Page 13

I kept prepping, and for a few minutes, the only subject in the kitchen was food. Then Hudson and Serena wandered out of the kitchen to go check on some other details while I focused on my job. The A-list celebrity couple was already paying me quite well for tonight, and I wanted to go above and beyond for them because I knew she was going to shove those bills at me for a tip before I left.

At times like these, it was easy to remind myself how fortunate I was to be paid so well to do something I loved. My love life might be nonexistent after the painful lesson Harrison taught me, but my career had been quickly revived when I returned to LA full-time.

The next hour flew by, and I was butchering eight perfectly portioned filet mignons from the wagyu tenderloin when the doorbell rang. They were one and a half inches thick and heavily marbled.

“I’ve got it,” Serena called.

There was a low murmur of voices after the door opened. Then Serena led a man into the kitchen. He was a couple of inches over six feet, had dark hair with a touch of silver at the temples, and was dressed in a suit that must’ve been custom-tailored for his lean body. His piercing blue eyes raked over me, and there was no missing the intelligence in them.

“Julian, this is Celia. She’s cooking tonight.” Serena stole a slice of peach from the other cutting board. “Celia, Julian Hayes.”

I flashed them both a quick smile. “I’d offer to shake your hand, but…”

“Wouldn’t want to get my hands bloody,” Julian murmured.

“Since when?” Hudson asked as he joined us. “That’s what makes you such a great lawyer.”

Julian handed him the folder he’d been carrying. “I save it for negotiating contracts like this for my clients.”

“Guess I can’t complain about that.” Hudson took the folder and gestured for Julian to follow him.

As I turned to wash my hands in the sink, I noticed Julian stopped in the doorway to glance back at me. But I didn’t have time to think about the sexy lawyer who was more distracting than I needed right now. So I kept my head down and focused on the food for the next two hours.

I was plating the last of the dessert when Julian came back into the kitchen. His jacket was off, and his sleeves were rolled up just enough to show off the muscles in his forearms.

The server Serena’s assistant had hired for the evening had just taken the first four plates, and the other four were lined up on the board.

“Hudson said if I touched anything, you’d have me removed.” He stopped at the end of the counter. “I decided to risk it.”

I wiped the rim of the last plate. “You’ll miss dessert.”

“There’s still time.” He tilted his chin toward the remaining plates. “And I wanted to give my compliments to the chef.”

“Thank you.”

The server came back, picked up the rest of the desserts, and wagged her brows at me while her back was turned to Julian.

“Your time is running out,” I murmured. “The grilled peaches look deceptively simple on the plate, but trust me when I tell you they’re delicious.”

“Then I suppose I should return to my seat.”

Watching him walk away, I waited until he was out of sight to fan myself with my hand. I had no business noticing that Hudson’s lawyer was smoking hot. Especially not with Serena only one room away, with matchmaking on her mind. Julian Hayes was a temptation I wasn't ready for yet.

7

JULIAN

Reid rapped his knuckles against my open door when I got off a call. When I met his gaze, he strode into my office and dropped onto the chair across from me. Crossing his ankle over his knee, he looked too pleased with himself for a Monday morning.

“Good weekend with Lila?”

“The best.” He grinned at me. “Married life is treating me quite well.”

“I’m glad.”

It was good to see Reid so happy after Lila had called off the wedding because he’d messed up by allowing a paralegal to cross boundaries. Kaylee had been fired just last week after posting a video online ranting about the firm, which broke her employment contract. So at least he didn’t need to worry about bumping into her around the office, although it had been a while since they’d worked on a case together.

He shook his head with a laugh. “My only complaint is that I had to run to the store at one o’clock this morning because she was craving ice cream but none of the flavors in our freezer were what she wanted. She’s never liked chocolate and wanted rocky road all of a sudden.”