Read Online Feral: Book One by Velvet DeHaven - Free Book Online Page A

for my efforts. “Funny. Really.”
    My lips relaxed into a small smile, and despite my best attempt, the words slipped out. “I’m sorry. I’m just not used to any of this, and by any of this, I don’t mean just—” I waved at the now-dark estate. “I haven’t had anyone speak to me the way you do, and certainly not treat me like a lady the way you have. I’m just not used to it.”
    “Well, I can assure you I have every plan of making you ‘used to it’,” he said in a gruff, but gentle, baritone. “Such a charming young woman deserves nothing less than to be treated like a queen.”
    “A queen? That’s a bit much, don’t you think?”
    “Non.”
    He was as somber as I had ever seen him be.
    “Oh.”
    “Indeed.”
    I lifted my eyebrow with a grin at the familiar word. “Not your favorite, huh?”
    “Not my favorite.”
    I hummed my disbelief and allowed him to guide me away from my car and toward his house, not that I really considered it a  house . And it did not escape my notice that as we walked, he rested his hand against the curve of my lower back.
    “You look lovely,  cara mia,”  he said admiringly. “How you could ever believe that a creature as divine as you could not, as you say, fit in my world is beyond my comprehension. You are, in fact, as perfect as any human being could possibly be.” He paused on the steps, just one below me, and his eyes flittered over me from head to toe.  “Sì, veramente bellissima. Absolutely beautiful.”
    He moved to the same step, but surprisingly, I did not feel intimidated in the least by his impressive frame and intimate proximity as he towered over me. “How I long to kiss your lips,  bella mia, my beauty.”
    “Why don’t you?”
    He looked as startled as I was at my words, and he recovered quickly with a hint of a smile. “Ah, cara,  if you only knew how much I desired to… However, I fear if I were to kiss you before our conversation, I would be dismayed all the more if you chose to disassociate yourself from me after my news.”
    With those words, he moved back and offered me his arm, which I took unwaveringly.
    I half-expected the inside to be some garish display of opulence, and I wasn’t entirely disappointed, though the rooms I viewed were not entirely what I imagined. And I’d imagined outlandish colors and crystal chandeliers or something, but the Earth-toned décor of what appeared to be the foyer and living room was inviting, cozy even.
    In pale shades of olive and deep golden rod, I could definitely see the Italian influence in the room, especially in the rounded lines of the furniture that had been strategically placed around the massive entertainment center while ever-so-slightly facing the bare bay window that nearly took up the far wall. The wooden beams in the ceiling, however, were a nice twist and gave the room a mild, country flavor.
    Beyond the living space, I could see an even darker shade of olive with splashes of black and gleaming silver, which I quickly realized were the stainless steel of the kitchen appliances. There was also the hint of Tuscan red peeking from around the corner, and as he led me through the open space, I quickly realized it was the dining room.
    The dual placements were lovely. There was an open bottle of white wine to compliment the sushi—how did he know I liked sushi?—decoratively arranged on a central platter, and next to each setting were filled, beautiful glasses that I presumed were genuine crystal. Being the gentleman he was, he held my chair out for me and waited until I was comfortably seated to take his own.
    Despite the romantic ambience, I still knew it was not the principle reason of my being there, and I internally debated whether or not to broach the subject of Cole and Kendal, or to wait until Simon was ready to reveal whatever mysteries he kept hidden.  Fortunately, I did not have to make the decision, since he began to speak.

FIVE
     
     
    “Sofia, I want you to know