21. Tessa
Chapter 21
Tessa
“Y ou have to try the trout.” Sitting on the couch, I pulled a silver lid off one of the plates.
“I ordered it for you.”
“I know, but you’ll absolutely love it, and I like steak too.”
He smiled. “If you insist.”
I saw fresh bread, olives, and an olive oil and balsamic vinegar mix. Mmm . I tore off some bread and dipped it in the oil.
I chewed and swallowed, then dipped a piece for Ro. “The bread is so good.” I held it up.
He leaned over the couch. He bit into the bread, then stroked my cheek.
Those little stealth touches made my chest go pitty-pat.
Turning, he strode to the bar. He found a bottle of wine and held it up. I nodded.
God, the man was gorgeous. I had to stop staring at him like a skeevy stalker. He probably had some of those.
I pulled the lid off the second plate. The steak looked delicious, even if it had gone cold. My mouth watered. I was starving. I hadn’t eaten dinner and I hadn’t had time to snack during my shift in the bar. The last thing I’d eaten was a stale cookie I’d stolen from Jazz this afternoon. Add in my recent aerobic exercise with Ro, and I needed sustenance. I cut into the steak, then lifted a forkful to my mouth. Yum . That’s when I spotted a small bottle of eyedrops on the table, nestled between the napkins and cutlery. I hadn’t noticed that Ro had red eyes. The flavors of the meat hit me and I moaned.
When I glanced up, Ro was staring at me, the bottle of red wine and bottle opener in his hands.
“Don’t make that sound unless you want me to drag you back to bed.”
I smiled and ate some more. “Are your eyes sore?”
He frowned. “No, why?”
I nodded at the eyedrops resting on the coffee table.
“They’re not mine. Maybe housekeeping left them accidentally.”
That wasn’t good. I’d have a word with Allie.
I kept eating. He sat beside me, his muscles flexing. I wanted to touch him. To explore those intriguing dips and ridges.
He handed me a glass of wine, then sank back on the couch and sipped his own wine.
“You look relaxed,” I noted.
“I should be.” He toyed with my hair. “I haven’t come that hard in a long time.”
Warmth filled me.
He toyed with my hair. “I haven’t taken the time to slow down in…”
“A long time?”
“Right.”
“Taking over as CEO of a large company will do that.”
“The Maldives deal hit some roadblocks. I can’t afford to lose it.”
I tilted my head. “Would it be the end of the world if it didn’t work out? There are other deals, right?”
He played with the skin on my neck. “I want it. I go after everything I want.”
I ate another mouthful of steak and swallowed. “I know.”
“My father would rub my face in it if I lost.” Ro’s face hardened.
“Do you really care what he thinks?” I asked quietly.
Ro stilled. “No. Consciously, no.” A groove formed in his brow. “Unconsciously…”
I didn’t want thoughts of his father to ruin our evening together. “Are you going to make me eat alone?”
“More bread first.” He grabbed another hunk. “Then I’ll try your fish.”
I sipped my wine. “You’ll get the Maldives deal done.”
“Yes, but I might need to suffer a few more migraines to close it. Maybe I should set you on to them?”
“Me? I’m not big into confrontation.”
He snorted.
I slapped his arm. “I’m not. I’m a fixer and a people pleaser. Allie is always telling me not to be a pushover.”
“Allie? Housekeeping supervisor.”
I nodded. “And one of my best friends. We went to school together. Sierra and Jazz round out our group.”
“Allie thinks you’re a pushover? Please, I remember every tart email you’ve ever sent me.”
I blushed. “I was polite.”
“And you have a skillful hand with subtext. The ‘go fuck yourself’ kind.”
My lips twitched.
He reached over and pulled one of my legs over his. “Your emails made me laugh. I realized I hadn’t been laughing a lot lately.”
I grabbed his hand. “You’re doing good work and you take care of your employees. More than I realized. I thought you were all about the profit.”
“And soulless hotels?” he teased.
“I said some were nice.” I rubbed my thumb over his palm. “I was worried you’d knock this place down.”
“I know.”
“But now, I know you’re going to do what’s best for the Windward. And all over the company. Like giving your staff increased opportunities, pay raises, health benefits?—”
He waved a hand. “That’s good for business.”
I ran my foot along his calf. “That’s not the reason you’re doing it.” I pointed my fork at him. “I see the good guy under the bossy billionaire exterior. I should have known when you made that big donation at the masquerade.”
“It was for charity. It’s a tax deduction.”
I rolled my eyes.
He gave me a smile that made my heart do another pitty-pat. Then he leaned forward. “I’d better eat, or the chef might throw a tantrum.”
“You’d be doing me a favor to keep him happy.”
We settled in to eat the delicious food. I sipped my wine and enjoyed the fruity flavor.
“Between your friends and family, you mustn’t have much time to yourself,” he said.
“I like spending time with them. It’s the summer, so my cousins are always over at my place.” I told him all about Haley, Caleb, Leo, and Josh. My tales of Simba had him laughing out loud as he ate the trout.
“Your aunt must be a hell of a woman to take in a child when she was barely an adult.”
“She’s the best. She’s such a good mom and she runs the cutest little gift store in town.” I took another sip of wine but my stomach felt… off.
Reaching over, I poured myself a glass of water and sipped some. I tried to shake off the weird feeling. But a moment later, I felt a little dizzy.
“Tessa?”
I blinked. Ro was frowning at me, his face a little out of focus.
“I feel… weird.” I put a hand to my chest and sucked in a sharp breath. “Ro…”
“What is it?” He shoved his plate away.
“My heart is racing.” I pressed my other hand to my stomach. “I feel like my stomach’s trying to tie itself in a knot.”
Nausea welled, hot and urgent.
Oh no . Leaping up, I raced to the powder room.
I made it in time to be sick in the toilet. Dropping to my knees, I retched until I had nothing left. My breathing was too fast, my heartbeat was racing. I dropped down on my butt, pulled my legs up, and rested my sweaty forehead on my knees.
Then a cool hand stroked my hair back. Oh God . He’d watched me vomit. He sat on the floor beside me, body pressed to mine. Oh God , I was sitting on the floor of a bathroom with Ambrose Langston.
He pulled me against him, and I flopped against his chest.
“Think I need to have words with Chef Harvey.” Ro’s voice was unhappy.
My heart was still racing uncomfortably. I closed my eyes, and he stroked my hair. If anyone had told me, just days ago, that I’d find comfort in Ambrose Langston’s arms after violently emptying my stomach, I wouldn’t have believed them.
He held up a glass of water and I gulped it down.
“Better?” he asked.
“My stomach feels okay.” But my heartbeat was still going crazy. I’d never felt anything like it. My vision blurred again and I felt a spike of fear. “Ro, something’s wrong.” I grabbed his palm and pressed it to my chest.
His eyes widened.
“Ro…” My voice was a scared whisper.
“Hang on, Tessa.” He lifted me into his arms, a worried look on his face.
My heartbeat picked up speed, like my heart was going to burst out of my chest. I whimpered and my vision went blurry again.
“Tessa?”
I vaguely registered him calling my name, but then blackness edged into my vision in giant splotches. Then everything went dark.