Free A Spring Affair by Té Russ Page B

great," Maya added. She was quiet for another moment before saying, "Thank you for bringing me here to meet them. You can feel the love your parents put into this bistro and your uncle and aunt continue to pour into it. I know this place is very special to you."
    Xavier reached over the table for her hand.
    " You're very special," he said.
    And he meant it. If she hadn't been, he wouldn't have brought her to the bistro or introduced her to his family. In a very short amount of time, she'd managed to burrow herself deep into his heart. She was important to him now and he hoped whatever was growing between them continued to blossom into something wonderful.

Chapter 10
     
    Maya had a great time with Xavier and his family at the bistro. She couldn't recall a time laughing so much as Uncle Bobby retold tales of a young Xavier and all of the trouble he got into. They didn't end up leaving until closing time.
    "I didn't mean to keep you here so late," Xavier apologized.
    "What? Xavier, I had a blast."
    "I'm glad. They really seemed to love you."
    "Well, the feeling is mutual."
    "Are you ready to get out of here?" he asked.
    "Yes." Her heart fluttered at the thought they were about to head to his place. He'd instructed her to park her car in the employee lot behind the buildings when she first arrived so that they could ride to his place together.
    The drive to his house didn't take long and soon, Maya realized the houses were growing bigger with more distance between them.
    Maya inhaled sharply when they pulled into the driveway of a large one-story Spanish style home.
    "This is your house?" she whispered.
    Xavier chuckled as he opened the door. "Yep. Like you, I got lucky finding this place. And I got it at a steal because it was a foreclosure."
    He got out of the car, and went to open her door and help her out. He took the pastry box from her hands and they went up to the front door.
    "I don't think I've ever seen such a beautiful door," she mumbled, admiring the arched french-style door.
    Xavier glanced over at her and gave her that sexy grin that made her want to melt into a puddle.
    "If you're this impressed by a door, wait until you see the wine cellar."
    He unlocked the door and then opened it.
    "Welcome to my home," he said and stepped aside, allowing Maya to enter first.
     
     
    Maya stepped out of her wedges and left them by the front door. She looked around in awe. Just like the front door, windows and archways outside, all of the ones inside were high and curved as well. She loved the open floor plan and how everything seamlessly flowed from one room to the next.
    The gourmet style kitchen took Maya's breath away.
    "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you have such an exquisite kitchen given your background," she said, turning to face him.
    "It was definitely a big plus," Xavier said, as he turned and headed back toward the front of the house where the formal dining room was.
    "Of course the real clincher..." he said, pushing open a set of glass doors, "...was this."
    Maya slowly walked into the cavernous wine cellar, in complete adoration. While she took pride in her little make shift wine cellar in her small spare bedroom, hers didn't hold a candle to his.
    "Xavier," she breathed. "This...this is..."
    She couldn't find the right words to describe exactly how amazing the room was.
    "Let me show you my set up," he said, moving to one of the side walls.
    "This side," he began, "Is for my 'everyday' wines. The ones I drink on a regular basis."
    Maya smiled when she saw a lot of them were from Russell Oaks.
    He moved to the center wall. "These are wines, I break out for 'special occasions'." Finally, he moved over to the other side wall. "And these...these are the very rare, very hard to find wines."
    Maya stepped forward and picked up one of the bottles.
    "The '98 Chateaux DuBois!" she turned and looked at him. "You really do have one."
    "Did you not believe me?"
    "Well, I did...but...oh my goodness." She seemed to be