Page 101 of For the Love of Art

“Well,” my voice is small, “you seem a little helpless in the city. You have a driver, a cook.” I shrugged.

“I hate driving in New York. It’s busy, and people are assholes. I can also get more things done for the gallery on my drive. I work long hours but don’t always want to eat out. It’s nice having a home cooked meal.” His thumb stroked mine. “Having money has its benefits, but it doesn’t come without hard work.”

I nodded. It was hard not to agree with that. I’d spent most of my adulthood being a housewife to a man who worked hard and made a decent living. When that ended, I realized how much not working had fucked me over. Even though Don and I settled on a decent amount from our savings for me, it didn’t exactly make it so I could rent an amazing apartment. I couldn’t even afford a mold free one.

“Of course, I never realized how meaningless it all was until I met you.”

Now Nathan’s lips were upturned into a full smile, and I couldn’t help but smile too. He rolled his head and looked at me, his eyes gleaming.

“Keep your eyes on the road,” I said, my cheeks burning under his gaze. “I want to make it to your mansion alive.”

Nathan laughed and looked back out the front window. I kept looking at him, enjoying the small creases at the corners of his eyes, deepened by his smile. My stomach flipped, and my heart swelled because this man was all mine.

We pulled up in front of an impressive Cape Cod style home. No, not home. Mansion. We pulled up in front of an impressive Cape Cod style mansion. The driveway was hidden behind thick black metal gates, and the entire front of the house had large hedges in front of it. Nathan wasn’t kidding that it was very private, considering I couldn’t even glimpse the house from the road, which was surprising based on its sheer size.

Nathan pulled into the massive garage that I figured parked about four cars. He turned off the engine and looked at me. “Welcome to your weekend home.”

I scoffed in disbelief. “I can’t believe you have this just for you.”

“I have friends and family.”

“Twenty who come out here all at once?” I teased.

Nathan chuckled. “I like having space.”

“This is more than space!” I gestured wildly around us. “I’m a four car garage with one car in it.”

“Again,” Nathan opened his door, “Friends and family.”

He got out of the vehicle before I could say anything further. It was probably for the best because my next words would be something about overcompensating for a small dick, but I knew that wasn’t true.

Nathan opened my door, and I stepped out into the cool garage. He took my hand in his, linking our fingers before closing the door and walking us to a plain white door. His keys jingled as he flipped the keys, looking for the right one. He smiled down at a silver key and put it into the lock.

The door opened, and I stepped into a small laundry room with black tile and white walls. Bright light came in from a window across from the machines, and I could see the corner of a pool.

Nathan removed his shoes, and I did the same before he opened the door, and I gasped. We stepped into a living room that looked straight out of a magazine. I ran my fingers along the soft fabric of one of two incredibly stylish-looking chairs meant to be seen but not sat on. A cozy couch was lined with endless throw pillows and faced a beautifully tiled fireplace. A small wicker basket that held only a few logs made it seem more for show than actual use. Above an ornate coffee table was a silver birdcage chandelier in the middle of the room.

I looked over my shoulder at Nathan, who was trailing slowly behind me, rubbing his chin as he watched me take it all in. I walked through a small door off the side of the living room into a modern kitchen bigger than my whole apartment. It was filled with appliances worthy of a chef tucked into beautiful white stone topped counters.

“You have a thing for marble, huh?” I knocked on the top of the island.

“Marble is beautiful. The natural veins give the eye something to behold like a vivid painting does,” Nathan explained, settling onto a stool. He reached out and pulled me against him. “Or the way a beautiful woman does.”

My cheeks flushed. “Well, this place is incredible.”

“It’s nothing. Just a little vacation home.”

I shook my head. “A little vacation home couldn’t swallow a quarter of a city block. This is anything but little.”

Nathan shrugged, then with his finger and thumb, he gripped my chin, maneuvering my face down so he could kiss me.

“There’s more,” he said against my lips.

“The bedroom?”

He chuckled. “I was going to show you some other rooms on this floor, but–” Nathan scooped me into a bridal carry, and I squealed. “I’d be more than happy to show you the bedroom.”

“Wait!”