Page 53 of Recipe for Temptation

“If I were interested in dating Michael,” Asha said seethingly, “that would be none of your damn business, Sterling Wolf. You have no say?—”

Something snapped inside Sterling. Before he could stop himself, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. Hard and possessively.

After several moments—the sweetest, most pleasurable moments he’d enjoyed in ages—Asha broke the kiss and staggered back, staring at him in wide-eyed shock.

Mortified by his actions, Sterling hung his head in sheepish contrition. “Aw, hell. I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over?—”

Asha lunged at him, throwing her arms around his neck and crushing her soft mouth to his.

With a muffled groan of hunger, Sterling swept her up into his arms and carried her to his bedroom.

Chapter Eighteen

The scene at the breakfast table the next morning would have made good material for a sociological study on human dynamics.

In an ironic role reversal from last night, Reese was sullen and subdued while Michael bantered cheerfully with his family. His upbeat mood rankled her, taunting her with memories of their illicit moonlight encounter—an encounter that had left her body thrumming with sexual tension and frustration for the rest of the night.

Every time Michael laughed or flashed one of his killer grins, Reese wanted to stab him with her fork. Once, when he’d caught her glaring at him, he’d smiled and winked at her. If small children hadn’t been present, she might have flipped him the bird.

But Michael wasn’t the only one in an exceptionally good mood. Marcus and Samara were back to stealing private smiles at each other, while Sterling was so jovial and relaxed that if Reese didn’t know better, she would think Marcus wasn’t the only member of the Wolf Pack who’d gotten laid last night.

In sharp contrast, Celeste was silent and grim faced, shooting dirty looks at Asha throughout the meal. But Asha seemed unconcerned, exuding an aura of serenity that repelled any and all daggers thrown her way.

Only Grant, buried behind a newspaper, seemed oblivious to all the undercurrents at the table. When Celeste discreetly nudged him at one point, he set aside the paper with a sheepish grin and reached for his coffee mug. As he drank, he appeared to be casting about for something to contribute to the conversation.

Finally, he blurted the first thing that obviously came to mind: “That sure was a beautiful full moon last night.”

“Sure was,” Michael agreed, his wicked gaze meeting Reese’s. She hated herself for blushing.

Marcus smiled lazily. “You know what they say. Strange things happen when there’s a full moon.”

Sterling chuckled into his coffee. “Ain’t that the truth.”

Asha choked on the orange juice she’d been sipping.

“Are you okay, Mom?” Samara asked in concern.

Asha nodded quickly, her dark eyes glimmering with mirth as she set down her glass and delicately fanned her face with her hand. Celeste frowned.

Marcus grinned at his father and brother. “Hey, remember what we used to do on our camping and fishing trips? Whenever there was a full moon, we’d all sit around the campfire?—”

“—and howl at the moon,” Sterling and Michael finished, laughing.

“Is that where Michael got his famous howl from?” Reese asked curiously, still not addressing him directly.

Sterling grinned. “If anything, we got it from him. Starting from the time he was five years old, he’d always howl after eating something he really liked. So we started putting food into two categories—there was good, and then there was howlin’ good.”

Reese smiled at Michael, so charmed by the anecdote that she temporarily forgot she was supposed to be mad at him. “So that’s how you came up with the name of your show.”

He nodded, his eyes glinting with amused satisfaction. As if he, too, realized that she’d let her guard down.

“Needless to say,” Celeste chimed in, brightening for the first time all morning, “whenever my cooking received one of Michael’s coveted ‘howlin’ good’ ratings, I strutted around for the rest of the day like I was Julia Child.”

Everyone laughed.

Reese didn’t miss the smug glance Celeste shot at Asha, while Grant looked pleased that his innocuous comment had generated such a lively discussion.

Unable to resist an opportunity to make Michael squirm, Reese said ever so innocently, “Someday I’d love to hear the other story behind the howl.”

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