We say goodbye and I rush away, desperate to leave Park’s stifling presence. His voice repeats in my head. “Does he know you’re leaving?” Guilt pours through me; I know I’m leaving and Echo knows I’m leaving, but there’s nothing either of us can do about it. Rushing across the road, I wait by the bike while Echo says goodbye. Park’s voice starts again. “He’s not gonna let you go.” Tears pool in my eyes, threatening to fall, and I pull in a shaky breath.
I don’t want to leave.
I close my eyes as a tear spills and runs down my cheek. Quickly wiping it away with the back of my hand, I whisper a prayer to God or anyone else who might be out there. “Please let me find a way to stay with him. I want to stay.”
As we ride home, I wrap myself tightly around Echo. We coast straight through town and out towards the edge of Archer’s Creek. Beautiful cottage-style homes, painted in creams and whites, line the streets. The area screams opulence and money, the American dream of perfect white-picket-fence living.
Echo pulls into a house at the very end of the road. The wood panelling’s painted pale blue, and a covered porch seems to wrap around the whole building. A separate garage is set back from the house with dense trees fringing the garden on two sides.
The house is beautiful, large but not intimidating. He turns off the bike and we sit and silently look at the home in front of us. Slowly climbing off, Echo holds out his hand to help me.
“This is your home?” I ask. He nods, uncertainty lining his face. I turn back and look up at the house, taking in the white shutters on the windows and the swinging chair hanging from the porch.
“It’s beautiful, Echo. Why would you live at the club when you could be here?” I whisper. His lips crash into mine, kissing me long and deep till I’m wide-eyed and breathless. Swinging me into his arms, he quickly unlocks the front door and carries me through, placing me on my feet just inside the hall.
The house is bright and airy and practically empty. Beautiful hardwood floors flow from the front door straight to a gorgeous sweeping staircase. “Do you want the tour?” he asks. I nod, and grasping my hand, Echo pulls me down the hall and into the lounge room. A huge TV and two armchairs sit in the middle of the otherwise empty room. Light pours in through large windows and warms the barren space.
I wander away from Echo and stand for a moment just looking at the view of his beautiful, peaceful gardens. I can feel him watching me, uncertainty pouring from my normally bossy, overbearing man. He observes me quietly before crooking a finger at me. “Come here, sugar, I’ll show you the rest of the house.”
Echo tows me from room to room, each one empty, unlived in, and void of life. The modern kitchen is brand new, all of the appliances still covered in the protective packaging and unused. I drag my hand across the granite worktops and caress the cool smooth surface.
I turn to look at Echo for a moment then cross the room to the huge American-style fridge sitting in the corner. Intrigued, I pull open the doors to look at the contents. “Beer and bottled water. That’s it?” I ask. Echo shrugs then reaches around me to shut the door. “You’ve really never lived here, have you?”
I’ve never seen Echo look nervous before, but I can see it on him now. He avoids my gaze when he says, “I tried once, but it was just too quiet.”
“You’ve never thought about having one of your women move in?” I ask, raising my eyebrows.
He scoffs lightly and smiles cockily. “I’ve had lots of women, sugar. But you don’t ask women you fuck to move in with you.”
“You’re fucking me.”
Ignoring me, he shakes his head and guides me out of the kitchen and onto a gorgeous covered patio that looks over a lavish pool. “So what do you think?”
Echo’s voice pulls me from my daydream of living here, of lounging by his pool or cooking in his kitchen. “It’s a beautiful house, Echo. I just don’t understand why you’d choose to live in one room at the club when you could be here instead.”
He smiles and reaches out to tuck an errant strand of my hair behind my ear. “Because it was missing something.”
I laugh. “Yeah, it’s missing furniture, but that’s an easy fix. You have IKEA over here, don’t you?”
Pulling me into his arms, he kisses me. His touch is a mix of consuming and dominating, but sweet and loving as well. “Sugar, it’s not missing chairs. It’s missing you.”
I stare at him, my heart pounding in my chest. Frozen to the spot, I can’t move, and warm fingers collar my throat gently.
“Nothing to say, Livvy?” I shake my head, and he chuckles quietly, taking my hand. “Come on, I’ll show you the rest of the house.”
Echo walks us through three large, airy, and empty bedrooms, all with gorgeous attached bathrooms. He pauses outside a door before I’m swept into his arms and carried into the room. His bedroom’s stunning, with floor-to-ceiling windows that flood the room with light. His bed’s raised on a platform with steps that lead to the dark wooden bed frame and crisp white bedding. Doors step out onto a balcony that overlooks the gardens below.
Echo moves behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. “Move in with me,” his raspy voice says into my ear.
I don’t respond. Instead, I stare through the glass at the peace outside.
“Move in with me, Livvy.” His voice takes on a demanding tone; he’s not asking anymore, and I waver, so tempted to agree.
“I can’t,” I sigh. Defeated, I close my eyes, my head dropping forward.
Silence engulfs us, and crossing my arms over my chest, I hug them round myself. His growl shatters the quiet, anger and frustration peppering the air. I hear his footsteps. then I’m airborne and weightless, till my back hits his soft bedding with a thud. My eyes pop open. Echo’s above me, dominance sparkling in his eyes.
“Echo, you can’t sex a yes out of me. I can’t move in when we both know my time is limited. It’s too cruel to both of us. We should be taking a step back, not a massive one forward.”
“No,” he snarls. My mouth forms a reply, but he cuts me off. “If you didn’t have to leave, would you say yes?”
Anger explodes from me, and I push at his chest, but he barely moves. “But I do have to leave,” I shout.
He leans in, silencing me with a punishing kiss. “If you didn’t have to leave, would you say yes?” he asks again.
I study him. He’s so strong and determined. He says I’m his. He protects me and cares for me. He worships my body and brings me more pleasure than I could ever have imagined.
He makes me happier than I’ve ever been.
I’m falling in love with him.
Echo watches the emotions flash across my face, his fingers stroking my cheek. “I know you’d say yes, sugar. I know because I feel it too. So say yes.”
My eyes fill with tears, and I hear Park’s words loudly in my head. “He’s not gonna let you go.” Closing my eyes, I block out my thoughts and start to nod, but he interrupts. “No, fuck this, Livvy, you don’t get a choice. You’re moving in. Now let’s go get your shit.”
A laugh bursts from me and tears fall down my cheeks. “Okay.”
His face sobers. “Yes?”
I nod. “Yes. I’ll move in with you.”