Chapter 3 #3
We were in a very lovely area of Hampton.
It sat right on the outskirts of town on what appeared to be a sizable piece of property.
The damned thing was an estate, with guards in a small building next to an imposing gate.
The land was enclosed by stone walls that stood ten feet tall.
Johann and I exchanged stunned glances. Were we in the right place?
If so, what the hell had we agreed to do?
Stopping next to the guard standing outside the building, Johann rolled down his window. I noticed there was a second guard inside. He watched us, and both were armed.
“Hello, I think I have the right place. Is this where the Voss family lives?” Johann asked.
The guard neither confirmed nor denied it. “Names, please.”
“Johann Kern and Danae Seong,” I replied. The guard at the window took our IDs and checked them against our faces closely before handing them back.
“Mr. Kern. Ms. Seong, you’re expected. Welcome to Gerard-Voss Estate. If you follow the drive up to the house, you may park anywhere along the circular drive. We do ask if you could keep the immediate areas in front of the steps open.”
“Absolutely, we can do that. Thank you,” Johann stated.
We waited for the gate to open. Thankfully, it opened quickly. We did as instructed. While we wound our way there, Johann whistled.
“Talk about shit your pants. Anyone coming here looking to cause trouble will leave on a stretcher or in a body bag. I doubt they’re the only ones lurking around. Christ, is every Dark Patriot boss living like this?” he muttered.
When we saw the house, it was nothing to turn your nose up at.
It was beautiful but not as stuffy as I feared.
Standing at the top of the stairs was Heath.
He smiled when he saw us. By the time we parked and shut down the car, Heath had my door open and was reaching in to undo my seatbelt and give me his hand to steady myself as I got out.
He’d done this since we met. I missed it when he was gone. He smiled down at me.
“You made it,” he said, leaning down to place a kiss on my cheek. We hadn’t returned to kissing on the mouth. Though if I were honest, I wanted him to do it.
He chatted with Johann, who was scanning the place and remarking on it. I tried to concentrate on what was said and asked, but Heath kept me distracted. He stood there tall, at an inch or two over six feet. He wasn’t pretty. His face was more rugged, yet still attractive to me.
I’d dreamed of his face so much when we were apart that it was hard to forget a single feature.
He still wore his hair short, in a military-style cut.
The top was slightly longer than the sides, yet the sides weren’t shaved.
His hair was dark blond. His skin was very tan.
It was clear from the skin color and the faint lines around his eyes and forehead that he spent a lot of time outdoors.
However, unlike women, men can have lines and still be considered attractive rather than old.
His jaw was squared. The faintest scruff surrounded full lips.
His nose was bold with the ever slightest crookedness from it being broken at some point, I’d bet.
Then, there were his dark green eyes. A perfect package in my opinion.
But he had to add his body to the mix. His torso was long and muscular, but not as thick as Johann’s.
His thick shoulders and upper arms gradually tapered down.
Veins were apparent on his arms. Don’t get me started on his thighs and ass.
Warmth spread throughout my body. I was about to suggest we go inside when Heath’s arm came around me. He drew me against him, and then his warm breath caressed my ear.
“Better stop looking at me that way, Divine One. If you don’t, I bet there are plenty of places we can hide in this place, and I can do something about that flush. I’d like to see if it’s everywhere,” he purred.
Without thinking, I slapped his stomach. Of course, it was taut and strong. All it accomplished was making my palm sting. I scowled at him, causing him to chuckle. Johann was grinning at me like a hyena. Checking that no one else had come outside, I gave him the middle finger. It made him worse.
I was shaking my head at him as the three of us made it to the door. It swung open, and standing there was a proper butler, if I had to guess based on the suit he wore. He bowed to us.
“Good day, gentlemen, miss. My name is Thaddeus. If you don’t mind following me, I can take you to the family.”
He lacked a British accent, but his demeanor made me wonder whether he had ever lived or trained in England.
I thought the outside was lovely. Inside, it was clear there was more money at play in this area than I had first estimated.
The floors were made of mosaic tiles, agate columns, and intricate interlays throughout the house, with gold frames around large wall paintings. There was too much to take in.
I was so busy checking out the place that it took me a moment or two to realize we were in a room with several other people.
Sitting there were the four Dark Patriots owners, Heath’s two close friends, and their wives.
Heath had shown me all of their pictures, including their kids, on his phone.
There were no children in sight. I stopped gawking and stood still between Heath and Johann.
“Finally, you’re here. We’ve been dying to meet you.” A beautiful honey-blonde with piercing blue eyes stood up. Coming with her was a man with dark blonde hair that was graying at the temples, a goatee, and dark green eyes. He smiled. The others all came to their feet.
“Hello, welcome to our home. I’m Griff, and this is my wife, Hadley,” the graying blonde stated.
Hands were shaken. The couples introduced themselves together. I worked to match names to faces so I could recall them later. It was something I perfected a long time ago to remember patients.
Sean had dark auburn hair, and his wife, Cassidy, was a strawberry blonde.
Her brother, whom I was astonished to learn was Undertaker, had black hair, and his wife, Sloan, was blonde.
Gabe and Gemma had dark brown hair. Beau’s hair was dark brown with a reddish tone, and his wife, Keeley, was a dark brunette.
Her younger sister, Kensy, who looked a lot like Keeley, was with Ben, who had a faux-like mohawk.
I was curious about all of them, since the past couple of days, Heath had shared more stories about them than he had before. I was most intrigued by Ben since they were best friends. When the introductions were done, we sat.
“Where are the kids?” Heath asked.
“Right now, in the playroom, going crazy or napping. They’ll be down later, so be prepared.” Hadley smirked.
“Hey, you know I love them, but, man, when they get done with me, I’m whipped,” Heath admitted.
Drinks were offered, both alcoholic and nonalcoholic.
I wasn’t sure if he’d told any of them about the pregnancy, but no one seemed to pay attention or remark on my not drinking alcohol.
At first, it was a general get-to-know-you talk.
I could tell Johann was in awe of being in the presence of so many Patriots, especially the owners, and doubly so in Undertaker's presence.
Undertaker struck me as a hardened, outlaw biker who would sooner kill you than look at you.
While all the guys had visible tattoos, he had full sleeves, and I saw something peeking out from the neck of his T-shirt.
I bet his whole torso and back were covered in them.
His appearance contrasted with how nice he’d been on the phone that day.
We’d been there for about an hour when a woman entered the room.
Behind her came a couple more women, each with a child.
There were eight, ranging in age from six years old to almost seven weeks old.
Exclamations came from the bigger ones as they saw Heath and came over to crawl on and talk to him.
I found it so amusing, but it gave me a glimpse into how he dealt with children.
He was relaxed and playful, making them laugh.
It wasn’t until after they all got a few minutes of his time that they turned their attention to Johann and me.
“Who are they?” Noah, Sean and Cassidy’s oldest asked. I recognized him from his picture.
“This is a new friend of Uncle Heath’s and now ours. His name is Johann,” Cassidy explained.
I found it so charming when Noah stuck out his hand as if he were a little man. Johann shook his hand, making sure to treat him with utter respect. When Noah was finished, he glanced over at his parents.
“Is she a friend, too?”
“Well, buddy, yes, she is to your mom, dad, and the others, but she’s more than that to me,” Heath said out of nowhere.
Noah studied him before he said anything back. “Is she your girlfriend?”
Heath’s grin was huge. “I’m trying really hard to have her be that. But I hurt her feelings badly, so I have to win her back.”
“Uncle Heath, you should tell her you’re sorry and that you won’t do it again. Oh, and bring her flowers and candy. Girls like that,” Noah sagely advised Heath. We all fought not to laugh.
“Hmm, is that how Sean gets himself out of trouble, Cass?” Undertaker asked.
Before Sean could verify whether it was true, his son answered for him.
“Daddy brings Mommy flowers, chocolate, and then they have a wrestling contest. I heard them in their room one night after Nash, and I went to bed.”
Cassidy’s face flushed red. Sean choked on his laughter. There was more as people tried to control themselves. Noah gave us all puzzled looks.
“Why are you laughing?” the sweet boy asked.
“Oh, buddy, it’s just funny thinking of your daddy losing the wrestling contest. Mommy is a fighter,” Undertaker told him. That answer satisfied his six-year-old mind.