Read Online The Billionaire's Secretive Enchantress (The Berutelli Escape) by Elizabeth Lennox - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Elizabeth Lennox
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bar stools with deep cushions instead of those uncomfortable wooden ones most people preferred because of their sleek lines, not because anyone actually wanted to sit on them. There was strategic lighting and a massive granite fireplace that switched on, warming up the whole area.
She found Drake behind the counter, uncorking a bottle of red wine, then pouring the rich liquid into two round goblets. He handed one to her and she was almost afraid to reach out and take it, afraid her hands were shaking too much to hold the delicate looking crystal.
She accepted the crystal goblet warily, careful not to touch his hands during the transfer.
“To new beginnings,” he said and raised his glass towards her before taking a sip.
Sierra didn’t want to drink to new beginnings or old endings or any kind of change. Change was for her clients. She worked change around their lives and their preferences. Personally, she didn’t like change. Change meant something unexpected, something different. It was hard to anticipate how to react to something new and different. Change could be good, but why risk it?
She’d gone through enough change in her life. She liked the dull, predictable life she’d built for herself. And this man was here to stir things up, impact her world and shake things so she might not even recognize her life.
“What are you thinking?” he asked as he pulled his tie loose, then tossed it onto the counter away from the food he’d pulled out of the refrigerator.
She took a long sip of wine, just as an excuse to give herself more time to come up with an answer. “I was wondering who decorated your space. It’s very…eclectic.” She wasn’t about to tell him that she didn’t want anything in her life to change and that she resented him for bringing it all here. She resented him even more for making her feel things that she didn’t like and she thought she could actually learn to hate the man for being so gorgeous and healthy. And close! They weren’t ever supposed to meet so why was he here now? Why had fate stepped in and made this whole day so…awkward!
Drake looked around, nodding his head at her description. “I decorated it myself. I’ve been in this industry long enough to know what I like and don’t like.”
That surprised her enough to distract herself from her mutinous thoughts and she looked around at the lights and the comfortable seating area which would allow his guests to relax while he cooked, but still be near the fireplace. “Really? That’s surprising,” she said without thinking.
“Why is that so strange?” he asked, setting his glass down on the granite counters so he could fill up a pot with water for the pasta.
“I just can’t picture you as the decorator type.”
He smiled at her observation. “Well, I guess I cheat a little. When I build a hotel or apartment complex, the designers do all the work. If I like a particular item or set of pieces, I have those pieces shipped to a storage facility. Since I change living spaces frequently, I just choose the pieces I want for any particular apartment I’ve bought. So I guess I don’t really stroll through the furniture warehouses to find the perfect sofa or chair like so many designers or couples do when trying to decorate their new space.”
She looked around at the lighting that perfectly suited the seating arrangements, the angles of the fireplace that were just slightly off center so the kitchen itself looked balanced. This is the type of thing she loved doing, but he’d done it all himself. “It’s a unique style,” she said softly, feeling vaguely threatened. If she were to design a living space, she’d do it exactly like this.
Deciding that a change in topics was needed, she walked around, acting as if she were looking at things when in reality, she was painfully aware of him cooking, chopping and seasoning whatever it was that he
She found Drake behind the counter, uncorking a bottle of red wine, then pouring the rich liquid into two round goblets. He handed one to her and she was almost afraid to reach out and take it, afraid her hands were shaking too much to hold the delicate looking crystal.
She accepted the crystal goblet warily, careful not to touch his hands during the transfer.
“To new beginnings,” he said and raised his glass towards her before taking a sip.
Sierra didn’t want to drink to new beginnings or old endings or any kind of change. Change was for her clients. She worked change around their lives and their preferences. Personally, she didn’t like change. Change meant something unexpected, something different. It was hard to anticipate how to react to something new and different. Change could be good, but why risk it?
She’d gone through enough change in her life. She liked the dull, predictable life she’d built for herself. And this man was here to stir things up, impact her world and shake things so she might not even recognize her life.
“What are you thinking?” he asked as he pulled his tie loose, then tossed it onto the counter away from the food he’d pulled out of the refrigerator.
She took a long sip of wine, just as an excuse to give herself more time to come up with an answer. “I was wondering who decorated your space. It’s very…eclectic.” She wasn’t about to tell him that she didn’t want anything in her life to change and that she resented him for bringing it all here. She resented him even more for making her feel things that she didn’t like and she thought she could actually learn to hate the man for being so gorgeous and healthy. And close! They weren’t ever supposed to meet so why was he here now? Why had fate stepped in and made this whole day so…awkward!
Drake looked around, nodding his head at her description. “I decorated it myself. I’ve been in this industry long enough to know what I like and don’t like.”
That surprised her enough to distract herself from her mutinous thoughts and she looked around at the lights and the comfortable seating area which would allow his guests to relax while he cooked, but still be near the fireplace. “Really? That’s surprising,” she said without thinking.
“Why is that so strange?” he asked, setting his glass down on the granite counters so he could fill up a pot with water for the pasta.
“I just can’t picture you as the decorator type.”
He smiled at her observation. “Well, I guess I cheat a little. When I build a hotel or apartment complex, the designers do all the work. If I like a particular item or set of pieces, I have those pieces shipped to a storage facility. Since I change living spaces frequently, I just choose the pieces I want for any particular apartment I’ve bought. So I guess I don’t really stroll through the furniture warehouses to find the perfect sofa or chair like so many designers or couples do when trying to decorate their new space.”
She looked around at the lighting that perfectly suited the seating arrangements, the angles of the fireplace that were just slightly off center so the kitchen itself looked balanced. This is the type of thing she loved doing, but he’d done it all himself. “It’s a unique style,” she said softly, feeling vaguely threatened. If she were to design a living space, she’d do it exactly like this.
Deciding that a change in topics was needed, she walked around, acting as if she were looking at things when in reality, she was painfully aware of him cooking, chopping and seasoning whatever it was that he
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