Page 263

Cooking had always been one of the few things at La Cruzona that belonged partly to me. Ciro approved because he considered it feminine and harmless, never understanding how much pleasure I took from transforming ordinary ingredients into something beautiful.

Here, no one cared whether it was useful or appropriate. I could make something simply because I wanted to.

I smiled and turned back to Lachlan.

He held out his hand. “One more important room.”

I knew where he was taking me before we reached it. His bedroom occupied the far end of the penthouse beyond his office, with warm wood, a huge bed covered in thick dark bedding, and another wall of windows overlooking the river.

Naturally, the bed got my attention first as I stared at the mattress.

Lachlan laughed softly behind me.

“Already planning crimes against my virtue?”

“I didn’t realize you had any.”

“Fair.”

Then he opened the bathroom door.

The bathtub stopped me.

It was enormous, and beside it was a separate glass shower large enough for several people.

“Oh, that’s dangerous.”

“The bathtub?”

“If I ever get in it, I may never leave.”

He came up behind me. “Then you should take a nice long soak and get some rest while I grab a quick shower. I’ve been gone for days, and I need to spend an hour or two in my office dealing with everything that piled up while I was missing.”

“I slept through most of the flight.”

“You also spent the last few days escaping a cartel, running down a mountain, getting shot at, and nearly being killed at an airport. I think you’ve earned an hour in a bathtub.”

“When you put it that way…”

“How about I run it for you?”

“You don’t have to.”

“I know, but I think you’ll really enjoy it. There are jets, the lights change, and the speakers connect to your phone if you want music.”

“Actually, that sounds perfect. I think I will.”

He turned on the water and tested the temperature before opening the cabinet beneath the sink. He pulled out a jar of bath salts and a bottle of oil and set both on the edge of the tub.

I picked up the bottle.

“Orange blossom.” I opened it and breathed in the familiar fragrance. Warm nights at La Cruzona immediately came to mind, but without the compound attached to it, the fragrance was simply beautiful. “I love this.”

“The scent was the first thing I noticed about you when you snuck into the dungeon, and I was blindfolded. It had no business being in that hellhole. That’s why I knew you were special and didn’t want to scare you off. No one smelling that pure could possibly belong there.” His mouth curved. “I sent Aria a text and asked her to find some for you. She really is good at getting things done.”

“She is terrifying.”

“Aye. Never underestimate a woman with unlimited access to my credit card.”