The Million Dollar Virgin

Chapter Eleven - Stevie

"Rian!"

His name was out before she could stop it, and as he paused partway down the stairs, Stevie realized she didn't actually have anything to say to him. Not without giving away the fact that a hole in his damned sock had just given her insane heart palpitations.

He raised his ring-clad eyebrow. "Yes?"

She blurted the first thing that came to mind. "I want to see it."

"And I'm sure your future fiancé will be happy to show it to you. Once you sign the contract." Now his smile was smug enough to slap.

"Not that. Your bedroom, you ass – "

"Hole," he interrupted. "I get it. You don't like me."

"I'm sorry. Have you been trying to get me to like you?"

"Does it seem like I have?"

"No. It seems like you've been trying your hardest to make me hate you." She sounded stupidly mad.

And then it got worse.

"Is it working?" he asked, his calm voice making her even angrier.

"No!" It was an embarrassing yell.

For a second, he actually looked startled by her vehemence. His silver eyes went wide, his mouth opened, then closed. But he recovered quickly. He took the stairs two at time, grabbing Stevie's hand as he strode by. He pulled her along, his grip tight, but not rough, his hand firm and somehow just plain right.

In fact, in a world full of wrongs...a lot about Rian felt right. Which clearly meant that Stevie was going insane.

He dragged her through the hall of closed doors and stopped at a seemingly blank wall at the end.

But when he reached out and pressed his hand to the wall, it turned out not to be blank at all. Instead, the whole thing clicked, then swung open. A light flickered from above, then illuminated a winding staircase. And it wasn't the creepy, gothic kind, either. It was made of the same, chocolate-y wood from downstairs. Warm and homey.

Rian tugged her hand again, leading her up the stairs. He moved fast enough that by the time they reached the top, Stevie was out of breath.

But not as out of breath as she was when she spotted the view.

The whole floor was an open space. A giant bedroom. Complete with a four poster bed and a record player and some gym equipment. But all of that was secondary when compared to the back wall. It was a window. Tinted just enough for privacy, but more than transparent enough to let her see the expanse laid out before her. The backyard was ridiculous. A pool and a pool house. An outdoor living space that was as big as Stevie's whole apartment. A lawn that stretched all the way to what could only be described as a private forest. And beyond that, all of Pemberton Falls, California on display.

Stevie had always thought of the city as kind of small. Especially compared to its nearby neighbor, Los Angeles. A wannabe trying to make its way in a sea of stars. But from the top floor of Rian's house...

"It looks huge," she murmured.

"I know." Rian sounded as awed as she felt. "You should see it at night."

Forgetting she was still attached to him by the hand, Stevie tried to take a step toward the windows to get an even closer look. Too late, she realized her mistake. She jerked forward. He pulled back. Then he let go. And for a second, Stevie flailed like a drunken octopus. She was sure she was going to crash straight into the baby grand piano that had just appeared out of nowhere. She could already hear the sound of discordant keys, gnashing against each other. She closed her eyes in anticipation of the impending thump. But instead of landing somewhere hard and pointy...