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13
EMILIA
Iclimbed into the town car and slouched into the seat, grateful beyond belief my work week was over. Jase and I had made the decision to work less on weekends since we’d started dating, instead focusing what little spare time we had on each other.
Something we’d never really done for any other partner before, but it had become so important to us that we make time for each other. Spend time together as a couple in love and not just business partners, although it wasn’t as if we didn’t also love working together.
Our working relationship had been honed over the years, and we complemented each other perfectly. Our strengths worked to our advantages, and our weaknesses were supported by the other. We always projected a united front and we treated each other as equals.
We did the same in our private relationship. Knowing each other as well as we did at the beginning had helped a lot, but we still ensured we supported each other, no matter what. No man I’d ever dated had loved and treated me with the respect Jase did, and my heart knew this was it.
He was it for me. I would never—could never—love another man like I did Jason Bennett, and there was nothing he could ever say or do that would change that.
As Stuart drove through Manhattan on a busy Friday night, the thought made me shiver a little. I was head over heels for my best friend and business partner, and having given him my heart meant he had the power to destroy it.
And there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to stop him from doing just that.
The corners of my mouth curled up in a smile when I realized that he never would, though. Jase would rather walk on broken glass barefoot than ever hurt me. I knew that as well as I knew my own name.
He loved me as much as I loved him, and nothing could ever tear us apart. We could lose everything—our wealth, our business, our social status and the power that came with it—and end up back where we’d begun, and we’d be okay.
We’d still have each other, and that was all that mattered.
My heart sighed happily as Stuart pulled up outside my building. I thanked him, wished him a great weekend, and hurried quickly to the front door. The doorman on duty greeted me by name as he opened the door for me, and I asked after his wife before I got in our private elevator.
When the doors opened, I stepped into the small lobby before pushing open the door to our penthouse. What I found on the other side left me breathless.
Jase had left the office a couple of hours before me, and now I knew why. Dozens of fairy lights lit up our home, giving it an ethereal glow against the dark night sky. Candles had been placed on every available surface, adding illumination and making the view even prettier.
But the thing that made my heart beat faster was the pathway of red rose petals that begged me to walk it, so I did. I followed them through the penthouse to the door which led to our private balcony. Through the glass, I could see the man I loved waiting for me.
I pulled the slider open and stepped through, the petal pathway ending at the door. Jase grinned as I came outside. He was standing in front of a table with two chairs, having changed into dark blue jeans that encased his lower half like they’d been made for him and a blue sweater that matched the color of his eyes. I’d bought it for him years ago for that very reason.
He stepped aside so I could see the table clearly. On it was a linen tablecloth and a setting for two, just as found in a fancy restaurant. A bottle of something sat in an ice bucket to one side, and in the middle was a large, white tapered candle which had obviously just been lit.
“Hello, beautiful.”
I rushed over to him and he pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly. I rested my head on his chest and could feel his heartbeat, strong and steady. “Hello, handsome.” Tipping my head up, my own heart began to beat faster as his lips pressed against mine.
I lost myself in his kiss. In the way his tongue ran along the seam of my lips, asking for entrance. In the way it slid into my mouth and played with mine. In the way my body began to heat up, love and lust coursing through me for the man I was wrapped around.
When we parted to suck in air, I looked around once again. “This is amazing, Jase. No wonder you slipped out early.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, this took longer to set up than I thought it would, but you’re worth it.” His lips found mine again. “Why don’t you get changed into something more comfortable before dinner arrives?”
I realized as soon as he mentioned dinner that I was starving. “What are we eating?”
“You’ll find out when it gets here.” Kissing my nose, he released me.
I went back inside and changed into jeans, a soft, pale pink sweater, and my favorite boots before hurrying back to him. He’d poured us both a glass of white wine, and the feel of the alcohol on my palate made me giggle.
His phone dinged and he picked it up. “Ah, dinner is here.” He pulled my chair out and waited until I was seated before pushing it in, then picked up the napkin and placed it on my lap. Taking my hand in his, he lifted it up to his mouth and kissed it. “I’ll be right back.”
I settled back in my comfortable chair and gazed out into the night. Although the air was cool, I felt nothing but warm. I was about to eat what would no doubt be a delicious dinner with the man who’d captured my heart, and there was nowhere and nobody else in the world I’d rather be with than right here with Jase.
He returned carrying a tray which held two plates. I got up to open the door for him and then closed it again once he’d stepped through. Following him back to the table, I sat back in my seat and sniffed when he placed a covered plate in front of me.
Once he lifted the silver cover up, the aroma of the food sitting in front of me made my mouth water. I knew instantly where the food had come from: the kitchen of the Plaza Hotel. I gazed at the herb crusted rack of lamb with roasted potatoes and vegetables and my stomach growled approvingly.
