“Let’s hope it tastes as good as it smells.” She took the seat across from me, eyes glued to my face, watching as I examined the plate from all sides before tasting it.
I closed my eyes and let out a deep groan. “Sorry to say, this tastes even better than it smells.”
“Music to this chef’s ears.” She smiled as I took another bite, looking at me like, maybe, she just might like me, too.
“What?” I couldn’t decipher the look she sent me—all I knew was that I liked it.
“Nothing, I just really like watching you eat my food. You enjoy it with your whole body. With all of your senses.” She let out a smile on a soft sigh and shook her head. “It’s what every chef hopes for.”
Her words shocked me. They were an undeniable compliment and it made me feel warm. Affectionate. Good. “Thanks?”
She laughed and stood. “Ready for more?”
I nodded, and that was how we spent the next hour, laughing and flirting as I tasted every dish that would be served at the ball. She’d taken mine and Sabrina’s suggestions and turned them into a meal that would satisfy doctors, donors, and heroes alike. Not to mention, it would open plenty of wallets after everyone was stuffed and satisfied.
By the time we were finished, I was stuffed and almost completely satisfied. “Maxine, I don’t know what to say. The menu is fantastic. Delicious and perfect for the eclectic mix of people who will attend the ball. It’s just what Sabrina said to expect from you.”
She blinked slowly, blue eyes wide and shocked. “She did?”
“Yep. Said she had every faith in you because you’ve always done a good job for her.”
“But I’ve never worked… for her.” Her confusion matched my own, but only briefly before she let out an amused laugh. “She really is a crafty lady, isn’t she?”
“Since the day I met her.” She knew how to get what she wanted, and Sabrina rarely left her fingerprints on her deeds. Good or bad.
Maxine’s blue gaze shifted, darkened, as something that looked a hell of a lot like desire settled in. “So, you’re satisfied with the menu?”
“I am.”
“Good. I have the finalized contract and bill in my office.” I frowned at her formal tone but the gleam in her eyes had me on my feet, the delicious tiramisu all but forgotten as I followed her through the busy kitchen and down a dim hall. Maxine turned with a playful smile and pulled me into her office, slamming the door behind us.
“You said something about a bill?” I couldn’t stop smiling as I pulled her close, sandwiching her between my body and the door, feeling every inch of her soft curves.
“It’s in the mail,” she whispered, pressing her lips to mine. The kiss was soft and sweet at first, then her fingers tangled in my hair and she moaned into my mouth, and all semblance of control flew out the window.
I held her tight and kissed her until my need for her went to battle with my need for oxygen and I had to pull back. “Maxine, you tempt me beyond all reason.”
“Good to know, because you tempt me, too, Derek.” Her smile was sultry as she leaned in for another kiss. This time, the kiss was more passionate and more intense, almost like she was hungry for me, a thought that had my hands roaming her curves and pulling her indecently close.
“Maxine,” I growled, and she laughed.
“I know.” She dropped her forehead against mine and smiled. “I have an event tonight I need to finish cooking for, so you should probably go.”
“Kiss and run, huh?” I didn’t wait for her answer, I just kissed her again and walked away with a satisfied smile that was almost as bright at the Texas sun.
“If that isn’t the smile of a man totally smitten with a woman, I don’t know what is. I wonder who she is.” Elizabeth Vargas flashed a mischievous smile up at me that said she knew more than she was letting on, but I wasn’t foolish enough to fall for that.
“Elizabeth, good afternoon. How are you?” I flashed her my best boyish grin and draped an arm over her shoulder.
She shrugged me off with a playful smile. “Don’t think that handsome face and charm will distract me, boy.” Her red-tipped finger wagged in my direction, and I laughed.
“I would never try to distract you, mostly because this smile is because it’s a gorgeous day and I accomplished a lot,” I told her, kind of honestly. “The real question is, why aren’t you smiling?”
“I’m smiling on the inside,” she retorted.
“Maybe give me a smile on the outside, just to be certain?” Another laugh escaped at the scowl she sent my way.
“Where are you coming from?”
“You mean you don’t know? I had to give the final okay to Maxine for the ball. You will be attending, won’t you?”
“Of course, I will. I never pass up a chance to get dressed up and give to charity.” But her gaze was still suspicious and her much shorter legs were somehow doing a solid job of keeping up with my longer stride, so I slowed down. Reluctantly. “How are things with you and Maxine?”
“Good.” I shrugged. “The menu is complete and her cooking is amazing, so I’m pleased.” She smacked my arm. “Hey!”
“You know darn well that’s not what I’m asking you, Derek.”
I knew exactly what she was asking and it was none of her business, but a good Texas raised boy never said so. “Don’t you have a grandchild to spoil or babysit, or maybe meddle with? I’m sure there are a few baby boys you can line up for her.”
Just as I knew she would, Elizabeth softened like melted chocolate at the mention of her first and only grandchild. “Don’t think you can distract me by mentioning my sweet granddaughter. This is about Max and you.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.” And I hated that Maxine was right about the matchmakers. They were relentless, and I had a feeling she’d end things before letting the meddling continue.
“If you say so, Derek.” She gave me a strange look that made me feel instantly worried before she turned and walked in the opposite direction, which told me she’d been waiting. For me.
As soon as I got to my car, I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text to Maxine. Elizabeth is suspicious and I think she was waiting for me outside your shop. I only hoped it didn’t affect what was happening between us.
A few moments later, her response came. Thanks for the heads up. Boyfriend.
The words put a smile on my face for the rest of the day.
Maxine
I pulled open the back door with a wide grin and Derek slipped inside, wearing a matching smile as he wrapped me in his arms. “Did anyone see you?”
Instead of answering right away, he pulled me in for a quick, hard kiss that left me a hot puddle of lust on the floor, before pulling back with a satisfied smile. “If they did, the cops will probably be here any minute since I was skulking around like a thief.”
“Well, what are you here to steal?” Something about this man kept a smile on my face, and I was growing addicted to having him around.
“Maybe a kiss or two,” he said in a low seductive voice as he placed kisses all around my neck. “Maybe more. Depends on you.”
Feeling bold, I took a step back and watched his smoldering gaze rake over my body. When I had his full attention, I pulled the tank top over my head and tossed it behind me. “Take what you want, just be very, very quiet.”
His kiss was as hot as his hands on my breasts, squeezing and kneading before two fingers closed around my nipple and pulled a moan from me. “So sexy,” he groaned, diving in for another kiss that was too hot, too intense.
It was just too… much.
But I didn’t have the willpower to push him away, not when his kisses drugged me and left me under his hypnotic, erotic spell. Every swipe of his tongue turned me into a greedy addict, wanting more. Needing more. Everywhere his hands touched, he left a blazing hot trail on my skin until I was powerless to do anything but lean in and take what he gave me. Take it and demand more. “Derek.”
“Yes, Maxine
?”
I smiled at the heat in his words and leaned my head to the side so he could kiss his way down my neck, to the crook of my shoulder. His tongue skated over my collarbone before he left a trail of kisses down to my breasts, pulling one nipple into his mouth and sucking. Hard. “Yes, Derek.” His mouth kept up a steady torture that left my skin flushed and overheated, hungry for more of his brand of pleasure.
“Maxine,” he growled when my hand pressed against the bulge in his jeans, stroking the denim like it wasn’t a barrier between us.
Feeling bold, my fingers made quick work of his pants and his boxers before they found the hot, hard flesh of his cock. “Somebody’s ready to go.”
“More than.” He put his hand over mine, showing me exactly how he liked to be stroked. I gave his cock a squeeze, enjoying the way his eyes rolled to the back of his head as it fell back with a groan. “Maxine, please.”
My thumb swiped over a bead of liquid at the tip of his cock, pulling another anguished moan from him that hit me right in the gut. “Please, what?”
He flashed a grin that I felt deep down in my core and dropped to his knees, tugging down another pair of yoga pants and my panties right along with them. “Please you,” he moaned, leaning forward to lap at the juices spilling from between my legs.
My head fell back on a groan and my fingers tangled in his hair, keeping him exactly where I needed him most. With my eyes squeezed shut, every cell in my body centered at the point where his tongue moved, up and down, side to side, in and out. It was a rush of emotions I couldn’t describe, only feel. “Derek. Oh, Derek. Yes.”
His deep chuckle vibrated my clit, which sent a lightning bolt of ecstasy pulsing through my body. Derek’s big hand cupped the back of one thigh to keep me standing—or maybe it was to hold me so he could get the best taste of me, a thought that sent another round of shivers through my body. He sucked my clit and slipped one finger inside, pulling a forceful orgasm out of me in just a few minutes. “It’s good to see you’re as hot and ready to go as I am.” His blue gaze was lit with mischief, his mouth slick from my sex as he smiled and another aftershock rocked my entire body.
“Hotter. Readier,” I assured him and kissed his mouth, groaning at the way I tasted on his tongue. “I want you, Derek.”
“I’m right here, Maxine.”
Did anything sound sexier than the way he growled my name? In that moment, the answer was a resounding hell no. My hand wrapped around his long, thick erection and I smiled at the way his jaw clenched with restraint. “I see you, Derek. More importantly, I feel you.”
“I feel you, too.” He stilled my hand as it slid up and down the length of him. “But I’m done with teasing.” The look in his eyes was pure possessiveness and my body practically collapsed into a puddle, right there on my kitchen floor. His big hands grasped my ass and lifted me in the air before he laid me out on top of the table, like I was the meal he was prepared to feast on. “You are so damn beautiful, Maxine.”
“And you, Dr. Cahill, make some pretty good eye candy.” His gaze darkened and he gripped my hips, pulling me to the edge of the table, his eyes taking in every detail of my response.
“Eye candy?”
I nodded. “A feast for the eyes… oh, yes!” His hips jerked forward until his cock slid deep, tugging a low groan from me.
“Very, very quiet. Remember?”
I wanted to roll my eyes, to play it cool and sexy, but two thumbs rubbed competing circles on my clit as his hips pumped, sending him deeper and deeper. His thumbs were attached to electricity, sending jolts through me with every stroke. “Derek,” I moaned as my pleasure built higher and higher until I felt like I might float away. “Oh, Derek.”
A smile lit his face. “Yes, Maxine?”
“I’m close.”
“I know,” he replied, lips twitching in amusement. “I can feel the way you pulse around my cock.”
“Oh, god.” His words were so filthy, so sexy that I had to close my eyes against the sensations rolling over me.
“So tight. So wet.” He bit down on his bottom lip and groaned as his cock hardened and his balls tightened. “So. Fucking Perfect.”
The way he looked at me in that moment made me feel perfect and I arched into him, wrapping my legs around his waist until we were as connected as two people could possibly be. His legs trembled and I knew Derek’s orgasm was close. “Derek,” I called out, as quietly as I could considering the pleasure that went through me.
“I’m right here, Maxine.”
“I feel you. I feel how close you are,” I whispered to him. “Let’s go.”
Derek gave a sharp nod and gripped my hips, pounding hard into my body, growling through gritted teeth, his gaze never leaving mine. “Max,” he groaned and pumped harder, gripping me so tightly I knew there would be bruises in the morning.
“Yes, Derek. Yes.” The last word came out on a low hiss as my orgasm struck like lightning, sending my body into fits of vibrating convulsions while he continued to pump into me. It was the most powerful orgasm I had ever experienced in my life, taking every ounce of pleasure and shooting out of my pores like a rocket. “Derek!”
My pleasure ebbed and flowed as he thrust into me with the fury of a man of a mission, climbing to great heights before sending me floating back to the earth. Then, Derek’s growl came out, dark and primal; his grip tightened and his hips bucked against me as pleasure seeped from his body into mine. “Fuck, Maxine!”
Watching him come apart was a sight to behold, almost like watching a great artist create his most famous piece, and I was transfixed. The clenching jaw, the flared nostrils, and the way he trembled as aftershocks tore through his body. “Wow.”
His grin was instantly boyish and proud. “Wow is good. I’ll take it.”
“You already did.” I laughed, placing one finger in the middle of his chest and sliding it down to where our bodies were still connected. “And you deserved the wow. Maybe even a double wow.”
The floor above us creaked and we both froze, more aware than ever of just how compromising our position would be if we were caught, especially by Callie.
“Keep talking like that and we’ll start this all over again,” he warned.
Yes, please. “As wonderful as that sounds, I think we’ve tempted fate enough for one night.” But there would be other nights. “Next time, though, let’s find a bed.”
“I have a bed. A big one.”
“Good to know.” Our gazes were locked for another long moment before the sound of the house settling brought us out of the reverie.
His body stayed between my legs, his blue eyes searing through me. “Will you be my date for the ball?”
I blinked at the question. “Where did that come from?”
He shrugged. “I meant to ask you earlier, but then you took me to the office to talk about the bill.” He smiled and let that last word linger in the air a little longer than was necessary. “So?”
“Isn’t that a little public?” No one other than Callie knew about us, and the ball would be coming out in a big way.
“Maybe, but would that be so bad?”
No, it wouldn’t. In fact, it might be nice to get all dressed up and have a grown-up night out. Especially with Derek. “Not bad, no.”
“But?”
Why was I still pushing him away? Hadn’t Derek proved that he wasn’t at all like Callie’s father or any of the other jerks in my past? He had, so what was my problem? I had no idea, and no good reason to turn him down. “But nothing. I’d love to be your date to the ball, Derek.”
The smile he sent me was magnificent and I was glad that I didn’t need my legs to stand right now. “Excellent.” He leaned forward, pressing his body against mine until our lips fused together in a slow burn of a kiss that threatened to set the whole damn place on fire.
I don’t know how long we stayed like that, naked and sweaty and pressed together while we kissed, but it felt like forever. Like maybe when we pulled back,
if we ever did, the sun might be rising. It wasn’t, though—the moonlight filtered into the kitchen, highlighting his deep blue eyes as they smiled down at me. “Does this count as date number two?”
His deep laugh echoed in the quiet kitchen and he pressed another kiss to my mouth before stepping back and helping me up. “Technically, it’s date number three, I think. Reese’s BBQ and then dinner at my place.”
So many dates, already? “Then I guess this was the sex date. Appropriate.”
“Really? I can’t wait to see what you have planned for date number four.” Mischief lit his eyes and I pushed him back to slide off the table.
“Me? You asked me to be your date for the ball.” And my answer meant I needed to find a new dress, and fast.
Derek dressed quickly and circled his arms around my body, pulling me in for a sweet, affectionate hug that was at odds with all the dirty sexy stuff that had just happened in this room. “If you think I’m waiting a full week for another date, you are sorely mistaken, Maxine.” He pressed another, hotter kiss to my lips and walked out the back door, leaving me stunned.
My mind spun about what we’d just done. And where! After pulling on my clothes, I got to work cleaning and disinfecting the surface where we would have breakfast in the morning, trying to stop smiling as I thought about Derek’s sweet words. His sexy deeds. And, holy hell, the smoldering look in his eyes when he took in my naked body.
Something about Derek made me feel like more than a businesswoman and a mother. It made me feel like a sexy, desirable woman—something I hadn’t felt in a long damn time.
Derek
Even though I’d convinced Maxine to be my date for the Fall Ball, I couldn’t wait for the night to be over. Sure, it gave me a legitimate reason to get close to an amazing woman, but it also took me away from the thing I loved most: my work. And the man responsible for my current predicament was standing in the doorway to my office with a hopeful smile on his face.
Misters of Love: A Small Town Romance Boxset Page 26
