Page 5 of Taming a Menace
“I bet they did.” She giggled.
What the hell was with this giggling? It literally made me dizzy to hear her giggle, but there I was thinking of a way to hear it again. I took a deep breath before opening the oven to remove the carrots.
They smelled delicious, and I knew the gingery rub I put on them would taste amazing with the blackberry and orange reduction. I plated the duck breast and roasted carrots before covering them with a healthy amount of the berry and citrus compote. I made sure the plate looked good before moving around the island to place it in front of her.
“This looks so good,” she said, doing a little dance in her seat.
There was something about food that made women dance. It was one of the perks of the job.
“Dig in and find out.”
“I feel like such a pig with my fat self eating in front of you. My mama didn’t raise me like that.”
“Don’t feel bad. People eat in front of me all the time. I’m a chef, Iyla.”
“I know but it still feels weird.”
“It shouldn’t, and stop calling yourself fat. A real man likes a woman with some meat on her bones.”
“Sorry.”
She lowered her eyes, causing me to reach out and bring them back to mine where they belonged. Her eyes on me made my chest hurt. I didn’t know I was moving until my lips were on hers. I kissed her. Just once. Her plump lips were as soft as I imagined. She tasted like a mixture of mint and the sweetness from the pomegranate. I wanted more, but my better judgment kicked in. Plus, she looked stunned. That brought me back to reality.
“Fuck,” I cursed under my breath. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”
I snatched away, forcing myself to put some distance between us. Every step toward the stove was more painful than the last. I wanted to be close to her. Her warm vanilla perfume was magnetic. Now that I’d touched and tasted her, I was thirsty for more.
“Don’t apologize. It’s been too long since a man made me feel desirable.”
Instead of responding, I kept my eyes on the stove where I was turning the rest of the blackberries into a topping for dessert. There was no reason for her to feel anything other than wanted and beautiful. I wanted to correct that. It wasn’t my job though. Cooking for her was.
The dinner I’d just served was my job for the night. I couldn’t drag her into my world. I didn’t even know how long I would be gone. She would have been crazy to get involved with a man about to go to prison.
The nigga who broke her heart had really done a number on her self-esteem. There was no universe in which Iyla wasn’t absolutely beautiful. It stung to hear her say she felt undesirable. The effects cheating had on a woman sometimes ran deeper than they cared to admit.
There was no telling what kind of damage lie dormant inside the woman who I’d already decided was too good for me in the first place. What the hell did a woman like her want with a thug like me? I couldn’t come up with a good answer, so I did the one thing I knew I was good at. I kept cooking.
“Have dinner with me,” she requested, interrupting my racing thoughts.
One
Iyla
After gobbling up my salad like I hadn’t eaten all day, I became even more intrigued by the ruggedly handsome chef maneuvering around my kitchen like it was his own. He was tall with dark skin the color of ebony. Just from seeing his arms flex in the plain black button down, I knew that he was probably twice as hard as the dense wood. Thick brows furrowed as he worked out the details of his task.
I wanted to be inside his head. I wanted to know what made his brows dip as his full lips parted ever so slightly. I watched entranced as he made dinner. This shit was a sex scene. A man who knew how to cook was sexy. Key wasn’t just cooking. He was creating art.
I smiled as he laid a second masterpiece in front of me. Then our eyes connected. There was something so dark and haunting about his eyes. His darkness didn’t repel me. It didn’t make me want to turn and retreat the way every single one of my good brain cells were urging me to do. I was drawn to him. There was something magnetic lurking in the shadows of those dark orbsmaking me want to know more. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him to save my life.
Before I knew it, his lips were on mine, and there went my panties. Just a simple kiss had ruined them. The flood of heat and moisture that dampened my thighs made me blush. I was stunned into silence until he apologized.
Although I was caught off guard, I didn’t feel there was a need for him to apologize. I wanted more. I wanted my fingers tangled in his thick beard. I wanted to feel the bristles on his chin graze my skin as his lips blazed a hot trail on my body.
There was no need for him to apologize. I wanted it just as much as he did, if not more. At the same time, I knew it was too much. I wasn’t ready. My heart was still broken. It still belonged to someone who didn’t deserve it. I, too, was caught up in the moment. I didn’t express that though. Instead, I made an attempt to lighten the moment.
“Have dinner with me,” I requested as he beat himself up about his perceived misstep.
“I can’t do that. I’m already overstepping.”
