Page 138 of Prelude To You

At the same time, tasting the pastry wasn’t all that makingprofiteroleswas about. It had everything to do with reminding Roman of our night in the penthouse. Perhaps, just perhaps it would bring him good memories. And when he found out I worked there, he wouldn’t fire me on the spot.

By the time I got home, Meg was already asleep. I was secretly thankful. She definitely didn’t need to know about any of this right now. Eventually curiosity got the better of me and I searched for Belmont-plus-Newport on my phone, then filtered out all the hotel results.

Money definitely bought you anonymity because references to the Belmont family themselves were nonexistent. But there were two old images, one of the house, and the other of the library, which was apparently considered one of the most beautiful home libraries in the country. And it was located inside “Belmont Manor.”

I’d been going to the place for days and had no idea it had a name. Nor that the man who’d turned my world upside-down resided in the south wing.

How I was going to navigate this perilous situation was anyone’s guess. One thing I had made peace with was that whatever happened from this point on was out of my hands. I switched the bedside lamp off and crawled deeper underneath my quilt.

And for the few minutes it took for me to surrender to exhaustion, I imagined Roman behind me, pulling me into him the way he does, his body a protective shield insulating me from harm. And with that, I invited him into my dreams, where reality had no place.

I woke up screaming,terror-fueled adrenaline flooding through me. Not that I could remember the nightmare in detail but getting lost in Belmont Manor was part of the storyline.

At first guess, having watchedJane Eyreearlierdidn’t help. And at a second guess it also didn’t help that the man who’d rejected me, and whose touch sent me into a frenzy of lust and yearning, lived in the same dreaded labyrinth of a house where I worked.

I switched on the bed lamp to quell the dark.

Just then Meg stormed into my room with a baseball bat, ready for battle. “Where is he, where is the motherfucker!?

I nearly had a heart attack. “Jesus Meg, what motherfucker?”

“You screamed like someone was ripping out your guts.”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” I said. “It was just a dream.”

The baseball bat was chucked to the side and Meg plonked down on the bed. “More like a nightmare. Jesus, I nearly peed my pants. Are you okay?”

“I’m sorry. But my nerves are shot. It might have something to do with how screwed I am.” I rubbed my face as if trying to wipe the last dregs of the nightmare from my mind. Only to be faced with a cold hard reality that wasn’t much better.

Meg frowned. “Screwed? I thought you were going to march into that place and seduce him with yourprofiteroles.”

“Not so much. It’s a crazy idea. No way does that go well.”

“What the fuck have you got to lose?” Meg insisted.

We squared off, our eyes locked. “You know what, Megan, the last time you said that to me I had my still-beating heart ripped out of my chest, chopped into little pieces and thrown on the ground and stomped on with combat boots.”

“Wow, dramatic much? You told me when you saw him in the library he looked like he hadn’t slept in days, and that he talked about you like he missed you something fierce!”

“I never said he was missing me. I said it sounded like he was reminiscing. Huge difference.”

“He got your job back at double the pay.”

“It was the least he could do after destroying my soul.”

“Wow, this nightmare really had to be something. You’re a bit of a mess, sweet pea.”

“Now you can see how going back to Belmont Manor is completely insane.”

“Excuse me, not two days ago you were bawling over them switching off the old man’s machines unless you were there to run interference.”

“His name is Henry. And I’m pretty sure Emily’s got his back.”

Meg raked irritated fingers through the bird’s nest on her head. “Does this mean you’re not going back there?”

Tears were burning behind my lids. “I’ll call Emily in the morning and explain that being a pastry chef is my calling, and that I have a second chance at Le Petit Chateau.”

“So basically you’re gonna lie to that sweet woman. Because there’s nothing you want more than to go back to Belmont Manor. Tell me I’m wrong.”

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