“Do you cook?” Natalie asked.
When he returned, he set the table with china, silverware and wine glasses. “I get by. My housekeeper keeps the kitchen stocked with essentials. I like to cook and don’t always order out if that’s what you’re asking.” He winked before heading to the fridge.
“It’s just…I suppose I thought…”
He uncorked a bottle of white wine.
“You thought that I wouldn’t want to?” he offered. As he sat, his thigh brushed hers, sending little ripples of desire racing through her. His eyes danced.
“Maybe.” She couldn’t think much of anything when he was near.
After he poured the wine, he pulled out a couple of containers. “I hope you like La Bouche Paisible.” His hand brushed hers as she took the glass.
“I’ve never eaten there before.” She didn’t think her paycheck would cover the dinner. Not to mention she’d need something better to wear than her current wardrobe could provide to get in the door. She shoved her glasses up her nose, wishing her contacts would magically appear.
“Well, you are in for an experience.”
She was already having an experience that was beyond belief. And she was more than willing to follow this golden brick road until she found her way back home.
After he dished out the contents of the containers, there was still one left.
“What’s that?”
He smiled mysteriously. “Dessert.”
Her plate overflowed with food. A filet steak with brown gravy, new potatoes with herbs, grilled asparagus and the scent-her stomach rumbled from the delicious smells emanating from her plate.
“Where’d you grow up?” he asked before taking a bite of steak.
“What makes you think I’m not from here?” she asked, trying to sound serious.
His eyebrow lifted, causing her to laugh.
“I’m from the Midwest. Illinois. We moved out to California my senior year when dad got a transfer. I’ve been here ever since.”
“Do you see your family much?”
“No, my older sister stayed in Illinois when we moved, and Dad got transferred again while I was in college. We see each other at holidays, of course.” Natalie bit into the steak and her mouth exploded with flavor. “Oh, wow.”
He smiled, pleased with himself. “Yeah.”
After she swallowed the small piece of heaven, she turned to him. “What about you?”
“For the most part, my birth and subsequent childhood are public record.”
“Assume I don’t know anything, because I wasn’t around when you were born.” She wanted to know how he felt about growing up with his family, not what the press reported.
“Well, I spent a lot of my time on movie sets or in foreign countries. I had a tutor and a nanny. My parents tried to keep me out of the tabloids, but when I started auditioning all bets were off.”
“How old were you?” she asked gently.
“I was eight.” He set down his fork and picked up his wineglass. Staring at the contents, he continued, “I was ten when I had my first crush. She was an actress, too. We made it into all the teeny-bop magazines.”
“I never read any of those.”
His gaze pivoted to her and gave her an assessing look. “I don’t suppose you would have. When it ended, I talked to my parents about going to a real high school. After all, I’d played a high schooler on TV, how hard could real life be?”
“I never went to high school. Mom homeschooled me, but I bet you were the coolest kid in school.” She pushed her plate away and picked up her wineglass.
His hand covered hers on the table. “Not really. Sure, I had all the toys boys like and the best clothes, but I’d never really socialized with kids my own age before.” He picked up her hand and turned it over. His finger traced the lines on her palm. “I found a group and dated a little, but they either resented me for who I was or wanted something from me.”
Something troubled him, but she didn’t press. The more she learned about him the more real he seemed. The harder it would be to let him go.
He pushed back from the table. “Come on. I want to show you my home. I’ll bring dessert.”
He grabbed a couple of spoons and the container before taking her hand and leading her across the kitchen.
The rest of his house was as amazing and intimidating as the kitchen. From the crystal chandeliers in the dining room to the antiques in the living room. From the extra-large-screen TV in the media room to the red-lined pool table in the recreation room. The splendor and richness made her head spin.
“How long have you lived here?” She knew the man was a multimillionaire. She knew he wore expensive clothes, even if they were casual, but it hadn’t really hit her. Now it slapped her across the face. Her apartment could fit into his media room.
“This was my parents’ home. I inherited it.” He seemed to choke up on the statement before it passed. “Besides, it’s small compared to the one I own in Italy.”
Her head still reeling, he opened a door and pulled her into a darkened room. She slammed into his back as he halted and flipped a switch. Soft lights lit the interior of the room.
She stepped around Chase and her mouth dropped open. Before her, tropical trees and flowers filled the room in bold colors, reds, yellows, greens and blues. The scent of the flowers and the leafy smell of the trees perfumed the air. A glass roof and walls enclosed the garden.
A stone path wound its way along the floor through the trees and disappeared into the foliage. She could hear the chirps of birds somewhere in the room.
“My favorite room.” Chase’s hand rested at her lower back.
“I can see why.” She gaped up at the large, colorful flowers as he led her farther into the room. The back was blocked off and filled with tropical birds of all colors. She stopped as a large toucan swept down to the ground where a bowl of fruit rested near a small pond. It was unbelievable. Almost like stepping through a doorway onto a tropical island.
“Here we are.” He led her into a small gazebo open to the sights and sounds of the room, but secluded from the door to the rest of the house.
“You could forget where you are in here.” She settled on the pillows covering the floor, still trying to absorb all the colors and scents.
“That’s the point. I can’t always make time to escape to a tropical location, but I can usually slip into this room. I’m pretty good at pretending.” He lowered himself down beside her and stretched out on his side. “Dessert?”
Tearing her gaze from a beautiful orange flower, she found herself captivated by his eyes, and her breathing hitched.
She knew why she’d agreed to come here to his house.
She wasn’t strong enough to walk away from Chase. She didn’t want to walk away from the attraction between them. When it was over, she was fairly certain it would be him doing the walking.
But that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy the ride. “What did you have in mind?”
His grin was positively wicked. He popped the lid off the last container. “Dark chocolate mousse.”
He handed her a spoon and dug his into the creamy mousse. He lifted the spoon to her mouth and waited.
Her gaze never left his as she leaned forward and took the spoon and chocolate into her mouth. The sweetness and the slight bitterness of the chocolate combined to form ecstasy in her mouth. She closed her eyes and savored the taste rolling around on her tongue.
Before she could open her eyes, soft lips pressed against hers. His mouth tasted like the wine they’d been drinking flavored with the chocolate of the mousse. She didn’t resist when his body shifted, pushing her back into the pillows.
His hands lifted her glasses from her face before his mouth returned to the gentle assault on her senses. She’d never experienced anything quite like Chase before. Every opportunity he could touch her, he did. Every chance to kiss her, he took.