Chapter Nineteen
Hannah
"Wait, I forgot to take the shelves from the back seat," I said after grabbing the flowers from the passenger seat and closing the door.
"You can leave them there for now."
"Okay."
He took my hand, leading me to the back of the building. The garden was well tended to, and there were three jacaranda trees and a magnolia right next to the entrance. None were in bloom, but still there was a sweet smell permeating the warm air.
I was so excited. I knew from Josh that Chase didn't easily let people in his life, yet he was bringing me here, to his home.
"Wow," I whispered, stepping inside.
The loft was one room, just like mine, only it was about five times the size. The living room and kitchen were on the ground floor, and the bedroom was on the upper level. It was all white except for the huge brick wall behind the staircase leading up.
"I like this. It's so elegant and simple. Can you put my flowers in a vase?"
Chase frowned. "I don't have one."
He opened the cabinet above the sink and took out a water jug.
"Perfect." I immediately filled it with water and put the flowers there. I couldn't stop looking at them.
"Want to go up on the roof?" His eyes glinted.
What is he planning?
"Sure."
Was this really happening? I was here with this handsome man who was far more romantic than I thought back when I met his grumpy ass at the airport. He led me up the staircase, through the bedroom. It was white, just like the furniture downstairs. There was a second door next to the dresser that probably went onto the rooftop. We stepped through it, and I couldn't help but smile.
"Chase, I can't believe you live here."
This was amazing and unbelievably cozy. The view to the ocean was unobstructed. He had a huge couch with striped pillows, and there was an umbrella with matching stripes, too, although it wasn't open now. There were also two heaters spaced out, both on, which was probably a good thing because I didn’t have a jacket.
"What's that?" I pointed to some sort of table in front of the couch. It had a hole in the middle.
"It's an electric firepit. We can light it after dinner if you want."
"Are we ordering in?"
A smile played on his lips. His eyes glinted again. "You didn't notice it, did you?"
"What?"
He was looking at something behind me. I turned around, and my eyes bulged. There was a grill there, with chopped veggies and meat covered with cellophane on a table next to it.
"Wait, are my eyes playing tricks on me?" I said and practically darted toward it. Chase followed and wrapped both arms around me from behind, resting one on my waist and the other on my chest. I liked this bear hug. I could get lost in this man forever.
"But you said you had a meeting before,” I reminded him.
"I have ways of arranging stuff."
"Yeah, but this is not stuff ," I said. "I only just told you at lunch that this is my favorite dinner."
"Yes. And I listened, and I acted."
There was a bottle of champagne there too.
"Chase, how did this happen?"
"Private concierge."
" I haven't heard of anyone actually having one, but now I can see how it can come in handy. Is he or she going to cook too?"
"No. That's where I come in," he said.
Chase kissed the side of my neck and then let go of me. "I was lucky you said you love barbecue most. If you'd said something more complicated, then I would've been in real trouble. I would’ve brought a chef in.”
I couldn't help but laugh.
"What?" he asked.
"Nothing, just something your brother said about you being over the top is now making sense. In a good way.”
I grinned, walking behind him and wrapping my hands around his middle, resting my cheek against his back. He was pure muscle everywhere, I swear.
"All right, let's get started," he said.
I stepped to one side, watching him put on a leather apron that was hanging next to the grill and tie it behind his back. Then he took off his cuff links and rolled his sleeves up past his elbows.
"Here's an idea," I said. "You could take off your shirt so you don't accidentally drip something on it."
He looked at me intently, his eyes darkening a tad.
Don't poke a sleeping dragon, Hannah, or he'll wake up and maul you right away.
“We've got plenty of time for that later."
That sounded like a man with a plan, and I loved everything about it.
The best part about a barbecue was that it didn't require much attention, and it was ready in a very short time. Twenty minutes later, we were both sitting on the couch with plates of food. The chicken breast was marinated with rosemary and lime. I'd never had that combination before, and it was exquisite. He’d lightly salted the veggies, which I liked so much better than a heavy sauce or dressing. To be fair, Chase could've fed me anything and I would’ve liked it.
"Do you have dinner here every evening?" I asked him.
"No, only when Jeremy sleeps over."
I glanced up at him from my plate. "What? He comes here?"
Chase nodded, and my heart warmed at the thought of him spending time with his nephew.
"About once a month. He used to come more often when he was a bit younger. He was fascinated with this terrace, which was bad for me, because I almost had a heart attack every time we were up on it. I couldn't even walk away from him for one second. But now he prefers to spend more time with Knox and Finn."
He was a little jealous, I could tell. Oh my God, he made me smile. I loved that he cared about his family like that.
"Why doesn't he like to come here more often?"
"I think the exact words he used last time when I forbade him to go near the edge was 'You're no fun.'"
Oh yeah, he was making me melt.
"He's growing up so fast, and I feel like I can't catch up," he continued. "Even though you’d think I would, considering I’ve got experience with having had younger brothers.”
"I think being an older brother and being an uncle are two different things, you know. Oh, by the way, I think I’ll be able to get Mario Kart for him.”
Chase looked up from his plate in surprise. "How do you know about it?”
“He mentioned it when he was at the office. There’s a toy store about two blocks from me, and I’m friends with the owner. I asked her to keep an eye out for it. She assured me she’ll get it.”
“We’re all on the lookout for it, but all the places we’ve contacted told us there are waiting lists, no matter what we tried.”
I grinned. “That makes it sound like you tried to bribe them.”
“Exactly, and it didn’t work.”
“Well, I didn’t. But I helped the owner a few months ago—she lives in my building and couldn’t hang up new curtains by herself. Anyway, one thing led to another, and she likes me.”
“I bet she does. Thank you, Hannah.”
“No problem. And speaking of stores, how did your brothers take the news of you buying back your parents' store?"
"They're happy with my decision. I can't wait for my parents' reaction. The store meant a lot to them.”
“And to you too, right?”
He nodded. "Yes. I've got great memories there. Everything felt completely right back then, you know? I even imagined one day I'd lead a life similar to my parents with a full house of kids, a big family."
"You imagined having kids?" I asked.
He was still for a few seconds, then nodded. "Yes, a long time ago."
"Why didn’t that happen?"
He frowned. "I grew up, and things changed. The business required every ounce of my energy, and the relationships I had weren't exactly conducive to having a family."
"Wait, so you did have relationships?"
"Of course. I'm a grown man in his midthirties. I didn't just date until this age. But all my relationships were... well, let's just say I never went into one thinking it would lead to anything."
"Maybe that's the best approach, because I went into the relationship with my ex thinking we'd be together forever, and that blew up in my face. If I'm honest, I think I might have idealized a few things, made them out to be more than they were in my mind. I got my hopes up."
"Believing that your husband's a decent person doesn't mean you've got your hopes up. It's basically the rock bottom of requirements."
"When you put it like that.... We fought so much every time he insisted I sell the inn. I felt like my heart shattered into pieces."
Chase put his plate down and turned to me. "He pressured you to sell it even though he knew how much it meant to you?"
"He thought I'd get a lot of money for it, and we could buy something for ourselves.”
“If we ever run into him, I'll tell him exactly what I think about him." He laughed.
"I don't think we will. He moved away from San Diego. Let’s not talk about him, though. The evening is too perfect.”
"It is."
As we finished our dinner, he got up, bringing over the chilled bottle of champagne. He popped the cork and then poured it in two glasses, grabbing one at the stem. I did the same with the other one, and he tapped his glass to mine.
"For unexpected and perfect evenings," he said.
I nodded because I agreed wholeheartedly. I took a sip and then another one.
"This is good," I said before realizing Chase hadn't drunk any at all; he just watched me. "What?" I asked.
"Nothing. I'm having déjà vu from our evening at the beach. I wanted you even back then."
I shuddered. "You did?"
" So damn much."
I took a few sips of champagne and then put the glass down, sighing as I looked at the water. "So damn gorgeous, isn't it? I swear to God, I think this is one of the best views I've ever seen. The perfect angle over the water, you know?"
He buried his nose in my neck.
"Hey, you're not watching it."
"No, I just want to feel you."
My whole body was humming beneath his touch. "Thank you for bringing me here," I murmured.
We stayed entwined like that for a long time, until it was pitch-black outside.
"Want me to light the fire?" he asked.
"No, I have a better idea."
"Your wish is my command."
I shuddered, his words sending tendrils of heat straight between my thighs.
"I’d like for us to go inside and dance.”
"Fuck yes." He took my hand and led me downstairs.
I laughed. "What about cleaning up?"
"Don't you worry about it."
The second we entered the loft, I felt a shift between us. His touch was almost sensual, even though he was just keeping my hand in his. Then he interlaced our fingers. As we went down the staircase to the living room, he tapped on his phone a couple times, and music blasted through the loft.
"You've got a surround system," I said in awe. "I really love this place."
“Then you’ll love everything I plan to do to you tonight.”