more of a mansion. Huge. I think all of us could have stayed here. The garden is manicured. There’s a fountain at the entrance. A fountain! Who has a fountain? The statue is of Pegasus with water cascading down his outspread wings as he rears up. I’m mesmerized. Not that possessions or money are important to me, but come on.
I’ve noticed that Stephan has this soft laugh. It’s cute. Very cute. I shouldn’t notice, but I do. I notice how thick his biceps are. How full his lips are. I notice how good he smells.
Crap!
This is wrong. I shouldn’t have pushed to stay here. I have a bad feeling about this town. About Stephan. Like I’m tied to his misfortune somehow. To the vision I had. It’s probably my guilt talking. West and I were together for a long time. He’s the only guy I’ve ever been with. For the first time, I’m noticing someone else. I can’t help it. It is what it is, and I’m guilty as anything. It’s worse now, after what happened at the diner.
We pull up to the long garage. Stephan opens the door by pushing a remote. “Holy shit!” Barrett mutters. “You have three cars?”
Stephan’s face turns red. He’s so darned cute. That, and modest. He clearly doesn’t like being the center of attention. “Um,” he swipes a hand through his hair, “a little overkill, but…yeah, I do. My Jeep, an SUV, and a sports car. I do use all of them. Not at once…obviously…” He goes even redder and stops talking.
“Impressive,” Maddox says what Barrett and I are thinking. “And up until two years ago, you were on your brother’s sofa?”
The lights go on automatically as we drive into the garage. “Yes. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true. A lot can happen in two years.”
“Gives us hope,” Maddox mutters as Stephan switches off the engine. He gets out. We all follow suit.
“This way,” Stephan says, opening a door.
“Fuck me!” Barrett says as we walk into the biggest living room I’ve ever seen. There are two fireplaces and several sitting areas, including a bar. There’s a pool table off to the one side. Huge stackable doors run across the front. The outside is almost better than the inside.
He has a large, covered wooden deck with a huge infinity pool and more furniture, including pool loungers and a daybed. My mouth has fallen open, so I try to close it.
“This is…amazing,” Maddox says. “Are you sure you’re okay with us staying here?”
“Of course,” Stephan says. “Make yourselves at home. There’s a spare set of keys for the house here.” He points at one of those key hangers. It’s mounted on the wall. All of his car keys are hanging there too. “I don’t have people around often, so my house isn’t really kitted out for it. You’ll have to let me know if you need anything specific.”
I did notice that the bar doesn’t have a whole lot of alcohol stocked. It’s not your typical bar. There’s no…personality. No trinkets. No…anything.
“Let me show you around,” Stephan says. “The kitchen is through here.”
“Wow!” I say. It’s huge, with all the amenities you can think of. The stove has six burners, and the oven could fit two turkeys for the holidays.
“Help yourself to whatever you want. Let me know if you need anything. I was thinking of a barbecue for dinner?” He raises his brows. “Steak and wings.”
“You’re speaking my language,” Barrett says.
I nod when he looks my way.
We walk back out into the living room. “You’re welcome to swim or play pool…whatever you feel like. I’m not much of a drinker.” He points at the bar. “There’s beer; there might be wine.”