“Take a deep breath in then out,” I tell her as I turn onto my road.
Not a lot of traffic comes out this far. I bought a house on the very edge of the city limits. There’s lots of land, and lots of space to play with my guns.
The closest neighbor is about half a mile away, and he’s an old Vietnam vet. Hearing gun shots doesn’t bother him one bit. Fuck, he even likes to come over and shoot from time to time. He also watches my place if I’m gone for a couple weeks.
He’s a good neighbor and he likes to keep to himself.
“Oscar lives down that way,” I say, slowing down when I reach his long gravel driveway. “He’s the closest neighbor and he enjoys his privacy. Anything ever goes wrong and you can’t reach me or our family, you go to him. He’ll keep you safe.”
Sophia looks at the gravel road then back to me. “Okay.”
Speeding back up, I turn onto my blacktopped driveway and make the quick drive up the hill surrounded by a small forest.
My house isn’t a compound like Lucifer’s, nor a mini-mansion like Simon’s, but it’s comfortable. Five bedrooms, four baths, and a mammoth basement.
The house keeps me happy, even if it was a bit oversized for just me and Mitzy.
Pulling into the attached garage, I glance at the empty spot next to us. It’s probably going to be filled soon with whatever type of armored car Sophia likes...
Shit, do I even want her to have the ability to leave the house? Or let alone her own car? I can’t imagine her driving somewhere and not getting into an accident.
Sharing any of my house and space isn’t something I feel odd about, strange as that seems. I was a mess without her, and something about this just feels like it’s right.
Like whether she wanted this life or not, she’s in it and mine for good.
Like I said, she’s my woman.
“Come on,” I say as I gently take Mitzy from her arms.
Sophia gets out of the car and slowly follows me through the door. At first, I’m not sure why she’s gawking at her surroundings. Then I grin. I bet she’s never seen a pantry or kitchen as nice and well-stocked as mine. I take personal pride in my house, especially my kitchen.
“This is where fifty percent of the magic happens,” I tell her as I let Mitzy down near her water fountain.
“Um, fifty percent?” she asks almost like she doesn’t want to ask.
“Yeah, the other fifty is in the master bedroom,” I say with a grin, showing all my teeth.
Narrowing her eyes, she grumbles something too quietly for me to catch before finishing with, “You wish.”
“What?”
“What?” she snaps right back before moving past me, clutching Fluffers tight to her chest.
“So, does Fluffers have any dietary restrictions?” I ask as I follow behind her, admiring her delicious ass.
“Uh… no?”
I watch closely as she slowly takes in the dining room and the living room. “Okay. Mitzy doesn’t do corn, gives her awful indigestion.”
Not gonna lie, I may talk a lot of shit about Lucifer getting married and causing all the guys problems with women, but having Lily around to help me decorate has been a huge boon for me.
There’s surprise on Sophia’s face as takes her own self-guided tour. She probably expected me to live in a filthy bachelor pad. But there’s no ratty recliners or pizza box coffee tables to be found here.
No, with Lily’s help, the place is fully decorated and furnished. The décor is modern but not science fiction modern. The color scheme done in cool tones with a warm splash here and there.
And everything, from the built-in shelving to the high-tech kitchen, is fully functional.
My phone starts buzzing in my pocket when Sophia reaches the master bedroom. Turning, she smirks at me when she sees I have a pillow on my king-sized bed with Mitzy stitched on it.
Laughing at her lifted eyebrow, I say, “She’s a princess, what can I say?”
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I put it up to my ear. “What’s up?”
“Lucifers house, one hour. We need to have a meeting,” Simon says.
“Yeah, and I need a replacement car. Mine’s too hot,” I grumble and disconnect.
Now normally, I would blow the meeting off, but I’ve got a feeling with all the shit that’s going on, we’ll need to get a lay of the land and find out who’s all playing on the field.
There’s too many unknowns out there, and together we need to figure out who’s who.
Plus, Sophia is safe. Nothing can get in or out of this house without my permission.
Tossing the phone on my bed, I yank my shirt up and over my head as I head toward the master bathroom.
“What are you doing?” Sophia asks as my pants drop off my ass and hit the floor.