way I personally felt about us being reunited since losing her in England.
She tilted her head and her eyes shimmered. “It does. Though, I’m still kind of shocked you didn’t just drive off and leave me back there. You know, let the crazy panicked woman go and never look back.” She smiled, but her eyes remained locked on mine.
I ran a knuckle along her jawline. “After you demanded to be let out of the car on a packed freeway, leaving you in a cemetery didn’t seem like a wise decision.”
She laughed, and her expression was so light and youthful again, but I could also see how exhausted she was.
“You thought I was going to dig myself a six-foot hole in that cemetery, eh?”
“God only knew what you were going to do.” I stepped back and reached down for her hand, “I’m glad you didn’t jump into the six-foot abyss of internment, though.”
“Holy hell,” she said as we entered the glass door that led onto the main floor of the architecturally perfect house. “This is your place? I mean, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, Mr. England Castle.”
“It’s quite large, I know,” I said. “Collin’s dad founded an architectural firm. Collin, you may remember, is the neurosurgeon from the documentary piece we watched together. Anyway, they demanded I see this place before it went on the market. Once I was shown the house, I almost couldn’t leave it.”
She released my hand and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling glass doors that surrounded all three corners of the sprawling living area we were in. She jumped when the glass doors automatically drew back and disappeared before her eyes. It was a unique feature that Brooks Architectural Concepts added in, but I never found it this intriguing until seeing Avery gracefully walk through them. Crazy as it may be, I stood fascinated with her every move.
She strolled down the steps that led toward the infinity pool that was shaped to surround this level of the house. “A pool with palm trees and little islands in it? These views, and…” She ran her hands through her hair, pulling it up as she stared at the views. “My gosh, this view is mind blowing. I’ve never seen anything like this before in my life.”
“I agree, these views are remarkable at night,” I said after I followed her out of the house and slid my hands in my pockets. “It’s just as impressive during the day as well. You can see the San Gabriel Mountains, Downtown LA, and the Pacific Ocean—even Catalina, on clear days of course.”
I smirked when she held her hands out, and millions of city lights greeted her from the poolside view of the house. “This is magical. No wonder you never seem stressed about anything.”
“If you want the best views from this place, you’ll get those on the lounge area on the rooftop. Unless you want to go for a swim? The water is warm.”
She turned and shook her head. “I can’t date you.” She suddenly became serious. “There’s no way I can afford you.”
I felt my breath hitch at first, believing she was going to blow me off because of this ostentatious home. In true-to-form Avery fashion, however, I quickly realized that it was her way of teasing me, and probably acknowledging the fact that this was unquestionably too much for a single guy.
“If that’s the case,” I said while she walked up to me, “I’ll simply sell the home and live in a shack.”
“Show me the rooftop views, smart guy,” she said, taking my hand. “This place is so amazing.”
“I think you might find the waterfall that the stairs circle amazing as well.” Her bright eyes were so beautiful in reaction to that bit of information. “It’s enclosed, but it’s still an interesting feature.”
“Is there anything you need to tell me?” she said, arching her eyebrow at me. “Are you running a drug cartel on the side or something?”
“I hate to disappoint you if you’ve already called the DEA.” I laughed.
“Just making sure,” she said as I led her back into the house. “I’ve watched a lot of movies and television shows about drug cartels, you know, and they all have homes like this.”
“It may come as a disappointment, but I actually busted my ass for this place,” I answered with grin.
“Now that I can believe,” she said with a laugh, nudging my side. “Show me around this stunning palace, would you?”
“Every floor has those glass doors, designed to take in the