Yes, Masters (Book 2 of Desire's Den)

Chapter 43 - Emma

If someone had told me just a few months ago that I was going to move in with three men—men who I'd also been in an intimate relationship with, at the same time—I would've never believed it, but here I was, in front of Gideon's manor, struck stupid by the turn of events. My mind was struggling to keep up with me going from being afraid to feeling safe in a sudden instant.

The manor was eerie to look at; the grey limestone-bricked building was both beautiful and beautifully chilling as it hinted at the centuries old stories it held. It towered over me, intimidating me with its size. I hadn't decided if I liked this place, or hated it, though I knew I'd never be comfortable in a house this big—there was simply too much open space for me to be completely at ease.

It was still surreal to think of and see the wealth these men possessed. I'd been brought up in a world where we could afford what we needed, but we couldn't often splurge on things we wanted, and to be honest, nothing about that had changed. I still needed to be careful about what to buy and how to save money, even though I did occasionally spend money I shouldn't have—the dresses and lingerie for Desire's Den came to mind.

I turned my back to the house and made a move to help the guys with the luggage, and between Callan, Mateo and me, we had amassed a ton of luggage.

Mateo stopped me in my tracks before I could pick up a bag. "Don't worry about it, Gideon will send someone to bring it to our rooms," he said as he slung an arm around my shoulders and started leading me inside, effectively cutting off my objection before I even made it. I didn't like leaving my stuff for someone else to handle. It felt weird.

"It's their job," Mateo explained, like he knew I felt rude leaving my stuff for others to pick up. "Would you have wanted your costumers at the café, or at Euphoria to serve themselves? Make their drinks themselves?"

"God, no," I answered, unconsciously leaning my body against his as we walked through the foyer and up the stairs.

"Exactly, because then you wouldn't have a job to do if someone else did it for you. It's the same with these workers. As long as you treat them with respect, there's nothing more to it."

I hadn't really thought about it like that. "You're right—"

"Like always," Mateo grinned as if he was finishing my sentence, even though I hadn't planned on saying that.

"That might be a bit of a stretch," I teased. "You're hardly always right."

"Name a time I haven't been right."

"Way to put me on the spot," I laughed, trying to rack my brain of a time he'd been wrong, but coming up short. Surely, he'd been wrong? "I can't remember."

"Exactly, because I'm always right." He nodded like we were in an agreement.

"Or because I can't think clearly with you this close to me," I muttered, not intending for him to hear me, but he did, nevertheless.

"Oh, is that so?" he commented smugly, a smirk resting on his lips as his arm slid from my shoulder and down to my waist, gathering me closer to his side and making his hold on me more intimate.

"You weren't supposed to hear that," I said, my cheeks burning from embarrassment.

"Don't worry though, Gorgeous, I never think properly whenever you're around," he admitted with such causality, as if his admission was mere words that didn't cause me to stop breathing for a brief moment while my heart ran wild in its cage.

We paused by one of the living rooms at the second floor, and I glanced at the decorative and stiff room. I was pretty sure this was called the Grand Room, or something along those lines, I wasn't completely sure. It was grand though, I would give it that, but in a sense it was also too grand to actually enjoy. The pretty furniture, all in white, felt more like decorative items that should be looked at rather than used. The room tried to give off the impression of warmth and comfort, but it ended up being too planned out to be anything but cold and unforgiving. Gideon had another living room on this floor that was much simpler and homier than this, and I preferred that over this any day of the week.