Chapter Fifteen
Thenextmorning,Sofia woke up wrapped in the warmth of Ozzie. Roman had sent up a breakfast platter that he insisted she pick on while he gathered their things. Before she knew it, he was escorting her out of a private entrance and into the Land Rover they had driven the night before. When they got to his apartment building, Sofia couldn’t help but gape at it. Her small two-story apartment building on a not-so-fancy part of town couldn’t compare at all. He pulled up to the valet, and they were greeted by name as Ozzie pulled Sofia’s bag out and handed the man his keys. She stood awestruck, staring up at the oversized building, and didn’t realize it until she felt him grasp her hand.
“Ready?”
Sofia just nodded and followed him in. Her body was still sore from the night before, and she appreciated he moved slowly for her. They made their way through the lobby where he was greeted by a woman behind the desk and then they entered the elevator. The doors closed behind him and he let go of her hand to reach into his back pocket.
“For you,” he said, handing her a white key card with the building logo on it.
“What is it?”
“Key card access to this elevator, my apartment and the parking garage if you’d rather park instead of valet.”
“But...”
“You hold it here,” he said as he pointed to a black glass plate on the wall of the elevator, “This one is private for the penthouse, so no one will be in it but you. It only opens with the key you have or mine. My mother’s have been deactivated, and I collected the extras from the staff that work here.”
“Staff?”
“The guards, lobby associates and my cleaning lady. When you are here, I want you to feel completely at home without a worry about anyone bothering you.”
Sofia didn’t know what to say, so she just held the card up to the plate and felt the elevator move them upward. When the doors opened, she stepped out into a small foyer with a decorative table and two double doors. Ozzie stepped forward and pointed toward the glass box on the wall, where she held her key up again and heard the lock disengage. He opened it for her and placed a hand on her back as she entered.
“Holy hell,” she let out under her breath as she took in the place Ozzie called home.
The entire apartment had floor to ceiling glass walls that must have been tinted because the sun wasn’t blazing inside. In any direction she looked, she could see the ocean below. It was breath-taking, as was everything else inside. He closed the door behind them, then walked towards the open kitchen and living space. There didn’t seem to be a wall in sight, but since she didn’t see a bed, she realized there had to have been more than she could see. Stepping forward, she admired the light wood flooring and cream-colored decor. Everything was light and airy. An oversized dining table stretched the side of one wall. The base was an enormous piece of driftwood, perfectly designed to hold the glass above it. Ozzie flipped a light switch and her eye caught a gold and glass modern light above them.
“Well, what do you think?”
She had an uncontrollable urge to run, but when she looked at the concern on Ozzie’s face, she realized he was just as nervous as she was.
“I’ve never seen anything this nice before.”
“Is it too much?”
“No, it fits you perfectly.”
He took a few steps forward, closing the space between them. “But does it fit you perfectly, too?”
Sofia didn’t know what to say. She stepped away from him and made her way to the windows. Looking out to the horizon, she tried to come up with the words she needed. Expressing her thoughts right now seemed to be extremely important to him and she didn’t want to mess things up by becoming a rambling nightmare.
“Where do you sleep?”
“Down that hallway are the bedrooms. The master is at the end of the hall.”
“Is it like this?”
“What with the windows? No. I mean, there are windows and you can still see the ocean, but I wanted something more comfortable in there. There is a terrace attached, so if ever I want to hear the waves, it’s the perfect place to sit.”
“Have you always lived here?”
“Not always. Do you remember when I said I made some smart investment choices when I was younger?” She nodded. “They were all in real estate. I bought my first home at twenty-three. Then bought and sold a lot of properties over the years. When this building went into foreclosure, I knew it was the only chance I’d have to secure long-term income from real estate, so I bought it.”
“You own the building.”
“Yes, and the one next door.”
“I think I need to sit down.”