An Indecent Proposal(46)

“Sure.” He started the engine and pulled out of the parking space. The car roared, and we sped through the busy L.A. streets. Never in my life had I felt this way: this absurd longing to kiss Chase again whenever he was sitting next to me, his hand gracing mine accidentally as he changed lanes. We’d only driven for a few minutes before he pulled over.

“Are you ready? We’re here.” Without waiting for my answer, Chase opened his door and jumped out. I slung my handbag over my shoulder and let him help me out of the car. I was about to head for a quaint little Italian café advertising the best pizza in town when Chase’s fingers curled around my elbow.

“What are you doing?”

I turned to take in the amused glint in his eyes. “You promised dinner.”

“Yes.” He nodded slowly. “But not in there.” He pointed to the large building on the other side of the street. “That’s where we’re headed.”

“The Lux?” I stared at one of the most overpriced places in L.A. “You can’t just walk in there without a reservation.” I didn’t want to point out that the place was booked months in advance.

“I wasn’t going to.” He intertwined his fingers with mine and pulled me after him through the stagnant traffic. “Guess what? I have an old friend who works here. He got us a nice table.”

“Oh.” I hurried my pace to keep up with him, almost oblivious to the luxury cars and—was that an A-list movie star ascending the stairs, disappearing behind the doors? “Are you sure about this?”

The place looked way out of my league, not least because I couldn’t afford it.

“Relax, Laurie,” he whispered in my ear. “Just go with it.”

“But—” I opened my mouth to let out a string of protests, but the words remained stuck in my throat. “Why here?” was all I managed to say.

“What’s wrong with taking my future wife to one of the best restaurants in L.A.?”

Everything.

I just stared at his profile, at a loss for words.

“I’ve heard they specialize in candlelight dinners.” Chase winked and held the door open.

I mumbled a grim “thank you” and walked in, struck speechless yet again. This wasn’t supposed to happen to me. All my life I had lived in fear. I had been running for so long, I had stopped believing that something like this would ever take place. Sure, I had read about it in books, seen it in movies, heard about it from gushing friends, but I had always been convinced that romance wasn’t real.

Chase was slowly starting to prove me wrong.





Chapter 17





The Lux was located in a top 4,000-square-foot space, complete with cushioned booths and fascinating greenery. It was a place where celebrities hung out and, as such, was always fully booked for months in advance. That Chase had a friend who worked here was unfathomable but nothing I’d consider unbelievable, considering the fact that, as an actor, he probably knew a few famous people.

A maître d’ led us past several booths, each one decorated with flower bouquets and white candles, and stopped in front of the most beautiful one overlooking a water fountain behind a glass wall. Soft music played in the background. The love seats looked comfortable and inviting. The whole atmosphere was so serene I could have spent hours in here, ready to forget Clint and the real world.

“You like it?” Chase took the seat opposite from me and rested his hands on the white tablecloth, watching me.

“Like? Try love it,” I gushed. “It looks so expensive, I’m surprised you don’t have to pay just for sitting and swallowing the air.”

Chase laughed—the sound caressing my nerve endings and reverberating through my body. It was so beautiful, I wished it would never subside.

“You should try the food. It’s delicious…just like you.” He handed me the menu and waited for the waiter to fill our glasses with water.

“Have you ever been here before?” I asked, ignoring the sudden cartwheel my heart did.

“Yes.” He smiled. “But never with a woman as beautiful as you.”

“Yeah, right.” I smirked. “Aren’t you the charmer?”

“In my line of job, I have to be, but with you it comes naturally.”

He was laying on the charm…and boy, did it work when it shouldn’t have. I stared at him, at the way he cocked his head whenever he looked at me, and realized I had to keep a strong hold on my heart if I didn’t want to fall for him and his gray-blue eyes.

I put the menu down and cleared my throat. “Why are you doing this, Chase?“ I paused, considering my words. “You could have picked a less lavish place, and yet here we are.”