Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 83368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
When they’d finished touring the house, she led him back to that wonderful kitchen and asked, “What do you think?”
Herschel was normally a man who tried to keep his enthusiasm in check and to think about things from all sides. But this time? He couldn’t help himself. He felt himself grinning. “I love it.”
She beamed at him. She’d stayed pretty professional throughout the tour, highlighting features and explaining square footage, but now she let out her own enthusiasm. “I just knew you would. I had an instinct. But here’s the thing. It sold, but the deal fell apart just this afternoon. You’re the first person to see it, and if you want it, I think you need to put in an offer today. Like, literally right after we walk out of here.”
He was surprised by the need for speed, but it didn’t deter him. He would have said yes on the spot, but because he didn’t want to be a pushover, he said, “Let’s walk around the outside.”
She took the lead again as they strolled in the warm evening light. She pointed out that the grounds were low maintenance, and because there were so many trees, he’d have his privacy from every aspect. “Of course,” she said, “the house does need a little updating. The kitchen’s got room for an expansion maybe, and some of the colors on the walls could do with a refresh.”
He nodded. He’d noted all of that too. But the construction was top quality, and the house didn’t look like any other he’d seen on the market. It was unique. And somehow it felt right to him. It felt like… his.
Mila consulted her notes again. “The sellers are an older couple who are downsizing and want the move to be easy. Basically, they want you to take everything—furniture, linens, dishes in the cupboards, everything.”
For the first time, she looked a little uncertain. It was true that maybe this would be off-putting for many people who wanted to put their own stamp on their new home, but he didn’t have time for home decoration, so he said what he was thinking. “That’s a selling feature for me. It would save me a lot of time and a lot of shopping. I’m not a big one for shopping, as you might imagine.”
She smiled and commented on what a neat fit it made, and then together they went back inside for a second walk-through. This time, Hersch did more thorough checks of the building. Now that he was seriously going to buy it, he should take a little more time. Mila was the perfect companion. She didn’t keep butting into his perusal by pointing out the house’s good points. She was letting him find them for himself. The room that he imagined might be a gym would need added lighting, but it had big windows, and doors that could be opened on a sunny day. He could see himself working out in here.
Now that he was thinking about taking on everything from the linens to the dishes, he took the trouble to open some of the kitchen cupboards and peruse the china. It wasn’t entirely to his taste, but it was fine. Upstairs, they made a cursory tour of the guest rooms and then spent a little more time in the primary bedroom. He watched her turn a slow circle and then felt a sudden surge of lust. Mila, him, a big bed. A man couldn’t help but have ideas.
She seemed to be thinking on a different track, however. “I think you could update these linens and curtains and maybe change the paint. I’d get rid of that painting of the peacock, myself. Make the space your own.”
Make it your own. For a minute, all thoughts of buying a house flew out of his mind, and he had a vision of himself and Mila tangled up in the sheets right there on that bed. Damn it, he needed to do a better job of controlling his attraction to her. She was showing him a house, not asking him to throw her on the bed and ravish her! But the image took over his mind, and he found himself beginning to sweat… just as if they were actually entwined beneath those sheets.
To calm down, he walked over to the window and forced himself to look out. “This is a great view.” Which he must have already said about three times.
Mila walked into the huge ensuite and called back, “I’d buy the house just for this tub. It’s got a skylight, so you could soak your sore muscles after working out and look up at the stars.” He followed her in, and she turned to grin at him. “Maybe you’ll see your friends up in space.”
He didn’t bother to tell her that there was no way he could see anybody in space from here. He assumed she’d been joking anyway. But now he couldn’t stop thinking about Mila in that tub… barely covered by a cloud of bubbles. As the fantasy grew, he was dimly aware of Mila commenting on the quality of the fixtures. She didn’t mention that the tub was big enough for two, but his mind was already there, and now he could see her stretched out, naked, as he leaned over to take her soapy breasts into his hands. They were standing so close that he could smell the ocean in her hair again and could almost count the freckles across her cheekbones and the bridge of her nose. It was becoming harder by the second for him not to kiss her.