Page 46 of Reaper

Of course that’s why. He’s probably not a one-woman type anyway. At least, that is what I’m going to tell myself to make me feel better.

“I see,” I whisper.

He leans in closer, making my breath catch in my chest. For half a second, I wonder if he’s going to kiss me.

He doesn’t. Instead, he rubs his cheek against mine as he speaks in my ear.

“That was the past though. Seems a lot of things have been changing recently.”

I want to question him. What does that even mean? He couldn’t mean me, could he?

He doesn’t give me a chance to ask. Instead, he leads me down the hall into a living room.

“Oh wow,” I gasp at the floor-to-ceiling window showcasing the back of the property. It’s beautiful. All you can see for miles is desert outlined by the mountains in the far distance.

“What made you choose this house?” I ask him.

He shrugs. “It’s not that far from the clubhouse, but still has privacy. There’s no way anyone can sneak up with the land all around being open. The mountains are several miles long, but if I need to, I can take my bike to get to them for a quick escape.” He pulls me closer, caging me between his big body and the window. “See that building there?”

I nod at the building set a ways off.

“That’s a safe house. It’s made from reinforced steel that would take special equipment to blast through. They can set it on fire, but the siding on it would be the only thing to catch fire. The melting point of the metal used is quite high. It’s also got an outdoor sprinkler system with flame retardant form to put out any fires quickly. If anything ever happens, that’s where you go.”

I look at him over my shoulder. “That implies I’ll be spending time here.”

“That’s all up to you. Do you want a drink?”

He walks away, changing the subject abruptly. I follow him into the kitchen,

Oh this kitchen is what dreams are made of. Granite countertops, white cabinets, and a tall stainless-steel fridge. I’m in love with it.

“I have water or beer. Sorry, I haven’t been here in a while.”

I slide onto a stool on one side of the island in the kitchen.

“Water is fine.”

He grabs a bottle, opening it before sliding it across to me.

“I could show you the rest of the house. Upstairs are three bedrooms. There’s an entertainment room off the side here and a pool with a hot tub out back.”

I study him a moment. “Evelyn is your only sibling?”

He looks taken aback by my sudden questioning.

“Yes. She’s my half-sister.”

“You have no other family around?” I tilt my head, studying him.

He settles onto a stool. “Nope. My father had a falling out with his family long before I came along. My mother was a sweetbutt. After she had me, she stayed around for a couple of years, but when Evelyn’s mom became pregnant, she couldn’t handle it. Having another woman around who also shared a kid with my father became too much and she went crazy. She was given a choice to stay and let whatever notion she had that my father was hers go or leave. She didn’t even try to take me with her. Evelyn’s mom was different though. She was a sweetbutt as well, but she was sweet. My father never took her on as an old lady but gave her special privileges because she was raising Evelyn. He didn’t want his daughter to be a sweetbutt. She’s still around actually. My father bought Sarah a house about five miles from the clubhouse. Evelyn’s place is around the corner. She still comes to clubhouse events too. She never treated me poorly. Always tried to include me when she could. She’s good people. What about you?”

I think about my own parents. They are more like his mom than Evelyn’s.

“My parents had me young. My mom was sixteen, and Dad was seventeen. They did their best to raise me. I guess my grandparents made them get married and keep me. Forced them to care for me then kicked them out as soon as they were eighteen. I haven’t seen anyone from either side in a long time. When I moved to Vegas, my parents were sure I was selling myself, so they cut off all contact. Last I heard, they had divorced.”

His cool hand on mine brings me out of the negative thoughts in my head.

“It’s not your fault. You were a baby. They had options. At any time they could have given you to another family. They are sadistic to put you through that.”

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