Free The Sweetest Seduction, Breakaway Hearts by Crista McHugh Page B

his lips. Despite the setback with the burning potatoes, his plan to make a good impression on a first date with her had gone far better than he imagined. “Thank you. That means a lot coming from you.”
    Her eyes appeared to be a softer green than before, more like new spring grass rather than emeralds. She held his gaze over the rim of her glass as she took a sip, and all thoughts of the meal before him vanished. There were far more tempting things to taste—like her lips. But then he remembered the first words out of her mouth when she arrived, and pushed those thoughts out of his mind. As much as he wanted her, he didn’t want to cross that line unless she initiated it.
    He cut into his steak while she asked him questions about what it was like to grow up in a house with six brothers. He answered them, sharing stories of some of his exploits and earning a few chuckles as a reward. But it wasn’t until their plates were almost clean that he realized the entire conversation had revolved around him. He hadn’t learned a single thing about Lia, but there was still time to rectify the situation.
    “You mentioned last week that you didn’t always want to be a chef. What did you do before?”
    She choked on her wine and covered her mouth with her napkin, making him wish he could take his question back. Lia cleared her throat. “I, um, have a degree in business.”
    Not what he would have expected at first, but the more he thought about her success with La Arietta, the more sense it made. “From where?”
    She rolled a carrot across her plate with her fork. “From Harvard.”
    It was then he realized he’d only begun to scratch the surface of the mysterious and complicated Lia Mantovani. “And that led you into cooking how?”
    She poked her polenta, scooping up a bite before laying her fork on her plate. “I really don’t want to bore you with—”
    “I said I wanted to get to know you better, remember? That’s the reason I wanted to have dinner with you, not because I was hoping to get you in the sack.”
    His words had the effect he wanted, and a few chinks appeared in her armor. “My dad died when I young, so Ma always had to work two jobs to support us and make sure I went to a good school, had decent clothes on my back, setting aside a little money for college. You know?”
    He nodded, fearing that if he said anything, she’d lock back up inside.
    “So when I was looking at careers, I decided getting an MBA would a good choice to have a solid future and maybe pay her back for all she sacrificed for me. I worked hard, got into Harvard’s MBA program, graduated with honors.”
    Her story slammed to an end, and when she didn’t continue, he said softly, “Go on.”
    “I met a man when I was at Harvard. George Augustus Hamilton, III, also known as Trey. One of those guys born with a silver spoon in his mouth who never had to work hard for anything.” She didn’t look at him as she spoke, but the tips of his ears still grew warm. “We got engaged right before we graduated and bought a little house in Connecticut.”
    Her voice cracked, and she ran her finger along the stem of her wine glass. “Trey was old money, you see, and he wanted me to be like his mom and sisters. A society wife. And I was stupid enough to think that sort of life would satisfy me. So, I stayed at home and did volunteer work and had lunch with the ladies down the street while he worked at a trading firm in Manhattan.”
    He didn’t need to hear how the story turned out. He already heard the pain behind her words.
    “A few weeks before we were supposed to get married, I learned the truth. He wanted to keep me in my gilded cage while he had his flings in the city.” Her fingers curled up into her palm. “After that, I swore no one would ever keep me from doing what I wanted to do. I sold my engagement ring and used to the money to go to Italy. That’s where I discovered my true passion.”
    She raised her eyes to him, the fear