The Real Romero(20)

                ‘I’ll show you to your room.’

                ‘Feels odd to be here without the owner in residence.’

                Lucas had the grace to flush but he refrained from saying anything, instead scooping up her holdall, which had seen better days, and heading out towards a spiral staircase that led up to a huge galleried landing that overlooked the ground floor.

                There, as on the ground floor, soaring windows gave out to the same spectacular views of the open, snow-covered mountains. It was dark outside and the snow was a peculiar dull-blue white against the velvety darkness.

                For a few seconds, Milly paused to admire the vista, which was truly breathtakingly beautiful. When she looked away it was to find his dark eyes speculatively pinned to her face.

                She was here with a guy she didn’t know and yet, far from feeling threatened in any way, she felt safe. There was something silent and inherently strong about him that was deeply reassuring. She felt that if the place were to be invaded by a clutch of knife wielding bandits he would be able to dispatch them single-handedly.

                ‘I have no idea where Ramos was going to put you,’ Lucas told her truthfully. ‘But I expect this room will do as good as any of the others.’

                He flung wide the door and she gasped. It was, simply put, the most splendid bedroom she had ever seen. She almost didn’t want to disturb its perfection by going inside. He breezed in and tossed her bag on the elegant chaise longue by the window, yet another of those massive windows designed to remind you of the still, white, glorious silence that lay outside.

                ‘Well?’ Lucas rarely noticed his surroundings but he did now because the expression on her face was so tellingly awestruck.

                Playground for the seriously rich—this was what the lodge was. He had had zero input into its decor. He had left that to a world famous interior designer. When the job had been done, he had dispatched three of his trusted employees to give it the once over and make sure that everything had been done to the highest possible standard, no corners cut. Thereafter he had used it a handful of times when the season was at its height and only if the skiing conditions were perfect.

                It was a beautiful place. He looked at the cool, white furnishings, breathed in the air of calm, noted the quality of the wood and the subtlety of the faded Persian rug on the ground. Nothing jarred. In the bowels of the lodge, there was a comprehensive spa and sauna area. He’d used that once.

                Now, he had an intense urge to take her down there and show it to her just so that he could see that expression of awe again, even though, regrettably, the lodge was not his as far as she was concerned. For the first time in living memory, he had an insane desire to brag. Hell, where had that come from?

                ‘It’s amazing.’ Milly hovered by the door. ‘Isn’t it amazing? Well, I guess you’re used to this, but I’m not. My entire flat could fit into this bedroom. Is that an en suite bathroom?’

                Amused, Lucas pushed the adjoining door and, sure enough, it opened out to a bathroom that was almost as big as the bedroom and contained its own little sitting area. He wondered what the interior designer had had in mind when she’d decided on sticking furniture in the bathroom.

                ‘Wow.’ Milly tiptoed her way to the bathroom and peered in. It was absolutely enormous. ‘You could have a party in here,’ she breathed in a hushed voice.

                ‘I doubt anyone would choose to do that.’

                ‘How can you be so blasé about all of this?’ She was too busy inspecting her glorious surroundings to look at him but she was acutely aware of his masculine presence next to her. ‘I mean, do you teach lots of rich people? Is that it? You’re accustomed to places like this because you’re in them all the time?’