Chapter 106

• The purple clouds are already spreading up the sky; Brandon decides we should get back to the coast. John is waiting for us as promised, then he drives us to the villa. I can agree now on why Brandon needs him present all the time. The man is attentive and patient.
• I go straight to the kitchen like a habit, expecting to find Lydia, but the house is empty, and I don’t see her housekeepers either. I am about to turn back, but Brandon abruptly catches me by my waist—gasping in surprise when he easily lifts me to the counter. He presses his body between my legs, spreading me wide. He stares fondly with a half-smile.
• “Um.” I clear my throat. “Where is everybody?”