Stay With Me (12 page)

“Have you always used humor to ease tension?”

She stared at me with a serious look. “Is that what I’m doing? Easing tension between us?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t feel tense, actually the opposite. I haven’t felt this relaxed in a long time. You bring out something in me, Kilyn.”

Her face blushed the most beautiful rose color. The way it caused her eyes to stand out had me wishing I knew what to say or do to make her blush like that all the time.

“Well, I could say the same thing about you, Thano.”

I slowed down and put my signal on before pulling into the long driveway that led to my private paradise. A part of me felt guilty Savannah wasn’t here for me to show her first, but having Kilyn here felt . . . right. That was the only way I could explain it.

“This driveway is amazing.” Her hands came up to her mouth as she gasped when the cabin came into sight. “It’s beautiful, Thano! I cannot wait to see the inside!”

With a chuckle, I pulled up and parked. I could hear the excitement in her voice and it made me happy. She was out of the car before I even had my door open. With her bag thrown over her shoulder, she quickly ran up the stairs and walked around the wraparound porch.

“This is amazing! The view is the most beautiful view I’ve ever seen.”

My chest swelled with pride. I had known the moment I pulled up and saw this spot that it was the one.

Spinning back to me, she smiled. “I already have an idea.”

Lifting my brows, I asked, “You do?”

“Yes!” she squealed as she grabbed my hand and pulled me to the back of the house.

“Imagine a flagstone patio down there. With a pit, table and chairs, and some amazing, yet low maintenance flowers because you won’t always be here to take care of them. Oh my gosh, it will be your heaven on earth!”

I chuckled at how practical Kilyn was even in her excitement.

Walking all the way around the wraparound porch, she turned and said, “Let’s see the inside. My head is swimming with ideas.”

The wind picked up out of nowhere and we both turned and looked west.

“Did you check the weather before we came up here?” she asked.

My heart dropped. Fuck. I was so excited about spending the day with Kilyn I forgot to check the weather.

When I didn’t answer right away, her face dropped. “You didn’t, did you?”

T
HANO STOOD THERE
staring at me with a blank expression. “How could you forget to the check the weather?” I asked.

He frowned. “Did
you
check it?”

I narrowed my left eye and shot him a look. “Why would I check it?”

“Oh, I don’t know, Kilyn. Maybe because you were headed up to the mountains?”

Folding my arms over my chest, I slowly tilted my head and glared at him. “Call me old-fashioned, Thano, but I was kind of leaving that up to you since you invited me up here and even mentioned a storm coming in.”

He threw his hands up. “It doesn’t matter who checked the weather.”

“You mean who
didn’t
check the weather.”

If looks could kill, I was pretty sure I’d be on the ground. “Fine. I fucked up and didn’t check the weather. Let’s get in; the temperature is already starting to drop.”

It was then I noticed he was right. And the wind had picked up even more.

“Wait. I thought it wasn’t supposed to move in until later tonight?”

Thano unlocked his door and walked inside. I followed him in and smiled wide when he turned on the lights. It was an open canvas and I couldn’t keep the flood of ideas at bay.

Designing wasn’t always what I wanted to do. At one point in my life, I wanted to follow my dreams of singing. Of course, that all changed after Peter. Everything changed after him.

“Let me turn on the weather radio. Can you pull up the weather on your phone?” Thano asked while he walked toward the massive kitchen. For a few moments, I was lost in the beauty of the dark granite countertops, natural stone backsplash and the most beautiful copper oven vent I’d ever seen.

“If you can’t get a signal, I have Wi-Fi. The password is mountain.”

Thano’s voice snapped me out of it. I was pretty sure I had drool dripping from the corner of my mouth. I quickly reached up and wiped for good measure.

“I have a signal,” I said, pulling up the weather. It sat there and spun. Thano searched everywhere for the weather radio.

Itching to get some ideas drawn out, I put my phone down and pulled out my pad and drawing pencil. “I’m sure it’s fine, Thano. The storm wasn’t supposed to move in until later. It’s probably just the winds before it.”

Thano was saying something from upstairs, but I totally tuned him out while I walked into the massive living room. The stone fireplace was breathtaking and would be the focal point of the room.

“Want a fire? It’s a bit chilly in here.”

I nodded. “A fire would be amazing.” Looking up, I took in the tall ceilings and exposed wood beams. “This room is amazing.”

“Thanks,” Thano replied with a smile.

I walked around in a circle. “What kind of feel are you looking for in this room?”

With a shrug, he stared at me with a blank express. “Warm and inviting?”

“Is that a question or a statement?”

The way he was looking at me had my heart melting into a puddle on the beautiful hardwood floors. “Um, well, I heard it on a show my mother was watching on HGTV.”

Trying like hell to hold it back, I busted out laughing. “Thano! Seriously, how do you see this room?”

His smile widened as he tossed one more log into the fireplace. He put two fire starters in and lit them both before shutting the screen and making his way over to me. When his hands landed on my hips, I swallowed hard and tried like hell to keep from panting like a dog in heat.

“Why do you think you’re here, ladybug? I have no fucking clue how I want this place to look. Like a cabin in the mountains and not a bachelor pad like my apartment. Nothing girly, but something that will make your heart stop when you walk in here and look at it.”

It felt as if a hundred-pound weight was on my chest. Did he mean to say when I walked in here or when any girl walked in?
Jesus, it’s getting hot in here.

“May I ask you something?”

He winked and replied, “As long as it has nothing to do with what my vision is for this room.”

I let out a nervous chuckle. “No. It doesn’t.”

“Then go for it.”

Pulling the corner of my lip in with my teeth, I chewed on it for a few seconds before releasing it and asking, “Why do you call me ladybug?”

He dropped his hands from my hips and took a step back. I instantly missed his warmth.

“What?”

He almost seemed surprised by my question, as if he hadn’t even realized he was doing it.

“Don’t get me wrong, I really like it. I’ve never had anyone call me anything other than my name, but why ladybug?”

Thano’s face turned white as a ghost. “I didn’t even realize I was calling you that.”

Pinching my brows, I pulled my head back. “Really? You’ve called me that a number of times.”

He ran his hand through that dark hair of his. The way it left it a hot mess had my lower stomach pulling with desire. What I wouldn’t give to run my own fingers through it.

“I was curious why ladybug that’s all. I swear, I don’t mind.”

Thano turned and walked to the back door. He opened it and stepped outside. Clearly, me asking him upset him. I decided to give him a few minutes alone and headed upstairs. Since it would be a guestroom, I would keep the décor simple, yet rustic chic. If Thano’s parents ever came to stay, I’m sure his mother wouldn’t want dead animals hanging off the wall in her bedroom.

Chewing on the end of my pencil, I wondered if Thano hunted. I’d need to ask. I could totally see an elk mounted on that fireplace downstairs.

As I moved about upstairs, measuring and making some rough drawings, I couldn’t shake the way Thano reacted when I asked him about the pet name. I was wishing I had kept my mouth shut seeing as it sent him outside.

When it seemed like he was going to stay out there longer, I headed back downstairs and found the master bedroom. When I stepped in I sucked in a breath of air. The large king-size bed was smack in the middle of the room.

“He said he had a mattress here. This is a work of art!” I mumbled as I walked up to the large four-post oak bed. It had more of a rustic feel to it and that told me a ton about Thano’s style. It was bold and beautiful, yet had a bit of a romantic feel to it. Turning to my left, I saw the one chair he said he had. With a smile, I ran my hand along the arm. Thano had a thing for old school charm. The chair and bed had a very French chic flare to them.

I scanned the room and smiled when the perfect color of paint popped into my head. There were three doors in the room. Any one of them led to the master bathroom. It was almost like a game, what was behind the door!

The first door I walked up to was the winner. I figured with its placement it had to be the bathroom. What I hadn’t figured was what I was going to find in said bathroom.

“Holy. Shit.”

My hand came up over my mouth. Straight in front of me was the biggest window I’d ever seen. A giant oval tub sat in front of it. Closing my eyes, I pictured soaking in the tub, looking out over the mountain range. Of course, the only thing that would make it better was if Thano was soaking in there with me.

“Oh, for Christ’s sake. Stop it, Kilyn. Seriously, I need to get laid.”

Once I was able to pull my eyes from the view, I noticed the two beautiful vanities with their copper sinks. “Beautiful,” I whispered as I ran my fingers along the stone countertops.

“Yes, you are.”

Jumping, I slammed my hand over my chest.

“Shit! You scared me, Thano.”

He smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. It was the first forced smile I’d ever seen from him.

“Um, this window! Wow.”

It was a poor attempt at a conversation, but I was at a loss as to why his eyes were filled with such sadness.

“Yeah, that was my idea. I’m kind of a bath guy and I love the view so I asked for a big window.”

Every nerve ending in my body tingled when he mentioned he liked baths. “Well, from one bath lover to another, good call.”

I stepped into the massive shower that could easily fit four people in it. Two rain head faucets hung down, and a handheld faucet hung on the wall.

“You could seriously have some fun in this shower,” I said with a chuckle before realizing that I said it out loud.

Shit.

Thano leaned against the counter and nodded. Okay, this was getting awkward.

Stepping out of the shower, I made my way past him and back into the living room. I only had the room above the garage to look at next.

I turned to ask him where the steps were to the bonus room and shut my mouth quickly. Thano was staring at me and I wasn’t sure if it was a good kind of a stare or a bad one.

“I’m sorry about earlier. I’d like to explain my reaction if you don’t mind.”

I grinned softly as I lifted my shoulders. “It’s totally fine, you don’t owe me any explanations.”

Oh, God. Maybe that was what he called the girl he loved who broke his heart. That would totally suck big time. I needed to wrap this up so we could head back.