Page 67 of The Mating Claim
When she did, he added a number into her contacts and handed it back. She glanced at him with an amusedsmile.
“I’m impressed wizard. You know about cellphones.”
“A necessary evil of these times. Drive to the west coast, and call when you arrive. I’ll see abouthousing.”
A couple of hours later, Lacey pulled up in front of the beachfront house he’d rented. He’d arranged the transaction through Adrian Williams, a local and powerful alpha wolf who knew the area, a Lupine Tristan trusted immensely. Drust did not wish any Other to know a powerful wizard inhabited theproperty.
Lacey’s jaw dropped when she climbed out of the car and slammed the door shut. “Whoa. This isyours?”
He shrugged. “Ours, for the next tendays.”
“It’s perfect. A dream house. I mean, I was looking on my phone…” Her eyes narrowed. “You saw the beach houses I was bookmarked. There were a few I’d been looking at, just to dream about staying in places likethat.”
“No longer a dream.” Drust opened the back door to take her suitcase. The book remained in the trunk, isolated in its woodenbox.
“But this house… it’s like $1200 anight!”
“And private, and on the beach. Do not worry about the money,Lacey.”
Her look was far too cynical for her years. “Easy for you to say, Drust. But for now, I’ll take you at yourword.”
The three-story house, directly on the beach, was designed to look like a seaside palace. The green and turquoise walls and accents, combined with blue and turquoise accent pieces, white seashells in glass containers and sea paintings on the wall, had the feeling of beingunderwater.
Lacey’s shoulders lost their tension soon as they entered. The dining table was clear glass, with light turquoise fabric chairs, and the kitchen featured sparkling stainless appliances with teak cabinets, as if the kitchen were a galley on a large yacht. A distressed wood turquoise cabinet in the kitchen added to the soft blue, green and turquoisehues.
Windows in the kitchen let in plenty of natural sunlight, giving an added airyfeeling.
She gazed at the two white leather sofas and the turquoise easy chair overlooking the splendid vista of white sandy beach and the serene Gulf of Mexico beyond. “Is this really where I’m going tostay?”
Drust set down her suitcase. “Make yourself athome.”
Lacey ran for the sofa and flopped down on it. “Wheee! This is amazing! It feels like acloud.”
“Clouds are not solid. They arecondensation…”
A head peeked over the sofa. “Drust, you really do need to lighten up and stop sounding like a textbook.” She patted a space next to him. “Sit, take a load off. This sofa is worth sleepingon.”
“The beds upstairs are far more suitable. There are four. Two have ocean views.” He tried not to think of the big master bedroom and the king-sized bed and Lacey rolling about on that. Or the more desirable image of them both rolling about it together, naked, as they did anything butsleep.
Lacey bounced off the sofa like a wayward three-year-old. “It’s lovely. Thank you again. And I should have known you’d select something likethis.”
Drust gave a smug smile. “Goodtaste?”
“No. It’s all blue.” She laughed as his expression dropped. “And good taste, I’ll give you that much,wizard.”
He opened the sliding glass doors with their built-in tinted glass to block some of the glare from the sand. “Comeoutside.”
The second-floor shaded veranda had a teakwood table and chairs for dining outside, along with turquoise cushioned lounge and deck chairs. Even for one as jaded as himself, he had to admire the spectacular view of the turquoise Gulf, the sparkling sands and the sea oats waving gently in thebreeze.
Lacey breathed in the briny air. The wind lifted locks of her long hair, blowing it back. Her skin was dewy and her green eyes sparked with life. She looked fresh and youthful, and he feltancient.
Well you are more than 900 yearsold.
She stretched out her arms. “This is lovely. Thanks. I’ve never stayed in a place this luxurious.” A small laugh. “You’ve seen my house. My home growing up wasworse.”
Drust joined her at the railing. “I read your file. Your home life as a child before you went to live with your mother wasabusive.”
Her smile dropped. “My foster mother enjoyed hitting me. Taking her frustrations out of me. She was a cruel woman. That’s why I really wanted the book – to find a way to get rid of her forever, before someone else gothurt.”
