“WhatI’m trying to tell you is that yes, we disagree, and sometimes yes, you’re downrightscary, but I have always had a crush on you, Swift. From day one. But you had aboyfriend and then I had a girlfriend. Our timing has always been off. We’refinally both single. And now we’ve broken the seal. We kissed. It happened. Andit was fucking amazing.” He dipped his head and looked at me from beneath lushlashes. My uterus jumped up and down in my body like it was trapped in a CrossFitsession against its will. “Let’s do it again.”
Isucked my lip ring between my teeth and demanded my feet stay put. I wouldn’trun away from this. I couldn’t let him see me panic. He had all these inflatedideas of me, that were, fine, kind to my ego, but maybe not entirely true.
Likethe scary part. I wasn’t scary. I was sometimes tenacious because I got tiredof being walked on by bullish men. But that didn’t turn me into a villain.
Itjust made me… assertive.
Exceptat this moment, I was anything but. I wasn’t assertive. I wasn’t tenacious. Iwanted to put my hands over my radish-red cheeks and flee from the building.
Fleefrom Wyatt.
Ididn’t trust myself around him. I was already too enamored with him from kissinghim. What happened if we kissed more? Or tried out other fun activities thatdidn’t include clothing?
Iwould become a full-on fan-club stalker and he’d have to get a restrainingorder taken out against me to get through dinner service.
Okay,maybe it wouldn’t be that bad. But Wyatt Shaw was trouble. Until now he’d beenthis alluring mystery, a perplexing enigma that piqued my interest and tempted mein the worst way. But now I knew him and what he wanted, and I knew I wouldn’tbe able to stop this snowballing attraction we had for each other if I gave iteven an inch of room. There would be no walking back from this, from him. Therewould be no coming out the other side unscathed.
Ifhe continued to look at me like this and smile at me like this I was going tospontaneously combust. Or worse, let him get away with his flirting.
And whenEzra found out—and he would find out—without a doubt, Wyatt would keep his job,but my fate was questionable. It’s possible I would keep my job. Or get fired.Or get moved to another restaurant in the harem. I sure as hell would never getthe head chef position at Sarita.
Idid what any sane, rational thinking person would do. Even if I didn’t feelsane or rational. I doused the flames between us with ice cold water. “You’resweet, Wyatt… but…”
Helooked down at his hands and grumbled. “Fuck.”
“Idon’t think this is a good idea. You’re my boss. Also, I fight with you morethan I’ve ever fought with anybody in my life. We’re explosive together. Maybethat’s fun sometimes, but most of the time we just blow shit up. On a regularbasis, we’d be a disaster of epic proportions.” I exhaled a shaky breath andjumped off the cliff of finality. “And I’m not willing to give up my career fora fun fling that will eventually end in a flaming ball of fire.”
Itook a step toward the door, but he stopped me with a sound in the back of histhroat. It was both angry and desperate at once. The employee inside me pickedup on his disappointed fury and instantly cringed, awaiting his wrath.
“You’relooking around then?”
Anotherquestion that left me spinning. “What?”
“I’vehad the feeling you’re exploring other options since I took over. I’m notstupid. I know you think executive should have gone to you. I know it’s hardfor you to work with me.”
Therewere so many things wrong with what he’d said. But there was also a lot rightwith it. I didn’t even know how to begin to tell him the truth. I could barelyadmit to Vera and Dillon what I was trying to do. There was no way I couldshare it with Wyatt.
Besides,I got the feeling that the last thing he wanted was for me to leave Lilou. Howmany times had he already said that he couldn’t run the kitchen without me?Maybe it wasn’t in that one online review, but it was everywhere else. The way hetalked to me here. How he relied on me, leaned on me, shared with me. Despiteour weird and warring feelings for each other, we had somehow developed thedependent, symbiotic relationship every great chef had with his sous.
Athought occurred to me. It was absolutely batshit, but so was Wyatt wanting tomake out with me. I narrowed my eyes at him as the suspicion started to takeroot and turn into an idea, and just like that, it grew roots and branches andleaves and became a verbal, anger-driven accusation. “Are you trying to seduceme to stay atLilou?”
Hishead snapped back, and his eyebrows drew down immediately. “What? No.”
“Tellthe truth, Wyatt. I will not be toyed with in your pursuit of greatness.”
“Thatis the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard. You know me better than that. Iwouldn’t treat anybody like that, least of all you.”
“Good,”I said quickly. “Because it wouldn’t work. I’m a much stronger woman thanthat.”
Halfhis smile returned, softer than before, but no less dangerous. “Kaya, if all ittook to get you to change your mind was dry humping in the cooler, we wouldn’tbe having this conversation right now because I wouldn’t be interested.”
Myheart kicked with embarrassment. “You wouldn’t like me if I wanted to make outwith you?”
“Iwouldn’t like you if your mind changed that quickly and purposelessly becauseyou were into me. I like you because of your strong opinions. I like youbecause you’re feisty and sharp and unwilling to change for anyone. Not even meand I’m your boss.”
Hiswords hit me in the chest like a shove or a slap across the face. I stoodthere, totally and completely upended, trying to absorb them, understand them.He was the first person that had ever complimented my stubborn will andopinionated personality. The very first.
Myfriends felt that way. I knew they did. And I felt the same way about them. Butmost everyone else shied away from people with strong opinions and relentlessdrive. We were intimidating or weird. Or maybe our ambitions made us tooself-centered to relate to. We were always so focused on our career and thepath to get us where we wanted to go that we hardly ever picked our heads upand looked around at the needs of the rest of the world. I wasn’t proud ofthat, and I made a concerted effort with my friends, but there had been plentyof people that hated me because they felt trampled beneath my hunger to reachmy goals.
