Page 74 of The Empress

He keeps a tight hold of me as we take the steps down, then he leads me into a very luxurious room that’s big enough to host a party.

A table stands in the center, candles and flowers decorating it.

When Leo pulls out a chair for me, I whisper, “Thank you.” As he sits down across from me, I remove his jacket and drape it over the back of my chair while I joke, “I think it’s safe to say I wouldn’t have ghosted you if this were our first date.”

“Just for tonight, forget the past two weeks and give me a chance to show you who I really am.”

“You mean you’re not normally insane?”

He chuckles. “No, that’s something only you bring out in me. I’m actually quite polite and respectful of people's boundaries.”

“Right.” I let out a burst of laughter, then nod. “Okay. Just for tonight, I’ll pretend the past two weeks didn’t happen.”

A server comes to pour wine for us, and when she leaves, Leo picks up his glass and takes a sip. “I think you’ll like this particular wine. It’s sweet like you.”

I drink some, then nod. “It’s really good.” I glance around at the open space, then suddenly three people with instruments enter and take their position in the corner of the room. The musician with the violin begins to play, then the cello joins in, followed by the flute.

The music sounds like something from Bridgerton, and I listen while my heart fills with an emotion that scares the crap out of me.

It took Leo less than twenty-four hours to arrange this perfect date for me. What is he capable of doing if I give him more time?

He’s capable of making me fall for him. It’s inevitable.

I take two huge sips of my wine while I try to calm my racing heart. When I look at Leo, it’s to find him watching me with that stupidly hot smirk that makes my heart skip a beat.

He tilts his head. “Tell me something about you.”

“Like?”

“Anything. Nothing is insignificant.”

My heart.

“I was home-schooled until I was thirteen.”

“Why?”

When my parents adopted me, I couldn’t speak English. Dad had to teach me, so he ended up homeschooling me until I was ready.

The memory of my biological mother’s body flashes through my mind, and I quickly shake my head while trying to shove it away.

Leo leans forward, his features tightening with worry. “Haven?”

Not wanting to get into that part of my past, I say, “It’s something I’m not ready to share with you yet.”

A frown line appears between his eyebrows. “Something bad?”

I shrug. “It depends on how you look at it.”

“How do you look at it?”

I shake my head. “Can we talk about anything else, please?”

“Okay.” His dark gaze searches my face, then he says, “Tell me about your happiest memory.”

“Oh, that’s easy.” A smile tugs at my mouth. “Sunday mornings when my dad was still alive. I’d wake up to the smell of bacon and eggs. We always had breakfast together on Sundays and spoke about what had happened the past week.”

“I’m sorry for your loss. I was told he died recently?”