The foyer opened to three different reception rooms through archways. One was a large living room, another a dining room that could easily accommodate sixteen if not twenty at the table. The other was a library that rivaled anything she’d ever seen in a private residence, even royal ones.
Beautiful furniture in dark wood graced each room, the upholstery different shades of the sunset. It was impressive and luxurious but didn’t feel like a hotel.
“This reminds me of Piper Nikos’s designs, but I thought she only did the properties her husband’s company developed.”
“You have a good eye. She did the decor when she was still running her private design firm.”
“It’s stood the test of time this long?” Jenna was impressed.
“There are six bedrooms, but we will only be using one of them.”
“That library...this place doesn’t feel like a property used for the occasional business meeting.”
“It was my mother’s favorite vacation spot.”
And he’d brought Jenna to this clearly very private family oasis?
“You rarely mention her,” she said softly, laying her hand on his arm.
Dima’s handsome face showed old grief. “I was only a child when we lost her, but I still remember her smile.”
“And that hurts?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.”
He turned to face her. “For?”
“Not playing stoic he-man. Sharing your real emotions with me.”
“According to you, I am no good at hiding them from you, regardless.”
“I know you better than most people,” she said consolingly.
He laughed. “Believe me when I tell you that my ego is not so fragile that your ability to read what most people do not bothers me.”
He said that, but he’d brought up her ability to read him more than once.
It had to bother him at least a little.
She slid her hand down his arm to take his hand. “Let’s explore.”
The condo had a private media room. Unsurprising. And game room filled with board games from the antique to the latest offerings. Surprising. Six bedrooms, all with their own en suite bathrooms. Unsurprising. A small breakfast nook that opened onto a secluded outdoor garden with another eating area as well as a conversation grouping of cushioned outdoor furniture. A little surprising.
But the most surprising thing was how at home Jenna felt from the moment of crossing the condo’s threshold. She could fit her own house into this condo several times over, and yet it felt warm and welcoming to her.
Or was that just the glow from realizing she was in love with the man she would be sleeping with that night?
Later, he took her on an evening kayak ride through the mangrove forest. It was amazing and magical, the smell of mangroves mixing with the scent of water teeming with wildlife and fauna. The sound of nightlife in the waterlogged forest was so not something she had expected to experience here.
When they landed back on the dock, Jenna was not at all surprised to discover he had dinner plans at one of the city’s hottest restaurants.
They were shown to their table, and when she saw the mixed iris bouquet there, Jenna felt tears burn at the back of her eyes. “They’re beautiful.”
“Their recipient is even more beautiful.”
“If I didn’t know better, I would think you were wooing me, my prince.” She leaned close to him, but not so close it would scandalize the other diners. “I’m a sure thing, Dima.”