"You should've cancelled. There's no reason for me to be here," she accused.
"I want you here, Katherine. I want to show you something."
The way he said the words sent longing to her very soul. How she wished he meant what he said. She knew he wanted her. He made no secret of that fact, but she needed more than that. She needed what he wasn't capable of giving her.
Joseph closed the small space between them and grabbed her hand. She dropped the empty glass, but he didn't give her time to pick it back up. She realized her head was slightly fuzzy from the strong wine. That was another mistake she'd made. She should've never drank anything that would weaken her defenses.
When around Joseph she had to stay strong, aware, and fully protective of herself. She tried pulling away, but he moved forward as if she wasn't struggling against him.
"Look," he pointed.
She glared at him before finally turning her head. What she saw made her gasp. What was he building?
There were endless walls being built out of stone, beautiful gray stone at varying levels of completion. On one end, a large tower was underway, the circle wide as it reached toward the sky. Machinery stood everywhere, ready to begin work again come morning light, but she got the idea.
He was building a castle, a King Arthur, nights-of-the-round-table, gigantic castle. It was going to be stunning.
She realized it was fitting for Joseph. If they were to have a king in America, he'd be first in line, so it stood to reason, he'd need a place fit for royalty. She fought her expression from showing her awe. She didn't want him to know how impressed she was.
He'd obviously brought her there to romance her with it all, but why, was her number one question. Why would he go so far just to get her in his bed?
"Why bring me here, Joseph?" For one moment, she let her guard down. She may end up regretting it.
"To show you your future home."
Her heart sped up as he spoke softly, his voice drifting over her, the magic of the moment wanting to seduce her. This isn't real, she told herself. How can any of this be real?
"I don't understand. You're doing all of this to take me to your bed?"
Joseph turned her in his arms, his expression confused. He leaned forward and lightly kissed her lips, the gesture so sweet, she felt tears sting her eyes. She was dying inside. This moment, this perfect moment, with the only man she would ever love, would destroy her. Because to walk away from him again would deplete her of any remaining life.
He'd win his game, she always knew he would, but the price was too high for her to pay. The price was her soul.
"Yes." He answered as he caressed her lips again.
She stopped fighting. All she wanted was to give him the rest of her and then face the aftermath later, much later. She moved her arms around his neck, and relinquished all control …
"What do you mean, you gave yourself over to him? I'm so lost right now. Please go on, Aunt Katherine. You can't possibly make us wait another hour, let alone another day or two," Bree commanded.
There were several affirmative responses to her outburst. Everyone was focused on Katherine, who'd stopped speaking. They waited for several minutes, but she still hadn't continued. Maybe she was lost in thought and would start back up.
"I'm sorry, everyone. I'm tired. I need to go lay next to my husband, now," Katherine said before she wearily rose to her feet.
To the astonishment of everyone in the room, she walked out the door.
"My stomach hurts, I'm so nervous. This is ridiculous. It's not like we don't know how the story ends, but I can't figure out how they got it all settled. Did he finally profess his love? Did George come back around? Do any of you know? You have to know, Lucas. You're the oldest," Emily said as she turned to her brother-in-law.
"I've never heard the story before. I'm just as intrigued as you are," he answered.
"I guess there's nothing else we can do. We can't force her to talk," Alex said, earning him a glare from his wife.
"I better get home, anyway. Even though the kids are feeling better, they still want their mom when they've had a bad week," Amy said with reluctance.
Lucas got up to help her with her coat. The rest of them slowly gathered their things and walked out the door together.
Austin stood in the hallway, looking from the stairs to the front door, undecided on what he should do. He knew staying in the house would cause too much temptation for him, though. Reluctantly, he put on his coat and followed the rest of his family.
Chapter Eighteen
The days were quickly fading into weeks. Kinsey hadn't seen Austin at the house since the dinner. She tried telling herself she was glad he was respecting her wishes, giving her what she wanted. She knew she was lying to herself.