Chapter 9: CONNOR

The boys were nowhere to be seen when we pulled in, but I was sure the nosy fucks had us within their sights. She looked around in surprise, which was understandable. Not too many people knew what existed behind these walls.

We'd built them that way purposely, our own little haven away from everything and everyone else. It just made people more curious, but that was easier to deal with than being out in the open feeling exposed.

It was going to be fun to see how I did living with someone else. Pretty sure it was gonna take some getting used to. She wasn't anything like my brothers; I might have to brush up on my etiquette and shit. I got out and helped her out of the truck before getting started on her million and one bags.

"Welcome home, Danielle." I hugged her loosely around her middle and stole a kiss before setting her aside. Nosy fuckers were probably snickering behind windows and shit. If any of them came out here, I'd flatten the fucker.

"This is beautiful, Connor; Candy told me a little about the place but not much. I think she signed a privacy clause or something." She laughed a tad uneasily.

"Close enough." I lifted a couple of her bags from the truck and headed for the house before I realized that she wasn't falling in step next to me. I looked over my shoulder to find her just standing there. She looked at me in surprise. "I was kidding."

"I wasn't; come on, let's go before they come out here." She searched my eyes to see if I was playing around, but the truth is that her friend had had to sign something that we'd come up with to protect our privacy; we took that shit very seriously.

We've all been in some situations before that if certain people were to ever discover our identities, there could be trouble. That's one of the reasons for us sticking together like this, the reason we all knew we would be spending the rest of our lives together.

It had been a stroke of luck that the commander had left us this land. We would've found another place somewhere else, no doubt, but this was as good as any. Plus, it had saved us a fuck load of money.

"Connor, I really was kidding you..."

"I know; did you eat?" I didn't want her getting scared, so I needed her to drop it. The truth is we're a clannish secretive bunch, and she was now part of that shit. She'll get used to it eventually.

"No, I wasn't sure what you wanted to do." She was so fucking quiet and reserved. What the hell did she see in me anyway? Fuck if I know.

"You want to go out to eat, or you want to make something here?" We were finally inside, and I only had a few more bags and her desk to grab.

"I'd love to make something here."

"Sounds good. Let me grab the rest of your stuff, and I'll show you around, okay, sweetheart?" I couldn't resist stealing another kiss on my way out the door. So fucking sweet.

***

I showed her around the house after dropping her stuff off in our room. Our room, yeah, I like the sound of that.

"This is all very beautiful, Connor."

We were standing in the middle of the sunken living room with the fireplace that was almost as tall as she was. I'd put a lot of effort into this place. At the time, I had no idea someone like her would be gracing it with their presence. I'm glad now that I'd gone the extra mile.

"Yeah, well, it's home now, so you can feel free to change anything you want. I'll set up an account for you for anything you want to do with the house. Tomorrow we'll go down to the bank and get your name on my accounts..."

"Connor, don't you think that's a bit much? I'm sure you know I have money of my own I don't need to take your money." I studied her for a long time without saying anything. How can I put this so she doesn't run out the door screaming before she'd even got settled in?

And what the fuck had happened to men that women thought they had to take care of themselves even after they were under a man? A real man was supposed to take care of that shit. If she was a feminist, I was about to fuck her whole program up royally because I don't play that shit. My woman's my fucking responsibility, and fuck anyone who doesn't agree. The fuck!

"I take care of you from now on, Danielle. No debate on that. I don't care what you do with your money, but anything to do with the house is on me. Your clothes and shit are on me, though you may put me in the poor house."

I tried to lighten the mood because I didn't want this to turn into a thing, and from what little I'd seen so far, she could be a little stubborn. I didn't want that to change. She could be as stubborn as she wants with others, but when it came to this, to us. I rule this shit no question.

"I don't know about that, Connor."

"Don't argue with me, Danielle. It won't work; just do as I say, and we'll be fine. Let's go find something to eat." The sooner she learned that I'm not the arguing kind, the better.

I grew up with that shit, and I'd be fucked if I'm gonna have that in my life. As far as I'm concerned, there's only one way for a relationship to work. As the man, it's my responsibility to love, cherish and protect.

Anything that stands in the way of that is dead. It's also my place as her man to take care of her in all things, and the moment she accepted me into her body for the first time, she gave me that right.

She followed me into the large open-air kitchen, where we scrounged around for something to cook.

"We have the makings for pasta Alfredo, salmon filets; we can fire up the grill, but I'm afraid that might be a red flag to my brothers to haul ass over here."

"I don't mind." She looked over my bent shoulder into the refrigerator as I tried to find something good for our first meal together.

"I do; I want you all to myself for tonight. So what's it gonna be? I forgot to ask you're not like a vegetarian or anything, are you? I never once saw you eating."

"I eat pretty much anything as long as it's dead."

"Are there live things you can eat?" We joked and teased each other as we prepared a light meal of pasta with garlic bread and a salad. We moved smoothly together, like a well-coordinated dance routine.

Every once in a while, I stole a kiss or copped a feel. But I liked it best when she was the one stealing kisses and touches of her own with no prompting from me.

It felt right having her here, sitting across from her, having a light conversation over a dinner that we'd prepared together, our first of many. She was my fucking reward. After a life of bullshit, this amazing creature was my prize. I could do that shit all over again if I knew it would lead to this.