House Hunting With a Bang

*This scene occurs between the final chapter of Starts With a Bang and the epilogue. 

“She’s not much of a looker. Sven sounded nervous when he turned right onto a narrow country road. “But she has great bones and offers a lot of privacy.” 

I waggled my brow, though he was too focused on the road to notice. “I’d live in a tent as long as I can share a home with you.” 

Sven shot him a sweet smile. “Good to know. With these real estate prices, it might just come down to it.” 

“The right house will come along,” I assured him. We’d make do with Sven’s apartment until then. It wasn’t a large space, but it felt like a mansion compared to the hovel I’d rented until we moved in together. 

“I’m pretty sure this is it.” Sven took a deep breath, eased off the gas, and signaled for a left turn. He leaned forward in anticipation and worried his bottom lip between his teeth. “Our forever home, Grizz.” 

I looked to my left but couldn’t see anything except trees. A glance at the GPS screen showed a driveway or cow path cutting through the land. Way in the back was a small structure and a decent-sized body of water. That made me sit up taller in my seat. “A pond?”

Sven chuckled. “Yep! It’s big and fully stocked.” He turned into a long, tree-lined gravel driveway and eased along the bumpy path. “Will you promise to keep an open mind and not make a snap decision based solely on the house’s rough exterior or the overgrown lawn?”

“Baby, it has a pond. We can pitch our tent there.” This was usually where my guy would make suggestive remarks about my choice of words, but he was suspiciously quiet. I looked over at him and saw a sheen of tears in his blue eyes and he was back to nibbling on his lip. “There won’t be anything left for me to kiss if you’re not careful.” 

Sven released his lip and released a nervous chuckle. “Sorry. I’m overcome with emotion.” He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and swallowed hard. “I felt an instant connection with the house as soon as my client showed me pictures of the house. Cheyenne kept going on about how much work it needed, but I just saw all the holidays we’d share here and the memories we’d make. I envisioned you in every room.” He tossed me a sly grin. “You were naked a lot. Not going to lie, Grizz. You’re going to see a lot of action in this house.” 

“Sold!” 

Sven laughed. “You’re going to change your tune in about thirty seconds. This is going to be a massive project.” 

The driveway curved slightly before it led to a large clearing in the trees. The midday sun aimed its spotlight on the small frame house, putting every single flaw on display. And there were many. I couldn’t tell what the original paint color had been. Most of it had peeled off the warped wood siding, and what was left had curled and lifted. It looked like a stiff breeze would blow it away. The paint curls, not the house. But maybe the house too. The roof looked in good shape with newer shingles, which was a big plus. “A lot of action, huh?” I asked. 

“Yeah,” Sven said breathlessly. 

“When you said I’d see a lot of action, I imagined a lot of sex.” I smiled at him so he’d see I was teasing. I cupped his face and brushed my thumb over his trembling lips. “I think what you actually saw was me stripped to the waist while doing hard physical labor.” 

Sven blinked a few times and then nipped my thumb. “Stop. You’ll make me pitch a tent right here.” 

“There’s my guy.” I released my seat belt and leaned over the console to kiss him. “My mind is open, but my zipper is staying closed until I’m sure something scary won’t bite my dick.” 

Sven shuddered hard. “God, can you imagine?” 

“I can, but I don’t want to.” 

He removed his seat belt and captured my face in both hands. “The interior needs a lot of work, but it’s mostly cosmetic. The asking price on this place is low enough that we can afford to put the rest of our home budget into the renovations. The roof is only eight years old, so we shouldn’t have to replace it. The contractor who built Kerry’s house is a trustworthy guy. He could look at our home and tell us what kind of work it needs. I’m certain he’ll recommend replacing the wood siding with something more durable like vinyl.” 

“Our home.” I loved the sound of that. 

“The original woodwork is stunning, and I hope it’s salvageable.” Sven dropped his hands and looked out the windshield. “There are only two bedrooms, but they looked like big spaces in the photos.” 

“Let’s go check them out.” 

Wide blue eyes met mine. “Seriously?”

“I want you to take me through the house room by room and tell me what you’ve imagined for us,” I said. 

Sven held my gaze for a few minutes before he launched himself out of the car with the set of keys his client gave him. It was nice that they could tour the house at their leisure. I exited the car and rounded the hood to meet Sven. I extended my hand and he slipped his fingers between mine. 

“There’s only one bathroom, but it’s enormous with a claw-foot tub. I want to salvage that more than I ever wanted to save my reputation.” 

He continued chatting happily as we navigated the uneven gravel. Refilling the long-ass driveway was likely an expense Sven wasn’t considering, but it was a must unless they wanted to turn an ankle or knock their vehicles out of alignment with repeated abuse. The porch steps were rickety, so Dom stayed back to avoid them collapsing from their combined weight. Sven safely reached the porch and faced him with the happiest, most hopeful smile Dom had ever seen. He gingerly navigated the steps to join the love of his life. 

“Welcome home, baby,” Dom said. 

“What? You haven’t seen the interior yet.” 

“It doesn’t matter what it looks like because we’re going to make it ours.” I scanned the rough exterior of the house. “And we’ll call in every favor owed to us.” 

Sven squealed, spun on his heels, and unlocked the front door. He faced me again and walked backward over the threshold, wearing a devilish smile and beckoning me forward with a beckoning finger. “Bet I can change your mind about lowering your zipper.” 

I stalked forward and kicked the door shut. “Give it your best try.” 

A tiny rodent scurried across the floor and Sven leaped into my arms. “I change my mind.”  

“About the house?” I asked. 

“No. I’ll blow you in the car after the grand tour.” 

Sven’s car was barely big enough for me to fit in the front seat, and I didn’t have high hopes about the back. I’d sure as hell give it a try. “House hunting with a bang,” I said. 

“It’s how we roll, Grizz.”