Free Love Jones For Him by Mia Loveless Page A

so far of wanting to take the relationship further than they were. He’d said so himself, that nothing had changed. She didn’t have to think he wanted anything more than what they had. The here and now, you and I sort of thing he’d called it last night. She should be happy that there was no pressure from him – but perversely, she wasn’t. She was torn between the need to be wooed and pursed by Gordon Dorchester – and the fear of doing something crazy and actually falling for the first guy who really knew how to handle her needs in bed.
    She didn’t want to think about all those. She wanted to live in the moment, as he’d implied earlier that morning. In a few weeks when everything’s fixed, you will leave to return to New York, he’d said – and he was right. And she should never lose sight of that eventuality.
     
    *
    Victoria could understand why anyone would want to own a bit of rural property, especially in a place like England. London beckoned with its famous landmarks, royal pageantry, and a cultural hub that was world class. But away from all that, here in this green, picturesque town, she saw the attraction in having a country home that was surrounded by a side of England that time would never change.
    Her first sight of his home was breath-stealing. She marveled at the blend of the truly historic and the utterly modern aspect of the place. It was huge, consisting of a beautifully restored and refurbished farmhouse, together with a cottage and substantial outbuildings. They parked on the south-facing hillside in which the property lay, overlooking the gorgeous valley.
    “This is…I can’t describe,” she said in wonder, gazing around at the green, wonderful landscape, then at the lovely house. There had to be fifteen acres in all, she judged. “It must cost a fortune to get a place like this.”
    He smiled, coming to stand beside her as he watched her face while she took in the scenery. “On the contrary, I got it dirt cheap, so to speak. It was really in bad repair and the owners just wanted the whole thing off their hands. It took me eighteen months to fully restore it to the state it’s in now.”
    He took her arm, and once again smiled into her wonder-filled face. “Let’s go inside – there’s a lot to show you.”
     
    *
    They walked through the entrance hall to the kitchen, which was immense, and then the breakfast room. There was the sitting room, dining room plus an office. Bedrooms included the master bedroom with its en suite dressing room, a guest suite with its private sitting room and en suite bathroom, and further double bedrooms. Then she looked into what was to be a family bathroom. It was indeed vast.
    She could tell he’d done much work on the place, could almost feel the careful touch in each beam and floor board. Her head swam with ideas as she went from room to room with him, enjoying the homely, comforting aura of the place. There was no doubt that this was a home, a place one could raise a family. She looked outside the window at the beautiful, sizeable grounds, and drew in a breath at all the loveliness.
    Then he took her on a tour of the outbuildings, including the garaging, workshop, and a large modern agricultural building. The surrounding gardens already had great potential, and the fenced paddock land was just the icing on the cake. Victoria was in awe.
    “This is beautiful, Gordon,” she said on a sigh as they returned to the main house. “I think I envy you your gorgeous home. You must be so proud of it.”
    “I am proud that I was able to preserve its authenticity and tone,” he allowed, smiling at her expression as she ran her fingers over the polished fireplace in the kitchen. “I loved the place the moment I saw it. I didn’t mind about the work involved; I’m my own boss so I took as much time as I needed with it.”
    He was attentive as she looked thoughtfully at this or that section, and then told him what she thought could be done with it. What