“You know, I didn’t work that out yet. Let’s go casual, though. Jeans and jumpers.”
She grabbed her bag and turned away, throwing words over her shoulder that made him blush. “That’s great. It’s way too cold for me to wear my yellow skirt.”
Chapter Six
Chris paced around his apartment worrying over dinner with Becca. He’d played it cool these past weeks, making sure he didn’t let on that he was attracted to her. He might have succeeded too, if the smart ass in the kitchen hadn’t persisted in stirring things up.
All mention of her skirt had been ignored whenever they made jokes amongst themselves, but her final comment before she left this afternoon reinforced that she was well aware of the effect she had on him.
He shouldn’t mention it. It was wildly unprofessional to bring it up. Much better to soldier on as though it meant nothing. She’d done it, though, and he didn’t feel like it could just be ignored. It was time to apologise to her and make sure it never came up again. The last thing he needed was a sexual harassment claim if she ever left on bad terms. A quiet word to Kenneth was in order, too. Poor Becca, what must she think of the two of them?
His phone buzzed to let him know she was downstairs. He grabbed a jacket and soon joined her outside. “Hey,” he said. “Glad to see you’re dressed warmly. Italian okay with you?”
***
“So why do you work seven days a week? You never answered me when I asked you a while back.”
“Oh, that was the day you told me you were a monster.”
“What? I never did!”
“Yes, you did. You said you hate cats. How can that be? I thought all women loved cats.”
“Not me.” She laughed as he frowned, “When I was little my neighbour had a cat and it kept sneaking in my window and sleeping on my bed. I was terrified of it and I still don’t like them”
“You slept with your bedroom window open?”
“Yeah. My mother was very flippant with things like that. I’m probably lucky I didn’t get kidnapped, especially with the succession of boyfriends she had pouring through the door each week.” She closed her eyes for a moment and compressed her lips. “Goddamn it, I’m always telling you stuff!”
“It’s okay. I like learning things about you. You seem to keep a lot of secrets.”
“Not really. I’m just usually really private, but between you and Kenneth I’m spilling my guts every other week. It’s very unlike me.” She took a sip of her drink and shook her head a little as though she was surprised at herself. “Anyway, speaking of secrets, you didn’t answer my question. Why are you a workaholic?”
“Oh, you know, it’s the nature of the beast. I have a lot of money invested in the cafe. Plus, I really love it. It’s a challenge that’s paid off and it’s rare for me to not want to be there.”
“Why are we sitting here full of pizza then? On a work night?”
“I just felt like a night off, all of a sudden. You looked like you could use a relaxing night out, too. Especially after Ed’s visit today.
“Oh, so this is a sympathy date?” She looked directly at him, her lips twitching.
God woman, stop looking at me with those sultry eyes.
Images of taking her home and not letting her go filled his head and he quickly pushed them aside. “Officially, this cannot be a date, since dating the staff is frowned upon by management.” She snorted and sprayed her drink a little and he laughed out loud at the look of surprise on her face. “What? If management find out, you could get fired.”
“Ha! Stop it.” She wiped her face with her napkin before meeting his eyes. “I think we should discuss that antiquated policy. Surely it’s a relic from another age?”
“Maybe. But it stops a lot of drama. No hurt feelings. No staff not speaking to each other after a difficult conversation. No personal days.”
“No days spent basking in the glow of a new relationship. No euphoria at being deeply satisfied. No dating at all in your case because you never go anywhere to meet anyone from what I can tell. Unless you start dating the woman who delivers the bread order each day, you’re going to wind up a lonely old man.”
“Ahh… but a lonely old man with a fully functioning business.” He tipped his glass at her and took a sip as she scowled at him.
“You’re really not going to discuss this with me?”
“It’s safer not to, don’t you think? We should just ignore it and keep on keeping on. We should discuss one thing, though. I want to apologise for the way that Kenneth and I have behaved. I’ll talk to him and get him to stop and I promise I’ll be on my best behaviour from now on.”
“Your best behaviour? I was sure that was your best behaviour. You keeping a huge distance from me was you misbehaving?” She laughed and blinked rapidly, confusion showing plainly on her face, “And I don’t need you to say anything to Kenneth. He’s just joking and trying to embarrass you. It’s funny.”
“We should stop though. I want you to feel comfortable when you come to work.”
She leaned back in her chair, watching his face for any sign he might change his mind. When he thought she might laugh it off and change the subject, she decided on a new tactic instead. “How long before eating leftovers upstairs while you do the books isn’t enough for you anymore?”
Chris rolled his eyes and looked around the restaurant. It was getting late and they would soon be the only ones left. The waiter had tucked them in a corner so there was no one nearby to hear their conversation. He’d already paid the bill so they were free to go whenever she finished her inquisition. “Is this about me, or about you?”
“What do you mean?”
“At first I thought you were referring to you and me pursuing something, but now I wonder if you’re not just analysing me and I’ve read the situation wrong.”
“You can’t read something wrong that you refuse to acknowledge.”
Silence stretched out between them and he watched as she played with the stem of her wineglass. “What do you want, Becca?” he said softly and she looked up to meet his gaze. “What are we actually discussing here?”
“I can’t even answer that. There’s something between us and honestly I’d like to ignore it. Life would be so much easier if I did.”
“I tried hard to make that happen.”
“You did. I’m not used to that, you know. Men are normally the ones pushing to take things further. I’m out of my depth pushing you a little.”
Chris made a decision, right there, to ignore all of his rules about getting involved with his staff. Later, he’d wonder what snapped in his brain, but in that moment there was nothing he wanted more than Becca James in his arms. He reached his hand across the table and wrapped her fingers in his. Her eyes flicked across their intertwined fingers and she smiled.
“Now that I’ve pushed the issue I have to tell you something.”
“What?” His thumb rubbed across the back of her fingers as he marvelled that they were holding hands.
“I’m not really looking to get involved seriously.”
“Oh.” His thumb stopped moving.
She frowned and looked down at the table. Her knee was tapping against her chair and the movement caught his eye. “If this does go further, can we keep it casual?”
“Sure.” It was his turn to frown. Casual is not a word I’d use to describe my previous relationships. “When do I have much spare time away from the business anyway, right?” His tone was flippant as he tried to make light of what she’d told him. Tried to protect his feelings, which had just been battered.
She bit her lip as she watched him speak. “I feel bad. Like I insisted on plans and then changed them when I got my way. I just don’t know how much more I can offer you. Maybe we should forget we ever had this conversation.”
She gulped the rest of her wine and Chris made another snap decision. He pulled her to her feet, grabbed his jacket and pulled her toward the door. There was only one way to find out what this wa
s.
***
“Right, I’m going to make you my specialty.” Becca was perched at the counter where Chris had placed a stool for her. She rested her chin in her hand as she watched him move around the counter. “This cheesecake dessert is the reason I’m not vegan.”
“I can’t wait. I love cheesecake.”
“Well, you’ll love this then. Stay here a second.” He took the stairs to his apartment, two at a time and she listened as he banged around in his kitchen up there. He was soon back with two slices of cheesecake set on two plates. He then grabbed a pan from the kitchen and talked to her from the doorway as he fired up the gas cooker and started throwing ingredients in the pan. “You’re not on a diet are you? Women always seem to be on diets.” He glanced out at her and she laughed.
“No, I’m not on a diet! Just give me the goods, you have me fascinated now. I’ve never seen you cook.”
“That’s because I have Kenneth and Jeff. I can fill in for them if I have to. It’s only happened once, luckily, but I can definitely cook.”
“Why are you eating leftovers every night then?” She slid off the stool and rounded the counter. The doorway was narrow and she leaned against the frame as she watched him.
“Because it’s smart. It saves me time and means that we never have any wasted food. I hate throwing good food out, so I eat whatever is left for dinner.”
“That’s so not fun.”
“It’s smart,” he repeated, as he shook the pan over the gas.
“It’s boring. You don’t strike me as boring.” She grinned and rolled her eyes. “Well, you are a bit. I meant you could be more than boring if you just let yourself go.”
“Thanks for the tip. This is pumpkin cheesecake, by the way, made by me last night.”
“Sounds interesting. I’ve never had pumpkin in a cheesecake.”
“It’s amazing and this caramel sauce goes with it perfectly.”
“Did you plan for us to end up here eating dessert?”
“Of course not, how could I? I made it intending to freeze the leftovers and eat a bit here and there. It’s a bonus that I get to share it with you when it’s fresh.”
“Why don’t you sell what you bake?”
“Well, officially it has to be made in a commercial kitchen, which only covers this one down here in the cafe. I tinker upstairs late at night so I’m not meant to sell what I make up there. Plus, I like to cook when I feel like it. If I had to make multiple desserts every week so the cabinet was stocked it might take the fun out of it.”
He stirred the saucepan as the caramel began to thicken. Becca used the time to ask another question that had been on her mind. “Why do you always refer to this place as ‘the cafe’? It’s called the U-Haul—why don’t you ever call it that?”
“Because I hate that name. It was called that when I bought the business and it was an extra expense to change the signage.”
“Oh. So you’re stuck with it?”
“Not really, but it’s a hassle to change. Though I could wrap the change into the expansion if it goes ahead.”
“Do you have any other names in mind?”
“Yep—a couple. I always liked The Grind.”
“Really? That’s so depressing! Everyone who comes here is happy and cheery.”
“It refers to coffee grinding but you could have a point. How about Sunny Side Up?”
“That’s more cheery. You do breakfast, lunch and dinner, though. If you close for dinner each night, that could work.”
“Well, that’s never going to happen.” He laughed as he removed the pan from the heat and continued stirring. “I’ll make you a deal. If the expansion goes ahead, you can choose a new name.”
“Really?” She grinned as he poured caramel sauce over the cheesecake and handed her a plate. “That’s brave of you, what if I decided on Mr November as a name?” She took a bite of her cheesecake and closed her eyes as he laughed at her comment. “This is divine.”
“It’s great, isn’t it?”
“It is. I’ll take you up on your offer, too. When your renovations get approved, I’ll choose an awesome name. I’ll bring you out of your shell yet, Chris Nash!”
Chapter Seven
Dinner with Becca changed the dynamic between the two of them and Chris felt it keenly the entire next day. When Kylie called in sick and Becca offered to take the evening shift, he knew he hadn’t imagined the change.
This Friday night was particularly busy and the diners pouring through the door kept them busy right up until closing time. It was almost midnight when they’d finished the clean up and set the tables for the morning. Jeff waved to them both as he slipped out the back door and Chris turned to Becca.
“Do you want a coffee before you go?”
“Nope.”
“Okay. You better get home then. Did you drive?”
“Nope.”
He focussed on her with a frown, wondering why her answers were suddenly monosyllabic. She stood directly in front of him, looking up at him with a grin. “I have a better idea. I thought maybe we could get this out of our system.” Her hand ran along his arm and he watched as her fingers disappeared behind his collar. The invitation in her eyes was obvious and he gulped as she continued speaking. “I’m wondering if we shouldn’t just face it head on.”
Arms slipped around his waist and she pressed herself against him. His body reacted immediately, but he needed to clarify what this was before they got too far. “I thought you said you didn’t want anything serious?”
“I don’t. I can’t give you that commitment. But working with you every day is… tempting.”
“Oh, so you just want a little taste of what you’re missing?” He grinned at her as he pushed her hair aside and nuzzled her neck.
“Promise me it won’t be weird afterward.” His lips ran along the vein in her neck as she leaned against him and gasped out her words. “Promise me!”
“I promise. We’re just two consenting adults, having a fun night, okay?” Even as he said the words he knew they weren’t true for him. Pretending this didn’t happen was not going to be easy.
“Okay. Then we’ll go back to normal tomorrow, right? No strings attached.”
“No strings.” He spoke between kisses, the smell of her perfume driving him crazy with need.
Her hands pulled his shirt from his jeans and her fingers quickly found his naked flesh. “You won’t be all gooey-eyed tomorrow?”
“Of course not. I’m the man. You’re meant to be the one who’s gooey-eyed.”
She laughed as her hands found the zipper on his jeans. “That’s never going to happen.” She glanced over his shoulder at the kitchen counter. “Uhh… Chris?”
“Yep?” His fingers pulled her shirt up and his warm hands ran over her back, heading for the clasp on her bra.
“Where is this going to happen? I like the idea of the kitchen, but the health department will shut you down for sure.” She felt him smile into her neck and she grinned into the darkness. “If Kenneth ever found out…”
“You’re right. Considering there’s a perfectly good bedroom upstairs, we should go up there.”
“Hmmm… a bed.”
“The bed. The couch. The table. Whatever you want. But not the kitchen counter.” He bent his knees and grasped her ass as she clutched his shoulders. He hoisted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist, curling her arms around his neck. “Hold on.”
He walked down the hallway and turned at the staircase. Becca glanced up the stairs. “Are you sure about this? Your legs are gonna burn if you carry me up there.”
“Nah… I’ve got you. You’re light as a feather.” She laughed as he started up the stairs, holding herself close to his chest and dropping light kisses on his forehead as he carried her. His breathing increased and she bit her lip to keep from laughing. When he reached the top, she slithered down, pretending it was so she could unbutton her shirt.
Without missing a beat he wrapped his a
rms around her again. “See, not puffed. You better hope management don’t find out about this,” he murmured as she giggled. “It can only end badly.”
“I’m hoping it ends fantastically, actually.” She leaned back and finished unbuttoning her shirt, his eyes glued to her fingers. When she was done she let it hang off her shoulders, seeking his t-shirt and pulling it up over his head. “I’m glad you have heating,” she whispered as she ran her hands across his chest. “I was worried it was going to be cold up here.”
“Only the best for my no-strings friends.”
“I’m glad we’re friends. I thought you might be a bit too straight to take me up on my offer.”
“Are you kidding? How could I resist an offer of no gooey-eyed commitment?” His lips found her forehead and he closed his eyes tight.
Don’t let on that this is so much more…
“Especially with the crazy girl who tricked me into giving her a job after she put herself on a free work trial.”
“It didn’t end up being free, though. You paid me for that day.” Becca’s hands slipped down to his pants and she moved back as she undid his belt.
“Well, that’s how I roll.” Chris said, resting his hands on her hips. He wanted to push her hands aside and tear off his pants. Pick her up and throw her over his shoulder and run to his room with her. He played it cool, though. No sense letting her discover how rarely he did this. What would she think if he told her he’d never invited a woman up here in the two years he’d lived here?
It’s a no strings fun night. Get that through your head. You don’t need to start confessing—she already picked you for a workaholic.
Becca’s lips against his chest pulled his attention back to her. She undid the button of his jeans as she licked a hot trail across his skin. The fabric dropped to the ground and he slipped off his shoes and stepped out of the pants. Her hands quickly wrapped around his shoulders and she looked up at him. “Do you have condoms?” she whispered.
“Err… shit.”
“It’s okay. I do.”
Tempt Me! Page 4
