Because of His Fortune (For His Pleasure, Book 25) by Kelly Favor Read Free Book Online

napkins and wine glasses, with a bottle of
wine opened in the center.
    “I came over a couple of hours ago and
knocked on the door, spoke to your lovely roommates,” Liam said, as he opened
the oven and checked on the chicken.
    Grace smiled, watching him play
chef.   “My lovely roommates?   Are you sure you met them?   Or maybe we’re talking about two different
people.”
    Liam took a digital thermometer off the
counter and knelt down, then inserted it into one of the chicken breasts that
were sitting in a pan in the oven.   “I convinced them to spend tonight in my hotel, in the best rooms
available.   They were happy to do it
in order to give us a nice private, romantic evening together.”   He checked the thermometer.   “Almost ready,” he said, and then shut
the oven door and stood up.
    “Nice deal for them,” Grace said, shaking
her head.   She picked up the bottle
of wine and saw it was a 2005 Château Pétrus.   “You didn’t have to do this, Liam.”
    He looked at her evenly.   “Yeah, I did.”
    Grace sniffed the wine and then put it
back on the table.   She didn’t know
much about wine, but suspected this was no $10 bottle from the local package
store.
    “The food smells delicious,” she told
him.   “How did you learn to cook?”
    He shrugged, taking a spoon and stirring
something in one of the pots on the range.   “Growing up, food’s always been a big deal in my family.   Of course, we had servants and personal
chefs and all of that.   But I used
to hang out in the kitchen, especially with Chef Garson…I called him Gar.   He was almost like a father to me,” Liam
said, smiling as he remembered the man.   “Gar would cook and tell stories and I learned just from being in the
kitchen with him so much.   As I got
older, he’d have me do a few things, show me some little tricks.”
    “That’s so cute,” she said, picturing a
young Liam running around a kitchen, precocious and curious as he must’ve been.
    Liam took a quick taste of what was in
the pot and then tossed the spoon into the sink, before covering the pot
again.   “Gar was a wonderful
friend,” he said, his voice changing.   “And then, when I was fifteen, he died of a heart attack in his sleep.”
    She put a hand over her mouth.   “Oh, Liam,” she said.
    He nodded, looking down, as he wiped his
hands on the front of his apron.   “It was tough to lose him.   I
really loved him,” he finished softly.   And then he turned back to the stove, seeming to shake off the sad
memory of his loss.   “Anyway, that’s
how I learned the little bit I know about cooking.   What I know wouldn’t even fill the first
page of a cookbook, but I can do one or two meals if I get lucky.”
    “Well, that’s more than I can do,” Grace
laughed.   “I’m pretty useless in the
kitchen.”
    “You’re pretty, that’s true,” Liam
said.   “Now go sit down.   I’m going to make us up a couple of
plates.”
    Grace sat down at the table, and Liam
came and lit the two candles, poured each of them a glass of wine.
    She watched his graceful movements and smiled,
wondering at how much emotion she already felt towards Liam Houston.   They hardly knew each other, but in some
ways she felt as though she’d always known him.
    Am
I just fooling myself?   One second I
feel like we’re meant to be together always and nothing could ever hurt
us.   And the next, I’m convinced
that the whole thing is a sham and Liam doesn’t care for me at all.
    Grace sighed, her confusing mix of
emotions bubbling up inside her.   She took a long sip of the wine and felt her body instantly relax.   “This wine is amazing,” she said,
tasting the fruitiness of it on her tongue and immediately taking another long
sip.
    Liam went to the stove and began
preparing their plates.
    When he came back and put her plate in
front of her, Grace knew he’d been far too modest about his talents.
    The food smelled incredible.   The plate