by Violet Duke
“What about when you took over as brewmaster?”
“While I don’t believe in curses, even I have to admit I’ve brewed up some stinkers.”
Luke shook his head in amazement. “I find that impossible to believe.”
Xoey put a sobering hand on his shoulder. “Oh trust me, she’s made some awful ones.” She gagged in memory. “Dani, remember that blackcurrant rum beer? Ew, and that bizarre lychee one you tried to make a few years ago? Blech!”
“Gee thanks. Thanks a lot.” Dani’s nose scrunched in consternation. “In theory, those two should’ve come out really good.”
“In reality, one tasted like sugary spoiled malt vinegar and the other just tasted like ass.”
She laughed. “The smell and the taste didn’t match up at all in that last batch; I can’t believe you all even swallowed it. You should’ve just spit it out.”
“I would’ve,” assured Quinn as she walked in to join the tail end of their conversation. She passed an important-looking form to Luke—very official business—even though the way she and Rylan were looking at each other pretty much outed her as a bald-faced liar.
Luke scoffed. “You mean you would’ve spit it back in her face. Been there, wiped that.”
Quinn shrugged, completely comfortable with her methods.
“Wow, no one here would ever do that to me.” Dani’s eyes rounded in admiration.
“You hear that, Quinn? What a concept. They actually respect their boss enough not to spit in her face.” Luke’s comical look of shock was priceless.
“I respect you,” assured Quinn. “But I also have certain expectations of you. Evidently, being able to duck in time to avoid my feedback is no longer one of them.” She clucked her tongue disappointedly. “Live and learn…”
They all laughed, mostly at his expense.
Luke’s laughing smile instantly turned into a hidden grin when he saw Rylan slide his hand onto the small of Quinn’s back as he whispered something in her ear. Luke nearly choked on his food. That was the type of thing that would usually result in a lost limb for most men.
Discreetly, Luke signaled Dani with his eyes to check out the development.
When she looked over, her eyes instantly widened to the size of saucers right before she grabbed his hand.
“Hey, you know what? The special for lunch isn’t quite ready yet so why don’t we go to Desert Confections for a bit first? You can show me that new chocolate you created yesterday.”
She shuffled swiftly toward the door, hollering out to her assistant manager on the way, “Sam, tell Jim I’ll be back in the brewery in an hour. The recipe I’m trying on the Baby D system is on a hundred-twenty-minute boil cycle with Mikey taking care of the hops addition. No worries, I walked him through it a few days ago. I had extra time to rack the last Rylan Red in the Daddy V system so he won’t have to condition at all today. Oh, and I left a note for him describing which valve on Ole Betsy is acting wonky, in case he asks. Thanks, Sam!”
With that, Dani yanked Luke out of his chair and dragged him outside.
“Subtle,” Luke chuckled.
Her shoulders lifted in a show of muffled glee. “Those two look so good together.” With one more peek at Rylan and Quinn still talking inside, Dani fluttered her fingers together in a tiny clap—a lovable rare habit she had when she delighted in seeing a happy couple together.
Grinning adoringly, he shook his head. “I love your little Dani clap.”
She went still. “My what?” She was genuinely befuddled.
“You, Ms. Tough-As-Nails Brewmaster, have one ultra girly habit whenever you see or think about a great match-up.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “A peppy little cheerleader clap.”
Now Dani looked truly horrified.
“It’s adorable.” He gathered her to him and kissed the frown lines on her forehead.
“It is not.”
“It shows you’re just as much of a romantic as I am,” he taunted a bit more, his lips now enjoying the challenge of coaxing her pout to stand down.
“It does not,” she insisted, although the wobble in her voice said his coaxing was making her reach the point where she didn’t really remember what ‘it’ even was anymore.
He smiled against her lips, using guerrilla tactics with his tongue. “Admit it, I’m right.”
“This is blackmail,” she argued, trying to catch his elusive lips.
“No, this is more me badgering the defendant on trial.”
Her teeth gently caught his lower lip for an instant while her hands smoothed over his abdomen in the way she knew made him crazy. “Should I plead the Fifth?” she asked, her breath nuzzling against his ear as she leaned in as close as she decently could on a public sidewalk.
“I’m pleading the fourth,” he muttered as he swooped in to surrender.
She knew he didn’t mean the Fourth Amendment, but rather their fourth pre-date. While the constraints of their perfectly rational agreement to have five casual pre-dates had certainly sounded good at the time, with their crazy schedules, the fruition of their agreement was nearing at a snail’s pace.
He laid his forehead against hers and heaved out a rough breath. “The prosecution gives up. We’ll let the defense keep deluding herself on the status of her romantic tendencies.”
“And here I was all ready to take your plea bargain,” she fibbed teasingly.
When he just about fell against the wall at her implication, Dani laughed and dragged him over to Desert Confections before they did something in public they’d both regret.
Or enjoy beyond consequence.
“You’re going to have to walk in front of me when we get in the door,” warned Luke.
Dani leaned back and brushed against him. “Or your customers will think you just really like your new ‘Chocolate Foreplay’ kits?”
He actually felt his ears redden a tiny bit. “That name wasn’t my idea.”
She laughed. “I figured.”
“Speaking of Quinn.” He tilted his head questioningly. “She told me you ordered some of our chocolate for Ocotillos. ‘Fess up. Are you going to be playing nice?”
The look she gave him was all sass. “Never.”
“Woman, behave,” he growled as they entered his shop. He casually walked them over to his office, inconspicuously holding her close to him like a battle shield…or a weapon cover at least. Once safely in his office without any raised eyebrows from the customers or Rissa, Luke released his overheated hold on Dani and took the long way around to his side of the desk. After taking one look at her still-thinking-about-it eyes, however, he exited right back out to the kitchen, muttering, “Not nearly far enough away.”
A full two minutes later, he finally returned with a few pieces of the newest chocolate he’d created that morning, his hands still slightly unsteady.
From the looks of it, Dani wasn’t in any better condition. But she did offer him an olive branch. “So do you really want to know what we’re planning for your chocolate?”
Relieved, he grasped the branch and sat down. “We’ve actually been dying of curiosity.”
Amusement tipped a corner of her mouth up playfully. “Remember how I told you I wanted a make-your-own-dessert thing at Ocotillos profiling beer-based desserts? Well, we’re starting a weekly blind date mixer at Ocotillos where that activity will be making its debut.”
“And our chocolate?”
“Is the enemy.” Her teeth gleamed fiendishly. “Our customers get to cruelly liquefy it in beer fondue and blowtorch it in beer cracker s’mores.”
Luke tipped his head back and let out a room-rattling laugh.
Her grin relented. “No worries. It’s not nearly as sinister as it sounds,” she reassured. “It just so happens I’ve used your chocolate to make fondue and s’mores at home, so like most of the Ocotillos recipes, I was just bringing a little bit of home to the brewpub. Completely innocent.”
Her face lit impishly at his dubious expression. “Okay, so ma
ybe it isn’t completely innocent.” Eyeing the piece of chocolate he was holding in his fingers, she licked her lips. “If I promise not to enjoy torching your chocolate too much, can I get a taste of that truffle?”
Smiling, he slid the roasted chocolate and huckleberry tequila bonbon into her mouth.
Watching the candid reaction swirl across her face as she bit into the shell of the rounded chocolate with a snap and savored the liquid burst of flavor inside, Luke found yet again that his favorite part of seeing someone experience his chocolates was infinitely more incredible when it was Dani doing the tasting. He bent down to steal a kiss, wanting—needing—to capture the moment with as many senses as he could. In a bolt of awareness, his eyes dilated so fast he went dizzy when the touch of her tongue shared the flavors with him. Even through the chocolate, he could still taste Dani. The combination was sweeter than anything he could have imagined.
This was undeniably now his new favorite thing.
CHAPTER SEVEN
LUKE WAS AN EVIL, evil fibber, Dani decided as she tiredly rubbed her eyes and tried to wrap her brain around the fact that she was sitting in Desert Confections, attempting to do paperwork for Ocotillos at four in the morning. Four! Somehow, Luke had pulled the brain out of her head, via her lips, and got her to agree to this demented idea of working before dawn like he did after tricking her by changing the clock in her bedroom three hours back.
She huffed. If she’d been more awake—and not kissed senseless—she’d have planted her butt right back in bed when the realization that it was still dark out had seeped into her brain.
But then he’d kissed her again.
Now here she was.
Yawning again, she tried in vain to focus on the paperwork laid out before her but it was no use. She was simply too tired to function at this ungodly hour.
Luke on the other hand was not. Like a freakin’ early bird machine, he’d been working intently on his chocolates for the last twenty minutes straight, pausing only to look up every so often to make sure she was still awake, giving her a supportive smile if she’d catch him doing it.
Okay, so it was kind of nice.
Plus, to be fair, he’d only been doing what she’d asked since the supervillainously boring insurance paperwork she was trying to get through did need to be done before ten am today. She glanced down at the forms again. Yup. Still as mind numbing as they’d been two minutes ago.
Stretching, she got up, wanting a break after her fifteen minutes of strenuously avoiding work. Not wanting to disturb him, she tiptoed over to sneak a peek at the extravagant chocolates Luke was preparing for some swanky party. As she approached, not as whisper-quietly as she’d intended, he grinned and stepped aside to let her peruse the entire collection of chocolates.
She was awestruck. He’d done an intricate art deco design with crystallized fruit peels, metallic flakes, and bright airbrushed color. “You’re an artist,” she breathed, taking it all in. Pointing at the set that looked like crackled ice, she marveled, “I can’t believe you actually piped those in. They look like they came out of a mold.”
“I wanted something more striking and haphazard. Plus, these are modified truffles—softer, so a hard shell mold exterior wouldn’t work.” Wiping his hands on his apron, Luke rolled his neck and shoulders, wincing as he tried to stretch the bunched tension out of his muscles.
Dani shuffled behind him and gently kneaded his shoulders for him. His blissful groan pulsed through the air in the silent shop. She grinned. He let her spoil him for another minute before pulling her around to thank her properly on the lips. Arms circling her waist, he tilted his head sympathetically. “Need a snack to stay awake?”
She shamelessly popped open her mouth, not needing to be asked twice. Chuckling, he surveyed his premium chocolates in the display cases thoughtfully before selecting two complementary pieces. He reached over to tuck the first in her mouth.
Dani’s lashes dropped partway as the two inner layers of loquat cream and saskatoon berry mousse hit her taste buds, mingling with the bittersweet chocolate shell. “Sooo good,” she groaned as the flavors swirled around her mouth in a hidden dance, intensifying and changing, like all of Luke’s gorgeously complex specialty chocolates did.
One more lusty moan later, Luke teased the seam of her lips with the second morsel he’d chosen. She took the salted caramel rosehip truffle in her mouth and then on a whim, licked his fingers as well, just to see what chocolate-coated Luke would taste like.
“Holy Hefeweizen,” she purred, shivering just a bit.
The flavors continued to tease her taste buds even as it melted away on her tongue. With one last breathy sigh, she opened her eyes...and found herself looking into a gaze so sultry, it made her skin tingle. Luke’s soft brown eyes darkened even more when he saw her blush.
“You do know this work date doesn’t count as one of our five dates, right?” she teased deflectively, though even to her own ears, she sounded like she wanted him to disagree.
“Sure. I know that,” he teased back with a taunting grin, an eyebrow lifted knowingly.
She studied him warily, willing herself not to take the bait. Then he began whistling and cleaning up his workplace as if completely and singularly unaffected. Okay, now it was on. Smiling deviously, and knowing she was mostly just trying to delay working on the insurance forms, she approached him with a slither. “Guess I was just trying to remind myself then.” She traced a finger lightly down his spine and just barely slid her lips over his ear as she whispered, “Although I’m not sure I was successful...”
“Foul!” Luke contested with a heated laugh, ducking away. “Illegal use of wiles.”
“No penalty,” she decreed, her smile devilishly pleased as she backed up and put an extra swank in her step, knowing his eyes were x-raying her thin yoga pants the entire time. Instead of coming after her to do something about it though, he simply swept a tortured glance over her and then fled to the kitchen, mumbling about them both needing to get work done. Dani sighed and followed him back there. Damn boy scout. “Hey, what does this thing do?” she asked, picking up a random utensil from the shelf as if it were the most awe-inspiring thing she’d ever seen.
“Not going to work, honey. Get back to those forms.” His voice was comically stern.
An indignant pout warred with her laughing eyes. “But I really want to know.”
Shaking his head, he sighed. “Okay, how about this? You help me finish up here and then I’ll help you with your forms after.” He slid a warm hand down her back. “And since you have the attention span of a puppy right now, we can even take a ten-minute break first.”
“Thirty,” she countered automatically.
“If I’d said thirty, you would’ve said forty, wouldn’t you’ve? Just for the hell of it?”
Her look pretty much said ‘duh.’
He suppressed a grin, attempting to look annoyed instead. “You’re so damn contrary.”
“No, I’m a businesswoman. I negotiate.”
“Well, I’m a businessman so here’s my counteroffer: ten-minute break—” His eyes danced when she opened her mouth to reject the offer already. “And I cook you dinner tonight.”
She was startled. They hadn’t had a ‘night in’ yet. On top of that, he wanted to cook for her? Besides her workers, no one had made a meal for her since...she couldn’t even recall when.
His smile was gentle, patient. A dozen reasons why she should say no to such a romantic gesture ran through her head. Half of them were warnings from her heart while the rest were reminders from her guilty conscience—Luke probably wouldn’t be so eager to slave over a meal if he knew it was for a woman who’d tried to put him out of business not too long ago.
But the one reason to say yes was right in front of her. “Deal,” she agreed almost shyly.
“Okay, so we’ll have dinner and just veg after. TV, video games, whatever you want. We don’t even have to call it a date. I just want you to kick back and relax.”
>
Aw, that was sweet. “Oh, it’ll count as a date,” she assured him softly. Suddenly, the air was no longer playful, and his expression was decidedly hungry now as she slid her arms around him and asked, “So this ten-minute break. What did you have in mind?”
His lips answered without saying a word.
They did eventually get back to work as planned…about thirty minutes later.
* * * * *
“OHMIGOD, THAT WAS the best ribeye ever.”
Luke grinned at Dani’s moaned declaration as she fell onto her couch, stuffed.
“It’s all in the beer marinade,” winked Luke, loving this lazy, languid Dani. “Luckily, I have an in with a hot brewmaster who was able to sneak me some of the really good stuff.”
“Which you made absolute magic with in the dessert too.” She sighed in bliss. “I ate so much I can’t move. I think you might have to be my servant for the rest of the night.”
“Works for me.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Traditional servants help mistresses into their night clothes before bed, right?”
A couch pillow went airborne and landed limply at his feet.
He shook his head. “That’s just sad. Poor baby. You don’t even have the strength to throw this tiny little cushion at me. Alright, since you clearly need it, I’ll help undress before your shower too.” His belabored expression turned teasingly predatory as he advanced on her.
It didn’t register until he was within arm’s length of her that she wasn’t trying to escape.
“Okay,” she murmured softly after a beat.
He froze. Shit, he should’ve known better than to play this game with Dani. Who was he kidding? She’d win every time. “You are one cruel, cruel woman.” He backpedaled ruefully. “Wave food in front of a starving man, why don’t you.”
“Okay,” she replied again, her voice now bedroom soft, and when he checked, more asleep than not.
Damn.
He grimaced as he adjusted his jeans and leaned down to slide her hair back from her face. Pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead, he suggested softly, “Honey, why don’t you go on and shower so you can get to bed. You’re not used to waking up as early as I am; I should’ve thought about that before planning this dinner. You brewed all day today and you’ve got the dayshift tomorrow; you need to rest. So get going. I’ll clean up out here.”
