Splendor (Inevitable #2) (20 page)

“Why was that?” Ian inquired curiously.

Tessa paused for a moment before replying. “He grew up with an alcoholic mother who was also abusive. Peter had a rough time of it with her and just couldn’t handle having any liquor around as a result.”

Ian nodded. “That’s perfectly understandable. And you don’t ever have to feel pressure to drink if you don’t choose to, Tessa.”

A busboy entered the room while they waited for their cocktails, filling water glasses and setting out a basket of assorted breads and a beautifully arranged plate of olives, charcuterie, and pates. Roland arrived a moment later with their drinks – the lemon drop in a frosted martini glass for Tessa, and Ian’s preferred blend of single malt Scotch in a heavy crystal tumbler.

“Sir, I’ll leave the menus for you to look over at your leisure. Enjoy your cocktails,” offered Roland.

Alone again, Ian picked up his glass and clinked it lightly against Tessa’s. “To getting to know each other,” he toasted with a gentle smile.

Her cheeks flushed fetchingly as she smiled in agreement and took a tentative sip of her drink.

“It’s delicious,” she told him. “Thank you for suggesting it.”

“My pleasure, darling. And while it may taste like lemonade it’s a great deal stronger, so sip it slowly, all right?” he cautioned.

She nodded. “Yes, of course. I’m – sorry if all of this is so new to me. I’m sure all the other women you date must be - ”

“Stop.” He placed a finger over her lips. “First, I believe I already told you not to apologize for anything. And second, despite what you might think, there have actually been very few women I’ve dated in my life. Especially not in the past two years.”

Tessa was gaping at him in surprise. “But there are always photos of you in the newspaper and – and Gina and Alicia are always talking about who you escorted to this event or the other.”

Ian shook his head in mild disgust. “Don’t believe anything those two shrews say, especially Alicia. I’m well aware of how much they gossip, but I promise you they know next to nothing about my personal life. Suffice it to say that attending a social function with a female friend or acquaintance doesn’t always equate to dating her.” He reached across the table and took her hand. “I know this is all new to you, Tessa. And while I don’t want to ever make you feel ill at ease, at the same time it makes me very happy to know that I’ll have the honor of introducing you to a great many pleasures. Both in and out of my bed.”

Her lips trembled and her eyes grew wide at his last statement. Glancing down, he had to stifle a groan when he noticed the hard peaks of her nipples poking against her dress, betraying the arousal she felt from his softly spoken words.

“We’d better start looking at the menu,” he murmured huskily, and handed her one of the heavy leather-bound books.

Ian was aware of Tessa’s distress from the moment she began to scan the expansive and complex menu, with its numerous courses and elaborate descriptions. And when she began to twirl a lock of hair around her finger in agitation, he asked her gently, “Would you like me to order for both of us, Tessa?”

She looked up at him gratefully. “You wouldn’t mind? I’m sor – I mean, I’m just not familiar with a lot of these dishes.”

“I know.” He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “And I don’t mind in the least, darling.” He picked up her hand and brought it to his cheek. “You’ll soon learn, Tessa, that there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you.”

Her glossy pink mouth fell open in a round “O” of surprise at his quietly impassioned declaration. He was astonished to see the shimmer of tears in her eyes, and his heart ached as one teardrop began to trickle slowly down her rosy cheek.

“You’re so good to me,” she whispered. “So kind. I don’t have any idea how I got this lucky.”

“Darling.” He reached across and softly kissed each of her eyelids, brushing the tears away with his thumb. “It’s not luck – it’s fate. You were meant for me all along, Tessa. It just took a while for the stars to align properly. Now, let’s take a look at this menu together, hmm? You tell me if there’s something I suggest that you don’t like.”

With her approval, he ordered the lobster salad, a creamy porcini mushroom soup, and the salmon in sorrel sauce, accompanied by a crisp French Chardonnay.

In between courses of the delicious, beautifully prepared food, he subtly tried to engage her in conversation, and to open up a little more about herself.

“Were you born in Tucson?”

Tessa took a small sip of her wine, then shook her head. “No. According to my birth certificate I was actually born in Savannah, Georgia. But I have no memories of the place and my mother never talked about it. Mostly I grew up in the Southwest.”

“Do your parents still live in that area?”

There was another pause before she replied, and he sensed she was choosing her words carefully. “I don’t know where my father is. I’ve never actually met him or even know his name. And my mother is dead.”

Ian frowned, not sure what disturbed him more – the information that Tessa had just shared or the sad, almost matter-of-fact way in which she had done so.

“I’m so sorry, love,” he told her sincerely. “Was your mother’s death recent?”

“No, it was several years ago.”

A very young age to find herself without parents, he thought grimly. Ian guessed there was more – a great deal more – that she wasn’t telling him, but this was certainly not an evening where he intended to make her talk about sad things. There would be time enough to learn her life’s story on another occasion. But there was one question that he desperately wanted an answer to.

“Was Peter your first boyfriend?”

Tessa seemed startled at his question. “Um – yes, actually. Why do you ask?”

Ian ran a finger around the rim of his wineglass. “You seem extraordinarily shy, especially around men. I’m just assuming that you don’t have much experience with other men besides your husband.”

She gave a slight nod. “Peter is the only man I’ve ever been with. He – we’ve know each other since high school. He was the only family I had, but now he’s left me, too.”

“What?” He was dumbfounded. “Peter was the one to leave? I thought – I just assumed you had initiated the divorce.”

“No. Peter left last September for Bahrain to start his new job. It was his idea to split up, especially since I wouldn’t have been able to move with him.”

Ian could only shake his head in disbelief. “How in the world could he – could any man – just walk away from you? It’s inconceivable, Tessa.”

“It’s not what you think,” she told him quietly. “Peter and I – well, it’s a very long, involved story. The reasons we married and stayed together – it’s complicated.”

“Then let’s not discuss it tonight,” he declared firmly. “Tonight is about getting to know each other better, but not sharing stories that make you sad. I don’t ever want to make you sad, Tessa.”

She gave him a smile that went right to his groin, and what she said next made him stifle a groan.

“You don’t,” she assured him. “Being with you here this evening – it’s the happiest I’ve felt in a very long time.”

Ian leaned over and kissed her tenderly. “My darling girl, you have no idea how happy that makes
me
to hear. And I intend to work very hard on making any sad thoughts or memories you’ve ever had disappear as though they never existed. In other words, I’m planning to devote myself to making you happier than you’ve ever been before.”

The rest of the meal passed by without any additional references to Tessa’s past. Instead, he focused on learning any number of little things about her – likes and dislikes – such as her favorite color (blue), favorite flavor of ice cream (cookie dough), and favorite movie (the hopelessly romantic
Sleepless In Seattle
). He also discovered that she exercised every day, liked to cook but admittedly wasn’t terribly skilled at it, and that of all the places in the world she’d ever dreamed of visiting, Italy and Spain were at the top of her list.

“I suppose you’ve been to both places,” she said wistfully.

“Yes, many times. My family owns a villa in Tuscany, so we’ve vacationed there for decades. Perhaps you’ll let me take you there sometime,” he offered.

Tessa’s face lit up with delight. “Really? You’d really want to take me to Italy with you?”

Ian smiled at her obvious pleasure at the idea. “Of course, love. If you’ll allow me, Tessa, I’d happily show you the world.”

She sighed. “God, could you be any more romantic? You’re starting to make my head spin with all of this – this splendor.”

“Ah, no more wine for you then,” he teased. “Besides, it’s nearly time for dessert.”

He had actually been keeping a careful eye on her alcohol consumption after she’d told him that she seldom drank. When he had poured her more wine, it had only been in small amounts at a time. But aside from her rosy cheeks and the way she appeared to have relaxed a little more, Tessa certainly didn’t seem drunk or even tipsy. Which was very fortunate because he hadn’t entirely given up hope on the way he wished this evening might end.

Dessert was a trio of mini pots de crème – one each in dark chocolate, caramel and mocha. They fed each other bites with the tasting spoons playfully, as though they’d been lovers for years. Ian sipped a post-dinner brandy while Tessa had wisely passed on more alcohol and was drinking tea instead.

“So how did you come to favor Darjeeling?” he inquired. “It’s not as well-known as other blends like Earl Grey or English Breakfast.”

“Mrs. Carrington,” replied Tessa. “She got me started on it. I had a terrible cold one day, but was refusing to go home until I finished some work. So she brewed me a cup of Darjeeling and insisted I drink it if – let’s see if I can remember her exact words – ah, it was something like ‘if you’re going to continue to act like a mule headed child and stay here in your condition, then the least you should do is have some hot tea.’ She watched me while I drank the entire cup, and then forced me to go home, threatening to fire me if I didn’t.”

Ian laughed heartily at the story. “Yes, that sounds exactly like our Mrs. C. Unfortunately, charm is not one of her better qualities.”

Tessa smiled. “She was tough but she made me a better employee. And in her own way, she was kinder to me than almost anyone else in my life had ever been before.”

He filed that particular snippet of information away for another time. “How did you come to work at the resort?”

“Through a job placement program at the community college I was attending. After my first year of office tech classes, I had acquired enough skills to get a part-time job. When I finished the program a year later I was lucky enough that a full-time position was open.”

“You never thought about continuing your education?” he inquired casually. “Or getting your degree?”

Tessa bent her head as though the question embarrassed her. “I wasn’t – well, a very good student in high school. Things came hard for me, actually. I just seemed better suited to working than going to college.”

He frowned. “I find that difficult to believe. You’re one of the brightest and hardest working employees I’ve ever had.”

She looked incredibly pleased at his compliment. “But that’s just office work – clerical stuff. Things like word processing and spreadsheets came easy for me. Other subjects like algebra and biology not so much.”

Tessa seemed anxious to change the subject, and he allowed her then to turn the tables and ask questions about him. She learned that he had been a three-time boxing champion at Oxford, and that he still worked out at a gym several times a week to keep his skills sharp; that
his
favorite flavor of ice cream was Haagen Dazs chocolate peanut butter; and that his favorite movie of all time was
National Lampoon’s Animal House
. She hadn’t believed the latter until he’d begun to recite dialog and recall scenes from the film.

And when he told her that he had been engaged once but that it hadn’t worked out, she didn’t probe further, merely touching his hand and telling him she was sorry. It seemed that she was no more eager to delve into his past this evening than she was to reveal hers.

He had already handed Roland his AMEX black card and was waiting for him to return with the credit slip when he took Tessa’s hands in his.

“Would you do something for me, darling?” he asked. “It’s something I’ve wanted you to do for a very long time.”

She looked a bit uncertain for a moment or two, but then nodded emphatically. “Yes, of course I will. What is it?”

Ian cupped her cheek. “Say my name. That’s all. All this time it’s been ‘Mr. Gregson’ or ‘Sir’. I want to hear my real name on your lips.”

Tessa smiled sweetly. “That’s an easy request – Ian.”

He brushed his thumb over her lips. “I’m looking forward to hearing you say that over and over.”

The weather had declined during their nearly three hour dinner, the wind whipping up and dark storm clouds gathering above. Ian kept Tessa snuggled closely against him as they walked towards the waiting Town Car.

He stopped before helping her inside. “Tessa, would you – Christ, I feel like a gangly adolescent asking you this – but would you like to see my home?”

He waited with barely concealed patience for her answer, not at all sure how she would respond. Long seconds ticked by before she finally gave a small nod.

“Yes, I’d love to see your home – Ian.”

He was sure he was grinning like a fool as he handed her inside the car, and then told Simon, “Take us to the house, mate.”

Chapter Ten

Tessa tried desperately to quell her nerves during the drive to Ian’s house. He had caught her a bit off-guard with his unexpected question, and her initial reaction had been to decline the invitation to see his home. But he had looked and sounded so hopeful, almost shy, that she hadn’t been able to refuse. Now, however, she kept wondering if she’d made the right decision.

The past twenty-four hours had been like a hurricane force whirlwind, to say the least. So much had happened in such a short period of time that she felt like she was on a crazy carnival ride that just kept on going. Of course, it had all started with Ian’s very unexpected reaction to her in his office last evening, followed by his shocking admission that he’d been attracted to her for over two years. Tessa had never, ever imagined that her elegant, debonair boss could actually desire her, much less for all those months when he’d known she was married to another man. She was still having difficulty in processing that bit of news, and wanted to pinch herself every few minutes to make sure she was really cuddled up against his big body in the back seat of his luxurious car.