Page 46 of Baby For The Billionaire Silver Fox

“Selfie time. Crowd in next to me so the statue shows in the background,” I said. He pulled in close so our heads were together and grazed the side of my breast with his hand as he eventually settled it around my waist.

I was so flustered I had to take several shots. I was sure my eyes were closed on the first one, and I was confident I had a goofy grin trying to cover the lust I felt on the rest.

After we were done, Dan put his arm around my shoulders and gave me a light squeeze. “Wait until you try the food,” he said in a low voice.

How could he make that sentence sound so seductive?Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out, I instructed myself.

“Is it time? Because right now, all I taste is my hair. The wind is starting to kick up.” I tried to gather all my hair up in my fist as we walked toward the building.

The chateau had a large stone terrace where bistro tables sat. Everything looked old, established, and solid. No one was sitting outside, which was understandable given the time of year. I would have loved to come back in the summer. By then, I could sample the wine, see the green leaves and young grapes on the vines, and enjoy the flowers that would spill over the sides of the terracotta pots. But that wouldn’t happen if I kept my travel nurse gig. I’d be long gone before then, and the thought made me surprisingly sad.

We were seated at a table for two in a somewhat secluded and dimly lit corner of the small dining room. The smell of the food made my mouth water.

“Isn’t this cozy?” I remarked as I looked around. “It’s small and intimate. I like that. They can give a lot of attention to their guests.”

All through the meal, Dan and I kept the conversation light, but between the sentences, his eyes were having a different conversation with mine. There was an intenseness to his gaze, a longing that made me squeeze my thighs together.

My hands started to fidget with the silverware on the table. “Remember, you promised to help me with the cheesecake when it gets here.”

“Of course.” His hand snaked out and rested on mine, stopping my fidgeting. “Are you nervous or something?” He started stroking the back of my hand with his thumb in a soft and sensual way.

“No.” That was a big fat lie. I was totally wound tight with sexual tension.

Just then, the server came up, and the cheesecake saved me from having to say anything else. She set it ceremoniously in the middle of the table. “Here you are.” She hesitated and then spoke again. “I’m afraid the weather has gotten much worse since you joined us this evening. If you wish to get going, I can box this up for you.”

Surprised to hear that, we tried to peer out the window but couldn’t see anything past the lit terrace. Just then, a strong gust of wind knocked one of the big terracotta pots onto its side. The crash was loud as it broke into pieces, and I winced. The stacked chairs were skittering from one side of the terrace to the other.

We looked at each other wide-eyed. “Holy cow, it doesn’t look like a good time to leave,” I said. “That kind of wind would rip out every hair on my head, which would be painful because I’m attached to it.”

I handed Dan his fork. “We might as well eat the cheesecake here and wait out the storm. It can’t last forever, can it?”

I’d looked around and noticed the staff had thinned out. Most of the customers were already gone. I hadn’t realized it was so late.

“Or maybe we should get going? It is a school night.”

Dan snickered. “And by that, you mean you have to work tomorrow? Let’s eat this first.”

We were making headway on the delicious cheesecake when I saw the server coming toward our table. Thinking she was coming to collect the dessert plate, I put out my hands to protect it. I hadn’t finished yet.

She gave a slight smile that turned into a worried look. “I’m sorry to report these high winds have caused several large trees to fall over the road. It is impassable. We’ve talked to the Highway Department, and they’re already backed up with other road closures considered more important than ours—major thoroughfares, roads to emergency services, things like that.”

“We’d like to offer you a room for the night. On the house, of course. The crews will work through the night, so hopefully, you can leave in the morning.”

We looked at each other.

“I can’t say I’ve ever useda tree has fallen on the road, and I can’t come to workas an excuse before.”

Dan was diplomatic. “It is what it is. Let’s go check into our rooms. I’ve heard they’re luxurious.”

“Welp, good thing I keep a mini travel toothbrush in my purse,” I remarked.

We ambled up to the hotel desk clerk, and I smiled at him. “We’d like two of your best rooms since you’re buying and all.”

“I’m sorry, but we only have one room left,” said the clerk.

“One room? Why only one room?” I asked, my voice higher than usual. I could feel Dan right behind me, crowding my personal space, breathing on my hair.

“We’re not a big chain hotel. We only have ten rooms that cater to wedding parties. Other guests from the restaurant have already taken all the rooms, save one,” he explained apologetically.

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