“Ashton, I—” I covered her lips with my own.

“Don’t say anything. Just enjoy the moment.” I gave her ass a quick slap. “Now get in the car and stop distracting me.”

Elena raised her brows, but climbed into the car without another word. We both buckled up and I made a quick U-turn and put us back on the road to the restaurant. A soft, rumbling sound came from the passenger side of the car.

“Hungry?” I asked, glancing at her out of the corner of my eye.

“Starved.” She rubbed her hand over her stomach. “The protein bar wore off. I need real food.”

“Good thing we’re on our way to eat.”

“Definitely.”

Elena had completely overcome her need to eat salads and small portions. Gone were the days when she had to worry about the overweight prick convincing her she weighed too much. She had a wide-ranging palate and was always willing to try something new, even if she thought it didn’t sound appetizing. I’d decided against taking her away from the Grand Canyon. For Elena, it wasn’t about the number of stars the restaurant had; she was more concerned with the atmosphere. Not to say she didn’t enjoy fine dining, but a fancy restaurant didn’t fit the day’s plans.

Driving into the lot, I found a parking space and Elena stared at the building before us. Designed like a hunting lodge, the restaurant was rustic and had a log cabin type of feel. The place was rumored to have the most spectacular view of the Grand Canyon, besides being on one of the trails.

She looked over at me. “This doesn’t seem like your normal choice of restaurant.”

“It’s not, if I were in the city but we, my dear, are in the middle of the desert. It seemed like the perfect place for lunch.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

“Well then, let’s go inside and see if it’s as perfect as you think.”

Her eyes lit up. “Let’s go.”

I led her inside. We were quickly seated. The place had the same decor inside as it did out. Rustic hunting lodge meets sit down dining. Elena gushed over everything she saw, even the animal heads mounted high on the walls.

The waitress was prompt in taking our order, something I appreciated, and quickly brought us our drinks. Elena picked up the bottle of beer, turning it around in her hand.

“I thought you preferred dark beers?”

Taking a sip, I savored the taste of the local brewery. “I do, but sometimes local brewed beers taste even better. Try it.” I nodded toward the bottle.

She lifted it to her lips, drinking down the liquid. “Oh, that’s really good.”

“I told you.”

Elena peeked up at me through her lashes. “Is it going to be bad, you missing so many days of work to spend time with me?”

I shook my head. “Not at all. Remember I own the restaurants; I can be out a few days. Besides, everyday you’ve been at rehearsals, I’ve been working. These are your last few days off before the show begins. I want you to enjoy yourself.”

“Thank you,” she said simply.

“Are you excited about the start of the show?”

She beamed. “I am. I never thought I’d be up there under the lights. After Dominic and I got married it didn’t seem possible. Now here I am, a few days from taking the stage.”

Her excitement was contagious. I already had plans for that night, but was keeping it all a secret. “Yeah, Alan still curses me out every time I see him for not bringing you to him sooner. I’m excited to see your first performance.”

“You’re coming?”

“I have front row seats.”

“But . . . I’m really excited . . . but I don’t want you to feel like you have to go.”

“Elena, have you ever known me to do something I didn’t want to do?”

I thought she might say something about the conversation we had the other night about our parents, but she left it alone. “No. Unless you count getting stuck with me.”

Covering her hand with mine, I got lost in her eyes for a moment. “I didn’t get stuck with you. If I hadn’t wanted to help you, I wouldn’t have taken Dominic’s offer. I would have dealt with him the way I normally handle that situation. And, I want to see you up there. Trust me when I tell you that.”

“I do trust you,” she said, solemnly.

Our food arrived not long after and we slipped into easy conversation. I still didn’t understand the connection with Elena. She’d been so shy in the beginning, now there she sat, offering me her trust. It was perfectly obvious at that point—I wanted Elena even after the three months were up. I had to come clean, but how?

Was it about getting her away from Tolley? Hell fucking yes. But more than that, I wanted her for myself, even if I couldn’t define it, or knew what that meant.

“I want to go and see Gretchen sometime next week.”

The only thing I knew about Gretchen was that she worked with Elena at the diner. They’d been friends since Elena started there three years ago, and the smart woman continually pushed for her to leave Tolley.

“Okay. I’m guessing she’ll be glad to know I’m not keeping you locked up somewhere.”

She giggled, the sound rushing over me. “I told her you weren’t some crazy creep when I called to tell her I was taking some time off.” She gave me a pointed look.

She’d been upset the night I told her I’d talked to her boss at the diner and told him she was resigning, although, she’d tried to hide it. I explained that I wanted to help her find something better. At the time, I hadn’t known how good she was at acting. I never imagined she’d be working downtown in one of the theaters.

“That sounds like a good idea. You can tell her all about your new job. When are you going to meet her?”

“I was thinking that I’d meet her at the diner in a day or two.”

That caught my attention. “Do you think that’s a good idea?” I knew Tolley lived only a few blocks from the diner, and if he knew she was there he might visit, starting shit when I wouldn’t be there to protect her.

“Why wouldn’t it be? I worked there for years.”

“Yes, but at that time you weren’t considering getting a divorce.”

She shrugged. “I’m stronger than I was.”

That certainly was the truth, but . . .

“Elena, please don’t take this the wrong way, because you are a hell of a lot stronger than you were, but you haven’t seen him since the night he left you with me. I have, and trust me when I say there’s nothing you need to hear from his mouth.”

Her eyes flashed. “You don’t think I can stand up to him?”

There was a small piece of me that worried she might cave if he pulled the same bullshit as the other night. Then again, I knew she needed to do it for her to ever be completely free of him. “No, it’s not that. He’s a complete asshole and I don’t want you to have to deal with him. If it were up to me, I’d keep you as far away from the fucker as possible.”

The tension left her shoulders. “Yeah, I’d like to never see him again, but that’s not realistic. We live in the same city—I could see him anywhere. And like you said, I’ll probably have to see him for the divorce proceedings.”

The thought of it made me want to punch something. Not that I had any idea how any of that shit worked, but I’d be doing my research. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it. How about you invite Gretchen to La Tratoria for lunch? Then she can meet me—see for herself that I’m not some pervert, holding you hostage for sexual favors.”

She laughed and I knew we were in the clear again. I hadn’t meant to get her all pissed off on a day where my goal was to impress her.

“How about Thursday?”

“I can do that. I’ll set up the table myself.” I lifted her hand from the table to my lips.

“That was delicious,” she said, setting her napkin down on her now empty plate.

“Well, we did work up an appetite.”

“That we did.”

As far as she’d come, I still enjoyed the slightly shy woman who appeared every so often. It was both adorable and sexy—a very interesting combination. When the waitress brought the check, I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text to John to have the plane ready to head back home. There was still more to come, but I wanted to get Elena home to rest for a bit first.