Discovering Pride (Pride Series) (13 page)

Her eyes became unfocused as she realized she was in love. How had it come to this? The man infuriated her.  Didn’t he?  She had tried to ignore him and ignore her feelings for him. But now all these pictures had snapped her last lock, the lock around her heart that had been holding her back from the last big leap.

Taking a deep breath, she shook her head and chuckled.
Wasn’t it just like her to
 
fall in love with a man who would keep her on her toes. 
 
Well, she was sure of one thing, life would not be boring.  All
 
that was left was to convince him he couldn
’
t live without her.

Confident now in her new found emotions, she continued exploring the house and arrived in what she would consider the great room. The room took up half the house and held a leather couch, a cherry coffee table, and a large flat screen television next to a large stone fireplace. She noticed that there was not much else in the room; there weren’t pictures or mementos here.

Aaron had left the ceiling high, leaving the large wood trusses exposed. She saw they were stained a dark color and gave the room an open feeling. She saw all the way to the backside of the house and saw the kitchen through a large opening in one wall. Heading back towards the delicious smells, she noticed that Aaron’s back was to her while he chopped something.  Lacey leaned against the wall and crossed her arms over her chest and continued to look around.

The house had come a long way in the time since she’d been there last.  The kitchen was breathtaking.  She estimated that it was larger than her own and was full of new appliances. She smiled when she saw the stove was restaurant quality and gas to boot! The man knew how to put a kitchen together.

Where most of the rest of the house still needed painting, wall coverings, and furniture; the kitchen seemed to be complete.

She noted that the cabinets were a dark cherry and the counters were marble.  She approved of the dark wood blinds that hung in the windows along with the island that cut the room into two.  She wanted to take a look at the stacked ovens that stood on the opposite wall, and then spotted the large glass door refrigerator, it was completely stocked with food.  I guess he can feed himself now, she thought.

Just then Aaron turned around and was startled to see her standing there causing him to almost drop the hand full of onions he had just chopped.

“
Oh! You’re awake.” he smiled, trying for a smooth recovery.

“Mmm, smells good.” she leaned over and took a carrot off a plate.

“
I like what you’ve done with the place.” Walking over she ran her hand on the smooth counter top and rounded the island to sit on one of the bar stools. Placing her chin in her hand, she watched him dump the onions into a sizzling pan.

“
Hope you don’t mind fish.”  He smiled as he placed another fish filet in the pan then glanced over at her when she did not answer. “You seem surprised that I can cook.” he said after noticing her expression. 

“
A doctor and a cook? What else have you got up your sleeves?” she shrugged as she started to nibble on the carrot.

“
Hmm, I give a mean massage.” When he smiled over at her she fought the urge to blush. 

He watched her lips as she ate the carrot and got transfixed with her mouth.  She was killing him.  He almost forgot to keep an eye on the fish.

When he turned back to the stove, she finished the carrot and stretched her arms above her head, “I guess I was more tired than I thought.”

“
I’m glad you got some rest; it’s not healthy to work yourself like that.” he paused as he flipped the filets. “You know, if you wanted to avoid me, you could have simply stayed home.”  Looking over his shoulder, he realized he hit the mark by the guilty look she gave him.

“
Listen Aaron…” she started.

“
Please don’t. Let’s just enjoy a nice civilized dinner,” he said changing gears.  He removed the fish from the heat.

She felt the urge to explain more but went with the mood. “Sure. Can I help?”

“
No, tonight I serve you. Go on into the dining room.” He pointed her towards another room off the side of the kitchen. “I’ll bring this right in.”

Lacey walked into the next room and smiled.  It was smaller than the kitchen but very comfortable. Large picture windows covered one wall and in the middle stood a circular cherry table with four cushioned chairs.  To the side stood a small dinette, and a fire crackled in the stone fireplace on the opposite wall. Above the fire was a picture. She walked closer and saw it was a painting of a ship set on storming waters.  Seeing that it was one of Allison’s, she smiled.

She saw wine chilling on the side table, and there were candles already set on the table.  She moved to light them and was pleased by the Jasmine smell they produced. He did have good taste. He walked in carrying a salad and after setting it on the table, he walked back out. She noted there were almonds and large green olives among the fresh leaves and had to smile. Okay, he really had good taste.

Dinner was excellent. The conversation some of the best she had enjoyed in a long time.

“
You know, we could use another chef down at the restaurant.” she said later as she helped him clear the table.

“
No thank you, I like my profession.” Grabbing the plates from her, he nodded towards a bar stool.  He then proceeded to carry the dishes to the sink and started rinsing them.

“
Where did you learn to cook?” she asked as she finished off her glass of wine.

“
Here and there, but mainly in Paris. I was there for about a year.”  He noticed her glass was empty and filled it for the third time. He could see that the wine had dulled the headache he could see earlier in her eyes.

“
Really, Paris? I lived there too.” she smiled.

“
I went through this phase in my life and I thought Paris was the answer.” A small crease crossed his forehead.

“
I went there to find myself.” she smiled over at him. “That’s where I met Matt, Megan’s brother. You could say he came to my rescue when a date went bad.” She smiled again remembering the night.

“
You met Matt in Paris?” Aaron felt a stab of jealousy. He knew that Matt had died recently but it got him wondering whether there had been something between her and Megan’s brother.

“
Yes.” She saw the look that came into his eyes and did not mind the pleasure it caused her to see he was a little jealous. “I had met this painter, yes I know it’s a cliché, but he had these big puppy dog eyes and spoke with the sexiest Spanish accent and asked me to pose for his drawings.”

Aaron let out a breath that sounded a lot like a laugh.

“
What?” she asked tilting her head.

“
You didn’t really fall for that line did you?” he said sipping his wine as he leaned against the counter. He looked very relaxed and sexy in the cozy kitchen.

“
Oh, it was no line.” she smiled into her wine.  “Naturally when he invited me to meet him later that afternoon at the cafe down the street, I saw no harm in it.”

“
And he jumped at you?” Aaron could see where this was going and didn’t like it.

“
Oh no, we had a lovely time.  He was a shy and quiet gentleman and a very good artist.  I still have the painting hanging in my bedroom.” she smiled again.

Aaron realized his hands were clenched around his wine glass so he forced his fingers to relax.  

“Where does Matt come into the picture?”

“
Well, you see I met Ricardo at the cafe to pick up my painting, and you would never think to look at him, but he was married with four children.  I guess his wife didn’t like the attention he had been giving me; so she showed up at the cafe to his surprise.”

Aaron drew a breath trying to be patient. Apparently when Lacey told a story, the details were very important.

Aaron was having a hard time trying to be patient.

“
Well, as luck would have it, Matt had overheard the ensuing argument as he was sitting at the next table. When Mrs. Ricardo was threatening to scratch my eyes out, Matt jumped in and explained, in Spanish no less, that he had commissioned Ricardo to paint me for a wedding anniversary present. Then he quickly paid for the piece of art and we left the café together.” Lacey smiled again thinking the whole thing was just as funny now as it had been then.

“
Matt was a great friend.”  She stopped smiling and looked sad.  “We spent weeks together exploring Paris, when he found out I was from Pride I guess he decided to come for a visit.  Turns out he had been born near here and came to visit when his trip to Paris was over.”

Remembering the fond times she had with her friend before his death, she took a deep breath.

Wanting to change the subject she stood up and started to walk around the room “You really have gotten a lot done around here. That kitchen is something else.” Her headache was dull and she thought she was a little tipsy but enjoyed the feeling. He followed her into the next room and listened to her as she explored the rooms.

“
You amaze me.” The simple statement had her doing a double take as she was inspecting the fireplace in the great room.

“I… I do? Why?”

“
Because, you see the good in people, you’re not out for self-gain, and you trust people easily. Someday, I’m worried; you’re going to get hurt.” He walked over and grabbed her wine glass and set it down on the coffee table then started back towards her.

“
I don’t trust everyone.” It was a whisper in the large room.   She felt very much like the mouse waiting for the cat to pounce. Taking a deep breath she took a step back but she ended up tumbling onto the couch she had not realized was behind her.

Aaron chuckled then proceeded to sit next to her.

“
Do I make you nervous?” he asked as he leaned over and placed his arm around her to pull her closer to him.

“
Yes, dreadfully so; why do you do that?” she asked looking over at him.

Reaching up he used the back of his fingers to gently smooth the crease in her brow, then he let his fingers trail down her face and settled under her chin.  Nudging her face up, he looked into her eyes and realized she was a little more than drunk. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were slightly out of focus but her lips looked very inviting.

“
You inspire me.” he leaned down and tasted her mouth. He meant to show her tenderness, but the taste of her and the feel of her sent him spinning. Pulling her closer so that she almost sat on his lap, he reached around and gripped her hips.

Her hands were already racing over his face and neck to end up tangled in his hair. She nipped at his lips, gave a quick tug, and then smoothed the sting away with her tongue. She pushed him back to the couch and straddled him. She pinned his back to the cushions to deepen the kiss.