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Chapter Eight
"Told you," he called out as he cut the power to the outboard motor. "This is us, right over here."
The high-class home he gestured toward looked like an A-list film star's residence, complete with a small private beach, wooden boardwalk, and jetty.
The closest property was barely visible, about four hundred yards further up the beach. When he docked in front of the imposing three-story structure of the individual architectural design, I gasped.
Nerves gripped my stomach and a new adrenaline burst set my body on high alert. I'd known Sawyer for less than a day, and the last thing I thought I needed was to be introduced to his friends. "What are we doing here?"
"I figured maybe we'd have a bite to eat up there on the balcony and catch the awesome sunset that happens out on the water over there," he said, pointing west toward the horizon.
"It's not even lunchtime," I mumbled incredulously. "Whose house is this? I'm not sure I'm quite up to meeting people, you know. I'm still getting used to the idea of dating you."
"Good, because I'm the only one here. And I'm not ready to share you with the losers in my world yet either," he informed me. He shook his head before his eyes narrowed and he scrutinized me closely. "And that's not because I need to get used to anything or I'm worried about what people think. It's because I want to have you all to myself for now," he said, preempting my insecurities.
As soon as he helped me ashore, I glanced up at the magnificent house and took a deep breath. "This place is incredible. Are you staying with a friend? Housesitting?" The two upper floors had dome-shaped windows at the center, and I imagined they gave panoramic views of the ocean by day and uninterrupted views of the stars in the sky by night.
A modern brushed stainless steel and toughened glass balcony ran the full width of the first floor, and from where I stood, I could barely see a small tiki bar and what I thought may have been a barrel-shaped hot tub.
"Nah, it's mine," he stated, deadpan.
"Yours?" I questioned, my voice rose a full octave in disbelief. "Exactly how famous are you?"
"Not this famous," he said, chuckling as he pointed up at the beautiful property. "I mean, our band has a great little following. We make a decent living in the US, and we're fairly popular in Japan." He chuckled. "Other than that, like thousands of other great bands, we're still hidden gems. Which, incidentally, is the way I prefer it."
"If this didn't come from your music, then how?"
Sawyer placed his hand on the small of my back, gave me a small sad smile, and guided me toward his front door. "It was my uncle's place. He built it with his bare hands. Well, with some contracted help, of course. Uncle Alex was my dad's only brother and a super talented architect." He heaved a sad sigh. "This is going to take a while to explain. Let's go inside and I'll tell you my story."
Punching some numbers into a keypad on the door, all the deadbolts unlocked and the high-tech door sprang open a little. Pushing it wider, he wandered over to a small box near the stairs and pushed the front panel. When it opened, he disarmed a silent alarm.
Gazing around the ground floor, I could see a couple of rooms leading off from the center. A large formal living room took up most of one side and an open plan game room and bar area occupied all of the rest.
Across from the stairs, a tall bank of windows looked north onto lush green manicured gardens with a large array of shrubs and trees and some beautifully designed cascading fountains.
"This way," he prompted, pulling my attention back to him. He gestured toward the centerpiece spiral staircase, which from the bottom I saw stretched up all three floors.
Everything in the house had been carefully thought out. There was luminous green strip lighting on the stairs, which was obvious pressure controlled. It lit up with every step I took on the way up to the first floor.
The place was unbelievable and I was stunned he had such a grand, expensive house. Again, found it hard to accept Sawyer was wealthy, great looking, compassionate, and wanted me.
The first floor was in semi-darkness as I reached the top of the stairs. "Open the shades," he commanded, and the blacked-out screens surrounding the custom curved windows slowly crept back from each side. I watched them in silence until the specially made shades settled into recesses in the walls.
"Wow!" I exclaimed. The view from the first floor room was uninterrupted, despite a neighbor right down the street.
"I know, right? My uncle was a genius. Everything in the house is measured right down to the last sixteenth of an inch, soundproofed and has acoustic glass. His attention to detail was superbly impressive."
"He built this?"
"He scouted the plot, drew his designs, chose all the materials for their durability, and supervised the whole project right down the eco-friendly design of the rooftop terrace. Let's grab some drinks and something to eat," he said casually, as he wandered over to a huge open plan kitchen, complete with rounded the countertops, and a walk-in refrigerator. The monster cold-room fridge had been packed with cold cuts, cheeses, wine, and plenty of containers full of antipasti type nibbles.
"You entertain a lot?"
"Me? Nah, not here. I don't bring people here, but my sisters bring their friends for girlie weekends."
"Sisters?"
"Yeah, I have three, and one older brother, James. I'm the youngest." My heart sank to think he had three big sisters and immediately thought they'd hate me dating their younger brother.
