He felt her lips part beneath his, inviting him deeper, but Cole was determined not to piss off Mason. No matter what Rachel said, her relationship with her brother was vital. That much was obvious, and there was no way he would do anything to jeopardize it.
Raising his head, Cole released her arm and gestured to the open door. “Lead the way.”
“And you’ll follow? Yeah, right. Since when do you follow anyone’s orders?”
Cole walked with her to the door. “Since around forty minutes ago.”
“And how does that feel?”
“I fucking hate it,” Cole admitted honestly.
“You have such a filthy mouth,” she pointed out, stopping in the doorway to the busy kitchen.
Cole made sure to press his entire front to her back while keeping his hands to himself as he acknowledged, “You’re right. Maybe you can clean it for me with your tongue later.”
When she looked back at him, she seemed to have regained her sense of humor because she dropped her eyes to his mouth and seductively licked her lower lip.
“Maybe. Ask me in four hours,” she sassed and turned, walking out into her kitchen, leaving Cole to follow for the second time that night.
Three and a half hours into the dinner service, Rachel found herself once again being surprised by Cole. All evening, he had stood beside her, keeping his hands to himself, and he had followed directions, right down to, Throw this in the trash, would you?
She never would have dreamed of him being a part of this, even for one night. As he listened, comprehended, and then executed every little thing she told him, Rachel was not only buzzing from having him there, she was also extremely impressed.
The other kitchen staff had gone about their business in their usual way. Ryan had barked out the orders while the other chefs were cutting, cooking, and plating the meals. Wendy would come to the service window to let them know if they were on schedule or running behind, and the waitstaff all delivered the food to their hungry clientele in a timely fashion.
Yes, Rachel thought, tonight ran exactly the way Exquisite should, and I’m finally enjoying it in a way I haven’t for months.
Looking over to where Cole was standing by the prep table, Rachel made her way to him with a special treat in mind. He had played by the rules all night and hadn’t touched her once. Admittedly, it didn’t surprise her, given his unwavering patience and the pride he took over his self-control. Still, as far as she was concerned, that kind of annoying dedication to his cause should not go without reward.
Wiping her hands on the apron tied around her waist, she stopped beside him, bumping her hip to his. “How’s it going chef?”
He looked over to her and placed the towel in his hands down on the tabletop. “Interesting.”
“Interesting good? Or interesting bad?” she pressed as she turned to rest her backside against the stainless steel.
“You’re fascinating to watch. Actually, the entire process back here is fascinating. It’s so loud and chaotic, but at the same time, it seems to run like a well-oiled machine.”
Rachel found herself liking that description because it was exactly how she felt about the kitchen. “That seems about right. I love working in the midst of chaos.”
His eyes took in her purple jacket and then moved up to the colorful hair she had pulled up and under her black cap. “Now that, I truly believe.”
“Well, we’re winding down for the night. The last orders have gone out, and I wanted to teach you something. Up for a lesson?”
His eyes narrowed on her. “What kind of lesson? Is it one I’ll regret later?”
Rachel shook her head. “Nope, it’s more a lesson of survival—for you anyway.”
She loved the confusion that came over his face because it had never happened before. She spun around and reached for a stainless steel pot from one of the shelves under the table.
Pulling it out, she walked to the back stove and placed it on one of the front gas burners. She noticed Cole had followed her over to the stove, and he seemed to be waiting patiently. That was, until he opened his mouth.
“A lesson in survival? I hardly think I will have a gas-burning stove if I am stuck somewhere needing to survive.”
Rachel rolled her eyes at his logic and sighed. “Oh, don’t be so damn literal,” she stated as she moved around him to the walk-in pantry.
She picked up all the ingredients she needed, and when she came back, she placed them beside the stove in front of him. She could see he was about to ask her another question when she asked, “Do you like apples?”
Cole paused halfway through a word that was about to come out of his mouth, and instead, he laughed. “Yes, why?”
“You’ll see,” she said in a singsong voice. She moved away from him again, but this time, she went into the fridge and returned with two Granny Smith apples. Placing them down near all the other items, Rachel winked up at him. “Okay, we need a cup and a half of sugar. Over there.” With her chin, she indicated to the large silver cylinder.
Cole picked up the cup she’d placed in front of him, and he measured the cup and a half she needed to perfection. She took the cup and dropped the contents into the pot. She turned back to him and pointed to the corn syrup. “I need a tablespoon of that.”
Silently, he poured it out, and she stood aside to let him put it into the pot.
“Okay, now, cut the lemon in half and squeeze it in.”
With a small paring knife, Cole did as she had asked and moved closer to her to squeeze the lemon juice into the pot. After that, she added in the little bit of water she needed and turned on the heat.
“What are we making?” he asked as he moved back out of her way.
Rachel began swirling the ingredients together with a flick of her wrist. “I told you, I’m teaching you how to survive…in the horrifying event that you don’t have any of your little caramel squares around.”
With her eyes on the mixture that was starting to bubble up, she felt him step closer.
“That’s going to turn into caramel?” he asked, his voice full of excitement but tinged with skepticism.
Turning her head, Rachel grinned at him. She was pleased he was so excited. “Yep, all it needs now is cream.”
Cole’s eyes moved from the amber-colored concoction back to hers.
“Cream?”
He might as well have said, Sex? Because all Rachel wanted to scream was, Yes, please! Now! Instead, she nodded and gathered her brain cells, at least what little she had left.
“Yes, I need the cream. It’s right over there.”
He turned away to pick up the container, and then he handed it to her. As she took it from him, their fingers brushed, and she was close to saying, Forget the damn caramel. The only things that stopped her were the other staff members and the knowledge that when they did get home, she could enjoy him as loudly as she wanted to with no one listening.
“Step back,” she instructed. “When I add it, it’s going to bubble up and spit.” Turning off the heat, Rachel added in the cream, and just as she had said, the mixture bubbled up to the top of the pot. Reaching over to the sticks of butter, she picked them up and put them in, all the while whisking the sweet syrup.
“Is it wrong that this is totally turning me on?” Cole’s voice hummed through the air.
Rachel removed the pot from the burner and continued stirring as she waggled her brows at him with mischief in her eyes. “Not at all. Makes perfect sense, considering the last time you had caramel sauce was—”
“When I spread it all over your naked breasts?”
“Yes.” Rachel sighed as she picked up the first apple.
“Are we nearly done here? I’m almost certain that the four hours are up.”
Raising her eyes to the clock on the wall, Rachel regretfully informed him, “Actually, you still have another five minutes.” She slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out two little sticks.
“Caramel apples?” Cole questioned
.
She jabbed the sticks into the top of the Granny Smiths. “Yes, do you like caramel apples?”
“Rachel, you could put caramel on broccoli, and I would eat it. I will say that I haven’t had a caramel apple since I was a little boy. My mother used to make them.”
As Rachel dipped the first apple into the sauce, she gave him a warm smile. She was happy to be the one to give him back such an obviously fond memory.
“My dad used to make them with me. He loved to cook.”
She pulled the first apple free and placed it on a plate, and then when she reached for the second, she felt Cole’s palm cup the back of her neck.
Looking up at him, she felt their connection deeper than ever before. It was a connection that had been forged almost overnight, and it was unlike any she could have hoped for.
“Thank you,” he told her as he squeezed her neck gently.
“For?”
“Being exactly who you are. For being impulsive, strong, and mine. “
As he dropped his hand, Rachel took a deep breath and dipped the second apple into the mix. When she pulled it free, she placed it on the plate next to the other one. As Cole picked up the first one, she asked, “Can you please take me home now? The five minutes are up, and the foreplay is over.”
She thought he’d never looked sexier as he lifted the apple to his lips. Licking the warm dripping caramel, Cole’s eyes met hers right before his white teeth sank through the sweet layer to the crisp tart apple beneath, effectively turning her little game of seduction around on her.
Rachel watched him chew slowly on that piece of apple. Her insides flipped, and just breathing had her almost jumping out of her skin. Her panties brushed the piercing, which was currently sitting above her throbbing clit.
He swallowed, and in a voice she wanted by her ear, above her mouth, and sliding inside her, he told her, “I thought you’d never ask.”
I hate moving.
The following afternoon, Rachel stared at the boxes surrounding her in her small apartment. Luckily for her, Sarah had wanted some extra hours at Exquisite, and when Rachel had given them to her, Mason hadn’t been around to say no.
She wanted to take the night off. She wanted to sit in her apartment by herself and really think over everything that had and was about to happen. The only problem was that every time she thought about what had happened, she thought of Cole, and that led her to thinking about last night and how his mouth had—
“Open up! We know you’re in there!”
Rachel’s head snapped up, and her eyes latched on to her front door where the shouting and pounding were coming from.
“Don’t try and act like you’re not!”
Oh jeez, save me now. Shelly Monroe was standing outside her door, making a ridiculous amount of noise.
Rachel quickly stood, stepped over the box holding all her DVDs, and jogged to the door.
Just as her palm hit the handle, she heard through the door, “Shelly, keep it down.”
Thank. You. Lena.
With a twist of her hand, Rachel opened the door to find Shelly and Lena standing in front of her. Shelly was dressed in tight fashionable blue jeans and a turquoise sweater that molded to every bodacious curve she had. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, and her face was perfectly made up to make her look like some kind of model. Playboy or runway, Rachel couldn’t quite decide. Lena, on the other hand, looked relaxed and casual but still gorgeous in jeans and a green cowl-neck sweater that brought out her eyes. She’d left all her brown curls out and curling over her shoulders.
“Is there a reason you’re making so much damn noise outside my door?”
Lena shrugged and almost looked apologetic. Shelly held up two bottles of red wine and announced, “We are here to gossip and drink.”
As she peered past her shoulder, Rachel almost groaned as Shelly’s pink lips widened into a grin. “And apparently pack.”
Lena shook her head as Shelly pushed in past Rachel.
“I tried to prevent the invasion,” Lena told her. She stepped forward and hugged Rachel. “But you know Shelly.”
Laughing, Rachel shut the door and turned around to follow Lena back into her small living room. Shelly had removed her shoes, and with her legs tucked under her, she had settled onto the couch in the corner. Shelly had placed the two bottles of wine over on the kitchen counter, and as Rachel noticed them, she wondered if it was bad to start drinking at five in the afternoon.
Lena took a seat on the loveseat against the wall and patted the spot beside her. Moving over to her sister-in-law, Rachel curled up in the corner of the couch and pinned Shelly with an undaunted look.
“Oh, just get it over with already,” Rachel whined.
“You married him!” Shelly shouted as though she could no longer contain herself. Then, she began to laugh like a lunatic. “I mean, I knew you’d cave and sleep with him. Hello? The guy is so goddamn sexy. But damn!” Shelly shook her head as if she were truly flabbergasted. “Getting hitched! Holy. Shit.”
Rachel arched her brow at the blonde with the mouth. It always surprised her that they were friends with the way they bickered and sniped at one another. Then again, that was what family did. Right?
“Well, at least I go after what I want, unlike some who take forever to decide.”
That shut Shelly up quick. “Touché,” she muttered.
“Would you two quit?” Lena asked as she glared over at Shelly.
“Okay, okay. I just can’t believe it. And Mason and Josh? Ha! Talk about being shocked stupid. I still don’t think Josh believes it.”
Rachel couldn’t help but laugh at that. She had definitely shocked the boys. That much was true. Josh, even more so, she figured, considering he knew Cole better than anyone else. Josh had understood how out of character this was for Cole.
“Mason is coming around,” Lena admitted and winked in Rachel’s direction. “Sometimes, you just know. Right, Rach?”
Rachel nodded in agreement. “As crazy as it seems, it definitely feels right.”
“I’m sure it feels very right,” Shelly teased.
“Do you ever think about anything other than sex?” Rachel asked as she looked pointedly at Shelly.
“Well, I try, but honestly, with all the testosterone we have around us, it’s hard.”
Lena snorted. “All the testosterone? There are approximately two men in our lives.”
“Well, three now,” Shelly interjected, looking at Rachel. “And let’s face it. I wasn’t the only one in the club that night, thinking that her guy was like testosterone on steroids. I swear we all just stood in awe.”
When Rachel thought back to that night, she did remember the way Lena and Shelly had stood mute while her and Cole had sparred over a shot of tequila.
Lena tapped Rachel’s foot as she smiled. “Well, in our defense, we were rather—”
“Drunk?” Shelly supplied.
Lena laughed as Rachel stood and made her way to the kitchen.
Pulling out a bottle opener, Rachel uncorked the first bottle of red and poured three glasses. For the rest of this conversation, she had a feeling that she would need liquor. Making her way back to the other women, she passed Lena a glass and then turned to Shelly. When she held it out to her, Shelly shook her head and grinned widely.
“I’m sorry, but for the next nine months, you two will have to drink all the red wine and cosmos for me.”
The room fell silent, and Rachel found herself staring down at the Man-Eater, who had suddenly turned into a gooey ball of mush.
“You’re pregnant?” Lena yelled as she bounced up from the chair and came to stand beside Rachel.
Shelly beamed up at them, nodding like a fool. “Yep. We found out last week.”
“What?” Lena demanded. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
Shelly looked at Rachel and chuckled. “Well, there were other things going on. Josh and I were going to tell you all on Monday, but—”
/> “Oh shit, Shelly. I feel terrible,” Rachel muttered.
As Shelly stood, Lena moved forward and pulled her best friend into a tight hug. “I’m so very happy for you and Josh. I know you both want children so much.”
Shelly hugged Lena back, thanking her, before she turned to look at Rachel.
“Don’t feel bad. When we turned up on Monday night and Josh found out about you and Cole, I don’t think he really wanted to bring this up right then. Not to mention, Mason was freaking the hell out. So, we just decided it was best to tell you guys on our own. Josh took Mase out for beers,” she added with a wink.
Rachel stepped forward and hugged Shelly tightly. “I still hate that I ruined your moment. You and Josh mean so much to me.”
“Oh, stop it. You didn’t ruin it. You gave us one of the most interesting nights of our lives. Not to mention, we were all blown away. You mean a lot to all of us, Rachel, and you caught us all off-guard. No matter how much fun I poke at it, I’m happy if you’re happy. Are you sure this is what you want?”
Rachel moved back and looked at Lena and Shelly before nodding and reassuring them both, “I know it’s crazy, but I don’t think normal applies to me. I love him. He’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met, and honestly, he has shocked the hell out of me.”
Shelly leaned down and lifted the glass of wine, handing it back to Rachel. “Well then, how about you two celebrate my amazing news? A baby out of wedlock. I love following the rules. My mother will probably die! Raise your glasses and congratulate all of us on our good taste in men. Damn! How did we get so lucky?”
Lena and Rachel laughed as they clinked their glasses.
“Because we are completely awesome of course!” Rachel decided as she took a sip of her wine and saluted them all.
Two hours later, Lena and Rachel were on their second bottle of wine, and Shelly was pumping for information on Josh.
“So, come on, tell me,” she coaxed as Rachel continued shaking her head. “I bet he was such a cute teenager, all of that floppy brown hair and big brown eyes.”
Lena giggled as she brought the glass to her lips. “I bet they both were, Mason and Josh. How weird that you knew them back then.”