I stepped into the darkening evening, the cold air rushing up against my bare shoulders. We were in front of the Des Moines Botanical Gardens, the big glass dome glowing slightly from an inner light. Owen stepped out of the car and immediately shrugged out of his jacket and draped it across my shoulders without even waiting for me to get cold. It was warm and smelled like his cologne. I took a deep breath, my insides going tingly at being wrapped in his scent. He grabbed my hand, his body heat seeping into my palm, and pulled me toward the entrance.
He led me into the big dome housing all the tropical plants. I loved to come here during the winter to take a break from the gray Iowa cold and to be surrounded by heat and tropical flowers. It was usually busy as everyone else in Iowa typically had the same idea, but tonight, we had the place to ourselves.
By the waterfall in the center of the garden, a thick blanket was spread out along the floor with a full picnic dinner. Soft lighting gave the entire area a moonlit glow, the gurgling sounds of the waterfall filling the humid air. A small arrangement of plumeria flowers sat in the center of the blanket.
"This is amazing... how did you do this?" I asked. I had never heard of anyone renting the space for a private picnic.
He shrugged and smiled. "It wasn't hard. Here, come and have some dinner."
The blanket felt soft as I knelt down on the ground, settling my skirt modestly. Owen sat down smoothly next to me, our hands close enough to touch if we wanted them to.
Owen pulled four large mugs from the basket, followed by a big red thermos and then handed me a plate wrapped in tinfoil to open. He unscrewed the thermos and poured a steaming delicious red tomato soup into two of the cups, while I unwrapped the tinfoil. Inside were perfect grilled cheese triangles. As I looked at them, I realized that they weren't just plain grilled cheese, but stuffed with bacon, avocado, and at least two different kinds of cheese.
"Emma told you grilled cheese and tomato soup is my favorite, didn't she?" I asked with a grin. He stole a sheepish grin in my direction, as if he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
"I really wanted you to like it. What do you think?"
"I love it." I loved that he was trying so hard to make me happy. It was incredibly endearing.
Owen grinned and pulled out a second thermos, this one in blue. He opened it and carefully poured a dark liquid into the remaining empty cups. The smell of rich hot chocolate made me smile, especially when he pulled out a can of Pringles potato chips.
"This I remembered on my own," he said with a small smile as he handed me the can. I smiled widely and popped the top, dunking a chip into my hot chocolate. Owen laughed at my enthusiasm and grabbed a chip for himself. He dipped it carefully, and stuck it in his mouth. A strange look came over his face. "This is seriously your favorite food?" he said around pieces of the chip still in his mouth.
I nodded and dipped another. He swallowed and looked at me as though I might be a little crazy. "You don't like it, do you?" I asked. He shook his head from side to side.
"It's, well," he paused. "It's disgusting."
"You just have no taste in good food," I teased him. He relaxed as he realized I wasn't going to hold his dislike against him. I knew that not everyone liked the sweet and salty combo.
"Right. I'll go tell that to the French chef that cooks for me," he teased back.
"You have a French chef?"
He nodded like it was the most common thing in the world. He reached for a sandwich and bit into it carefully. When I was just talking with him, it was easy to forget that he was worth almost a billion dollars. "You'd like him. I don't know if he would appreciate the fine dining of potato chips and chocolate though."
"I saw chocolate covered Pringles in a store once. They were sold as a delicacy, so I'm pretty sure you just have wacky taste buds." I reached for a sandwich and dipped it in the tomato soup. It was a little slice of heaven, the cheese blending perfectly with the soup and accented by bacon. "I think I will never eat a plain grilled cheese again. This is amazing."
Owen grinned and reached for a second sandwich. "I thought you might like it. I had it this way in college, and I never looked back."
"I definitely like this version. Thank you. This whole day has been fantastic."
"You are most welcome. You look amazing, by the way." He set his hand on mine, sending a thrill through me. I blushed, but I didn't pull my hand away. In fact, I tipped my chin up and leaned forward, pressing my lips against his.
He tasted like grilled cheese, but I didn't care. He was delicious. Owen's hand went to the back of my head, his fingers tangling in my perfect curls as he pulled me closer. His tongue searched for mine, our mouths opening to find one another. He lowered his lips, his teeth grazing the tender skin of my jaw, sending heat surging through my belly.
"Do you have to catch a flight tonight?" I whispered, remembering the limo. I was giving serious contemplation to just taking him there on the blanket in the middle of the lush tropical garden, but having a bed would be better. He chuckled, the sound throaty and deep.
"No, no flight this time."
I looked up at him, biting my bottom lip with desire and just a touch of nerves. "You want to come back to my place?"
He kissed me again, taking my breath away. It was okay though, because when I was with him, I didn't need to breathe.
"We could do that. Or, I got us a hotel room."
"So you thought you were going to get lucky tonight, huh?" I asked with a giggle, giving him a playful punch on the arm. He traced a finger down the curve of my cheek, the touch light but seductive.
"I suppose I should say I got myself a hotel room, but I made sure it would be big enough for two if you wanted to come visit." His eyes sparkled with amusement.