Page 6

Christ, she’s breathtaking. And the way those beautiful eyes watch me, with curiosity and a bit of heat, shouldn’t turn me on as much as it does. “I’m sure it’s fine. Just a little sore.”

“If I make you nervous, I’ll get a doctor to—”

“No, I don’t need a doctor for something this small,” she hurries to say, gripping my arm before I can turn. “I’m fine, really. I mean it. I’ll prove it.”

She reaches up to unbutton her jacket, clearing her throat nervously when she strips it off to reveal a white tank top underneath, one that highlights the shape of her tits. Fuck, she’s not wearing a bra. My cock hardens as my eyes find the hard nipples poking through the cotton, but I force my gaze away.

“Let me see,” I say, taking her arm. I’m careful not to hurt her as I inspect the arm that fucker gripped. Over the arousal, I feel a fresh wave of rage at the faint red bruise on her skin. I should have broken his fucking arm and torn it clean out of the socket. Hell, I should’ve gotten to her sooner.

“Huh, I can’t believe it left a mark,” she mutters, inspecting her arm.

“You’ll need to ice it to stop the swelling.” My temper is on a tight leash and barely leaks into my voice. I brush my thumb over the spot, part of me hoping to rub off his print and erase his touch from her skin. “The fucker will pay for this.”

“He was just drunk. Worst-case scenario, he’ll just get banned from the restaurant for causing a disturbance.”

No, that’s not the worst-case scenario, but I don’t correct her. She doesn’t need to know what’s waiting for him downstairs.

She’s made The Altar more money in three weeks than the last head chef did in months. The customers love her. From what I hear, so does her staff. No, she doesn’t need to find out about the horror the man who touched her tonight will go through.

“I’ll get you that ice,” I say but I don’t move, frozen to the floor, it seems. My hand on her arm, rubbing gently on the mark that was left behind. My dick throbbing from our close proximity. Christ, she smells good, like a blend of all the best spices.

“There are some cold packs in the kitchen,” she whispers, her throat working with a swallow. Her eyes drop from mine to the fingers stroking her hand, her breath coming fast with every quiet and heated second that passes between us. “We keep them there for emergencies. We’re never short of accidents in the kitchen. We just never expect them to happen outside of it. I can deal with a burn and the occasional nick, but…”

“Rude customers are a different story.”

“Yeah,” she says in a rush of breath, her eyes dropping to the bruise I’m stroking.

I should stop, but fuck, I can’t help myself. Something inside me, a beast I can’t quiet, is adamant on erasing another man’s touch. It doesn’t make sense that I want to replace it with mine.

She works for me. An employee. We’re practically strangers.

But I don’t seem to be the only one affected as her chest rises and falls, pushing her tits closer to my face until I can’t ignore looking any more.

“Did you… I’m sorry you had to step in and help me, but did you at least get to enjoy your meal?”

“It was delicious.”

“What did you order?” she murmurs, tilting her head to look at me. She’s so close—close enough that it would take very little effort to push in and kiss her. My dick jerks, and I feel my heart pound in my ears as I fight the urge to do just that.

“Some kind of meat,” I say, my mind going blank as I catch more of her scent. “It had some fancy French name. The server recommended it to me.”

“Was it the boeuf bourguignon or coq au vin?”

“The latter,” I rasp, my hand moving down her arm and to her wrist, thumb stroking her skin as I do so. I watch as shivers roll through her body.

“The coq au vin was one of the specials for the night,” she whispers, something akin to desire crossing her face. “I knew it would be a hit. I’m glad you liked it.”

“I did.”

Something in my tone makes her inhale sharply. The notes of seduction I don’t bother to hide.

I want her.

My cock is throbbing hard in my pants, begging for me to shove her against her desk, yank down those chef slacks and hammer into her until she’s begging for release.

I bet I can make her beg. Fuck, I can almost picture that sexy mouth parted as I bury my cock in her, driving hard through her wetness and erasing all thoughts from tonight until I’m all she can think about.

“You saved me, I’ll make sure your next meal is on the house.”