I pause as I doctor my coffee. “Wanted a change,” I finally reply. I don’t offer him one because I don’t want him sticking around. People say I’m a flirt. Ben has me beat by a mile. I don’t think there’s a skirt in fifty miles he hasn’t lifted, or at least tried to.
I don’t really get that. Maybe when you’re young it isn’t so bad, but what happens when it’s time to settle down? You want your wife hearing that shit? Every day having to see women you fucked to get off? My ma would have skinned my dad alive. I smile thinking about the fire they always had for each other. Ma would get so worked up over something and Dad could cool her down in a second. I want that. To have someone who is your other half to balance you out. They needed each other to function. I want that. And I know Luciana is that person. I can feel it. I’ve always been this way. Can tell with one look what can and can't work.
I wonder what kind of fire Luciana will have. I can tell by the way her dark eyes narrow on me that she has it in her, and I can’t wait to see that fire on full display, aimed my way.
“Are those flowers?” he asks, picking up a vase I’d filled this morning. It makes my hand tighten around my coffee cup. “Oh shit. Not you, too.” He looks over at me. “I remember when Mary-Jane got here, Ty decorated his house to try and win her over. I see you two have the same taste.” He laughs the last words, and I can’t even argue with him.
I didn’t want this place to look like a man cave when she got here. There are already stupid rumors around town that I’d been with some women around here, which is utter bullshit. It isn’t a secret that our family has money and some want to sink their claws into us. I know one thing I’m going to have to show Luciana is that wasn’t true about the women. If she’s ever even heard the rumors. I thought it was best that the place didn’t look like a bachelor pad when she showed up. I wanted to show her this was a home built for a family. A home that she could see herself in. I want to make her fall in love with it, make her never want to leave, and I’ll do anything to make that happen. The more she loves being here, the harder it will be for her to try to leave.
She’s already likely going to be pissed that she’s staying with me and not with Mary-Jane and Ty. It’s not proper for her to be staying with me, a single man. But I don’t give two fucking shits. She’s staying with me. Period. It isn’t even up for discussion.
Sure, we have a few little houses I could maybe let her use while she’s here, but her being all alone doesn’t sit well with me. Some of the homes are separated by miles. If I thought I wasn’t getting any sleep now, I would get absolutely none sleeping outside of whatever empty house we put her in. This is the only option. She belongs here with me, filling up my space and making it her own. Leaving her girly shit everywhere for me to trip over. I like the sound of that. Every part of me does. I didn’t think someone could get turned on just thinking about a woman’s mess in their house, but here I am, my cock trying to get free once again.
“You got the shirt,” I tell Ben, finishing off my coffee and putting the cup down on the counter. He slides it over his head and I make my way back to the front door. My message is clear. It’s time to go. I glance at the clock and see it’s already ten after eight, meaning she’s late. Worry hits me that something could’ve happened. There was a bad storm last night and some of the roads can get messy. Maybe I should have picked her up. Hell, why hadn’t I thought of that? Then she wouldn’t have a vehicle here. She’d really be stuck. Would need me to go anywhere. I'd be able to make sure she was always at my side no matter where she was going.
Ben follows me out the door. We both look when we hear the sound of gravel crunching to see a little beat-up blue VW Beetle coming down the driveway. I pray that’s not her. Normally she drives a two-door truck. That car isn’t fit to even be on the road. The way it’s throwing up gravel, I know the tires are as bad as the rest of the car.
“Can’t believe she still has that car,” Ben says absently, taking me off guard. I pull my eyes from the car and over to him.
“Whose car is it?” I grit the question out, knowing I’m not going to like what I’m about to hear.
“Luciana.” He looks at me, and I can’t stop myself from grabbing him by the shirt and pushing him into the side of the house. He raises his hands in surrender, clearly not wanting to tangle with me right now.
“What the fuck, man?” he exclaims, but I can see the edge of fear run through his eyes.
“You touch her?” I growl. Ben touches fucking everything, and I don’t like the idea of him having his hands on her. If that’s the case, he’s gone. I couldn’t bear to have him around knowing something may have happened. I’d spend the rest of my life making her forget him, and that would be a hell of a lot easier if he wasn’t around.
Ben starts to laugh. “I swear, I only touched her car. Once. When it broke down in town last week. She just got the thing and it's a piece of shit, as you can tell. I told her to take it back.” I feel some of my anger start to drain away at that. “Hell, you’re worse than Ty. Should I make sure I don’t look at her either? We all know how Ty gets when anyone even looks at MJ.”
I take a deep breath and let Ben go. He’s got a fucking stupid smile across his face. He might have only touched her car once, but I know he tried for more, and I’m guessing she shot him down. He still tried, and that chaps my ass. I narrow my eyes at him in warning, still not happy about this, and the smile drops away. I don’t want him close enough to even talk to her. I also don’t want him thinking this is some fucking funny game where he can poke the bear. That wouldn’t end well for him. Then I remember how I’d done that to Ty the first day MJ showed up here. Karma is butting me right in the fucking ass for that.