Because the food would be an afterthought. The good food would be a perk of knowing the perfect spot to handle all of your unique and individual needs.
I wanted the answer to the question, “Where do you want to go tonight?” to always be, “Bianca.”
But more than anything, right now, I wanted to share this victory with Vann.
“This is the dining room,” I told him as we passed through it. “And that’s the bar.” I pushed through the in and out doors, introducing him to the other half of the restaurant.
The noise paused for only a moment as the scurrying chefs acknowledged the stranger in their midst. And then they turned back to their work and ignored us.
“This is where the magic happens,” I told him.
He was silent, thoughtful, as he followed me through. We hurried past the varying stations and all the food being prepared. Not because I was anxious to be alone with him, because he hadn’t washed his hands and I was super conscious about food safety.
Mm-hmm.
The hallway was marginally quieter, but it wasn’t until we were inside my office that I finally felt as though we had some privacy. He closed the door behind him, grinning at me.
“Are we in a hurry?”
I launched my body at his, wrapping my arms around his neck and clinging to him like this embrace was the only thing holding me together.
His hands landed on my back, rubbing, soothing, putting the scattered, nervous pieces of me back together. “That’s quite the operation you got out there. I had no idea you were so official.”
I looked up at him, taking in the short stubble along his jaw. He hadn’t shaved this morning and there was something so sexy about that and Saturday morning Vann and the way his body wrapped around mine so naturally.
Curiosity sparked inside me and I couldn’t help but ask. “What did you imagine I did?”
“I mean, I don’t want to diminish your accomplishments or anything, but I kind of pictured like a McDonald’s fry cook or something.”
I slapped his chest with my hand, laughing at him. “You’re a brat.”
He caught my face in his hands, the callouses from riding his bike so often rubbing along my jaw. “And you are beautiful, Dillon Baptiste. I knew you were talented, but I didn’t even know someone could be this talented. You’ve blown my mind.”
I rolled my eyes, loving his words of affirmation, but knowing they weren’t entirely true. “Your sister’s a chef, remember? And light years ahead of me. Thanks, though.”
He wouldn’t let me walk away. Instead, he held me tighter, dropping the sweetest kiss to my lips. “You’re light years ahead of Vera. Are you serious?” He dropped his voice. “It’s not even a competition.”
It wasn’t a competition. And Vann’s opinion wasn’t super informed because he wasn’t a chef. But I loved the tummy flutters and light head his compliments brought.
I smiled at him, drinking him in and this moment and how close our bodies were. “Thanks for coming this morning. It means a lot to me.”
“You mean a lot to me,” he murmured, dipping his head to trail kisses along my jawline. “I’m so proud of you, Dillon. You did what you set out to do. You rescued the restaurant. You became a chef that can handle all this. You’re amazing.”
I held him tighter and turned my head to intercept his kisses. My lips were jealous for his mouth.
He didn’t hesitate. He kissed me with a wild passion that quickly caught in my blood, burning through me with wicked heat.
Our mouths moved against each other, kissing, biting, tasting. When I gasped for breath, his tongue invaded my mouth, taking command in the very best way. I ran my hands over his broad chest beneath his light blue oxford and shivered as my fingers traced over each tight muscle.
He did the same to me, trying to make sense of the body hidden beneath my chef’s coat. Eventually he gave up and flicked open the buttons, His hands delving beneath to do all those things I loved so much.
My breasts in his hands, he walked me back to my desk. I bumped against it and slid to a sitting position, perfectly aligned with his body as I wrapped my legs around his waist and tugged him against me.
“Don’t you have to get back out there?” he asked between kisses and moans of pleasure.
“I have a few minutes,” I whispered. “As long as we’re quiet.
I snapped open the button to his jeans and wiggled the zipper down. Something had come over me. Something like the spirit of a total hussy.
