Page 104 of The Councilor

“What is this place?” I asked, moving toward the bank of doors first. The massive deck was incredible, complete with a hot tub, fire pit, and trellis system highlighting a modern and sleek outdoor kitchen. He said nothing as I turned around, realizing the house seemed to go on in several directions. It was huge. That was easy to tell.

“Our new home,” he said quietly. There was a quiet reverence on his face, a peacefulness I hadn’t seen in recent weeks. “There’s pretty much no furniture but I also figured you wouldn’t mind adding your touch to it.”

I found myself staring at him, uncertain what to say. When I raced in his direction, throwing both my arms and legs around him, he was completely caught off guard. He lifted me into the air, spinning me around as he laughed.

“You’re amazing but this is huge,” I told him.

“Not too large or too special for the queen of a mafia leader.”

Queen. “I’m your queen?”

“You bet. Don’t forget that.”

“It’s still huge.” I kissed his cheek and breathed across his skin. Just being in his arms could keep me lightheaded. “We’ll get lost.”

“I assure you that we won’t and I have a feeling we’ll fill a few rooms.”

His grin was positively evil. “Children can wait. I just got married.”

“Yeah, but time is of the essence.”

“Ha!” I pushed him away, spinning around in another circle. “Time to explore.”

“Not so fast.” He was on me in a split second, grabbing my arm. “I want to show you something first. Then you can explore to your heart’s desire. Come on.” He took my hand, leading me down a series of hallways. At least I had a chance to see several rooms, so many with insanely gorgeous views.

When he led me to a set of spiral stairs that was hidden, I became more and more intrigued. It wound around to a third floor given the elevation, a tiny sitting area nestling by the banister.

“I want you to have a special place for just you. I hired an artist who knew exactly what to purchase. I figured you might want to keep your studio in the other house since we’re not selling it.”

He waited until I walked into the most incredible studio I’d ever seen. The one in the other house was magnificent and I’d used sculpting as therapy, which had been a godsend. But this, this was a place that would rival any professional sculptor’s studio.

“Oh, God.” I cupped my hands over my mouth as I turned in a full circle. He’d thought of everything including a more sophisticated potter’s wheel, so many supplies I could lock myself into the room for weeks. There was a sink and cleaning location, a bathroom off to the side, a refrigerator and microwave and some of the best lighting in the business.

Plus, there was a stereo system that I was certain was state of the art and some of the most incredible views of the Atlantic Ocean I’d ever seen. There were even industrial aprons hung on hooks on the wall. The person he’d hired had thought of everything.

This was my personal slice of heaven.

“What do you think?” he asked almost sheepishly.

I didn’t answer him right away, moving toward the hooks. I grabbed an apron as I kicked off my heels, tying the sash as I moved to the wall full of supplies. “You don’t even know how this works.”

He laughed softly as he walked further inside. “No, you’re right. I am a virgin when it comes to this.”

I gave him a heated look and dragged my tongue across my bottom lip. “Not for long. Why don’t you find some sultry music while I set up the wheel?”

“Why, yes, ma’am.”

“I could get used to that.”

“Don’t bother.” He continued to chuckle lightly and headed to the stereo system.

I watched him for a few minutes before preparing everything for the wheel. I had so many choices of clay and glazes that my head would spin. The fact this was for me, the house and the studio meant so much. More than I could probably find the right words for.

When everything was ready, I took a deep breath.

The music he selected was something Spanish, the lilting guitar evoking such passion inside of me. I sat down on the bench, making myself comfortable and adjusting everything to the desired height.

“Where should I stand?” he asked.

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