The sun was setting, lighting the mountains to the west in brilliant orange and pink. A fire was crackling in the fire pit. Next to it was a large, comfy outdoor chair. Not far from that, a table for two was set up and loaded with plates, candles flickering in the center of it. Tessa stood beside it and waved a hand.

“Dinner is served.”

“You organized all this?”

“It wasn’t hard.” She sat. “The staff here are excellent. And they sprang into action. Very efficient and clearly experienced.”

I moved over to her and tipped her head back. This kiss was long and slow.

When I was done with her, I liked that her eyes were glazed.

“Dinner will get cold,” she said, her voice breathy.

I sat across from her, liking the way the candlelight danced across her features. “Give me the champagne.”

She pulled the bottle from the ice bucket. I popped the cork and poured the golden liquid into two glasses.

She lifted hers and sipped, glancing over to watch the last of the sunset. “I love Windward. I’m a small-town girl at heart, but I can sure appreciate how the other half live.” She held up her glass and I clinked mine against it.

I knew she’d never leave Windward. She was rooted there, with people who loved her. It held sad memories for her, but it also held love and happiness. I’d never felt connected to any place before, so it wasn’t a feeling I understood, but I still felt a little envious.

She made my glitzy life seem…a little empty.

“Congratulations on your new acquisition, Ro. I know how hard you worked for it.”

“Thanks.”

“Let’s eat.”

We ate the excellent meal, and I enjoyed Tessa’s assessment of the Langston Denver. She’d also taken numerous notes for the future spa upgrade at the Langston Windward.

Then I saw her shiver. I realized that now that the sun had gone down, drenching Denver in nighttime, the temperature had dropped.

“Come here.” I rose and held out my hand. “Let’s sit by the fire.”

She took my hand and fluttered her eyelashes. “But there’s only one chair.”

I dropped into it. “Guess we’ll have to share.” I pulled her onto my lap.

She snuggled into me. She smelled like jasmine, lime, and other pretty, mysterious smells.

There was a basket of throw blankets resting beside the chair and I pulled one over us. The terrace was situated so it was as private as possible. There was metal latticework on either side, covered in vines, which gave us privacy from the neighboring buildings.

She pressed a kiss to the side of my neck. “I’m glad you asked me to come on this trip.”

I touched her hair. “Me too. I especially liked getting seduced in my office while on a call.”

She shot me an unrepentant grin.