by Dahlia Rose
“Okay, let’s get you some warm clothes and boots. Upstairs, down the hall, second bedroom to the left, you will find a walk-in closet filled with winter clothes.”
“How many rooms are in this place anyway?” Ileana walked up the winding stair case. Everything around her was so polished and ornate. She ran her fingers up the mahogany banister as she took each step upward. Ileana stopped when she didn’t hear an answer to her question. Turning she looked down to where Casey stood, with a questioning look.
“Wait, you don’t know how many rooms are in your own house?” Ileana giggled at his expression.
Casey grinned. “We’ll explore, how’s that?”
“Fine, but we have to bring bread crumbs in case we get lost.”
“Go get dressed. I’ll be waiting in the kitchen.”
It was then when he was walking away that Ileana noticed the limp and how he moved a bit slower than usual. What happened to him? She was curious but would not pry. She knew what it was like to have secrets.
Casey headed in the opposite direction, and Ileana made sure to watch which way he went in case she got lost. She found the bedroom easily enough, but Casey sure didn’t mention that on each side there were at least five bedrooms. Ileana was amazed at the luxury that surrounded her. The sheer material covering the canopy bed looked as light as a spider web but shimmered under the lights in the room. It reminded her of the opulent rooms of where queens and princesses dwelled in the movies. She had always dreamed of being a princess. At least she got to live like one for Christmas.
Ileana changed quickly from her sexy black dress into a pale pink snow suit and cap she found in the massive closet. She looked at herself in the full-length mirror and giggled. To her the outfit reminded her of the ones snow bunnies wore on ski trips. Not that she had ever taken a ski trip or seen snow bunnies except on TV. Glancing at herself one more time in the mirror, she nodded in approval before she left the room and bounded downstairs. She followed the route Casey had taken and found him in a kitchen as big as her apartment. Big copper pots and stainless steel cooking utensils hung everywhere.
Ileana looked around in awe. “I have died and gone to kitchen heaven. I want to officially live in this room.”
“It’s nice,” Casey said casually.
“Nice!” she repeated in amazement. “Honey, nice is Martha Stewart’s kitchen. This is freaking awesome! Do you know the dishes I could create in here?”
“Do you cook?” Casey was looking at her curiously.
Ileana pretended to polish her knuckles. “I don’t like to brag, but I make a soufflé to die for.”
“Uh, I hate to ask but could you make me something later . . . um, home cooked? I have been kinda surviving on sandwiches and canned soup since Davis and his wife left.” Casey looked self-conscious for even asking.
“Your butler and his wife left you without food?” Ileana looked around.
“No, she had stuff in the walk-in freezer. I just don’t remember how to use the oven thingy.”
A small laugh escaped before Ileana could stop it. “Oven thingy . . .”
“Okay, don’t tease me. I feel bad enough having to ask,” Casey grumbled. “They left me the instructions on how to use them somewhere.”
“I’m sorry for laughing, but you could have put the stuff in the microwave.”
“Yeah, kinda don’t know how to work that either.”
“Oh, lord, you poor dear.” This time Ileana could not help laughing. “I’ll make you something later.”
Casey bowed low. “Thank you, dear maiden. Now let us depart into the snow.”
“What do you do anyway?” Ileana asked as they stepped outside. She was entirely glad she said yes to his proposal instead of waiting outside for the mean chauffeur to come back. It had definitely gotten colder since she was standing on his doorstep.
“I am, well, used to be a professional snowboarder. I took part in the Winter Games, all that stuff. Now I write simulations for video games, which is my second passion.”
“Are you okay?” she asked concerned when he stepped carefully down to the snow. She saw a grimace cross his face. “You know we can do without a tree. Let’s go back inside.”
“Nope,” he said stubbornly. “It’s Christmas, and we need a tree. I invited you as my guest for the holiday, and we will do it the right way.”
Ileana only nodded sensing that it was not the time or the place to argue with this man who wanted to spend Christmas with her.
Soon, his small power saw was whirring through the pine tree they had picked out, and in minutes, they were dragging it through the snow back to the mansion. Ileana made sure to pick one big enough to decorate, but yet small enough he could manage to help carry it. Even then, she still tried to take most of the weight. He was hurt, she knew that, and even if he never told her what was wrong, she did not want him to be in pain because of a pine tree.
Between them, they got it into the house easily enough. They set it up near the big fireplace in what he called the family room. He lit the fireplace before they dragged out boxes and boxes of decorations from his basement. The basement turned out to be an entertainment room that could rival the IMAX theater. He seemed more impressed that she had no clue who he was than by anything else. That alone told Ileana someone had hurt him in the past.
They decided to tackle the decorations after changing and after Ileana made dinner. In her bathroom, she took a hot shower to chase away the cold. The bathroom was decorated in dark marble and chrome. A claw-foot tub beckoned her to sink into a hot bubble bath. Instead, she promised herself one later and opted for a shower so she could get downstairs quickly and make a meal. She wanted to impress Casey, but somehow, all he had offered to her seemed like a gift she could not repay. She would do for him the one thing she knew she was really good at, cooking.
Her hair was still drying as she, dressed in a gray and pink sweat suit, walked out of the room. Whoever lived here before and wore these clothes was her exact size. Ileana thanked the gods it wasn’t supermodel sizes because with her petite frame, she would have had to roll up the pant legs many times. Standing outside the door that Casey pointed out was his bedroom, Ileana knocked softly to let him know she was going downstairs to start dinner. She opened the door without waiting for an answer. He was standing in front of the mirror wearing only his boxer briefs. That’s when she saw the scars running down the right side of his body. His eyes widened when he saw her standing there. The tortured look in those eyes reflecting back at her from the mirror said more than words ever could. Ileana stepped back and closed the door silently. She knew the scars he carried on the inside were far worse than the ones on his body.
Chapter Three
He came downstairs to mouthwatering smells coming from the kitchen. He knew he had idled upstairs longer than necessary. Three hours is way more than necessary, he thought to himself. It was well after ten at night. Casey half expected to hear the door slam on her way out as she ran screaming into the night after seeing his injuries. Since his accident, only one woman had seen his scars, and she hadn’t stayed around to see him heal. Fiancée, my ass.
Ileana hadn’t run. Instead, she seemed to be downstairs cooking. Casey smiled as he took the last few steps to the kitchen. He pushed the swing door and found it empty. He frowned, hoping she didn’t just make dinner as something to do before the car came to pick her up. Disappointment started to seep into his core as he made his way to the family room.
The sight greeting him made his jaw drop. In the hours he had hidden in his room, she had decorated the entire room and the tree. Purple and silver balls hung from the branches of the fresh pine tree. Its smell filled the room, along with a nutty flavor coming from the fireplace. Lights and stockings hung over the fireplace, big red bows decorated each corner, and she stood in the center of the room looking around and covered in tinsel.
There was never a more gorgeous sight in Casey’s opinion. Ileana was beautiful and sexy wearing a sweat suit a
nd socks covered in silver strands of tinsel. It was even in her hair, which was a bit messed up but still appealing as hell. Casey cleared his throat, and she turned and grinned. His heart picked up speed just a bit because it was the most genuine look of happiness to see him he had seen in a long time.
“What’s that smell that has my tummy rumbling?” He walked in the room and stood next to her. Without the heels or even the tall winter boots, she was still tall enough to look him in the eyes.
“I found a ham in your kitchen and enough stuff to make Christmas dinner,” Ileana explained. “I think your butler and his wife might have been planning to stay here at some point. There are even homemade rolls frozen in your walk-in freezer and cake batter. I have those thawing out for tomorrow.”
“Uh-huh.” Casey couldn’t think of another thing to say. He was busy staring into the depths of her eyes and seeing happiness there.
She outstretched her hands and twirled around. Tinsel flew everywhere. “So what do you think?”
Her arm, still full with tinsel, came very close to his face when she spun back around to face him. Casey laughed and ducked out of the way in time. “I think it looks great. I also think we have been attacked by tinsel aliens.”
Ileana gave him an embarrassed look. “I think I went a bit overboard with the silver stuff.”
“At least it’s not snow in a can. Then we’d both be high as a kite,” Casey teased, and they both started laughing.
When their laughter faded, he asked, “Seriously, are you having fun?”
She stared up at him, her eyes alight with laughter. “I actually am. I haven’t been able to kick back and cut loose for a long time. This feels really good.”
“Glad to hear it.” Casey cleared his throat uncomfortably. He didn’t want to bring up the subject, but he knew he had to. “About upstairs. . . In my room . . . Um, what you saw . . .”
Ileana cut him off gently. “You don’t have to explain, Casey. You’ll tell me if or when you want to.”
She essentially let him off the hook, and Casey was grateful for the reprieve. But somehow he felt as if he could tell her and she would understand. “Thank you. So, when’s dinner?”
“Right now, if you’re ready. How about we adjourn to the kitchen?”
Do you mind if we eat in here?” Casey asked. “The tree looks awesome, and I just want to be in a room that actually looks festive.”
Ileana touched the head of one of the toy soldiers. “It looks like a Christmas store threw up in here, doesn’t it?”
“Kinda, but I like it.” Casey grinned and imitated her by touching the toy soldiers at the door as they passed. “You know these are for outside right?”
“Yup, but I think they set off the room nicely.”
Together, they went into the huge kitchen, and she made them both big plates of dinner. She moved efficiently around the room, as if she had lived there all her life and knew every nook and cranny. He ventured in there to the pantry for an occasional bag of potato chips or a candy bar. He could tell she enjoyed the room by how her fingers trailed along the marble countertops and how she replaced a pot or pan back to its position lovingly. Underneath that cool, businesslike exterior she had shown him when she walked through the door, she was a warm, caring woman. But like her, he would wait until she was ready to tell those secrets.
Plates heaped with ham, potatoes, mixed vegetables, and rolls, they headed back to the living room to sit in front of the roaring fire. Casey flicked on the TV in the corner, and in minutes, they were laughing at cartoons while they ate. The companionable feeling between them was something that Casey hadn’t realized he had missed until now. He pretended that the outside world did not matter, and in a few hours, she had shown him that he was a lonely man.
“Wanna play a video game?” Casey asked impulsively.
“Don’t we have to wait a half an hour before we do that?” Ileana teased.
“Honey, that’s swimming. Come on, let’s play a video game,” he coaxed.
“Okay, fine. Where’s your system? Do you have a Play Station Three or something?” she asked looking around.
Casey threw her a wicked grin. “Oh, I have something much better. Come on.”
He led the way downstairs slowly. The cold was seeping into his bones, and because of his accident, he moved with less mobility. Casey opened the door to his workroom and flipped the lights on. Her gasp of amazement as she looked around made him proud. She was one of the only people who ever saw his pride and joy, his virtual reality room where he created some of his best work.
“Oh my God, what is this place?’ Ileana asked in awe.
“This is my work place, aptly named ‘I-spy,’ ” Casey said with pride.
“What do you do for a living?” She walked around looking at everything intently. She reached out to touch a piece of equipment but pulled her hand back like one touch would break it. “Because this doesn’t seem like the simulations you were talking about.”
“I create video games for one of the top gamer companies.”
“Oh wow, how cool is that! Will you show me how these work? Wait, what kind of games? Can I be Mario?”
Casey chuckled. “Honey, this is not that kind of system. This is a virtual reality board that puts you right inside the game.”
Her mouth formed a cute little o as Casey proceeded to explain how they would play. He helped her get into her virtual equipment, and then he did the same before turning on the game projector. Around them, the room changed to a jungle setting. From there, they began fighting mutant prehistoric animals trying to escape a jungle and eat humanity. Every time something jumped out at her, Ileana screamed and began firing her virtual weapon. Behind his mask, Casey grinned, seeing how much fun she was having.
“Get it, Casey, get it, get it! It’s coming!” She squealed as a giant mutant bird flew overhead.
Casey fired his laser weapon. “Damn, I missed it! You get it, Ileana. Go, girl, go!”
Virtual Ileana chased the mutant bird, laser weapon sending red bullets through the jungle. She missed every time, but her laughter was contagious. The bird turned around and flew back at her.
“Uh-oh. Run, baby, run!” Casey yelled.
Virtual Ileana turned on her heels and ran, but when she looked behind her, the predator swooped and screamed at her as she fell.
Casey ripped his helmet off and stopped the game. He rushed to Ileana’s side and pulled the helmet from her head gently.
“Are you okay?” Concern laced his voice. “I’m sorry. We should have played something less hectic.”
When he got her helmet off, Ileana was flushed. Her eyes glittered like dark amber jewels, and the biggest grin he had ever seen was on her face.
“That was the coolest thing I have ever done!” She sat up and pushed strands of hair from her face. “Did you see that? I shot at big bird thingies and hit a few. Oh, that last one is mine when we play again.”
Casey listened to her stream of words with amused interest. He’d never met a woman like her. At home with being a cool sophisticate, with being nurturing and puttering around in his kitchen, and now with playing video games with the enjoyment of a teenager. She was so many things rolled into one beautiful package. Casey couldn’t help going on just instinct. He leaned forward and kissed her.
Ileana made a sound of surprise, and then her lips softened under his. Her fingers tangled in his hair, and she returned his kiss eagerly. Heat infused his body, and her mouth opened under his, daring him to enter and to taste her. She tasted of the sweet wine she had after dinner. Her tongue darted out. Casey groaned in his throat as her tongue played in his mouth. She took over the kiss, nibbled gently at his lips before pulling him again and fusing their mouths together.
Casey sat and pulled her onto his lap, never letting his lips leave hers. His hands held on to her waist before traveling up to cup her breasts through the soft material of her sweatshirt. Ileana moaned and moved sensually in response in his lap. Casey’s c
ock hardened in aching response. This isn’t real, just a fantasy. That thought made him break off the kiss. They were breathing hard when the kiss ended, and when Ileana leaned in for another kiss, he gently pulled away.
“I’m sorry that this happened, Ileana.”
“I’m not,” she replied, looking directly at him.
“You don’t owe me anything,” he reminded her softly. “I invited you here for a nice Christmas weekend, and that was it.”
“I know I don’t owe you anything, Casey. I threw the money back at you, remember?” She got up, and Casey noticed how she automatically avoided pressing on his injured side. “But I have to tell you that was one amazing kiss, and there’s something there. I’m a woman who knows what she wants.”