A Taste of Temptation (Las Vegas Nights 3)

Isn’t that what fascinated her about his television show? His lack of baggage, both physical and spiritual? He took what he could comfortably carry. Lightweight clothes that would travel well. His notebooks for when inspiration struck. Some toiletries. And most important? A camera.

Seized by a vision of what she would take on her own adventure, Harper picked out a rolling backpack system and gathered whatever accessories she would need for the next few weeks.

It wasn’t until she’d paid for her purchases and lugged them out to her car that she began to question the sanity of what she intended to do. What made her think that this man who might be her father would appreciate her showing up out of the blue? She had no idea if he knew she existed. But if she didn’t take the chance and meet him, she might never stop questioning who she was. Her identity secure, she would know whether or not she could stay quiet about her true parentage and spend the rest of her life living a lie. Scarlett and Violet had already promised to support whatever decision she made. She was lucky to have them in her life.

Anticipation filled her with a wild sort of joy as she returned to her hotel suite and sifted through all she’d bought. It was a ridiculous amount, she realized, staring at it scattered over her bed. Never before had she needed to mull over every ounce of what she was packing. Her trips had involved porters, bellhops and hired cars.

Harper abandoned her packing conundrum and went online to check flights to Johannesburg, South Africa. To her surprise she had several choices all leaving that evening. Why wait? Now that she’d made the decision to go, every minute that went by increased her craving to be off.

Unable to believe how easy the whole thing was, she assembled her own go bag. Small enough to fit in an overhead bin, it weighed thirty pounds completely loaded. By the time she’d dressed in jeans, a white T-shirt and a brown leather bomber jacket she’d found in the back of her closet, her nerves were humming with excitement.

As she turned off the lights and pulled the door of her suite shut behind her, Harper was struck by a profound sense of stepping across the threshold into a whole new state of being. It was thrilling to be rushing off into the night with no idea what to anticipate next and no way of controlling the outcome.

She was halfway down the hall when the elevator door opened and Ashton emerged pulling his own go bag behind him. When he spotted her, he stopped dead. His position in the doorway kept the elevator open.

“Where are you going?” he demanded as she stepped onto the elevator beside him.

“I could ask you the same thing.” Disappointment hit her. She needed him in Las Vegas, focused on the soon-to-open restaurant.

“I was coming to see you.”

She glanced pointedly at his luggage. “And after that?”

“I’m flying to New York for a few days. The negotiations for the new show have reached a critical point.”

“How critical?”

“I may be on the verge of losing the deal.”

Hope flared. If he didn’t do the new show he could stay on with The Culinary Wanderer. She was careful to keep her voice neutral as she said, “Maybe that’s not the worst that could happen.”

“But doing the new show means I’ll get to spend most of the year in New York City.”

Where she would be if she stopped asking questions about her biological father and accepted that she belonged in charge of Fontaine Hotels and Resor

ts. Would her relationship with Ashton develop into something serious if they were both in New York?

“It sounds like an amazing opportunity,” she told him. “I just wish you could do both the new show and The Culinary Wanderer.”

“Sounds like you don’t want me around.” He said it with a wry kick of his lips, but his eyes were serious as he awaited her response.

She’d felt connected to him these past few days. He’d filled her head with his stories and inspired her to go in search of a few of her own.

“It isn’t that.” She paused, unsure if she should voice how much she craved his company. The man had one foot out the door on the best of days. “Are you sure you’re going to be happy if you’re stuck in one place for a long time? Won’t you get bored?”

“If you’re worried about my ability to control my need for change, don’t be. Once I find something I love, I have no trouble sticking with it.”

“And yet here you are leaving town a week and a half before Batouri is set to open.”

His lips tightened momentarily. “Everything is handled. I’ve given Dae my recipes and instructions and he knows how I work. He can keep things on track until Cole gets here. And I’ll be back in a few days.”

“It’s your restaurant. Your reputation on the line.” From his expression she could tell he hadn’t expected her to pass complete control of the project to him. “I’m sure you know what you’re doing.”

“Which brings us to you. If you’re heading to New York, I can give you a ride in the network’s corporate jet.”

“Thank you, but I’ve already booked my flight.”

“Wouldn’t you rather travel in style? I can promise the pantry is well stocked.”