Page 3 of Forbidden Flames

She hadn’t asked him yet though.

Hendrix had a plan. Especially after he’d seen the terror in those beautiful eyes a few minutes ago. She’d tried to hide it, but the way she’d gone deathly pale, Hendrix knew something was up.

With a determined sigh, he vowed that he would find out. Emily was…well, he’d like to say that she was his woman, but although Emily was always kind and laughing with the other employees, she was painfully polite whenever he came around.

He’d like to gather her up into his arms and…hell, he wanted to make love to her, to give her so much damn pleasure that she melted as she clung to him, her sweet, curvy body trembling against his as he held her close.

He adored her. He loved the efficient way she ran the club. He loved the fact that she’d started out as a waitress under the previous owner’s management and worked her way up tobecoming the general manager. The new owners, Levi Harris, Matteo del Campo, and Sean Byrne, rarely visited their offices since Emily had taken over all of their tasks. Levi, Matteo, and Sean preferred to spend their evenings with their families now. Plus, those three didn’t respect the club members. Those three knew almost as much about the members as Hendrix did.

But Emily…she was so damn beautiful! When she smiled, it literally melted almost every part of him. Except…well,thatpart didn’t melt. Hell,thatpart seemed to be in a heightened state of arousal all the time now.

“So, what do you think?” Laura asked.

Hendrix had no idea what to think. He hadn’t heard any of Laura’s comments because he’d been too focused on Emily.

Rubbing his forehead, he straightened with a heavy sigh. “Sorry, Laura. I’m a bit preoccupied at the moment.”

Immediately, the ex-marine was on alert. “Anything I can do to help, boss?”

He shook his head, thinking back to Emily’s office. “Not at the moment,” he said. “But I’ll keep you in mind if something comes up.” He switched to another topic and Laura nodded, confirming that she had everything under control.

Walking out of the security office, he headed to the kitchen. Charlie, the new chef, was a damn fine cook! He was teaching Hendrix how to cook foods that didn’t include beef and a grill.

“How’s it hanging?” Charlie asked cheerfully as soon as Hendrix walked into the kitchen. Hendrix frowned at the shorter man, who chuckled and waved Hendrix closer. “Come on, big guy. You’re going to learn how to make a roux today.”

Chapter 3

Gerard Albright the Third rubbed his hands together, thinking about his latest missive to his lady love. Had she received it yet? Had she read it? His fingers danced over the images he'd captured of her, a collection that had grown increasingly personal and intimate. The more recent ones were his favorites, and he let his finger linger possessively over the contours of her soft, brown hair. Emily. Even her name sounded pretty, a melody to his hopeful desires.

“You love me, don’t you?” he whispered, leaning closer, pretending that Emily was here in person. “I know you’re shy, but very soon, we’ll be together.”

Gerard giggled as he danced away from the pictures. But as soon as he heard the sound, he slapped a hand over his mouth. His mother had warned him that his giggle sounded “wrong” to other people’s ears. Gerard wondered if she’d meant to say creepy. He didn’t think of himself in that way, but he knew other people might.

Then his eyes returned to his collage. “You don’t think I’m creepy do you, my love?” A moment later, Gerard let loose a whole string of giggles, reveling in the anticipation of his upcoming love affair.

Chapter 4

“You’re late!” Charlie snapped, gesturing to Hendrix to come closer. “We’re making green bean casserole today.”

Hendrix rolled his eyes as he grabbed an apron. “Why are you in a snit this morning?” he asked.

Charlie handed him a knife. “Emily won’t let me set the New Year’s Eve cake on fire.”

Hendrix was just about to start chopping the green beans when he registered the chef’s complaint. “Fire?” he demanded, staring at the shorter man askance. “Why the hell would you want to set a cake on fire?”

Charlie sighed as if seriously put out. “For the drama, of course!” he huffed. “Emily asked me to give her some ideas for an extraordinary dessert. Something that would awe the members and their guests.”

Hendrix restrained his eye roll and focused on cutting the beans. “And you thought that setting a cake on fire was the answer?”

“Oh, don’t be dull,” Charlie replied as he pulled out several more bowls. “The whole cake wasn’t going to be on fire. Just some sparklers around the edges.”

Hendrix grunted again, then focused on the beans. Thirty minutes later, the casserole, which was really just green beans mixed with cream of mushroom soup and topped with fried onions, was finished and Hendrix was just about to put it into the oven when Emily walked through and paused.

“That looks amazing!” she gasped, staring down at the green bean casserole. Hendrix would have just dumped the fried onions on the top, but Charlie had other ideas. His version of thecasserole looked “pretty”. Hendrix didn’t care if what he ate was “pretty”.

Charlie’s chest puffed with pride. “He’s a good student!”

Emily laughed, shaking her head. “You’re a really good teacher, Charlie.” She glanced at Hendrix. “He gives me tips on all sorts of recipes.”

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