one
Cate judged the tray of Beef Wellington with a practiced eye. Her students were getting very good at creating symmetrical and precise appetizers. With a curt nod, she informed her best student, CeCe, that the meat-filled treats were ready to be put in the oven. She was quite proud of how well her students were holding up under the pressure of catering their first formal event. When Dana, the head of the Coyen Culinary School of Arts, first informed Cate that her students had been offered an opportunity to cook for the famed Volkov harvest party, Cate had been wary of the opportunity. Her students had been in the program for less than a year. Cate was certain they were unprepared to handle such a prestigious affair. Dana had convinced her that the students, with her guidance, would be more than ready to cater the event. They had to be, Dana had already accepted the generous check!
She glanced around the kitchen. It was not restaurant quality, but for a private home it was well equipped to handle the significant preparation required to cook the party’s food. She nodded at Ben, a warning to check the skillet on the stove-top. He immediately caught her meaning.
“Inspecting the troops, are we?” A subtle Scottish burr washed over her. Cate turned to find Alek Volkov standing there. Not for the first time she wished she were 25 again, when she had too much confidence and too little inhibition. She knew Alek was the younger of the Volkov brothers and was in charge of the annual harvest party. Cate had no idea what the older brother looked like, but if he was only half as yummy as Alek then she would be quite happy to let her students cater for the two on any occasion. Alek smiled his cocky grin. He was too good-looking for his own good, and he knew it. “I would like for you to inspect me as thoroughly as you’ve just inspected your students. Although don’t you think that one’s a bit too young to be enrolled in your program?” He nodded at Peter, her six-year-old, dutifully washing tomatoes in the sink.
Cate rolled her eyes. She had only met Alek once before, a brief meeting where the two had discussed his wishes for the evening’s fare. Within the first five minutes he was flirting mercilessly with her. Cate knew that at 41 she was still an attractive woman, but she was no match for a sexy 25 year-old with an overflow of testosterone and a subtle Scottish accent. “Peter is a good apprentice in the kitchen. As for the inspection, I just want to make sure that everything is perfect for your event. I know how important the harvest party is to your family.”
“Yes, it is important. It gives Dimitris, my cousins, and me a chance to tell our employees and customers how much we value their support and patronage.” She marveled at his serious tone. Although she hadn’t been around him much, she had never seen him be serious. It surprised her. Alek continued, “Nevertheless, I didn’t come here to chat about business philosophy, I came to make certain that you were planning to attend the event not cater it. We can’t have someone so lovely stuffed away in the kitchen when we could have her on the dance floor.” Alek grinned, suddenly back to the flirty man that she expected.
“About that,” she replied reluctantly, “I know I said I would attend the party, but honestly I think my students need me more back here.” Cate trusted her students to do well, but none of them had ever catered a formal event. “These are essentially just kids back here. Most are only a year removed from high school. I think they will need my guidance.”
“Nonsense,” he challenged. “You will be at the party and they can have access to you if they absolutely must. But, when they don’t need you, your lovely self will be neatly tucked away at my side or gliding with me on the dance floor.” Alek poured on the full power of his charm with the last statement.
“F I come, I probably should mingle with your guests and try to sway a few more of them to let my students cater their events. Which means,” she added with some sass, “that if I attend the party I can’t possibly allow myself to be tucked away by your side.” She shot him her sexiest grin. He wasn’t the only one that could flirt. “I have never been much of a dancer, so I believe you will have to find another female to ply your charms.
“Cate, I insist, you must save one dance for me.”
“Then I insist that I get to pick the song.” She did not doubt for one moment that Alek would forget about her the second some other pretty thing walked in his line of vision.
“Deal,” Alek laughed. “Remind me to introduce you to my brother, Dimitris. You are almost as bossy and stubborn as he is. But I always manage to sway Dimitris and I will sway you, too.” With that Alek gave a cheeky wink and turned to leave, exiting through the door to the patio.
With Alek gone Cate was free to return her gaze to the students scattered about the kitchen. CeCe caught her eye. “Did you ask Mr. Volkov about the servers?”
“Shoot! I knew there was something I was forgetting.” She sometimes wondered if she had been out of her mind to think that teaching in a culinary program would be easier than running her own kitchen in a boutique restaurant. “I’ll run out and find him,” she yelled as she jogged through the door to the patio.
Cate followed the path she thought Alek had taken as he left the kitchen. The air was cold and her breath puffed out in white clouds around her mouth. She rubbed her arms for warmth and looked around. The house was far larger than she had imagined. Honestly, to call it a house was ludicrous. It was a mansion, plain and simple. She had known it was sprawling when she pulled into the long drive, but she had not thought it was this big. From the back, she could see that the house spread backward in what appeared to be at least two large wings. Just how rich are these guys?
She rounded a line of high shrubs that separated the kitchen patio from what looked like a courtyard. As she stepped around the tall hedge and into the opening, she could see that a pool was situated in the middle of the large space, and there swimming with long, purposeful strokes was Alek. “He’s crazy,” she mumbled to herself, “it has to be 40 degrees out today.”
Cate stepped forward to get his attention, but stopped. The man was naked as the day he was born! His long back tapered into a V before spreading out into narrow hips and what appeared to be a tight and rather muscular ass. This was absolutely not what she had expected to find when she left the kitchen. She knew she should turn to leave, it was improper for her to stay and watch him, but he was absolutely the most beautiful man she had ever laid eyes upon. His body still held a hint of summer glow, even though it was mid-November in upstate New York. Broad shoulders rippled as his arms sliced rhythmically through the water. His hair, dark anyway, was jet black when wet.Thirty more seconds, she told herself.Thirty more seconds and then you are going to take yourself out of here before you do something crazy like jump in that freezing water with him.
Dimitris arced his body in and out of the frigid water. His wolf was aching to go for a run, but there were far too many humans on the estate to risk being seen. The beast was not thrilled to be expending energy in the pool, but even his wild side knew when it was too risky to shift. The cold water helped to calm him. The house was too warm today, an accommodation for the humans that were in and out running errands and setting up decorations. Wolves preferred cooler temperatures since their natural body heat kept them warm.
He turned his head and took in a lung-full of air.Cinnamon coffee.Why would he smell cinnamon coffee? Lifting his face again for another breath he took in more air, this time through his nose. Definitely cinnamon coffee. As his arms continued to slice the water, an electric pulse began move throughout his body. With every beat of his heart, the tingling intensified until the current was coursing steadily from his toes to his ears. What could be causing this? The feeling was intimidating and, yet, invigorating. Again he turned his head to gather another breath. The smell of cinnamon coffee overpowered him.
His wolf had given up chastising him for neglecting a run and urged him to find the scent. Treading water, Dimitris turned and scanned the area. On the far side of the pool, near the kitchen entrance, stood the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was tall and lithe, with dark hair pulled into a low ponytail. He longed to pull it free and watch it cascade over her shoulders. His wolf began to claw inside him, desperate to escape, needing to be near this woman. The animal recognized her mere seconds before he did.Mine.After more than 150 years on this earth, he had finally found his chosen mate.
He had known that his mate’s scent would call to him and that her nearness would seem electrifying, but he had not understood the magnitude of the feelings he would have for her. Nothing had prepared him for the thousand pricks of current coursing through his veins. His father had warned him that he could not comprehend how powerful this attraction would be until he experienced it firsthand. The old man had been right. Dimitris had not been prepared for the strength of the pull his mate would have on his body.
His wolf howled inside his head. The beast would wait no longer, he wanted his mate now and would not remain in the pool one second more. Quickly, Dimitris propelled himself toward the edge of the pool. She caught his meaning and flushed, turning to leave. “Stop,” Dimitris called. He said a silent thanks to the goddess that she heeded his plea. Reaching the edge, he launched his body out of the water. “I just wanted —” Dimitris hesitated. What should he say,I just wanted to talk with you? I want to kiss you? I want to fuck you?The last one was closest to what his wolf wanted, but Dimitris knew instinctively that this woman would bolt if he was that honest.
Cate turned her back to him, “You’re naked.”
“Yes, well I’ve been swimming. I prefer to do that in the nude. It’s more comfortable.” Dimitris chastised himself for the inane conversation. He wanted to tell her that she was his mate, that they were destined to be together, that he would love and protect her for the rest of their lives. What he said instead was, “I’ve been waiting for you.”
Cate turned back to Dimitris, careful to keep her eyes skyward.Waiting?What could he mean? “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I thought you were Alek.”
His wolf growled. It would not share its mate with anyone. He fought to control the beast that was threatening to bare itself. “I’m not. I’m Dimitris. Dimitris Volkov, Alek’s brother.”
Cate snapped her eyes from the clouds and looked him in the eyes. His subtle accent put goosebumps on her arms. “You’re not Scottish.”
Dimitris wasn’t sure what response he expected, but it wasn’t this. “No, I’m not Scottish. Alek was raised in Scotland, but I grew up in Russia.” He stepped closer, daring to run his hands from her shoulders to her elbows.
She did not know this man. He was tall, and beautiful, and completely naked. She knew she should pull away from his touch, but she couldn’t break the connection. “You sound,”What Cate? Intriguing? Sexy? Perfect?No, she couldn’t tell him any of that. “Different. You just sounded different. I wasn’t expecting it.” Dimitris’ gaze was intense, his eyes never leaving hers. They were beautiful eyes — dark green around the border, and filled with gold. She could look into his eyes for hours. He was still naked, having made no move to cover or dry himself. She wondered if he was cold. Her eyes risked a glance down. He didn’t look cold.
“I came out to ask Alek a question about the service for tonight’s party. My students wondered if all hors d’oeuvres would be served by wait staff, or if there would be any serving stations set up.” There, she had managed to get through the question without sounding like a complete and utter fool. She couldn’t believe she had been proud of her flirting prowess not more than ten minutes prior and now she could barely make it through a sentence when faced with a good looking man. Oh, who was she kidding? This was a man-god. If her panties weren’t already soaked she would fear spontaneous combustion.
