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There was no point dwelling on the things she couldn’t change, so she glanced around the property to make sure the coast was clear, then hurried to the door. Lucas had texted her and told her to come in when she arrived, so she pushed the door open and stepped into the house she’d always admired from afar but never up close.
Inside was much cozier than she expected, with exposed wood and warm earth tones. She walked through a foyer, a living room on one side with dark brown leather couches and on the other side another sitting place with soft plush hunter green couches that sat around a fireplace. Ella was actually surprised; she expected the house to be ostentatious like his restaurant. Maybe not with flashing signs and bright red wood cut outs in the shapes of lobsters but something a little more over the top than the subdued serenity she was experiencing.
It was a large house for only one man, and Ella wondered if the space was more a comfort to Joe or a burden. Having so much room and no one to share it with seemed terribly lonely. There were no family pictures on the walls and in the one room just a single painting of a forest hung above the hunter green couch.
If he moved the picture over the fireplace and added a mirror above the couch it would give the room more depth and reflect the natural light, not to mention it would help dress up the room. It was a great space with so much potential that didn’t seem to match the rest of the house.
The ideas began forming in her head as she moved on, taking in the paintings on the hallway wall all done by local artists. She wondered why he didn’t hang a few in the other rooms.
The mouth-watering scent of rosemary and garlic filled the air.
“Hello?” she called out, following the delicious aromas.
“I’m in here,” Lucas called to her, and she followed his voice into an updated kitchen with dark stained wood cabinets, stainless steel appliances, and dark gray and white marble granite countertops.
It was absolutely stunning, and though Ella knew Joe didn’t have family she hoped that he had friends to share this amazing space with. “This kitchen is beautiful,” Ella said as she walked in.
Lucas turned from the stove, his gaze immediately heating as it landed on her. Her teeth slid over her bottom lip at the intense gaze. “Hey,” he said.
She moved to him, not looking over her shoulder or worried about getting caught, and lifted on tip-toe to kiss him.
He pulled her to him, kissing her thoroughly until she couldn’t think straight. He drew back, resting his forehead against hers, a smile playing with the edges of his mouth. “I missed you,” he said.
“You act like you haven’t seen me in days.”
“It sure as hell feels like it.” He smiled wider, and she felt it right down to her core.
She cleared her throat and spun toward the stove. “So, what is that I’m smelling?”
“Lemon, rosemary roasted chicken,” he said.
“If it tastes as good as it smells then it’s going to be delicious.” She rolled up her sleeves and grabbed a knife to help him cut the potatoes he had on the counter. “I’m not going to lie,” she said. “I was expecting to come here to a bunch of take-out bags.”
“No faith. I’m insulted.” He smiled, causing the dimple in his right cheek to appear.
She laughed. “Well, you shouldn’t be, but I on the other hand, am pleasantly surprised. Where did you learn how to cook?”
“Leo, my roommate in college. His dad was a chef.”
“Lucky you. I lived on Ramen for the two years I was in school.”
He dropped a bunch of asparagus in a grill pan and added olive oil. “If given the choice,” he said, “would you choose to eat Ramen for the rest of your life or lobster?”
“Oh god,” she said. “Do I have another option?”
“Nope.”
She tapped her chin while in thought. “I guess lobster.”
“I really thought you’d go Ramen,” he said.
“It was close, but there are more things I can do with lobster. I can sauté it, toss it with pasta, put it on a roll, grill it, really the options are infinite.”
“I’d say you made a good choice then. So, how was your day?”
“Other than being lured into an alleyway by some mysterious and handsome man?” she said with a wink. “It wasn’t bad.”
He came up behind her, his front pressing against her back, his hand running down her arm and resting where she held the knife. “That was definitely the highlight of your day, though, right?” he said against her ear, his warm breath tickling her skin, sending a sexy chill down her spine.
