“I notified you I would be,” she finally said as he kept the same steady motion forward, only stopping when he reached the table, standing directly across from her. From the rise of his brow, he wasn’t fooled by her seemingly casual movements.

Needing something to do with her hands, she reached for a full glass on the table, not caring what was in it, just needing to do anything to break the awkward moment.

She lifted it to her lips, taking a sip of the sweet wine, feeling the warmth slide down her throat. It was surprisingly good so she took a larger swallow. Not normally a drinker, she hoped to gain an ounce of courage from the drink.

“This is a strange location for a meeting,” she commented when he said nothing else.

“I purchased it a month ago. I thought it was a great location. Private, with no chance of anyone showing up. It’s been very conducive for business this evening.”

“That’s a positive, I suppose.” She took another sip, then realized she’d drained the cup. She set it down and watched as his large hands removed the bottle sitting on ice, and he refilled her cup. She really shouldn’t pick it back up, but her brain was short-circuiting at the moment.

Once it was filled to the top, she reached for the glass again, this time sipping slowly on the red sweetness.

“Where’s the rest of the board?” she asked, not able to handle being alone with him any longer.

“I have a large tent set up to the north where we met. Come with me,” he said, stepping to the side of the table and holding out his arm.

There was no way she was taking it, so instead, she took a step back and followed him. He moved quickly through a side gate, and a small distance before her, she saw a large white tent, something seen at a wedding or other big event. There were lights inside, but she still saw no movement.

That’s when it hit her.

They were gone.

She was there, alone with Joseph, just what she’d been trying desperately to avoid.

As they reached the entrance, she stopped, knowing she didn’t want to go inside. What was he planning?

“Where is everyone?” she asked, furious with herself for the small tremor in her voice.

“The meeting adjourned about a half-hour ago,” he stated as if it were obvious.

“Then why wasn’t I notified? Was this your plan?”

“Katherine, you were the one who was late. I can’t control how short or long the meeting lasts. There were no arguments, so we moved quickly.”

He spoke as if he were talking to a scared child, as if she was acting ridiculous for questioning his integrity. He’d tricked her into coming to his home, where they were completely alone, not even a neighbor within shouting distance.

“You should’ve cancelled. There’s no reason for me to be here,” she accused.

“I want you here, Katherine. I want to show you something.”

The way he said the words sent longing to her very soul. How she wished he meant what he said. She knew he wanted her. He made no secret of that fact, but she needed more than that. She needed what he wasn’t capable of giving her.

Joseph closed the small space between them and grabbed her hand. She dropped the empty glass, but he didn’t give her time to pick it back up. She realized her head was slightly fuzzy from the strong wine. That was another mistake she’d made. She should’ve never drank anything that would weaken her defenses.

When around Joseph she had to stay strong, aware, and fully protective of herself. She tried pulling away, but he moved forward as if she wasn’t struggling against him.

“Look,” he pointed.

She glared at him before finally turning her head. What she saw made her gasp. What was he building?

There were endless walls being built out of stone, beautiful gray stone at varying levels of completion. On one end, a large tower was underway, the circle wide as it reached toward the sky. Machinery stood everywhere, ready to begin work again come morning light, but she got the idea.

He was building a castle, a King Arthur, nights-of-the-round-table, gigantic castle. It was going to be stunning.

She realized it was fitting for Joseph. If they were to have a king in America, he’d be first in line, so it stood to reason, he’d need a place fit for royalty. She fought her expression from showing her awe. She didn’t want him to know how impressed she was.

He’d obviously brought her there to romance her with it all, but why, was her number one question. Why would he go so far just to get her in his bed?

“Why bring me here, Joseph?” For one moment, she let her guard down. She may end up regretting it.

“To show you your future home.”

Her heart sped up as he spoke softly, his voice drifting over her, the magic of the moment wanting to seduce her. This isn’t real, she told herself. How can any of this be real?

“I don’t understand. You’re doing all of this to take me to your bed?”

Joseph turned her in his arms, his expression confused. He leaned forward and lightly kissed her lips, the gesture so sweet, she felt tears sting her eyes. She was dying inside. This moment, this perfect moment, with the only man she would ever love, would destroy her. Because to walk away from him again would deplete her of any remaining life.

He’d win his game, she always knew he would, but the price was too high for her to pay. The price was her soul.

“Yes.” He answered as he caressed her lips again.

She stopped fighting. All she wanted was to give him the rest of her and then face the aftermath later, much later. She moved her arms around his neck, and relinquished all control…

“What do you mean, you gave yourself over to him? I’m so lost right now. Please go on, Aunt Katherine. You can’t possibly make us wait another hour, let alone another day or two,” Bree commanded.

There were several affirmative responses to her outburst. Everyone was focused on Katherine, who’d stopped speaking. They waited for several minutes, but she still hadn’t continued. Maybe she was lost in thought and would start back up.

“I’m sorry, everyone. I’m tired. I need to go lay next to my husband, now,” Katherine said before she wearily rose to her feet.

To the astonishment of everyone in the room, she walked out the door.

“My stomach hurts, I’m so nervous. This is ridiculous. It’s not like we don’t know how the story ends, but I can’t figure out how they got it all settled. Did he finally profess his love? Did George come back around? Do any of you know? You have to know, Lucas. You’re the oldest,” Emily said as she turned to her brother-in-law.

“I’ve never heard the story before. I’m just as intrigued as you are,” he answered.

“I guess there’s nothing else we can do. We can’t force her to talk,” Alex said, earning him a glare from his wife.

“I better get home, anyway. Even though the kids are feeling better, they still want their mom when they’ve had a bad week,” Amy said with reluctance.

Lucas got up to help her with her coat. The rest of them slowly gathered their things and walked out the door together.

Austin stood in the hallway, looking from the stairs to the front door, undecided on what he should do. He knew staying in the house would cause too much temptation for him, though. Reluctantly, he put on his coat and followed the rest of his family.

Chapter Eighteen

The days were quickly fading into weeks. Kinsey hadn’t seen Austin at the house since the dinner. She tried telling herself she was glad he was respecting her wishes, giving her what she wanted. She knew she was lying to herself.

Her hand strayed to her stomach as wonder and fear spread through her, adding to her confusion. She didn’t know anything yet, but she was late. She was just too scared to take the test. If she was pregnant, she had zero answers on what she was going to do next. It was all so overwhelming. She knew it wasn’t healthy to pretend it was a non-matter, but she didn’t care. It helped ease her mind.

Kinsey stepped outside into the cool evening air. It had rained all day, leaving the grounds smelling fresh, washing away any scent of the city drifting over. She loved Joseph’s home. She found it fascinating that he’d managed to create such a serene setting in one of the most bustling cities in the United States.

She walked down the path leading to the semi-private beach. She spent most of her off time there. Something about the waves crashing on the shore soothed her.

She found one of the chairs Joseph had set up, then closed her eyes and let the gentle breeze and soothing sounds hypnotize her into a sense of peace.

When she opened her eyes, she saw a small boat on the water, slowly moving along the calm surface. She decided she needed to try that sometime. If sitting on the shore was soothing, drifting on the water had to be even better, the motion lulling any and all worries away.

Soon, her thoughts drifted back to Austin. She wondered where he’d been. Did he already have someone new he was pursuing? One of the reasons she hadn’t wanted to date him, was for the fact that it was common knowledge he never had trouble finding a new woman for his arm. He was rarely spotted with the same date two weekends in a row.

She couldn’t stand the thought of being another scratch in his little black book. She shook her head, refusing to let her thoughts stray. She couldn’t do that, not if she wanted to maintain her sanity.

“Do you know the Andersons?”

Kinsey sat straight up as a deep voice rumbled at her. She turned to see a large man staggering down the beach toward her. He was huge, hadn’t shaved in at least a week, and from the smells drifting in her direction, he’d obviously been drinking.

He was less than twenty feet from her when she realized her danger. She didn’t know this man, but he obviously knew the Anderson family, and from his tone, he wasn’t a fan. His eyes were locked in on her as she slowly got to her feet.

She felt a shudder of fear drift down her spine. She was probably being ridiculous, but she thought her safest bet was to get away as fast as possible. If he was harmless, no harm done, but if he was out to hurt someone, she didn’t want to be in his path.

“Hey! I asked if you know the Anderson’s, the rich snobs,” he shouted as he took a menacing step closer.

Okay, her instincts had been right. He wasn’t there to sell Girl Scout cookies – that was for sure.

She didn’t know what the right answer would be. She didn’t want to tell him, that yes she knew them, was staying in their house, in fact, but she didn’t have a good lie to explain why she was on their property.

“I, um… yes, I know who they are,” she finally stuttered, her teeth chattering from both fear and the cold.

She’d only wanted a private moment, like she’d had many times over the last couple weeks. She hadn’t even bothered bringing her phone. She’d gotten too comfortable on the little slice of paradise. Living in the city, she normally wasn’t so stupid as to leave herself so vulnerable.

He took another step toward her as his gaze shot up the hill to where the top of the mansion clearly showed. She knew that people from the top floor could look down on the beach, but there was no reason anyone would be doing so right now. All they’d see, anyway, was two small figures. The light was fading from the sky and soon they’d only be able to see shadows. If the drunken man grabbed her, and someone did happen to look out the window, they would just assume it was two lovers.