Page 8 of Tall, Dark & Horny

My stomach betrayed me with a loud growl. I wrapped an arm around my middle and tried not to look as flustered as I felt. “I mean, I am, but I could’ve called down myself.”

“Now you don’t need to.”

I opened the door the rest of the way to let him in, my heart thudding as he pushed the cart into the room. Nothing about my reaction to him was normal. But I didn’t want him to leave.

He stopped near the table in the corner of the sitting room and lifted one of the domes, revealing a steaming plate of pasta with roasted vegetables and herbs. “This one’s vegetarian, just in case.”

I shook my head with a soft laugh. “You definitely don’t know me.”

A glimmer sparked in his eyes. “Not yet.”

My breath caught in my chest at the weight in those two little words. I crossed the room, hoping movement would hide my reaction.

“Maybe the steak with truffle potatoes and asparagus will be more to your liking.” He lifted two of the lids in unison. “Or chicken Kiev with wild rice and peas.”

“Yum.” I licked my lips and stared. “They all look delicious, even the vegetarian pasta, but that’s way more than I could eat for two big meals, let alone a late-night snack.”

“I wanted to be sure there was something you’d like, but you don’t need to finish it all.” He pulled out one of the four chairs and gestured for me to sit down.

After he pushed my chair in, I twisted around to flash him a grateful smile. “Would you like to join me?”

It must have been a trick of light because I could’ve sworn his pupils expanded to fill his entire eye for a moment. But when I blinked, they were back to the same gorgeous shade of blue as before. “Absolutely.”

He asked what I wanted before setting a plate in front of each of us—chicken for me and steak for him—before sitting across from me. Then he bent low to grab an ice bucket, two glasses, and a familiar bottle from the bottom of the cart.

“It’s a good thing you brought so much. Another drink of that whiskey would put me straight on my butt without getting plenty of food in my belly.”

“Then we can save this to enjoy with dessert.”

Sweets were my biggest weakness. My gaze flicked toward the last dome on the cart—the only one he hadn’t lifted yet. “There’s dessert?”

“Of course.” He lifted the final cover, revealing a chocolate tart with berries and fresh whipped cream.

My eyes widened. “This is way more than a late-night snack. It’s a feast.”

“Hardly,” he disagreed as we dug into our meals. “But I can make sure breakfast fits that description, if you’d like.”

After swallowing a delicious bite of chicken Kiev, I pointed my fork at him. “What are you…some kind of room service ninja?”

His lips curved. “That’s one way of putting it.”

“Well, I hope whoever runs this place knows their staff goes above and beyond.” I gave him a teasing smile. “Even for their unexpected guests.”

“I’m sure he’d appreciate the feedback.”

I tilted my head as a new thought occurred to me. “Wait…do you actually work here?”

“I suppose you could put it that way.”

My eyes narrowed at the slight glint of humor in his blue orbs. “What exactly is your job?”

He hesitated a beat. “I’m the owner.”

My jaw went slack. “The owner?”

“Yes.”

I wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that. “And you brought me dinner.”

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