Page 74 of The Temptation
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from grinning like a fool. What Simon didn’t know was that I’d already run over to his house and taken all his possessions. Some of it was in boxes in a spare room, while his clothes had been added to the closet in the master bedroom.
In a hopeless attempt to maintain my collected facade, I threaded our fingers together and led him through the house. “Since this is going to be your home while you’re living in Cincinnati, I want to make sure you know how to find everything. You’ve seen the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, dining room…”
“I haven’t seen your study yet,” Simon chimed in playfully.
“That’s not an important room.”
“It has you in it. Of course it’s important.”
It was hard to frown at him for that. I don’t think I succeeded considering the way he giggled. “I’ll show you my study later. This room is more important.”
Simon leaned in and said in a secretive voice, “You’ve been working hard on this, haven’t you?”
Heat rose in my cheeks. “Hush. Play along.”
This was what happened when the guys’ boyfriends got together. They swapped stories, and it got that much harder for a guy to surprise his boyfriend properly.
Thankfully, we reached the closed doors on the far side of the house. Simon gasped and pulled free of my hand to touch the gold-plated sign to the left of the double doors reverently.
Simon’s Sanctuary
My lover looked over his shoulder at me, tears shimmering in his wide eyes. “I can’t believe you did this.”
“That’s just the beginning.” Butterflies took flight in my stomach, and my palms grew sweaty. Everything hinged on this moment. Yes, he already wanted to stay with me and keep me, but this would prove that I was worthy of that honor, that I truly knew him better than anyone else. I couldn’t fail him here.
With both hands, I grabbed the handles of the doors and pushed, throwing them gently open before stepping aside to allow Simon into the room first.
He hurried a few feet and stopped again, his hands shooting up to cover his mouth as he gasped, “Oh, my God!”
I had to admit that everyone who’d been hired to accomplish this amazing feat in such a short time frame had done a marvelous job. When I’d built the house, I’d had this two-story room made to be a flower conservatory and sitting room with huge floor-to-ceiling windows dominating one entire wall. However, I thought this was a far better use of the space.
The remaining walls had been painted pale lilac since purple was Simon’s favorite color, and the few pieces of furniture werea warm cream. A black grand piano gleamed in the weak winter sunlight that poured into the room. There was also a music stand and a table nearby that held his flute. Another station was set up for his violin.
“You created a music room for me.” Simon ventured forward, his hand trailing over this or that item as he seemed to take it all in.
He meandered around the room, inspecting the instruments and furniture. A gasp slipped from his lips as he darted to a built-in bookcase that had a small selection of books and knickknacks. However, there was one item that held a place of honor in the very center.
“It’s the statue from the charity auction! You never told me you had won it.” Simon lifted a hand and carefully slid his finger along the piece’s smooth lines.
“I technically didn’t,” I admitted.
Simon jerked his hand back, and his eyes snapped to my face. “What do you mean?”
“After a sizable donation, the charity gave me the name of the person who did win it. He was willing to trade the statue for the painting that I won.”
“Not the first one that you bid on! You liked that one.”
I shrugged. “It wasn’t as important to me as getting this statue for you was.” I strolled closer and grinned at the interesting abstract piece. “Besides, you remember that violinist statue in my office?”
“Yes, he’s adorable. I like to imagine you got that because it reminds you of me.”
“I did. And now we both possess a piece of art by the same sculptor. I like that even better than the painting.”
Simon stared up at me, his smile so big it nearly filled his entire face. “Pierce Sutton, I had no idea you were such a romantic. You’re going to make me swoon.”
Chuckling, I lightly grabbed Simon’s shoulders and turned him toward the couch positioned near the windows. “That’s why you have this couch and chair right here. Perfect for swooning. The windows face south, so you’ll get plenty of indirect sunlight during the day and a pleasant view of the flower gardens beyond,” I explained. “There are speakers hidden around the room that you can connect to using Bluetooth, so if you want to play a recording of your music, you’ll be able to. And look over here.” Simon spun and hurried to a medium-sized lilac box, which I opened to reveal an assortment of drinks and snacks, including boxes of pre-sliced cheese and some crackers. “Hilda and Mrs. Cantrip have been instructed to keep an eye on this refrigerator. They are to keep it stocked with drinks and snacks so you don’t have to leave the room while you’re working.”
“Poor Hilda and Mrs. Cantrip. There’s no way they can keep up with my cheese consumption.”
