next to a small guard shack that was sitting there.
“I’ll be right back. Lock the doors and don’t open them for anyone but me,” he told Lis then kissed her forehead and got out of the car.
She hit the automatic locks and watched as he entered the guard shack. The man inside was someone she didn’t recognize, but she was expecting new security staff so that didn’t surprise her. What did surprise her was the woman who walked into the shack. She was tall, blonde, and stacked. And the way she looked at Dakota made Lis’ blood boil. When the woman brushed a soft kiss across Dakota’s cheek, Lis couldn’t watch anymore. She turned her head and looked out the window at the tree line surrounding the property.
After a few minutes, a soft tap on the driver’s side window pulled her from her thoughts and she looked up. Dakota was standing there so she hit the automatic door locks and turned to look out the window again.
“Penny for your thoughts, beautiful?” Dakota asked and Lis just shook her head. She wasn’t about to talk to him right now. She was too pissed off to think straight and she knew if she said anything she’d just make it worse.
Dakota sighed, but didn’t pressure her. He knew something was wrong, but he couldn’t imagine what it could be. As he drove silently toward the mansion he glanced at her, but she was still staring out the window. “Lis, what’s the matter?”
“Who was that woman?” She asked finally. “The one in the guard shack.”
Dakota instantly knew what was wrong with Lis and he sighed again. “That, Elisabeth, is Jenn. Jenn is my friend Lee’s friend. Lee is the man in the guard shack. I was in the service with him and he and Jenn have been married for three years.”
“Oh,” Lis said quietly.
“Wait, were you seriously jealous?”
“No,” Lis answered a little too quickly. “I wasn’t jealous as much as I was mad and hurt.”
“Elisabeth, look at me,” he said as he pulled to a stop in front of the house she’d lived in her entire life. “I love you. You are the only woman I want in my life and in my bed. You are the one who owns me heart, body, and soul.”
“I’m sorry,” Lis said quietly and looked at her hands in her lap.
“Lis, you have no reason to be sorry for anything. You saw her kiss me, right?” He asked and Lis nodded, “So the logical conclusion was that something was going on with us. If you would have kept watching, you would have seen that she immediately went into Lee’s arms and laid one on him.”
“I’m sorry, Dakota. I saw her and I remembered that woman from a few years ago and I panicked a little.”
Dakota leaned forward and brushed his lips across hers. “Come inside and I’ll show you just what type of woman I want.”
“Oh really?” Lis asked and winked. “And what type of woman is that?”
“You, Elisabeth Manning. You are the woman I want. You are the woman I need.”
“I love you, Dakota Jackson.”
“And I love you, Elisabeth Manning.”
After another brief kiss they got out of the car and walked up the front steps of the Manning Mansion. Before Dakota opened the door, Lis took a deep breath and held it for a second. “Why am I nervous?”
“Because the last time you were here you were clipping flowers with your mom,” Dakota answered. “Now, let’s get inside. There will be an SUV arriving in just a few minutes with more security in it, but I don’t want you visible to any of them yet. I know them well and I trust them with my life, but I don’t trust anyone with yours except me.”
Lis nodded and followed Dakota into the house. Once inside, she walked around the foyer and sighed. “Mom loved this house. She would greet guests here during dinner parties and she was the perfect hostess. Dakota, how are we going to keep the business running without them?”
“Lis, we will keep the business going and we will make sure the ones who took your parents from you pay for it. Right now though, I
“I’ll be right back. Lock the doors and don’t open them for anyone but me,” he told Lis then kissed her forehead and got out of the car.
She hit the automatic locks and watched as he entered the guard shack. The man inside was someone she didn’t recognize, but she was expecting new security staff so that didn’t surprise her. What did surprise her was the woman who walked into the shack. She was tall, blonde, and stacked. And the way she looked at Dakota made Lis’ blood boil. When the woman brushed a soft kiss across Dakota’s cheek, Lis couldn’t watch anymore. She turned her head and looked out the window at the tree line surrounding the property.
After a few minutes, a soft tap on the driver’s side window pulled her from her thoughts and she looked up. Dakota was standing there so she hit the automatic door locks and turned to look out the window again.
“Penny for your thoughts, beautiful?” Dakota asked and Lis just shook her head. She wasn’t about to talk to him right now. She was too pissed off to think straight and she knew if she said anything she’d just make it worse.
Dakota sighed, but didn’t pressure her. He knew something was wrong, but he couldn’t imagine what it could be. As he drove silently toward the mansion he glanced at her, but she was still staring out the window. “Lis, what’s the matter?”
“Who was that woman?” She asked finally. “The one in the guard shack.”
Dakota instantly knew what was wrong with Lis and he sighed again. “That, Elisabeth, is Jenn. Jenn is my friend Lee’s friend. Lee is the man in the guard shack. I was in the service with him and he and Jenn have been married for three years.”
“Oh,” Lis said quietly.
“Wait, were you seriously jealous?”
“No,” Lis answered a little too quickly. “I wasn’t jealous as much as I was mad and hurt.”
“Elisabeth, look at me,” he said as he pulled to a stop in front of the house she’d lived in her entire life. “I love you. You are the only woman I want in my life and in my bed. You are the one who owns me heart, body, and soul.”
“I’m sorry,” Lis said quietly and looked at her hands in her lap.
“Lis, you have no reason to be sorry for anything. You saw her kiss me, right?” He asked and Lis nodded, “So the logical conclusion was that something was going on with us. If you would have kept watching, you would have seen that she immediately went into Lee’s arms and laid one on him.”
“I’m sorry, Dakota. I saw her and I remembered that woman from a few years ago and I panicked a little.”
Dakota leaned forward and brushed his lips across hers. “Come inside and I’ll show you just what type of woman I want.”
“Oh really?” Lis asked and winked. “And what type of woman is that?”
“You, Elisabeth Manning. You are the woman I want. You are the woman I need.”
“I love you, Dakota Jackson.”
“And I love you, Elisabeth Manning.”
After another brief kiss they got out of the car and walked up the front steps of the Manning Mansion. Before Dakota opened the door, Lis took a deep breath and held it for a second. “Why am I nervous?”
“Because the last time you were here you were clipping flowers with your mom,” Dakota answered. “Now, let’s get inside. There will be an SUV arriving in just a few minutes with more security in it, but I don’t want you visible to any of them yet. I know them well and I trust them with my life, but I don’t trust anyone with yours except me.”
Lis nodded and followed Dakota into the house. Once inside, she walked around the foyer and sighed. “Mom loved this house. She would greet guests here during dinner parties and she was the perfect hostess. Dakota, how are we going to keep the business running without them?”
“Lis, we will keep the business going and we will make sure the ones who took your parents from you pay for it. Right now though, I
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