Chapter 27 Chapter Twenty-Seven - Jartre
“Enough of that, would you care for a tour?”
Her minty, glacial eyes shine like the Aurora Borealis. “I would love a tour. I’m assuming you deliberately went with such high ceilings so you wouldn’t smack your head on anything,” she says as she takes my hand in hers.
Another laugh rumbles in my chest as I smile down at my little comedian, “You’re just full of jokes aren’t you.”
“I like it when you laugh,” she smiles up at me.
I lead her past one of the curved staircases, turn to the left, and lead her into the grand kitchen, watching the way her steps falter as she takes in the size. Gabriella regains her footing and steps forward, her high heels clicking and echoing against the white marble floor. The entire kitchen is pure white with a grand chandelier hanging from an ornamental ceiling. Gabriella runs her fingers along the sandstone countertop of the massive prep table in the centre of the room while glancing down at the built-in wine fridge. The countertop is flanked by several bench chairs, while the right of the kitchen is lined with drawers and cabinets and all the usual kitchen fixtures. There is also a long six-seater kitchen table at the far end of the room against the windows, with smaller chandeliers hanging down the length of the table.
“You really like white huh?” she comments.
“It’s my signature colour,” I say casually.
“It’s the most opulent kitchen I’ve ever seen,” she says in awe.
I hold out my hand for her, “Let me show you the rest,” I offer, starting to enjoy giving her a grand tour.
She walks over, eagerly taking my hand as I guide her out of the kitchen, passing the entrance and the second staircase. I note the surprise on Gabriella’s face as we enter my library. She glances around, then looks up at me quizzically.
“What?” I ask curiously.
“Nothing, I just… you don’t seem like the reading type,” she says sheepishly.
I smirk, “I’m full of surprises. Besides, I need to pass the time somehow. Books are a good escape.
She walks in, and once again wanders around taking in the room. It’s a two-story library, with a black wrought iron spiral staircase leading to the second floor. The room’s 20-foot tall window looks out into the expansive entrance to the estate, which at this hour is lit up by night lights. The room is very minimalistic with white walls, grey furniture and black shelves lining every wall and overflowing with books.
I watch intently as Gabriella walks along the shelves, examining various titles and I can’t help but feel enraptured watching her perform this inane task.
“You’re the first person I’ve ever given a tour to.”
She whips her head to look at me, surprise filling her beautiful features once again. “Bullshit.”
I shake my head, “A God has stopped by on occasion, but that’s it. I don’t enjoy guests, and I’ve certainly never given a tour before. You would be the first.”
She smiles wide at me, “Really? So, I’m more special than the other Gods?” she asks with a smug grin.
I snort with laughter, “Gabriella, for me you are more special than the Gods in every single way.”
With a bright smile, she walks over and takes my hands, “Thank you. Knowing you trust me enough to share your home with me when you hold this so dear as your private sanctuary, means a lot to me,” she says, lifting up onto her tippy toes, pursing her lips. I eagerly lean down and place my lips on hers, my body tingling when I hear the sweet moan escape her lips.
“Shall we continue?” I ask, letting my lips brush against hers.
“Mmm yes please,” she hums.
With one swift motion, I lift her, cradling her in my arms as I exit the library and make my way up the first staircase.
“I can walk ya know,” she chuckles, wrapping her arms around my neck, making no attempts to leap from my arms.
“You did mention that your feet were killing you, and since I can’t get mad at your feet or shoes for causing you pain, the least I can do is ease it,” I explain.
Her face softens, “You know, you can be very sweet and romantic when you’re not looking like you want to kill someone. You’re pretty complicated ain’tcha?”
“I may have been told that once or twice,” I say offhandedly as I lead her into my bedroom.
Once again her jaw drops open, and this time she’s quick to leap out of my arms, which I don’t love, but respect and help her to her feet.
“This is your room?!” she shouts, “It’s bigger than my entire loft!”
“Barbie’s Dream House is bigger than your loft,” I tease.
“Hey, don’t you diss my loft. I love my loft,” she says as she goes to poke my chest, but I quickly grab her wrist to halt her action. She blinks, taken by surprise and looks up at me in confusion.
“You don’t want to do that. You’d break your finger in the process,” I say, bringing her finger to my lips and placing a tender kiss on it.
“Oh… Thank you for saving my finger then,” she smiles.
I smile back at her, “My pleasure,” I say, letting her hand go. She turns back around and begins wandering around my room.
She’s not wrong though. My entire bedroom is bigger than her loft. White carpet, white walls. Entertainment system with flat screen TV to the left, opposite an Alaskan King-sized bed. At the far end of the room is a lounge area with a couch and a chaise lounge, with two double glass doors that both lead out to a wrap-around balcony. Much like the rest of the house, my room sticks to cool tones, in this case, whites, greys and greyish blues. It makes me feel like I’m sleeping in the centre of a thunderstorm.
“You’ve really never had anyone else in here?” she asks, taking a peek out the balcony window.
“Are you asking if I’ve had other women over for sex in this room?” I ask pointedly.
She makes a face like she smells something bad and then turns to face me. “I wasn’t, but whether you did or not, that’s not my business.”
“You’re allowed to ask about my past. I don’t wish to keep my life a secret from you, but I wouldn’t say anything that I knew would make you uncomfortable either. But for the record, no, I haven’t had other women in this room,” I say reassuringly.
“Never?” she asks with surprise.
“I told you, I’m not big on guests, and the last thing I would ever do would be to let some human I have no interest in, into my home.” I walk over and cup her cheek, tilting it up to look at me, “There’s only one human I’m interested in.”
She smiles brightly up at me, holding my wrist. “I like that.
“If you would like to get into something comfortable, I can conjure some clothes for you.”
“Would it be okay if I just wore something of yours?”
She wants to wear my clothes? That might just be the sexiest thing anyone has ever said to me. Her sexy frame being hugged by my clothes, imprinting her scent on them for me to bask in when she’s gone. I can’t think of anything better.
“You may absolutely wear something of mine,” I say with a broad smile, capturing her in my arms as I dip her low, pressing my lips to hers in a fierce but careful kiss. She squeaks in surprise but quickly returns my kiss wrapping her arms around my neck and letting out a soft moan that reverberates against my lips. I slowly lift her back up, smiling at her dazed expression. “Closet is the other side of the wall behind my bed, and if you need the bathroom, it’s through the door by the TV,” I say as I gesture in both directions.
“Thank you.” She pecks my cheek and makes her way into the closet as I sit on the bed and kick off my shoes. With a snap of my fingers, I switch into just a pair of basic black sweatpants. “What the fuck…?” I hear her soft voice say from inside the closet.
In the blink of an eye, I teleport to the closet and look around, wondering what could have caused such a reaction. “What is it? Is something wrong?”
“Wrong? You have your own shopping mall!” she exclaims, waving her hands around at the walk-in closet.
I immediately relax and chuckle. “I’ll leave you to pick out what you want,” I say, making my way back to the bedroom.
“There’s even a skylight in here!”
I lay back on the bed, a smile plastered on my face as I continue to listen to her mutter from inside the closet. From any other person, I would find this infuriating, but her child-like wonder is adorable, and seeing her excitement for things I’ve long taken for granted, is giving me a newfound appreciation for them.