Page 18 of Mine Forever
Stress in a six-foot-two, unfairly gorgeous, abs for days, male package.
The farther I drive, the less civilization I see. The road becomes a mixture of pavement and gravel in the middle of palm trees and other sorts of tropical vegetation.
It curves right, and about a half mile down, it simply ends with nothing but palm trees and Spanish moss-draped oaks on my right and a crushed-shell driveway on my left.
I roll the window down and poke my head out into the salty, hot air, looking around for something that will give me some sort of indication that there’s anything out here at all.
But there’s nothing. No address, no mailbox, nothing. The only sounds I hear are a few birds and the crash of waves in the distance.
“Well, if I end up onDatelineas a corpse in the middle of nowhere, at least the scenery is nice,” I mutter, turning down the unmarked road.
In reality, the town’s just a few short miles away, but the feeling that I’ve left civilization behind is strong.
Chase designed it that way; I’m sure of it.
A few moments later, a white brick wall with a security gate comes into view, and this is no ornamental gate.
It’s made to keep people out.
It obscures the view of what’s beyond and makes it feel like a gate and security wall were just plopped down in the middle of nowhere.
I stop at the small screen just outside the gate and start to press the talk button when a loud buzz sounds and the gates start to swing open slowly.
A prickle of fear skitters down my spine. It isn’t the walking-down-a-dark-street-alone-and-hearing-footsteps-behind-you fear.
No, this fear is more personal. More like, once I cross the threshold of this gate, my life is going to change, and I’m not ready for that.
I blow out a breath and lift my foot off the brake. About one hundred yards in, the driveway becomes brick and forks into two directions.
Something tells me to go left so I follow it, and soon, part of the house comes into view. Most of the front of it is so obscured that it looks as though the vegetation and structure are one.
I park in the circular driveway and get out, scanning the area around me. If Chase wanted off the grid, he succeeded. Short of being on a deserted island in the center of the ocean, it’s as secluded as it gets.
At the very least, it feels that way.
I walk toward the back of the house and find it sits on a sloping bluff about fifty feet above the water, giving it an unobscured view of the ocean and endless horizon.
With the looming storm approaching in the distance, the choppy sea and sky are nearly the same deep indigo.
I can only imagine what the views from inside are like. Not that I want to find out. I want to get the begging over with and get the hell out of dodge with my dignity intact.
Preferably before the bridge to the mainland closes.
“Well, I see you found me. And early as always. Guess some things don’t change.”
I jump, startled by his deep voice out here in the quiet. My heart bangs against my ribs, and I close my eyes to regain some footing.
Straightening my spine, I turn to face him.
“Yes, I found you.” I cross my arms over my chest and jut out a hip. “Between Odette and Google, it wasn’t hard.”
He shakes his head and rolls his eyes. “That woman… We don’t need Google as long as we’ve got Odette.”
One side of his mouth lifts in a sardonic smile, and his green eyes rake down my body and back up to my face. “That’s a bit casual for a business meeting, don’t you think?”
“What about you? With, uh, with…” I gesture to his shirtless torso and try to find words.
His chest gleams with sweat. It’s so fucking unfair that even as he ages, he still has abs for days and a sexy-ass V.
