Page 43 of The Arrangement (Executive Suite Secrets #3)

LIAM ROSE

Someone was pounding on the door, and I had to swallow back a giggle.

I needed only one guess to know who it was.

I took one last look around the room to make sure that everything was perfect prior to turning on my heel and speeding along the hall.

As I hurried, I smoothed my tie and rebuttoned my suit jacket.

A peek in the mirror revealed that my hair was behaving, for now.

I unlocked the door and opened it a few inches but immediately braced my foot against it to stop my guest from barging inside.

Rome gave me a pseudo-glare that wasn’t in the least convincing because his lips kept twitching into a grin before he could pull them down again.

“Can you please tell me why I’m forced to knock on my own door?” Rome said in a low, even voice.

“Because you’re not allowed to ruin the surprise.”

“The surprise? What surprise? You’re being weird. Pierce just took me out for a drink, stole my keys, and abandoned me. What the hell is going on?”

I closed my eyes to fight back another laugh. When Pierce had offered to provide a distraction so I could get everything ready, I hadn’t pictured that specific tactic to keep Rome away from the penthouse for an hour.

“Are you ready for our final date?” I inquired as soon as I could speak without chuckling in his face.

“What? No way.” He leaned in close, rubbing his nose along mine. “I plan to date you forever and ever.”

“That still has to be negotiated. We agreed on five dates in exchange for a sizable donation to the natural history museum.”

“I’ve already made the donation. The fifth date isn’t necessary.”

A donation my boss was still singing about and I now had to listen to because I’d generously agreed to return to my old job.

While Dr. Case was more than happy to be a pleasant and loving boss, Emily was still milking her “torment” over me being gone.

I figured I had at least another week of her complaining before something new distracted her.

I sighed and jutted out my bottom lip. “So, you’re saying that you don’t want to participate in the special date that I have planned for us tonight? Okay, I’ll go get rid of everything…”

“No! No, sweetie! Of course I want everything you have planned. I love your plans! You’re so sexy and brilliant!

” Rome pleaded. He tried pushing his way into the penthouse, but the door wasn’t budging.

All he could do was sneak a hand in to grab my tie, holding me in place while he attempted to steal kisses.

“I’m sorry. Let’s do the date. I want to do the date. All dates are necessary.”

“Awww, honey, you say the nicest things,” I teased, moving my foot away from the door so I could allow him inside. As soon as he could squeeze in the entrance, he grabbed me and wrapped me up, capturing my mouth in a deep, draining kiss.

“This. I love this,” Rome murmured against my lips.

“Kisses?”

“Well, that too.” He stole another kiss before loosening his hold. “But I love coming home and you being here. Move in with me?”

A bright laugh poured out of my mouth, and I hugged him tight. “We’ve been dating for only a few days officially. That’s too fast.”

“How long do I have to wait?”

“At least until my lease is up on my town house.”

“When’s that?”

“May.”

Rome made a pouty face. “That’s too far away. How about you keep some stuff here and live here on weekends?”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Maybe.” But we knew that the maybe was really yes.

Even if he hadn’t asked, it was pretty obvious that I was going to be spending most of my free time with him, and there were going to be many more sleepovers.

Those of the sexy variety. It would just make things more convenient and comfortable if I had a few things here.

Later. Later. Date now.

“We can talk about that later,” I said, giving him a little push to break free of his hold. “Do you want to go on our date now?”

“Of course. Where are we going?”

“Here.” I stuck out my arm, and Rome grinned as he hooked his hand on the inside of my elbow. We strolled together down the hall that was now heavily decorated with twinkling white lights and evergreen swag.

“You decorated this?” Rome asked, trying to sneak peeks into the rooms that we passed.

“I had some help. We only got the foyer, hall, and one other room decorated. I figured we could tackle the others together.”

“I—oh, wow!” He cut himself off as we strolled into the library to find that the furniture had been rearranged so we had room for a giant Christmas tree covered in lights rotating from colored to white. More lights were strung across the shelves, giving the room a warm, happy glow.

In the center of the room was a table for two laden with exquisite china, flickering candles, and a silver champagne bucket stand.

“Good evening, sir. It is lovely to see you.”

Rome jumped when Franks managed to appear out of nowhere.

“God, Franks! What are you doing here?”

The tall, slender man in a dark suit bowed slightly. “I have volunteered to assist Mr. Rose in making sure this is a perfect evening. I will be serving dinner.”

Rome stared at me as if I’d just arranged the most magical evening. I hurried over and pulled out a chair for him. He dropped into it, while Franks helped me into my own. Franks then deftly pulled the champagne from the bucket of ice and wrapped it in a white towel.

“Mr. Sutton has generously donated this bottle of champagne to celebrate your fifth date,” Franks murmured as he poured champagne into our glasses.

Rome tilted his head to the side. “You got Franks and Pierce to assist with this date?”

I just smiled and gazed up at Franks. The ever-proper personal assistant to Declan held in his own smile, but I could see the laughter twinkling in his eye.

“This evening, Chef Donovan has prepared a special meal for your date,” Frank began, wringing a laugh out of Rome.

“We will start with melon prosciutto skewers to tease the palate and then warm you with a lovely acorn squash soup. The main course is roast lamb with pears and goat cheese, grilled asparagus, and yeast rolls. Chef Donovan finishes with arugula salad with apples and caramelized pecans. For dessert, Chef Carol has whipped up a tasting menu of some of her finest sweets for you to enjoy. Shall we begin?”

“Yes, please, Franks,” I said. Rome just looked speechless.

“You’re telling me you got Donovan and Carol to help? They’re in my kitchen right now?”

I nodded. “I was talking to Parker about wanting to create a special date, and Franks happened to overhear. He volunteered his and Donovan’s services for the night. Word spread through the grapevine, and Carol offered to make dessert.”

Rome picked up his champagne flute and wiggled a little in his seat. “See if Declan and Sebastian get their employees back now. I’m going to offer them even more money, and they’ll come work for me. Bet you’ll be happy to move in with me then.”

Ridiculous .

Of course, if this meal was half as delicious as it sounded, I would be very tempted. Unfortunately, I doubted Chef Donovan and Franks would be tempted.

“Without Joy, I don’t think you’ve got much bargaining power,” I pointed out.

He tipped his glass toward me. “That is very true.”

I picked up my flute and held it in front of me. “To my very handsome boyfriend and very best friend in the world. Thank you for your love and patience. Thank you for making me happier than I have ever been. I want a thousand more dates with you.”

Rome’s eyes shone in the flickering candlelight, and I had to suddenly swallow against the knot in my throat that had grown while I was speaking.

“A thousand dates isn’t nearly enough. We need a lifetime. Whether it’s video games and pizza or exploring the world, I don’t care so long as I’m with you.”

We clinked our glasses together.

As we took our first sip of the excellent champagne, gentle violin music poured through the room. But it was too crisp and clear to be any kind of a recording.

Rome gasped and turned just as Simon strolled into the room ahead of Franks with our first course.

My final surprise of the night. Simon had also volunteered to play for a little while as we ate our meal.

The idea of a world-class violinist playing while we ate was just too decadent, but the man had insisted.

“This is just amazing. I love it!” Rome shouted as we dug into the delicious melon prosciutto skewers.

And yes, Declan and Parker were endlessly spoiled by having Chef Donovan cooking for them. Oh my God, the food. Everything was perfect. I wasn’t even a fan of soup, but I almost licked the bowl clean.

Just before Franks brought out the main entrée, I stood and stepped over to Rome’s seat. “Would you dance with me?” I asked, holding out my hand to him.

Rome took it immediately, and we moved to an open area for a slow dance that was just us rocking in place as Simon played his violin.

The shadows and candlelight folded around us to create an intimate atmosphere that shot straight to my heart.

I wanted to remember everything about this night, but in the end, I knew the only thing I would recall was the feel of Rome in my arms, the smell of his cologne, the beat of his heart against mine.

This was the romance I’d secretly ached for all my life but had never believed was possible.

I had been content with my ex and my life, but with Rome, I was incandescently happy.

I couldn’t wait to start each day, to see what new craziness he would bring into my life.

Yes, it was scary and nerve-racking at times, but I also didn’t want to miss any of it.

“I love you,” I whispered in Rome’s ear, happy that I had a chance to even say those words to him.

Rome’s arms tightened. “I love you, Liam. I’m so glad I’ve been given this second chance with you. It never crossed my mind that it could work out like this. Best-case scenario was that we parted and never saw each other. But this…this is…”

“Happily ever after.” I sighed.

Rome lifted his head and smirked at me. “Even without a fairy godmother and singing mice?”

“You’re all the magic I need, baby.”

Need a little more Rome and Liam?