I didn’t ask.


    Of course, I wanted to know.


    But something about the way this was all unfolding was so interesting to me.


    Within a few seconds, the door opened, and a man dressed in a suit with slicked-back gray hair greeted us. “Den, my man, it’s great to see you.”


    He reached his arms out, and they man-hugged, pping shoulders before they separated.


    Den turned to me. “Freddy, this is my girlfriend, Hannah. Hannah, this is Freddy, the owner.”Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    I heard nothing after girlfriend.


    A word we’d never used between us in the two weeks we’d been hanging out since Jackson Hole. We hadn’t given us abel-us just seemed to be working. But I couldn’t deny the sensations he had just drawn from my body, how those simple letters had caused a burst of tingles to hit my chest.


    Over and over.


    Freddy held out his hand, shaking mine. “Hannah, it’s wonderful to meet you. I’ve heard lots of things about your eating habits.” He smiled.


    I nced at Den. “My eating habits, huh?”


    “Let’s get you inside and set up,” Freddy said, pressing his back against the door to give us enough room to step in.


    Since I was unsure of where to go, I stopped a few feet into the hallway, Den directly behind me, and we let Freddy pass.


    As we made our way down the narrow hallway and through another door at the end, Den’s hand went to my lower back. It stayed there, even when I stopped walking, taking in this new space we had stepped into. It was a kitchen. Not a busy one that ran the entire restaurant. This was an intimate, private room with a cooking station in the center and arge cooler in the back, a table set up along the side that I had a feeling was for us.


    A woman dressed in chef’s attire stepped out of the cooler with a mixing bowl in her hand, smiling as she walked toward the ind.


    “Hannah, Den, I’d like you to meet Alex,” Freddy said as he brought us over to her. “Alex is our pastry chef.”


    She shook Den’s hand and then extended her hand to me. “It’s very nice to meet you both.” Her grin was so warm as her eyes met mine. “Hannah, I understand you love to bake.”


    My heart was pounding as I nodded. “I do.”


    “Then, you’re in the right ce.” She rubbed her hands together. “I’m going to be doing lots of that for you tonight. In fact, a littleter, I’d really like for you to join me in preparing a course, if that’s something you’d be interested in doing?”


    “Are you kidding?” I felt my fingers on my chest, but I didn’t remember putting them there. “That would be so fun. Thank you.” I turned to Den as he stood behind me, his eyes already on mine. “You did this?”


    He held my cheek, like two other people weren’t in the room. “Dessert is much more important to you than dinner.” He gave me a quick but passionate kiss, his hand staying on my face longer than his lips had.


    “I’m going to leave you guys to it,” Freddy said. “Enjoy yourselves and please let me know if you need anything.”


    We thanked him, and Alex brought us over to our table. It was set for two, a ck tablecloth covering the top with rose petals and tea lights between the tes.


    “I’ve paired all six dessert courses with wines,” Alex said. “Ones with notes that I believe will work well with the vors I’ve chosen.”


    She went to the cooler, returning with a bottle. “The first is going to be a proso from a vineyard near Valdobbiadene, Italy. It’s a full body with hints of apple and orange.” She opened the bottle, pouring some into each of our sses. “I’m going to serve this with an apple and orange sponge cake that has a cinnamon ze with toasted, sliced almonds.” She set the bottle in an ice bath and went to the counter she’d previously been working at, bringing over two tes. “I garnished the cake with a bit of spiced pear jam. I know it sounds heavy on the fruit, but the cinnamon will provide the needed bnce, and the nuts add a really great texture to the delicate sponge.” She paused, allowing us to soak in her description. “Bon appetit.”


    I waited for her to return to the ind before I looked at Den and whispered, “I literally don’t even know what to say right now, but I’m in absolute heaven.”


    Even the table had carefully constructed details, like the napkin that had been folded into a fan, a jeweled ring around it that had my initials engraved on it. The votives were red, matching the rose petals. There were even edible flowers frozen in the ice that floated on top of our waters.


    Den had done this; he’d made sure everything would be perfect.


    Because he knew how much this would mean to me.


    Because he knew how much I would love this.


    Tears wanted to prick my eyes, but I wouldn’t let them. If I started to get emotional, I didn’t know if I’d stop.


    He held up his ss. “How about you just say cheers?”


    I clinked my drink against his. “To us.”


    “Us.” He took a sip.


    I lifted my fork and pierced the end of the sponge. “I cannot wait to try this.” I broke off a piece, dipping it into the cinnamon ze along with the pear jam that had been swirled around the exterior of the te. The moment the cake touched my tongue, I moaned, “My God.”


    The vor wasn’t as light as I had expected. It wasn’t rich either. It was tart and bold, the cinnamon toning it down.


    I nced at the chef, waiting for her eyes to meet mine. “Incredible. I’m in awe of you.”


    She grinned. “I’m so d you like it.”


    Den was smiling when my stare returned to him.


    Since I’d taken another bite, I covered my mouth with my hand and said, “What?”


    “Not everyone shows happiness as beautifully as you do.”


    I swallowed, wiping the corners of my lips. “I’ve always worn my emotions on my sleeve.”


    “It’s not just that, Hannah. It’s like I can feel your happiness. It’s in your eyes. Your cheeks. Your lips.” He lowered his voice, growling, “Those fucking lips.”


    “Later,” I promised, knowing exactly what this was going to lead to and how tonight was going to end. “Tell me something.” I slid my fork around my te, capturing the juices of the different vors. “What is one thing that makes you the happiest?”


    He stared down at his dessert, like he was contemting. “How about a few things?”


    “The more, the better.”


    “A well-aged, say thirty years or so, single malt scotch makes me extremely happy. I like watching it swirl around the ss before feeling it slide over my tongue. The slight burn when it goes down my throat. I also really enjoy experiencing something for the first time-whether that be seeing a gorgeousndscape or going on a unique adventure or even developing a new friendship. I like the idea that I’ve never done it before, whatever it happens to be.”


    “Sounds like you need a future trip to Yellowstone, then.”


    “Yes.” He took a bite. “But I also like to read, as you’ve seen since you’ve been in my home library, and I like to run and work out. There’s also nothing wrong with a memorable meal, like this one.”


    “What about sports?” I refreshed my mouth with some proso, the water almost too pretty to drink. “What’s your favorite team?”


    “Lakers. All the way.”