You are Mine by Lisa G Riley Read Free Book Online

the refrigerator and took out a bottle of beer.
    “Good evening, Mr. Keenan. She’s in her
studio.”
    Brian loosened his tie, took it off and put
it in his pocket. Leaning against the counter, he took a sip from
the beer. From his vantage point, he studied the large kitchen.
They’d only been in the new house for five months, and though
they’d shopped together to decorate the place, most of the choices
were Caroline’s. He marveled at some of her choices, but bowed to
her better judgment. He’d at first objected to the custom built
stove that had taken two months for delivery, but now he’d grown
fond of it. A cocoa brown, it had the look of a treasure chest with
all of its brass and stainless steel trimmings and knobs. He
watched as Jae took a dish from the vaulted oven and then promptly
opened the warming oven next to it and placed the dish in
there.
    The other man then bent and opened one of
the two long storage drawers that marched across the bottom of the
stove. “So you’re on cooking duty tonight, huh, Jae?”
    “It’s not exactly a duty, Mr. Keenan. I
enjoy it, and since Mrs. Singleton-Keenan showed all the signs of
getting caught up in her work again, I thought I’d make a dish I’ve
wanted to try for some time now.”
    Brian nodded. “Tell me something, Jae, in
the six months that you’ve been with us, how many times, give or
take, have my wife and I asked you to call us by our first
names?”
    Jae looked amused. “Oh, I’d say about fifty
or sixty, give or take.”
    Brian nodded again and opening the fridge,
pulled out another long neck and walked it over to the other man.
He handed it to him. “And what would you say are the chances of you
taking us up on that offer?”
    Jae nodded his thanks, and looking
thoughtful, twisted the cap off, walked over to the trash, threw it
away and came back to stand in front of Brian who was now leaning
against the center island. “Oh, I’d say not very likely.”
    “Yet, you insist upon us calling you Jae and
not Mr. Kwon.”
    Smiling slightly, Jae shrugged while holding
his hands up helplessly. “What are you gonna do?”
    Amused, Brian chuckled and then, “But
seriously, you don’t feel awkward practically living with us and
being so formal?”
    “It’s important to keep distance so I’ll be
able to do my job if and when the time comes.”
    Brian gave up. “Fine, well at least you
don’t mind sitting and breaking bread with us.”
    “Actually, I do, but your wife,” he paused
and then shrugged. “Well, she told me my eating alone upset her,
and since she’s pregnant and all, well…” He trailed off with an
abashed look.
    “But you were eating with us before we found
out about the pregnancy,” Brian reminded him. Jae only knew about
the pregnancy because the day they’d found out, Brian had run
through the house carrying Caroline in his arms and yelling, ‘I’m
gonna be a daddy!’
    Looking embarrassed again, Jae only said,
“She’s just so…so… hard to say no to, I guess, and I don’t
like upsetting women, particularly those who look so delicate, as
your wife does.”
    Brian laughed and finished his beer. “No
comment. I assume you have nothing to report today, or else I would
have heard from you or Caroline by now.”
    “All quiet on the Western front.”
    “Good. How long before dinner?”
    “About another forty-five minutes.”
    “Thanks,” Brian said and placing his bottle
into a recycling bin, left the kitchen. He passed the butler’s
pantry, walked through the dining room and made a left away from
the living room and walked underneath the twisting, floating
staircase. The long hall lead him to a large, bright room that
traditionally would be used as a den or family room, but because it
got a lot of sun, they’d set it up as Caroline’s studio.
    He walked in and shut the door behind him.
Halfway into the room, he stopped and watched her. Bottom lip
caught between her teeth, she was on her feet and leaning in
towards