Page 42 of Must Be Love - Irresistible Bachelors

I expect AJ to break the silence by grabbing his coat so that we can go to wherever he’s taking me. Instead, he steps to the side.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you stand out in the cold. Please, come in.”

I furrow my brow. Maybe he wants me to be warm while he finishes getting ready, or maybe he’s going to show me around his house before we leave. Either of those options would be acceptable to me. I am curious about the place where AJ lives.

“So this is the foyer. It’s nothing special. Over here is the living room, which is where I spend about a third of my time when I’m at home.”

He leads me into a room with dark wood paneling, leather couches, and a huge TV mounted on one wall. It looks exactly like every man cave I’ve ever seen in a movie.

I laugh. “You have an eye for decorating.”

“Shush, you. This is the only room in the house with this aesthetic.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“Then let’s continue the tour so I can prove it,” AJ says.

I follow him back through the foyer and into another room. This one is much lighter, with a large dining table and fancy art lining the walls.

AJ continues with the tour, “This is where I spend the other third of my time. The dining table doubles as my office, even though I technically have an entire office down the hall.”

“Why don’t you use it?”

AJ shrugs. “I don’t know. It’s kind of cramped. No windows. I’ve always liked this room better.”

I can see why. I step closer to the walls to take in the art. I don’t recognize the artist, but the landscapes are gorgeous. The one I’m standing in front of is New York City during a rainstorm. The buildings are slightly blurred to make it look like the point of view is a window with drops running down it.

“I love this. Where’d you get it?”

“I bought it at a gallery in SoHo. If you like this, you’ll love his other work. I’ll show you sometime.”

“I’m holding you to that,” I say, my heart fluttering.

A promise to take me there means AJ is planning on seeing me again.

After the dining room is the kitchen, which is filled with shiny, stainless steel appliances. My own kitchen is barely a closet with a stove that only works when I jiggle the knobs and a fridge that will probably conk out any day now. When I can afford it, I want a kitchen like AJ’s. I’ve always loved cooking, but it’s hard to do without the space and tools. I could make so many amazing dishes in a kitchen like this.

“So that’s the downstairs. Upstairs is where I spend the other third of my time here. In my room, asleep.”

I laugh. “It’s pretty much the same in my apartment. Except it’s probably a fifty/fifty split between my couch and my bed.”

“See? We have so much in common,” AJ says.

I know he’s half-joking, but it feels like we’re bonding. The connection between us is getting stronger with every second we spend together.

“There are two other bedrooms, plus two bathrooms, upstairs. Oh, there’s also a bathroom down here, in case you need it.”

I went to the bathroom before leaving my house, so I tell him I’m good. He shows me where it is anyway, just in case.

“Okay, now I want to take you to the main attraction.”

“Oh yeah? What’s that?”

AJ grins. “My basement.”

I laugh. “That sounded really creepy.”

“I realized that right after I said it. I promise, I’m not going to murder you.”

“That’s exactly what a murderer would say.”

“Hm, good point. I guess you’ll just have to trust me.”

AJ holds out his hand to me, and I grab it without hesitation. I don’t think he’s going to murder me. I do hope he has something else in mind for us, though. I wouldn’t mind letting him do lots of naughty things to me.

When we get to the basement, I stop short.

There’s a freaking bowling alley down here!

“Holy shit, you really are rich!”

AJ laughs. “Yeah, I guess.”

It’s clear by the expensive furniture and art throughout the house that AJ has money. I bet the bedrooms upstairs are adorned just as lavishly as the rest of the house.

But I never expected there to be an actual bowling alley in the basement.

I’m completely out of my element here. Even my private school friends didn’t have this kind of setup.

“You must love bowling,” I say, desperate to change the subject from his money. “I didn’t know that about you.”

“It’s kind of my thing,” AJ admits.

His cheeks flush a slight red. It’s cute that he’s embarrassed about his hobby.

“Are you in a league or anything?”

He shakes his head. “No, but a buddy and I go out every month. He doesn’t have an alley in his basement, yet he’s somehow better than I am. I need to practice more so I can beat him.”

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