She turned to meet his eyes. “I more than like it. It’s beautiful.”
He caught her elbow as she bent over to take off her shoes. “You don’t have to take off your shoes.”
Tonya had already slipped out of her pumps, leaving them on a mat. She unzipped the wristlet and took out a pair nonskid ankle socks. She walked on bare feet to a leather armchair and slipped them on, but not before he saw the bloodred color on her toes. He forced himself not to stare at her slim, shapely legs.
Leaving the wristlet on the chair, Tonya stood up. “Now I’m ready.”
“What else do you have in that little bag of tricks?” Gage teased.
“Just my cell phone and lip gloss.”
“No keys?”
Tonya shook her head. “I have an app on the phone that will activate the gate to the house.”
Gage slipped out of his shoes and left them on the mat next to Tonya’s. The only time he walked into the house without his shoes was after working at the restaurant. He always took them off and stored them in the room off the kitchen that doubled as the laundry and mudroom.
“Would you like to see the house first before we begin cooking?”
She smiled, dimples deepening in her cheeks. “Yes, please.”
He reached for her hand. “We’ll start upstairs and work our way down.”
* * *
Tonya enjoyed the warmth of Gage’s hand on hers as she walked up the winding staircase with wrought-iron railings that were so much a part of the city’s architecture. She marveled at the high ceilings, beautiful wood floors, and exposed beams throughout the house. The third-story bedroom nestled under the eaves of exposed beams was reminiscent of the garret bedroom she had occupied when she lived in France. He’d partitioned off an area for a music studio with an electronic keyboard, desktop computer, and built-in bookcases packed tightly with CDs. Tonya peered through a set of French doors opening onto the rooftop which held a trio of bistro tables and chairs.
Gage pressed his mouth to her hair. “I don’t entertain much, but I did host a rooftop party for some friends who’d come in from out of town last spring.”
Tonya nodded. Seeing the rooftop seating reminded her of the time she’d spent in Florence, Italy, where she and those in her cooking class had visited a restaurant and requested rooftop service. The experience was ethereal as she watched the sun set over the historic Renaissance city.
“Do you ever sit out here at night?” she asked Gage.
He nodded. “Not enough.”
Tonya registered the wistfulness in his voice, wondering if Gage’s life was so hectic that he did not have time to enjoy his home. She knew he was now a full-time teacher, played at Jazzes on Friday and Saturday nights, and occasionally helped Eustace with his catering orders, which left him with few precious hours to relax other than drinking a cup of coffee in the courtyard.
“If you don’t have time to help your brother with his catering orders, then I’m willing to step in for you.”
Gage turned her to face him, and rested both hands on her shoulders. “No, Tonya. You’re doing enough.”
“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that? If I don’t stay busy, then I’m going to lose my edge before it comes time for me to open my place.”
He leaned closer. “You’ll never lose your edge, because you’re a natural. When I asked you to make a pot of beef stock from scratch, you knew exactly what to do without hesitation. So, please don’t try and sell yourself short. Hannah told me you’re an incredible, innovative chef.”
She closed her eyes for several seconds. “You asked Hannah about me?”
Gage’s hands moved up to cradle her face between his palms. “No. When Hannah told me she was going to convert her home into an inn, she said it wasn’t going to be just a B and B. She said she also wanted to turn one of the guesthouses on the property into a restaurant and that she had already selected the chef she wanted to run it. She hadn’t mentioned your name, but said the chef had prepared meals for the bank’s employees and private clients, and as the assistant had more international experience than the executive chef. That’s why I was surprised when I found out you were that assistant chef.”
“Were you surprised her choice was a woman?”
His lids came down, hiding his innermost feelings from her. “Yes. And I was even more pleasantly surprised to find you so naturally beautiful.”
Tonya knew Gage was going to kiss her, and in that instant she wanted him to. He’d said she was beautiful, and whenever she was with him she felt beautiful, feminine, and desirable. Resting her hands on his chest, she leaned into his strength and warmth as his mouth covered hers in a tender, gentle joining; throwing caution to the wind, she surrendered completely to his expert seduction. She did not want to analyze whether he said what he had to gain her confidence so that she would sleep with him, but at that moment Tonya did not want to think about anything, just to enjoy the deep feeling of peace that entered her being—a peace that had eluded her for longer than she could recall.
Her arms curved under his shoulders, and she went on tiptoe to get even closer. She felt the heat of his body eddy down hers from her chest to the area between her thighs. She moaned as shivers of desire throbbed through her, and Tonya knew if she allowed Gage to continue to kiss her, she would beg him to make love to her. Then without warning he ended the kiss, both of them breathing heavily. She bit down on her lip as she waited for the pulsing in her nether region to subside.
Easing back, Tonya met his eyes. They were so dark, all traces of gray and green missing. It was obvious he was as aroused as she. Her gaze moved over his cropped hair, the tiny gold hoops in his lobes, and down to the rapidly beating pulse in his throat. Hannah’s words came rushing back—If Gage’s involved with anyone, then it’s with himself—and she wondered if he’d kissed her because he felt himself attracted to her, or was it because it assuaged his curiosity?
