Lucian walks around and opens my door, kissing me briefly on the lips before shutting it behind me. “Welcome to Casa Quinn, baby.”

“Why, thank you. It’s really beautiful here.” I look around, seeing no other houses in the distance. “I’m surprised you have this much privacy here. Most of the houses seemed pretty close together on the way in.”

“My parents purchased several lots to build on. They loved the area but didn’t want close neighbors. Come on, I want to say hello to Fae before she leaves.” I assume Fae must be the caretaker; a house this size probably requires several people to keep it in such great condition.

I’m surprised when instead of using a key to enter his home Lucian rings the bell. The door is pulled open almost immediately and an attractive woman in blue scrubs stands there beaming at us. “Luc! Honey, I’m so happy to see you. Why in the heck do you insist on ringing the doorbell, though? You do know you own the place, right?” Before he can answer, she throws her arms around his neck and without hesitation, he returns the embrace. When she releases him, he turns to me, taking my hand to pull me closer.

“I want you to meet Lia. Lia, this is my Aunt Fae. She raised me after my parents died. She was my dad’s sister.” The woman studying me in something akin to shock looks far too young to be Lucian’s aunt. Her long, dark hair is pulled up in a ponytail and even through her scrubs; her figure is fit and trim. Her face is unlined, and she could pass easily for his sister.

I extend a hand to her, saying, “It’s great to meet you.” Since Lucian has never mentioned her, I have no other pleasantries to add, and a moment of silence ensues.

Finally, the other woman takes my hand, giving me a genuine but curious smile. “It’s a pleasure, sweetie. Sorry to zone out on you there, but my boy here hasn’t brought a woman home since…well, you know, in a long time, so this is a bit of a surprise.” A look passes between Lucian and his aunt so fast I’m not sure if I have imagined the whole thing. “Anyway, you two come on in. I have some coffee in the kitchen. I was just straightening up before I left for work.” Lucian explains that his aunt works at the memorial hospital downtown as a nursing supervisor.

I follow Fae through a large foyer with Lucian trailing behind us. The house has an open floor plan with high ceilings and tan-colored walls. We make our way past a curving staircase and into a bright, airy kitchen. The cabinets are antique-distressed, and the granite is a matching light color. Fae walks straight to the coffee pot and fills her mug. A grin spreads across my face at the caption on the cup: ‘Nurses do it for twelve hours straight.’ Judging by the house, Lucian comes from money, so his aunt is a bit of a surprise. “How’s the new groundskeeper working out?” Lucian asks.

Fae takes a sip of her coffee before answering. “He seems okay. I walked him through everything, but you might want to talk to him while you’re here today. I saw his truck come in a few minutes ago, so he should be out at the barn.”

“I’ll go ahead and walk down there before he gets started.” He turns and drops a kiss on my cheek. “I’ll be right back. You going to be okay?” I nod my head when what I really want to do is follow him out of the kitchen. His aunt seems nice, but I have no desire to be stuck with a stranger until Luc returns.

When she offers me a mug and points to the pot, I gratefully accept it; at least I have something to do with my hands for a moment. “Let’s walk out to the sunroom; it’s nice out there this time of the morning.” She leads to me into a sitting room with a comfortable sofa, matching armchairs, a fireplace, and coffee table. “So, how long have you known Luc?” I look up, noting that her interest in me hasn’t faded.

“Um…about a month I guess.” As we walk by the fireplace, I notice some pictures and stop in front of them. I squint down at one that shows two teenage boys and a girl. I recognize a younger Lucian immediately and the other boy looks familiar, as well.

Fae stops beside me and picks up the picture. “The three amigos. You never saw one without the other two close behind. They were nothing alike, but boy, did they bond.” She points to Lucian, “my serious one,” then to the boy on the other side of the girl, “and my golden one.” When I point to the girl she has skipped over in the middle, she says quietly, “My dark one.”

Pointing to Lucian, I ask, “I know that’s Luc, but who are the other two?”

She smiles fondly. “The other boy is Aidan and the girl is Cassie.”

“Ah, I knew I recognized him.” I point to Aidan. “I’ve met him before. How about Cassie? Where is she now?”

Fae puts the picture back, walking to the sofa, and sitting down heavily. “She’s…away. She doesn’t live here.” Her discomfort is obvious. I remember her calling Cassie ‘her dark one’ and wonder why. Out of nowhere, she says, “I’m so happy Luc brought you here. He hasn’t let a woman close to him in so long.”

I feel compelled to clarify my place in his life. I don’t want her to think that things are serious between us when they’re not. Heck, I don’t even know what they are. “We haven’t known each other that long, so we’re just…seeing each other right now.” I don’t think she needs to know we are also having mind-blowing sex, so I keep that to myself.

She surprises me when she reaches over to pat my hand. “Honey, if Luc brought you here, then there is something more than casual between you. I’m not naïve. I know he has women in his life, but he never brings them here, and according to Aidan, he doesn’t have them in his apartment either.” I’m further astounded to see her blink back what are plainly tears as she adds, “He seems lighter, happier.” Lucian walks into the room at that moment, settling on the couch beside me. I see him studying his aunt’s face, possibly noticing the drying moisture there, but he says nothing. After a few moments, she stands. “I’ve got to get to work. You two should stay and enjoy the day. There is plenty of food for lunch.”

Lucian drops an arm around my shoulders, smirking down at me. “I believe Lia wants to go for a swim, don’t you?” I feel myself blushing as I dig my elbow into Lucian’s side.

I want to groan as his aunt unknowingly adds fuel to his nasty thoughts. “Great idea. Luc can whip something up, and you two can just eat out there.” His big body shakes beside me as he assures his aunt he had intended to eat out there all along. When I hear the door shut behind her, I jump up, putting my hands on my hips.