Page 30 of The Mastermind
Remi smiled, and my heart turned over. He should smile more.
“I charmed two girls entering the building, telling them I had a surprise for someone. They let me walk in with them.”
“And they believed you?”
“Why wouldn’t they?” He shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal. “I was telling the truth. Are you going to invite me in, or are we going to stand in the doorway talking?”
I stepped back and gestured a hand. “Please come in.”
“This is for you from your mom.” He handed me the takeout bag from The Stuffed Tummy, one of my mom’s favorite restaurants.
“When did you see my mom?” My stomach growled as I placed the bag on the kitchen table, and I realized I hadn’t eaten lunch, and it was now dinner time.
“Earlier with Grayson and your uncle Derek. They invited me to dinner, but I declined.” He glanced around my apartment.
“Oh, right.” I huffed. “She called me this morning and asked me to come home for dinner, but I was too exhausted to make the trip. I just saw her a few days ago. Would you like a tour?”
“Sure.” The aqua eyes sparkled.
“My home is probably the size of your bathroom.” I showed him my humble one-bedroom apartment that served me well.
“My office,” he corrected. “But I like it. It’s homey. It’s you. You could totally get a bigger place. Grayson would hook you up.”
“You’re right, but I prefer to buy my stuff with my own money.” My brother’s wealth was somewhere close to Remington’s. I wasn’t a sister who would leech off of him, though he constantly offered. “I’m not a little girl anymore, so he doesn’t need to protect me like that.”
“He wants to protect what’s worth protecting,” Remi muttered as his eyes bore into mine.
“What?” My stomach growled again.
“I think your tummy is trying to tell you something.”
“Have you had dinner?” I opened the bag and took out five plastic containers of food. “I swear she wants to fatten me up. Help me eat this. It’s comfort food, nothing fancy, so if it’s not your preference, I won’t be offended.”
“I eat all kinds of foods.” His face crinkled in confusion. “You think I only eat at fancy restaurants?”
“Isn’t that what billionaires do? They eat pretty tiny things that look like art on a plate, not to mention the meal costs a fortune.” I took out a porcelain plate for me and one for him.
He came up beside me, standing too close, and my skin heated from his nearness. A musky scent of cologne seduced my nose, and my stomach did strange things.
He let out a genuine laugh that bounced around my apartment. “You don’t think too highly of me, do you? Those ‘pretty things’ are called delicacies. You should come with me sometime, and we can explore all kinds of delicacies.”
“If you see how much I eat, you’ll rethink the offer, mister. You’d go broke. I’d eat you out of house and home.”
He smiled with a flash of white teeth. I hadn’t seen him smile like this. It was as though he was saving them for me.
“I have a lot of houses and homes. I can always buy more.”
Is he teasing me?
“Yeah, I can totally see that.” I laughed, enjoying his company more than I realized. “When you have so many homes, which one is truly considered a home? I can’t imagine hopping all over the place.”
“I’m not attached to any of them. They’re just a place where I can sleep and work in private.”
A tinge of sadness slithered through me. How could he view a home like that? And why did I desperately want to know? Why did I want to show him a different meaning?
Growing up, Remi spent more time at my house than his. I hadn’t known what his family situation was like, and I never asked. It wasn’t my business, and I had my own issues to deal with back then.
I placed the last container down on the table and changed the subject to brighten the mood. “Well, I hope this meal makes you feel homey. Have a seat.”