The Spanish Tycoon's Temptress Page 0,28
the table. Once the area was cleared up, she set the plates on opposite sides of the table, ignoring Gaston’s smirk when she didn’t put the plates next to each other.
“I was planning to clean this weekend,” she said as an explanation to the messy apartment.
He shook his head as he sat down across from her. “No you’re not. You’re coming to the lake house with me. I told you that earlier today and nothing has changed.”
She sat down in the chair and picked up the fork he gave her. “I’m not a child, Gaston. You don’t need to make sure that I eat meals. I’ve survived without you quite well over the past few years.”
Gaston looked around her apartment as well as letting his eyes wander down her too slender figure, shaking his head. “You’ve barely survived, Elana. And you know it.”
She didn’t bother to look around, knowing all the stacks of stuff she’d accumulated. “So I’m a messy person. Get over it.”
“You’re not messy,” he countered firmly. “You used to be super organized and ready to tackle any challenge.” He looked down at her as he took a sip of wine. “What happened to you?”
Elana pushed the hair out of her eyes, hurt that he hadn’t noticed the changes in her appearance. She thought she’d done a good job of pampering herself slightly, trying to look more professional.
He immediately noticed the hurt look and frowned. “It isn’t your hair or your clothes, Elana. The sparkle that used to be in your eyes is gone. And you’re still not sleeping well.” He reached out and touched the dark circles still under her eyes that he could see despite the concealer she used each morning. “What’s going on? Are you still worried about the funding?”
She shook her head, twirling her fork in the pasta. “No. I’m not worried about that at all. You said you’d provide the funding for my work and you never go back on your word.” She froze, her hand in mid twirl and her whole body tense as she thought back to some of the promises they’d made together. “Well, not recently that I know of,” she said bitterly. They’d had dreams together. She remembered the day they’d sat on a picnic blanket and talked about the things they wanted out of life. They’d made promises that day. Not in so many words, but in the looks and the conversation, the way he’d held her close with his strong arms wrapped around her and the way his lips nuzzled her neck.
Those dreams were gone now. And here was her reality. She looked around at her messy apartment and wondered how she’d lived like this for so long.
That was definitely going to change, she told herself firmly. “Anyway, why were you worried about me tonight?” She took a big bite of the cheesy pasta, savoring the wonderful taste filled with garlic and spices.
“Because you seemed so distracted when you walked into the building after our lunch together. And I looked out my office window at eight o’clock and that ridiculous excuse for a car was still sitting in the parking lot. I was…concerned that you might have had trouble getting home.”
She couldn’t stop the warm sensation that flooded through her at his apprehension. It was very sweet of him, and completely unexpected. “Well,” she said, then had to clear her throat because some silly lump had lodged there. “Well, thank you for your worry, but as you can see, I’m fine. And I’m eating, so you won’t feel the need to take me out to lunch tomorrow.”
“But I’m still picking you up tomorrow evening,” he stated and he wasn’t taking any arguments there.
Elana sighed and decided to enjoy her pasta despite his presence. She looked down and took another bite. “So…what were you working on so late tonight?” she asked. She refused to be concerned about his work habits. She knew that he didn’t used to work so late into the evening because she’d been with him almost every night except for the times when she had to study. And even many of those nights, she was with him although she’d have her books out on her lap while he went over whatever reports he was working on. Seven years ago, he would pull her down onto his sofa, making sure there was no space between them and his arm was wrapped around her shoulder, holding her close while they worked on their separate issues. Now they