THEA
“You look a lot happier than you did when you left,” Ally said. “Did you kill him? Do I need to help you bury a body? I’ve got a shovel at home.”
“No, I did not kill him. I could never kill the man I love.”
“Who are we talking about?” She looked confused, which made sense considering the way I left.
“Reese. My boyfriend. Mr. Reese Bancroft.”
“Now you’re scaring me,” she said. “I thought he was tearing down the shelter.”
“He is,” I said. “Now, who else is here? I need to go shopping. I want to pick up something special for tonight. And I’m going to make him my famous lasagna. I need time to let the sauce simmer.”
“He’s tearing down your shelter and you’re going to screw his brains out,” she said. “Makes sense.”
I sat in the chair and twirled around like I had witnessed Lucas do so many times. It was very freeing. “I love him. He loves me.”
“And he’s tearing down the shelter.”
“He is, but only because he’s building us a brand new one! With air-conditioning! The roof won’t leak! We’ll have water and electricity all the time!”
“He’s building a new one?” she asked. “I’m so confused.”
I quickly explained the new development and what it was going to mean for our shelter. “We need to find temporary housing,” I said. “Unless he can build the shelter first. I’ll talk to him. That’s a much better idea.”
“You’re rambling,” she said. “And smiling.”
“I feel like I’ve stepped into a whole new life. We’re going to live with him on a permanent basis. He told me he loved me. Can you believe this? I’ve got my man back! I always knew he was supposed to be mine. I had doubts, but not anymore. I love him.”
“Get out of here,” she groaned. “Your sappiness is making me nauseous. We have plenty of people here.”
“Thank you,” I said and hopped out of the chair like I was sixteen again. “I’m going to get the dirtiest, sexiest outfit I can find and wait for him to get home.”
“TMI.”
I laughed because I didn’t care. Nothing bothered me. I felt like I was floating. “Trust me. When you see his vision come to life, you’re going to want to thank him too. Just make him cookies. I’ll handle the rest.”
She shook her head. “Get out of here. Have a good night.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow! Come, Kona!”
I left the shelter not five minutes after I showed up. My first stop was the store I was usually too embarrassed to visit. Not today. I wanted to show him just how grateful I was to have him back in my life. And I owed him a huge thanks for being so kind to the dogs. I knew they were a handful, but he was taking it all in stride.
I walked into the store that sold all kinds of sex toys and games. I found a couple outfits I liked. Now that we were living together, it would be nice to be able to spice things up now and then. After making my purchase, I went to the grocery store to get the few things I needed for dinner.
“Hi, guys,” I greeted the dogs. “Please tell me you were good boys. Reese wants us to live with him. That means you have to be on your best behavior. No chewing. No pooping in the house. And definitely no hiking those legs. Understood?”
There was some tail wagging and panting, which I was going to take as an affirmative. “Now, who wants to go outside? You can run, bark, and have the time of your lives.”
I walked them through the kitchen and into the backyard. I hoped they wouldn’t dive into the pool. I watched them chase each other around for a few minutes before going back inside to start the sauce for my lasagna.
“Alexa, play romantic music!”
She complied immediately. Music pumped through the speakers around the kitchen. I found myself humming and singing along. I was happy. Things were good. Things were going to get better. With the sauce simmering, I did some housekeeping. I didn’t want to burden his housekeeper with my dogs. They could be a lot of extra work.
The day flew by. I slid the lasagna into the oven and went upstairs to shower and get ready for what I hoped would be a night of pure sin. I put on the sexy lingerie and a little makeup. It felt just a little awkward to be roaming around the massive house in a thong and lace corset. I had bought the matching sheer shawl, as if that somehow protected my modesty.
I went back to the kitchen, turned on just the bare minimum in lights, and lit candles in the dining room where I had already set the table. I lit a few more candles in the living room just in case we moved into there. Good lighting was important in a proper seduction.