The kitchen was built for function but prettily decorated in shades of white, orange, and blue. Across from the breakfast room, was a relatively small den with deep burgundy suede couches and a wide screen TV set into the wall. Ji-Su hadn’t opened the doors upstairs, but he assumed the bedrooms were as nice as his own.
Outside, his car had been moved to the multi-vehicle garage at the rear of the main house. He’d peeked inside to see his Kia parked along with luxury cars, work trucks, four wheelers, and two golf carts. Also on the estate were two guest houses and multiple buildings where the ranch hands, servants, and guards stayed.
The grounds were well kept with acres of grass spreading out in every direction. There were stables he hadn’t visited, a large greenhouse, and a gazebo with padded seating all connected by neatly paved stone paths lined with tall electric torch lights. At the rear of the house there was lush greenery, several decks, and a small garden courtyard. The biggest deck where he currently stood had comfy outdoor furniture and a brick fire pit. Below the deck was a boulder and plant lined pond with a tiny fountain bubbling in the center. It was a nice spot, peaceful and quiet in the dark night. That quiet was broken when boots rasped over stone a second before someone called his name.
“Ji-Su.”
He turned to see Raul approaching the deck from the stone path on the left. The vampire was dressed in black pants and a black Western dress shirt stitched with an elaborate scrollingpattern in blue thread. Tonight, his belt buckle was silver with a blue stone in the center.
When Raul stepped onto the deck, he towered over Ji-Su, and the lights outlining his shape from behind made it appear as if he glowed. Since they were standing mostly in the shadows, his dark brown eyes did glow. The vampire trait turned his normally brown irises to an incandescent bronze. As Ji-Su took in the big, handsome vampire, his breath caught in his chest for a moment before he spoke.
“Hi,” he greeted his new patron with a welcoming smile. “It’s really nice here.”
“I’m glad you like it. There’s lots to do on the ranch. We have walking trails, horses, and four wheelers. The pond here isn’t for fishing, but there’s a spot farther out that’s stocked.”
“I’m not really the outdoorsy type. But it would be nice to sit outside and play my Nintendo Switch once I have it.” Ji-Su tucked his hair behind his ears with a half-embarrassed smile. Someone as rugged as Raul would probably laugh at the idea of taking technology outside when there were so many physically active things to do.
“There’s plenty of good spots for that too. I like to sit on the deck and play solitaire sometimes. Enjoy the grounds however you choose.”
Ji-Su’s smile went from half-embarrassed to pleased. Not only did Raul not mock him, he shared a non-physical leisure activity that he enjoyed. That made him feel even more comfortable. “Thank you. I will.”
Raul smiled down at him.
“I’m sure we can find an extra-long extension cord if you want to set up your gaming system outside.”
Ji-Su laughed at the gentle teasing. “Cedric always called my video games and other interests silly.”
“I promise I won’t ever talk to you that way,” Raul said sincerely.
“I appreciate that.” He’d only been at the ranch a couple of days but the differences he’d noticed between Raul and Cedric were vast. He felt lucky to be here with Raul. “You’ve been so nice to me I’m having a hard time believing you’re real. Are you sure this isn’t an elaborate scheme to get me into a time share?” he playfully asked, referring back to their first conversation.
Raul laughed, his eyes glowing brighter with his amusement. “I’m sure. I would have shown you my PowerPoint slide show by now if I were trying to sell you a timeshare.”
“I guess I’m safe then.”
Raul leaned in close. “You’re safe for now. But you’d better run if I break out the presentation screen and the brochure packet.”
Ji-Su had to laugh at the silliness of their conversation. “I will. But I don’t think I can outrun a vampire.”
“You can’t. I’d catch you.”
As Ji-Su stared up into those softly glowing eyes while listening to Raul’s rough, flirty voice, it was on the tip of his tongue to admit that he wouldn’t try too hard to get away if Raul were to chase him. But the sliding door behind them opened and a staff member poked their head out, interrupting their playful conversation.
“Sir, there’s a delivery for Mr. Ji-Su.”
Ji-Su looked at the servant in surprise. “For me?”
“Yes.”
Ji-Su and Raul went back in together, Ji-Su wondering who would have sent him something. In the entrance hall, servants carried in several packing boxes.
“Cedric must have sent over all of my stuff. That’s surprisingly nice of him to have it packed up for me.” He smiled, relieved that Cedric wasn’t being horrible about him leaving andthat he had his belongings back without having to go through the awkwardness of returning to Cedric’s town house. “Do you mind taking them up to my room?” he politely asked the servants.
“Of course not, Mr. Ji-Su.”
They started to head for the staircase. Ji-Su followed so he could unpack but Raul called out to them before they hit the first step.
“Hold up.”