She wrinkled her forehead, looking up at me curiously. “Yeah, of course I do. Why do you ask?”
I waggled my eyebrows at her. “I was thinking that it might be a fun addition to our kitchen repertoire. You know ...” I trailed a finger down her chest and pinched one stiff nipple. “I could draw on you with it and then lick it off, a little at a time.” I leaned down and whispered into her ear. “Now that, baby, is artistry.”
She began laughing, but at the same time, she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me hard, upside down.
“Jake Robinson, you’re crazy. But you’re my kind of crazy.”
* * *
Harper:I’m running late tonight, so won’t be at my house until after midnight. Hell of a night here. If you want to cancel or postpone, I understand.
Jake:Nope, I’m good. But there might be a reward for me being patient, right?
Harper:There might be. What kind of reward would be most acceptable, do you think?
Jake:Can I have time to think about it and tell you when you get here? I think I want to use my imagination.
Harper:Don’t you always? I could tie YOU up on the bed this time and lick you all over and let you come all over my tits.
Jake:That’s way up there on the list of possibilities. Like WAY up there. Shit, I’m so hard now.
Harper:Don’t you dare touch yourself. I want it all. Don’t you waste one second of that hard-on.
Jake:How am I going to walk into your house with this massive erection?
Harper:Very carefully? Oh God, crisis here, got to go. Will text when leaving.
Jake:You. Are. Killing. Me.
* * *
“Hey, you busy?” Owen knocked on the open door of my office. “Got a minute?”
“Sure. One second.” I finished typing the last line of the report I’d been writing, attached it to an email and hit send. “Okay. What’s up?”
He’d dropped into the chair across from my desk. “A bunch of the guys from the 59thOrdnance are going up to Richmond tonight, getting some hotel rooms and checking out the clubs. You in?”
I felt a tic jump in my cheek. “Uhhh ... no, I don’t think so. Not tonight. I’m swamped, man. I need a little downtime.”
Owen frowned at me. “What’s up with you, Jake? You haven’t hit a bar with me in like ...” His forehead wrinkled. “Two months. Maybe longer.”
“Nah, hasn’t been that long.” It had been, though, and I knew it. We hadn’t gone out since the night I’d met Harper, because damn and double damn, she kept me so satisfied that I didn’t have any desire to meet other chicks. I’d realized the other day that I wasn’t evenlookingat other women. When I wasn’t at work, I was thinking about the next time I could see her or remembering the last time we’d been together—or both.
We’d gotten adventurous, too. Well ... more adventurous. She’d finally broken down one night and told me the name of the restaurant where she worked, and a few days later, on a Saturday, I’d gone in during the day, when I knew she was working a lunch shift. I’d enjoyed the food, which was fresh and delicious, and I’d been interested in the way it was presented, with the sourcing of the ingredients explained.
After I’d eaten, I’d asked my server to pass on my compliments to the chef. The girl had smiled. “Would you like to see the kitchen? It’s our policy that we have an open door to any diner who might want to see how the food is prepared.”
Of course, I wanted to see the kitchen—or more particularly, the chef. But I wasn’t stupid either. Harper would be flustered by me being there, and if she was slammed at the moment, I didn’t want to throw her off.
But before I could answer, the server added, “This is a great time to visit. The lunch rush is over, and she’s pretty chill right now.”
When I’d walked into the kitchen, I’d known immediately that this was Harper’s domain. It was totallyher,from the organization to the pristine white tile. She’d stood with her back against a butchers block chopping board, chatting with another server, and my heart had about pounded out of my chest.
She was covered from head to toe, but there was something so sexy about her here, in her own environment, where she was so clearly in charge. Her eyes had flickered across the room, going wide when she recognized me. She’d schooled her expression, however, and come forward to greet me with all of her professionalism in place.
We’d both played along, me complimenting her on the food and the preparation, Harper pretending to be courteous and welcoming. The two servers had drifted off to the other side of the room, and that’s when I began to torment her.
“Does the kitchen get hot?” I’d rubbed one hand over my pectoral muscle, smirking as her eyes tracked my movements. “Like ... have you ever been tempted to cook ... naked?”
