Page 14 of Whisking It All

He stopped just in front of her, close enough that he could speak softly but not so close that he was tempted to touch her. “The other night didn’t have to be a one time thing, you know?”

She recoiled, reaching over to shake the contents of her pan. “Yes, it did. It should never have happened in the first place.”

“That’s not how you felt then.” He peered into the pan on the stove. Bananas foster before noon was a little unconventional, but he supposed there were worse vices.

“Wow.” She shook her head, pulled the pan out of his reach, and turned off the flame. “You are even more arrogant than I thought.”

“You’re going to tell me you didn’t have a good time?”

“Whether I had a good time is not the point.” Her cheeks were crimson, and she glanced warily at the door again. Why did she keep doing that?

“Then what is the point?”

She leaned against the workstation, crossing her arms in a way that pushed her breasts up, like she was daring him to look, to remember how her nipples had pebbled beneath his tongue. As if he could forget.

“The point is, it can’t happen again.”

He took a step closer, crowding her against the workstation. She tilted her chin up to meet his gaze, a challenge glinting in her eyes. He loved how she went toe-to-toe with him, holding her ground.

The slight parting of her lips and the way her eyes widened betrayed her, though—if he wasn’t mistaken, she was just as turned on as he was. But given how skittish she was acting, she’d have to touch him first if she wanted to do more than verbally spar. He wouldn’t touch her until he was absolutely certain that she wanted him to, no matter how badly he was dying to feel her against him.

Jamie reached around her and dragged a tasting spoon through the sauce in her pan. He took his time licking the sticky concoction from the back of the spoon, enjoying the way she watched him. A flush crept up her cheeks as her eyes followed the movement of his tongue. He tossed the spoon into the sink with a satisfied hum. “Cardamom? Interesting choice.”

Her eyes dropped to his lips. Just for a second, but long enough for him to notice. “It’s delicious and you know it.”

He wasn’t used to people talking back to him in his kitchen, but he found he liked it more than he would have expected, especially when it was Tessa doing the talking in that almost breathless tone of voice.

Again, she glanced at the door.

“Expecting someone?” he asked.

She swallowed, looking a little sick all of a sudden. “There’s something I should tell you.”

He gripped the edge of the counter on either side of her hips, digging his fingers into the metal to keep himself from putting his hands on her. “Then tell me.”

Her gaze turned wary and she worried her bottom lip between her teeth. He took a half step back, letting his eyes sweep over her, but giving her the space she clearly wanted. He drew a long breath in and out through his nose. Leaning against the counter across the aisle from her, he braced his hands on the countertop behind him.

“I thought I would have recognized you,” she mumbled, mostly to herself.

“What does that mean?”

There was that wariness in her eyes again as she scanned his face. “I didn’t come here today for you.”

What the hell is she talking about?

“Then who did you come to my restaurant for?”

“Ethan Hart.”

“Ethan?” Jamie glanced over his shoulder at the door to the kitchen. “How do you know Ethan?” She opened her mouth and closed it again without making any sound, her expression turning pained. Fuck. “Are you and Ethan—”

“Sorry I’m late!” Ethan’s voice echoed through the kitchen as he burst through the doors.

Jamie took another step away from Tessa, knocking over her edible glitter in the process. He cursed under his breath as it exploded in a puff into the air, sending bits of glitter into his hair. He tried to shake it loose as he grabbed a side towel, setting to work cleaning her station of the offending sparkle.

“No worries. Didn’t realize you’d invited someone to join us,” Jamie said, careful to keep his tone free of the confusion and frustration slowly bubbling up through his blood.

Tessa was somehow involved with his best friend.

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