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“Why would I want to do that?” She sips her wine and shoots me a smile. “Can I help with anything? Put me to work.”
“You sure? It’s your night off,” I tease her. “How about you put together the salad for us?”
She hops off the stool and makes her way across the kitchen to where I’m standing at the counter, chopping up some peppers for the sauce. I can’t help but look at her legs encased in those knee-high boots. For a second, the only thing I can see is her laying in my bed, her boot clad legs wrapped around my waist as I’m thrusting mercilessly into her.
Now that I’m ready to chuck dinner into the trash and bend her over the kitchen island, I push the vegetables for the salad over to her and hand over a cutting board and knife. She gets to work on chopping the heads of romaine, taking her time with each precise cut, while I mentally try to school the hard length growing in my pants. There will be plenty of time for that later. Now I need to show her I’m—what? Boyfriend material?
“I know I’ve said this before, but I’m honestly surprised you don’t have a chef,” she tosses at me playfully, elbowing me in the side. I elbow her right back. Two can play this game.
“Nah,” I put the water on the stove to boil for the fresh pasta I have in the fridge. “My mom always cooked here. I don’t think I need one either. I’ve learned to make enough things to survive. Plus, takeout is only an app swipe away.”
“True, you seem to have a fondness for takeout. So what? You make this for all the dates you bring over here?” Her voice is hesitant, and I detect a hint of jealousy that makes the corners of my mouth tick up in a smile I try to hide.
Setting my knife aside for a moment, I turn to face her. I’m going to take care of this right now. I can’t move forward the way I want to with Hollie unless I make it clear to her that this isn’t a fling for me. Any time I’ve slept with a woman in the past, I’ve never brought them to my place. I own a luxury hotel chain. I could walk into any of my hotels and get the best suite in the place. Why would I invite them into my private sanctuary? Hollie isn’t like them. She isn’t some random woman I’m sleeping with. I want to share things about myself with her, and that includes my home.
I patiently wait in silence for her to look up at me. Once her eyes meet mine, I grab her chin, holding her gaze with my own. “Let me be clear, angel. I’ve never brought a woman back to my home before. I’ve never just hung out with one before. And I’ve certainly never cooked for a woman. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Her eyes widen in surprise. Whatever she thought I was going to say, it definitely wasn’t that. Her gaze darts back and forth from one of my eyes to the other, like she’s trying to get a read on me. There’s no need. I’m laying it all out there for her. She finally seems satisfied and gives me a solid nod before turning back to the salad.
We work side by side in companionable silence until she circles back to our earlier conversation.
“You said your mom cooked here. This was your parents’ home? You grew up here?”
“Yup, I inherited it when they died. It’s a nice house and you can’t beat the location, so I never had a reason to sell it.”
“I have to admit, it surprised me the first time I was here. I totally expected you to have a steel and glass bachelor pad, like a penthouse apartment or something.”
I chuckle at that, because the thought had crossed my mind. And honestly, if I hadn’t had access to hotel suites on demand, I might have moved downtown into one of those so-calledbachelor pads.“It’s a great house, and I have a lot of wonderful memories here. Plus, I’d like to raise my family here one day too.”
Where the fuck did that come from? I’ve never truly considered having a family before. Of course, I’ve thought about it in the most abstract sense, with it being the normal thing that people do, but I’ve certainly never planned it. As I’m questioning myself, I realize I really do want to have a family in this house. I love this place. It was filled with so much love when I was growing up and now that I’ve had the thought, I can’t imagine having kids anywhere else.
I glance at Hollie, who is tossing the salad together in the wooden bowl I pulled down from a high shelf for her. She’s beautiful standing here in my kitchen, helping me make dinner. I can practically see her standing in the same spot, cooking dinner, her belly gently swollen with our child.
Holy shit, get yourself together, man!It’s way too early to be thinking anything like that. Hollie is only twenty-two. If she knew the kinds of thoughts that were floating around in my head, she would run for the hills.
“That’s actually really lovely,” she says. The only response I can give to that is a half-hearted grunt. My emotions are tied into a knot. I need to put thoughts of pregnant Hollie out of my head and focus on the here and now.
When the food is finished, we gather up the plates and I guide her outside to the patio. What’s the use of having a house on Lake Washington if you can’t eat and enjoy the view? I pull out her chair and she sits before I scoot it back in and take my seat opposite her.
“I can’t believe that you get to eat like this every day. Now I’m jealous, Archer. If I had a view like this, I would eat outside for every meal. Morning coffee? Right here. Late-night snack? Again here. You wouldn’t be able to drag me away.”
“I have to admit, I don’t sit out here nearly enough. I’m usually too busy running from one thing to another.” She gives me a little frown as she takes a bite of her salad. I think she actually feels bad for me. “Tell you what, you can come sit out here anytime you want. In fact, you can go swimming in the lake if you want or check out the hot tub on the side of the house.” I’m sure I sound too eager to get her back over here, but I’m beyond caring at this point.
She lets out one of her giggles that does strange things to my chest and says, “We’ll see.”
She’s smiling at me, eating the meal I made for her and I feel… content. “Hold on one second. I forgot something.” Before she can question me, I race off to the kitchen and return shortly thereafter with a bottle of dressing just for her. I present it with a flourish and set it down on the table in front of her. “Some Green Goddess for the Goddess?”
“A little cheesy there, Archer.” She laughs good-naturedly. Examining the bottle, she looks up at me questioningly. “How did you know this is my favorite dressing?”
I merely shrug my shoulders at her to show it’s not a big deal. “We’ve been having lunch together for weeks. I notice what you order, especially if it’s obnoxiously green. Plus, you like my brand of cheese.” I shoot her a wink.
“I guess so,” she mumbles under her breath while shaking her head. It’s like she can’t believe I would remember anything about her. She better get used to it, because I’m about to learn everything there is to know about Hollie Simmons.
The patio and backyard are spacious with a lawn stretching out almost all the way to the water and a dock with a few personal watercrafts tied up. I don’t bother keeping a huge boat here like some of my neighbors because I don’t have enough time to go out on the water. Perhaps I should take Hollie, though. I bet she would enjoy it. I can see her standing on the bough, the wind whipping through her flaxen locks, perhaps leaning against the railing in a swimsuit that shows off her incredible body. Then I could take her down to our cabin and make love to her until she’s hoarse from screaming my name.
Shaking those thoughts from my head so that I can pay attention to the here and now, I take a sip of my wine, enjoying how it slides down my throat, warming my stomach and calming my nerves. I’ve faced off with some of the most ruthless men in the business, had my own uncle removed as CEO of my company, but none of that has come even close to the anxiety this twenty-two-year-old girl has brought up for me.
I need for her to want me. I’ve decided she’s necessary for my existence. Having her in my home tonight has only highlighted that fact. I’m pretty sure this is where she belongs. With me. She can redecorate the whole damn place for all I care. She just needs to stay.
