“Who are you?”
“Just a man, Savannah. And you’re not eating.”
Oh, teasing him was fun. “This is delicious,” she commented as she took another bite of the chicken. “Where are we, by the way?”
“Still in New York City.”
Savannah smiled slightly, rolling her eyes. “You’re so cute,” she announced.
He blinked in confusion, his fork halfway to his mouth. He frowned thoughtfully, trying to figure out her meaning. “I’m…cute?” he echoed.
“Adorable, actually.”
He grunted, his eyebrows lowering so that his scowl looked more sinister. “Men are not cute, Savannah,” he told her sternly.
“You are too. But I’m guessing you think big, bad, terribly mean men like you are too tough to be cute?”
He scowled at her. “Yes. Exactly. Tell me about your classes.”
She laughed slightly, then took another bite of her chicken before saying, “Just regular design stuff. What do you do for a living?”
“I manage my family’s financial investments.”
She smiled at his vague reply. “Ah! I figured you were rich. So, if you’re so wealthy, why do you buff up like that?” she asked, nodding meaningfully towards his body.
“Like what?”
“You look as if you work out like a demon. Why is that?”
“I keep in shape because it is healthy. Why do you refuse to eat?”
She laughed. “I don’t refuse to eat. I’m just poor and too busy to eat most of the time. Besides, there’s so many more interesting things to do in life. Why bother to eat?”
He rolled his eyes. “Eat!” he growled.
Savannah laughed, delighted. “You’re not really that mean, are you? I suspect that you want the world to see you as a big, mean grizzly. But underneath all those muscles, you’re just a teddy bear, aren’t you?”
His eyes flared. “Are you trying to tease me into showing you just how mean and merciless I can be?”
She couldn’t help it, poking at him was so much fun. “Sorry,” she replied, thinking she could easily fall for a guy like Gaelen. Grinning, she shrugged one shoulder. “You’re just too big and mean…and cute.”
He ran a finger over his cheek. “This scar eliminates any possibility that I am cute, my dear.”
For the first time, she noticed the scar along his cheek. “Oh wow! How did that happen?”
“A knife fight when I was younger,” he said, as if it hadn’t been a big deal. But now that she really looked at it, the scar was long and had probably been deep.
“It looks as if it really hurt!”
“I won the fight,” he told her as if she should have realized that fact already. “And you’ve effectively changed the subject. We were discussing your life, not my past.”
She grinned. “Right. What was the subject?”
His eyes narrowed, but she could see that he was fighting back his own amusement. “Your studies,” he supplied dryly.
“Oh, right! I’m studying interior design, color issues, furniture balance, and other classes. I’m almost finished with my degree and,” she straightened with pride, “I’ve already been hired on by one of the best design firms in Manhattan.”
“Really?” he asked, his eyes widening slightly. “That’s great. Congratulations. Which one?”
“Michael and Stern. They are out of…”
“I know of them. I’ve used them in several of my places.”
Her smile widened, then she shook her head, slightly exasperated. “Of course you have.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
She shrugged and scooped up a bite of potato. “Oh, I suspect that you’ve worked with all of the top firms in the city. I mean,” she looked around, “the owner of this place must have shelled out a pretty penny for this design. It’s wonderful, don’t get me wrong. But I doubt I’ll get a chance to work on projects this prestigious for a long time, if ever.”
Their conversation shifted easily from one topic to another without any awkward pauses. After dinner, they moved to the white sofas and a servant offered her a cup of herbal tea while Gaelen sipped brandy. She was touched by the staff’s sensitivity and courtesy.
But by ten o’clock, she couldn’t stifle a yawn and he caught it.
“You’re tired,” he replied, placing the brandy snifter on the low table in front of him. “You should rest.”
As much as she wanted to stay with him and talk, Savannah knew that she was still wiped out. “I can’t imagine why I’m so tired. I slept most of today.” But she stood as well, tugging her shirt down over her hips. “I need to…” she trailed off as he moved closer.
“You’re beautiful, Savannah,” he told her, his voice a husky murmur that sent spirals of awareness throughout her body.
“Thank