Five Star Romance. Jacquelin Thomas

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СКАЧАТЬ and soft muted color schemes of sage, plum and ivory. The five-bedroom residence offered floor-to-ceiling windows that flooded the interior with natural light.

      Natasha opened the door just as he was about to knock. She stepped aside to let him enter, then said, “Don’t work too hard.”

      He embraced her. “I should be telling you that.”

      She smiled. “Ari’s in his office. I’ve ordered lunch for the two of you. It’ll be delivered at noon.”

      “Thanks!”

      Blaze walked to his brother’s office.

      Ari was at his desk typing something into the computer.

      “I don’t know who’s glowing more—you or Natasha,” he said with a chuckle as he took a seat. “Marriage must certainly agree with you.”

      Ari glanced at him and smiled. “Natasha is everything I want in a wife. Joshua is the perfect son and now we’re having another baby. I’m over the moon.”

      “I’m thrilled for you, bro.”

      “What about you, Blaze? Los Angeles is filled with beautiful women—I’m surprised one of them hasn’t caught your eye. You used to be quite the ladies’ man.”

      “All my energies have been focused on work,” Blaze responded. His guilt weighed upon him, choking him. He did not know how much longer his family was going to buy this explanation.

      “Does Joshua know about the baby yet?” he asked.

      Ari settled back in his chair. “We told him last night.”

      “How did he take the news?”

      “I wish you could’ve seen him, Blaze. He walked over to Natasha and started rubbing her belly as he introduced himself to the baby. He’s a proud big brother.”

      Two hours later, Blaze left the penthouse and took the elevator down to the lobby. His steps slowed as he neared the Parisian Maison Boutique.

      Blaze stared at the woman inside talking to a couple of women carrying an armload of shopping bags. The shock of discovery hit him full force.

      Her hair is much shorter now, but that woman is most definitely Livi.

      Blaze hesitated, torn by conflicting emotions. What he felt for Livi cast aside any doubt as he burst through the double doors of the boutique, walking with purpose.

      Livi halted, shocked, but seemed to recover quickly. “M-Mr. Alexander,” she murmured. “What can I do for you?”

      “Is there somewhere we can talk?” he asked, aware that everyone in the shop was watching them intently.

      She gestured toward the back of the store. “Yes. My office is in the back.”

      Blaze gently took her arm and escorted her to the office so they could talk in private.

      Once they were in the office, he closed the door behind him. “I can’t believe that you’ve been here under my nose all this time.” He came close, looking down at her intensely. “I was just about to hire a private detective to try to find you.”

      Her eyebrows rose in surprise. “I’ve only been back in Los Angeles for about a month now. I was living in San Francisco.” Livi hesitated, blinking with bafflement. “Blaze, you’ve been looking for me?”

      “I wanted to see you again.” He eyed the nameplate on her desk. “So, Carlyle is your last name.”

      “Oh,” she murmured. “I thought you knew that.”

      Blaze gave a short laugh. “I might have, but for some reason I didn’t remember.”

      Livi smiled. “You were quite the party animal.”

      “So were you. But I’m sure you must have figured out that you worked for my father.” Blaze paused, then added, “Livi, why didn’t you let me know that you were here?”

      She was completely honest in her response. “Blaze, I’ve only been back in Los Angeles a month. As soon as I got back, I wanted to contact you, but I didn’t know what to say. I considered it many times. My friend Sybil kept telling me to call you or send an email.”

      “I still can’t believe that you’ve been with the company all this time.” Blaze hoped his tone concealed the mixed emotions he felt.

      “Why have you been looking for me?” Livi asked.

      “We had a great time in Vegas and then you disappeared. I feel like we have some unfinished business.”

      Livi met his gaze. “What kind of unfinished business?”

      He shrugged. “That’s why I’ve wanted to find you. Few women have left an impression on me the way you have, Livi. We have a connection.”

      She smiled. “Yes, we do share a connection.”

      “So you feel it, too?” he asked.

      Livi nodded. “Blaze...”

      “I only have one regret,” he quickly interjected before Livi could finish what she was about to say. “I really wish I could remember our last night together.”

      * * *

      Livi kept her expression blank as she replayed Blaze’s words in her mind.

      “What do you remember about that night, Blaze?” she asked, alarmed.

      “We partied and I remember our friends teasing us about spending so much time together.”

      Livi smiled and nodded. “They kept saying that they thought we were going to run off and elope.”

      Blaze laughed. “Now that would have been something.”

      Her eyes wandered restlessly around her office. Livi could not look him in the eye.

      “Livi,” Blaze prompted. “What’s wrong? You’ve gotten quiet on me.”

      “Do you remember being in the hospital?”

      He met her gaze. “Some of it. They said that I fell off a stage. The doctors told me that I suffered a traumatic brain injury. They said that I suffered from retrograde amnesia. I don’t remember anything that happened before I fell.”

      “But you remember me?” Livi asked. “How is that possible?”

      “According to the doctors, people with retrograde amnesia do not lose all their memories. From everything that I’ve read about it, usually it’s the events that happened right before the injury that are lost.” A smile tugged at Blaze’s lips. “I could have fallen from the second floor of this hotel and I don’t think I could ever forget you, Livi.”

      She looked up at him, meeting his warm gaze. “Every time I thought about seeing you face-to-face, I could never get past this moment. It always stopped here.”

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