The Last Boyfriend (Forever Love #1)(27)
Author: J.S. Cooper

“You needed your beauty sleep.”

“I guess so.” I stepped out of the car and looked at the building in front of me. It looked like a grand Spanish house. “You said you live in a condo?”

“It doesn’t look like a condo, does it?” He grinned.

“No. It doesn’t.”

“I decided to bring you to my casa in Los Feliz instead.” He grabbed the bags and I followed him to the front door.

“Why?” I was puzzled at the change in destination.

“No reason.” He opened the big wooden door and I followed him inside. I was immediately struck at how different the interior of this home was to his place in Miami. The floors were a golden brown hardwood that ran from the front door all the way to the French doors at the end of the large room. From the front of the house, I could see the garden outside, and it looked lush and green with different plants and flowers. The lights at the back coupled with the moonlight made his garden look magical. “Welcome to my home.” Zane put the bags down and ushered me in properly.

“Thanks.” My voice was small as I took in my surroundings. I was in awe at just how perfect his home was. There was a large white couch to the immediate right of me and it had bright orange throw pillows that seemed to accent the cream and orange rug on the floor. There was a huge fireplace to the right of the rug and on top of the mantelpiece there were little ornaments. There were paintings all along the walls, but I didn’t recognize any of them from any of my art classes or trips to museums.

“Do you like?” Zane asked me quietly and I could sense that he was really interested in my opinion.

“I really really love it, Zane.” I gushed. “It’s so different from your place in Miami.”

“That’s really Noah’s place.” He explained. “This is my house. I chose it and designed it. This is my style. I’ve never really brought anyone here before.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” He shuffled his feet nervously. “I usually take everyone to the condo I share with Noah. It’s in Burbank.”

“Oh okay.” I offered him a small smile, while inside, I was beaming. This had to mean something, right? He had taken me to his real home and not the home that he has on show.

“Would you like a tour?” He seemed unsure and that uncertainty endeared me to him even more. He was like a little boy showing off his favorite toy. My heart went out to him when I realized that he likely never had a great childhood and that his image of the world had been shaped by events that had occurred in his life when he was six.

“I would love a tour. What are we waiting for?” I linked my arm through his and smiled up at him enthusiastically.

“Well this is my living room.”

“Who did the paintings?”

“I’m involved with a hospital that does research on children with cancer. These are some of the children’s paintings.”

“Wow. They are amazing.” I looked at the paintings and was blown away by the talent of the children and the fact that Zane had hung their images in frames on his walls.

“The ornaments on the mantle-frame are keepsakes I’ve gotten from my travels.”

“Do you like to travel a lot?”

“I did.” He paused. “My father used to take us all over the world with him when we were younger. He had a lot of movie releases in other countries.”

“That must have been fun.”

“It was a great way to learn about other cultures and people. Many of the guys I know, all they care about is their own small microcosm—it’s all about movies or parties. There’s more to the world than having a good time.”

“I agree.”

“But that’s a conversation for another time. This is my dining room, I got the table, solid wood by the way, shipped from India.”

“It’s gorgeous.”

“The chairs aren’t very comfortable, I’m afraid.” He laughed. “I have to get them replaced.”

“At least they are pretty to look at.”

“Who know that metal chairs would be so uncomfortable?”

“Not me.”

“And through here is the kitchen. Some people don’t like white cabinetry, but I love it, I think it looks so fresh and clean. I got the hardware at Anthropologie.”

“I didn’t know guys knew about Anthropologie.”

“Oh I didn’t. A girl I was dating at the time took me in one day and I ended up finding quite a few pieces that I liked.”

“Oh, that’s cool.” I tried to ignore the knotting jealousy in my stomach. What girl, I thought to myself. Was she his girlfriend?

“And of course all stainless steel. And a gas oven.”

“Do you cook a lot then?”

“No.” He laughed again. “I’ve thought about getting a cook though.”

“I can cook for you if you want. I really enjoy cooking.”

“That would be great, if you didn’t mind, of course.”

“I wouldn’t mind at all.”

“Awesome. Well let’s go upstairs. Let me show you the bedrooms.”

“Oh we aren’t going to go outside?” I pointed to the French doors.

“We can go later. Maybe we can even go for a swim.”

“You have a pool here?” I said excitedly.

“Of course.” He grabbed my hand and we ran up the stairs. It was really light and spacious with a lot of windows. I was pleased to see carpet on the floors. I like hardwood a lot, but there is something about having carpet in the bedrooms that makes you feel more comfortable and at home.

“Let’s go to my room first.” He winked and I followed him to a door at the end of the hallway. I walked in slowly and looked around carefully to see what I could figure out about him from his room. I was surprised that he had a queen size bed in the center of his room, and directly opposite from it, there was a 42-inch flat screen TV hanging on the wall. His nightstand only contained a lamp and a book, and his duvet was a navy blue shiny color that I hated. I looked to the corner of the room and saw a huge bay window. Next to the window, was a small bookshelf, with well-tousled books that looked like they had been read and there was a huge chest of drawers against the wall. I walked over to the bookshelf to see what books he read and was pleasantly surprised to see the names of authors I loved and enjoyed as well.

“What’s your favorite book?” I asked him curiously.