He’d thought he had, but on seeing her again, hot and inconvenient attraction had come rushing back in, bold and bright. Aisha, then and now, affected him in ways no other woman managed to. And he didn’t bloody like it.
Muzi stood up and ran his hand over his face, still looking irritated. ‘You and I don’t keep stuff from each other, Kildare. That being said...
‘Look, I get seeing Aisha again is not ideal, but Ro needs both of you to get the restaurant up and running. She’s stressed, overworking herself. Her blood pressure is up, and the doctors and I are trying to get her to slow down, to relax. She won’t do that if she thinks you and Aisha are at odds, if she has to find a new executive chef or a new consultant to get St Urban up and running,’ Muzi added, his words coated with a layer of worry. ‘It sounds like Aisha is going to stick and stay. I need you to do the same.’
Uh...crap. ‘I know of at least three chefs who would jump at the chance to be involved in a pop-up restaurant at St Urban.’ Pasco machine-gunned his words.
Muzi bent down again and narrowed his eyes, his lips curling into a feral snarl. ‘Do not even go there, Kildare. You promised my wife your help and involvement and she’s counting on you.I’mcounting on you. I’m already pissed off with you for not telling me you were married. Do not compound it by letting my pregnant-with-twins, stressed-out wife down.’
Ah...dammit. Muzi knew exactly what buttons to push. He started his car and sent Muzi a sour look. ‘Tell Mimi I’m sorry, that something came up.’
Muzi grinned and tapped the roof of his car. ‘Will do. Tell Aisha it was nice meeting her earlier.’
Yep, Muzi knew what buttons to push. Pasco’s father had let him down a hundred times in a hundred different ways and Muzi knew he’d never do that to the people he loved. And that was the only reason he was heading back to St Urban to talk to Aisha, to figure out a way for them to work together.
Returning to St Urban had nothing to do with him wanting to see her again, to let his eyes feast on her, to feel the pounding in his head, and groin. It had nothing to do with wanting to inhale her gorgeous scent, to discover all the ways she’d changed and the ways she hadn’t.
Nothing at all.