Page 42 of Finding Love on the Slopes

“How is it warm in here?” Leigh asked, dumbfounded but grateful for the heat surrounding her. The luxurious leather beneath her was working nicely to thaw out the bone chill she had gotten on the ride down the mountain.

“Remote start. I got it heated up while we were talking,” Enrique answered as he pulled out onto the deserted street and headed up the road to the chalet overlooking the slopes.

“Do you always open the door for women who ride with you?” she asked curiously.

“I would like to say yes, but I don’t think so. I’m afraid some women I take places I’m alreadycounting the minutes to get rid of them before the evening even begins. Harsh, I know, but it’s the truth. Anthony is actually the one who taught us boys to open doors for ladies. His mom raised him to be a gentleman, and he did his best to pass that on to me. Unfortunately, it didn’t stick on everything. I haven’t had many opportunities to escort women I respect and enjoy spending time with, but I can say that I opened the door every time for the few I have.”

“Are any of these women that you respect and enjoy spending time with potential candidates for your future wife?” Leigh wasn’t sure where that question came from and feared she didn’t want to know the answer.

“No. Not at all. Like I said, I never saw myself getting married. Each outing was an arrangement for someone’s convenience. Most of those women are happily engaged in long-term relationships. We still see each other and spend time conversing at different events, but their men do not feel threatened by me in any way. Those relationships were purely platonic.”

Enrique smiled when he heard Leigh exhale. He doubted she knew she had been holding her breath over his answer, but he was observant, and that little detail did great things for his confidence. She was really into him, and knowing that reassured him that he was on the right path and they were walking it together.

Within minutes, they had pulled into the heated garage and entered the large, luxurious home through a door leading into the kitchen. A delicious, spicy aroma wafted around them, making her mouth water and stomach growl.

A rotund man stood behind the marble-topped island, skillfully chopping a line of red onions, colorful peppers, large leafy greens, and various other vegetables on a massive chopping block. His white cap dipped when he tilted his head in acknowledgment of their arrival, and his white uniform was spotless, even though he was surrounded by different bowls of sauce.

“This is the kitchen, obviously,” Enrique said, closing the doors behind her as he led her in. “And this is Lorenzo, my personal chef.”

“Good evening, Mr. Rodriguez,” Lorenzo said with a slight bow. Then he turned to Leighann and greeted her with the same courtesy. His English was coated with a strong Italian accent. “Good evening, ma’am.”

Leighann smiled politely at him, but the idea of hiring a personal chef to prepare meals seemed excessive and wasteful. She didn’t have anything against chefs, but she preferred cooking and eating her own meals. So, she definitely didn’t see the need for someone else to do what she was perfectly capable of doing herself.

She knew from her previous visit that staying here was going to be uncomfortable for her. Wealth, especially displays of such extreme wealth, rubbed her wrong and had since she was a child. Keeping her mouth shut about her strong opinions on the subject and appreciating the place to stay while she was here was going to be difficult enough. Biting her tongue on the matter of a chef cooking for her was going to be impossible.

“I know you’re tired; I feel it too,” Enrique said, mistaking the frown on her face as a sign of fatigue, and nodded towards the hallway. “I’ll show you to your room. You can relax and take a shower or a bath while we wait for Lorenzo to finish his masterpiece.”

He led her to a door halfway down a long hallway and opened it for her.

“This is it,” he said as she stepped into the enormous room. “If you need anything, my room’s that way, or you can dial the numbers listed on the phone to reach the housekeeper and kitchen.” He pointed at the other end of the hallway. There was a good distance between their rooms, so she didn’t have to worry about them intruding on each other’s privacy.

“Thank you,” she said. “Really. I appreciate it.”

“It’s nothing.” Then he hesitated a bit. “What do you think of the place?”

“Uh, it’s… nice. Not sure you’re ready for my honest opinion,” she answered with a slight grin to soften her words, but not wanting to mislead him into thinking that she was alright with all of this opulence. “Definitely seems to be your style. Well, not your polished modern industrial style but the over-the-top, look at my riches, kind of style. A topic for another day, I think.” Then, teasingly, she added, “I think it’s alittlefunny that you can’t even cook for yourself.”

He pretended to look offended. “I can cook!”

“I doubt it,” she said skeptically, “Or you wouldn’t need a chef.”

“Hiring Lorenzo was a practical decision based on my limited schedule. I like to eat healthy, delicious food and rarely have the time it takes to make such meals. This way, a chef who was tired of running like a rat on someone else’s wheel gets to stay gainfully employed, and I have meals that are tailored to my dietary needs and desires prepared when I need them. If you want to bet who has more skills in the kitchen, that is a wager I will gladly take you up on,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

“I’ll keep that in mind for later. We might just have to have a cooking throw-down sometime. For now, that bath sounds good. I will meet you downstairs in one hour. Don’t be late, or I’ll ask Lorenzo for some Reaper juice.”

There was a mischievous look in her eyes as she smiled, closing the door in his shocked face at her threat. She leaned against it, chuckling at their banter, and took in the room. It was pretty and luxurious, as expected, painted in warm shades of cream, brown, and forest green. A large king-sized bed covered in a fluffy forest green duvet took up the center of one wall, with matching night tables and lamps on either side casting a warm glow around the room. A fireplace with a full sitting area occupied the opposite end of the room. A set of French doors opened onto a snow-covered balcony, which she assumed would have a spectacular view of the mountainside when the sun was up.

The bathroom was a sight to behold. White marble covered every surface with warm grey veins running through it. The faucets, cabinet hardware, and light fixtures were all covered ingold plating. The plush white towels practically begged to wrap around her body. A shower stall with not one but four shower heads took up one wall while a massive soaker tub stood against the opposite wall.

She quickly filled the tub with steaming hot water and added rose-scented bath salts. Climbing in and sinking up to her chin in the almost too-hot-for-comfort water, she could feel her tense muscles begin to loosen. The essential oils in the salts made her skin feel like velvet, and she luxuriated in the water for as long as she could, refusing to think of anything but how good it felt to be warm. When she couldn’t remain any longer, she soaped herself up with the rose-scented body wash laid out on the bamboo side table. She lathered her hair with the same fragranced shampoo, rinsed off using the convenient handheld sprayer, and added leave-in conditioner she found in a basket on the counter to her damp hair before combing through it with a bamboo comb.

Every possible item needed for a beauty routine outside of makeup had been provided. She slathered rose-scented lotion all over her now dry skin, applied facial moisturizer on her wind-chapped cheeks and cherry lip balm on her lips, and then used a green hair tie to wrap her damp hair in a bun on top of her head.

She pulled her dirty clothes back on, having no other options, until she entered the bedroom and found a dark blue lounge set wrapped in plastic on the cream satin-covered bench at the foot of the bed.Well, that’s a pleasant surprise.

Opening the package, she found a long-sleeved top, drawstring boxers, and pants to accommodate multiple sizes, warm fluffy socks, and house slippers. Leigh quickly changed into the clean clothes and headed downstairs.

Dinner was laid out in the formal dining area and smelled heavenly. Enrique was already there, speaking in low tones with his housekeeper when she entered.

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