Page 57 of Burn the World Down

I laughed. “I hated my freckles when I was younger.”

“I always thought they were beautiful. He stroked a finger down my nose. “I have a vase you can put it in.”

I held the flower as he found a slim vase in a cabinet and filled it with water. I set the flower in it and smiled. “Beautiful. I still can’t believe you grow such amazing orchids.”

“Sometimes I can’t, either.” He set the vase on the counter and then took my hand. “Let’s go.”

He didn’t let go of my hand as we headed into the casino.

I discovered that Elysium was on the top floor of one side of the large building that housed the Avernus. The doors were flanked by two green walls filled with greenery and flowers.

I sucked in a breath. I’d never seen anything like it. “This place is stunning.”

Inside was more of the same. The ceiling was covered in pops of green, as were the walls. Lots of purple and white orchids were tucked in amongst the lush greenery.

“Yours?” I asked.

He nodded.

“Good evening, Mr. Oakley.” A short, curvaceous woman with red hair and wide smile greeted us. She wore a beautiful bronze dress with a wide skirt. “We have your table ready.”

“Thanks, Eloise.”

We were ushered into a small, private nook that was shielded from the rest of the restaurant by a mass of potted greenery. Our table felt like it was nestled in the middle of the jungle. The scent of blooms mixed with the sizzling scent of meat frying.

Nash held out a chair for me.

“I have a drink for the lady.” A young male server appeared. His black shirt had a touch of bronze at the collar. He washolding a fancy glass that was filled with a baby-pink liquid. “The gentleman arranged it for you.”

“It’s a mocktail,” Nash said. “You can’t have any alcohol with your painkillers.”

“I’m not much of a drinker anyway.” I took the glass with a smile and sipped. The drink was tart and sweet. “This is delicious.”

The man nodded. “The chef will be serving you a custom tasting menu.”

“That sounds great.” My throat tightened as Nash sat across from me and the server disappeared. “It’s been a long time since I just enjoyed myself.”

He rested a big hand over mine. “You deserve it.”

“I feel guilty,” I whispered. “Viv’s dead. She would have loved this place. She’s only been gone such a short time.”

“I didn’t know her well, but I suspect she’s the first person who’d want you to be happy.”

“I know.”

We chatted as the first of many courses arrived. He kept the conversation light. We talked about things that had happened during the intervening years when we’d been apart. I told him about attending the local college to study hospitality and event management. He told me a little about life in the military. He made it clear that he couldn’t say much about his classified work as an assassin.

I toyed with my glass. “I waited for you to come home.”

His head jerked up. We’d just finished a delightful dessert.

I gave him a small smile. “I thought when your parents died that you’d come back.”

“I was doing some pretty dangerous work at the time. They were already buried by the time I found out that they’d died. I always knew they’d go close together.” He touched my fingers. “Iwanted to come back. I wanted to see you, even if Elliot would kick my ass from beyond the grave.”

“He would not.”

“He would. He warned me off you. Said you were too sweet for me.”