There he was. Waiting for her. It looked like he might have been pacing, the way his muscled frame seemed to lurch forward as she met his gaze.
His lips parted ever so slightly. Eyes turning wide, growing with delight. His smile was genuine and deep as he took her hands and looked her up and down. “Well, hey.”
“Well, hey,” she teased back, his obvious pleasure warming her inside and out.
With a quick head shake, Max picked up her bags from the doorman, eyes staying fixed on her as she stepped through the threshold. And the second the door closed, he took her by the hand again and swung her into his arms. His kiss was fast, intense, deep.
Familiar.
They’d crossed into a new realm. A relationship. This was real. Toe curlingly so. She kissed him back with a familiarity that strummed her senses.
His hands skimmed down her spine and up again. “I missed you.”
“I saw you this morning.”
“Hours ago. Too long.” He kissed her nose.
She felt her nerves settling at the rightness of being with him. She winked and then looked past him to a huge two-wall corner window sprawled in front of her, revealing a perfect view of the Space Needle. A small gasp leaped from her lips. “You have to know your home is incredible. The view is...indescribably gorgeous. No wonder you love it here.”
“It was the logical place to make my mark. A techie mecca, home to companies like Amazon and Microsoft.”
Max shrugged in his flannel button-down shirt. A casual look for a casual answer and a man who she was realizing didn’t have a typical billionaire glitz she would have expected.
Her mind skated back to his words about Seattle. So he didn’t feel attached to the town?
As quickly as she formed the thought, she tossed it away. This was about taking things twenty-four hours at a time. To think about him calling somewhere else home implied something she wasn’t able to consider.
Just being here alone with him at all felt...surreal.
He placed her suitcase and his computer bag on the sleek black leather bench by the door. She immediately discarded her scarf, but elected to keep her jacket on. A chill lingered.
“I thought we could eat here tonight, on the balcony. Unless you would prefer to go out and see the city?”
Even though his private jet had been tricked out with every luxury she could have asked for, she’d been too nervous to eat or nap, which left her famished and drained. “Let’s eat in tonight. Tomorrow you can give me a quick tour of the city before we fly home.”
At least they would get to return to Royal together.
For how long?
; She shushed her thoughts again before they could ruin their time together before it even started.
“Supper here, then.”
She wondered if he planned to call in a catered meal or if there was something already here. He seemed so in control and not concerned she figured he must have plans A, B and C.
He strode toward the kitchen. Envy for a space like this tugged at her baker’s heart. The counter space alone made her drool. But the top-of-the-line steel appliances were stunning—paired perfectly with the industrial aesthetic of the concrete. A chef’s stove—gas with additional burners. A wine refrigerator.
What she could do with a kitchen like this at her bed-and-breakfast!
Max opened the refrigerator, eliciting a hiss from the mingling of air. She leaned on the countertop, the concrete cool against her fingertips. He pulled out a parcel wrapped in butcher’s paper. “I had the ingredients delivered for me to cook supper for you.” He grinned over his shoulder. “I do enjoy my kitchen, so I gotta confess I’m glad you opted to eat in. I ordered beef, since you appeared to like our dinner out.”
“I did. Very much, thank you.” She appreciated his thoughtfulness in noticing her preferences. “What would you have done if I’d chosen a restaurant instead?”
“I had my assistant make reservations as a backup at two different places.” He opened the paper to reveal two generous portions of filet mignon. “Once I get this rib eye seasoned with porcini mushrooms and a rosemary rub, I need to head down to my office briefly. I hope you don’t mind. You can make yourself at home here.”
“If you don’t mind, I would enjoy seeing where you work. Heaven knows you’ve seen every inch of my place, even the sewing room. If I won’t be disrupting employees?” She had to admit, his world intrigued her. A lot.