“Thank you,” I replied, picking it up.
“Enjoy your stay, gentlemen,” she replied, smiling at Nick as he looked around. “Feel free to explore the hotel. It’s quite beautiful.”
“Thank you.” The wonder in his voice said he was blown away.
I smiled at her, then tilted my head toward him. “Architecture geek.”
Theresa looked at Nick. “Then you’ve come to the right place. Make sure to visit the Palm Court.”
I gave him a minute to take it all in, but I was anxious to get upstairs. There was so much more to see than the lobby.
“Ready, babe?” I squeezed his hand to get his attention.
Nick blinked a couple times, then turned his gaze to me. “Uh, yeah,” he mumbled, then straightened his spine and replied more resolutely. “Yes, I’m ready.”
I knew he had a million questions rolling through his head, and I’d answer every one of them once I got him to our room. This week was going to blow his mind.
Pulling him along, I led him to the bank of elevators. As we waited for the car to arrive, he started asking questions.
“Preston. How in the world…”
I cut him off with a kiss as the doors opened. “I’ll explain when we get upstairs.”
Nick looked at me suspiciously and nodded as we rode to the thirteenth floor. He studied me as if he’d never seen me before, and I knew all his questions were because I’d brought him to this opulent place. Thankfully, he didn’t let go of my hand.
When the doors opened, I strode out with his hand firmly in mine.
Stopping outside our door, I slid in the keycard from the envelope to open it. “Go ahead, babe.”
I watched Nick as he walked through the short corridor that led to the bedroom decorated with Louis XIV decor and the Christmas tree I’d requested for our room. I wanted him to be immersed in the unique feeling of the city during the holidays.
He immediately went to one of the two floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the private courtyard and fountains only those staying in the hotel could see. When he turned from the windows, he looked at the king size bed that sat against the far wall, complete with a chaise lounge, sitting area, and butler’s pantry.
I braced myself for the myriad of questions that presented themselves. “Preston. How…why…fuck? This issoexpensive.”
I sighed and walked to him. Cupping his face in my hands, I looked into his eyes. “It’s okay. Money is not an issue. Just trust me.”
Nick looked at me with furrowed brows. “What does that mean, exactly? And how did she know your name?”
“I’ve stayed here a few times,” I said, swiping my thumbs over his cheeks. “Theresa has checked me in almost every time I’ve been here.”
He looked away from me, his brow furrowed.
“Nick,” I said, drawing his eyes back to mine. “I have money. A lot of money, really. So don’t worry about this.”
His ice-blue eyes bored into me. “I’m gonna need you to give me something here. I figured you had money, especially with the apartment at home. But how does Bernardo’s dothiswell? It’s so small.”
“Let’s sit and talk.” I took his hand and led him to the chairs. He sat, and I followed, never letting go of him.
“I owned a group of high-end restaurants on the East Coast before I moved to Portland. The restaurants did really well, and I had lots of offers to buy me out. If I’m being honest, my life had changed, and I’d lost my passion for it. And I missed my best friend. So I sold them and moved to Portland. Stella and her husband followed, and we started looking for something new.”
Nick studied me again, so I waited for the next question.
“I want to ask, but I know it’s none of my business. This is just so…”
I smiled. “I know, and normally I wouldn’t disclose this information. But I trust you, because we have something special here. I guess anyone could find the information if they looked hard enough, but I never want you to feel blindsided or caught off guard for any reason.”
He looked down at where our hands were tangled together. From the look on his face, I’d say he was trying to figure out whether he could handle what I’d told him.
