Page 16 of Promise Me Ever After
Alex let out a throaty laugh. “So not your mother.”
He stepped towards me and extracted the cigarette from my fingers. Holding my gaze, he let it go, then crushed it with his heel.
“Alex, why did you do that?”
“You don’t need it,” he breathed, grasping my wrist, raising it to his mouth and brushing his lips across my pulse point.
My breath hitched and I quivered underneath his touch, heart picking up several beats. “What are you doing?” I whispered.
“Tell me you aren’t thinking about nicotine right now.” His gaze bored into mine, sapphire blue pools swimming with longing.
I swallowed hard, then slowly shook my head. “Nope. It’s about the furthest thing from my mind.”
He treated me to a devastating grin. “Good. That’s the plan.” He let my wrist go and stepped back. “How did you enjoy dinner?”
I grabbed his arm. “You can’t do that.”
“What?” he shrugged.
My eyes narrowed. “You know what.”
The air between us was palpable, like I was holding my breath during a standoff: which of us would break first?
“Alex, what the fuck’s keeping you? We’ve got one hundred spun sugar baskets to make.” An irate male voice called from the door to the kitchen.
“Gotta go,” he said. “Perhaps I’ll catch up with you later?”
“Sure. Why not? I’m not going anywhere.” I waved in the direction of the building. “Well, I mean, I’ll be back in the hotel, not out here by the bins.”
He grinned. “Good. See you then.” He spun on his heel and went back into the kitchen.
His words replayed in my head as I stared after him.
Now I just had to find out how to get back into the hotel. I retraced my steps back to the fire door but couldn’t get it to open and I didn’t fancy traipsing through the kitchen. Instead, I followed the path in the opposite direction and found myself out of the front of the hotel near reception.
Darcy and Fraser didn’t seem to be at our table and I seriously didn’t relish going back to chat to Trevor. There were a few people milling about by the table where the bids on the Favours were still being made. Remembering Alex’s comment about being scared of who might win his services, and emboldened by our encounter, I marched over.
“Hi,” said a blonde-haired woman, who looked like she was in her early twenties. She thrust a flyer at me. Her long nails were perfectly shaped and coloured a vibrant purple, a tiny diamond on each of the little fingernails. “Can I tempt you with a bid on the Blossom spa day?” Her gaze fell on my nails, short, bitten and unvarnished. “We also do massages and facials.” She gave a conspiratorial smile. “Helps to keep the crow’s feet at bay.”
I sucked in a breath. I didn’t need reminding that thirty loomed like a dark cloud over my head. “Thanks, but no. I planned to put something in for one of the private cooking sessions.”
“Oh, you totally should. My brother is doing one of those and he’s an amazing chef.” The woman glanced over to the bar where she waved at the barman. “I have to go, but you really should think about the spa offer. Or if not, just pop in and say hi anytime. We usually have a few last-minute appointments.” She walked away, fluttering her fingertips at me.
Without another word, I grabbed a form and completed the figure I wanted to pay. Then I shoved it in the envelope, sealed it and dropped it into the pile with the others. There wasn’t a hope in hell I could win, but at least I felt I’d done something to try and save Alex from his worst nightmare.
6
Alex
“Good service,guys. Almost wish I worked with you every day of the week.” Marcus Goldstein, the head chef at the Ealynn Marina Hotel, walked around the kitchen high-fiving all of us.
It had been hard, but ultimately rewarding. Working with other chefs, who weren’t Sid or any of the other Anna’s Kitchen staff had pushed me to another level. While I appreciated the simplicity of the American/Mexican cuisine I usually cooked, this had really pushed me outside of my comfort zone. I only hoped the diners had enjoyed it as much as I had.
Marcus stopped next to me. “You ever want a job here, you only have to ask,” he said.
I let out a hearty laugh. “Thanks for the offer, Marcus, but I’d never get away from my mum if I did that. I spend enough time with her as it is.”
He nodded with understanding. “Yeah, I get that. Is she here tonight?”
