She glanced at it without reaching across the piles to pick it up.
“If it’s more of your Panna Cotta I will charge you with malfeasance and criminal intent regarding the condition of my waistline.”
“Mal what? And you have an amazingly attractive waistline.”
“Intentional wrongdoing.” The waistline comment appeared to fluster her. He’d have to remember that. It was as if she’d shed a little bit more of the lawyer when he said it.
“Oh. No, it’s not Panna Cotta.” He was starting to like the way she spoke. At first it had put him off, but it was simply a different world than his own. They were both specialists, just very different specialists. The Alaska thing worried him though.
He nudged the box again and she finally gave in.
She took it and peered inside. “What are they?”
“Very decadent.”
“I guessed that much. How decadent?”
He smiled when she looked up at him with those dark eyes of hers.
“Very.”
Chapter 15
Decadent? Jo really needed something to be decadent right at the moment. Not Alaska, not case law, not Pike Place Market, not even a triathlon. She needed something that was wholly for her. And she knew exactly what it was, but it was so outrageous she didn’t want to risk even speaking in case that somehow ruined it.
She closed the little white box and rose without a word. She left some part of herself in that leather office chair. If she’d been less tired, she might have returned to gather it back up, but at the moment she just didn’t care. She tapped the control embedded in the desk’s surface and the tight-focused overhead desk lamp faded to darkness leaving only the soft glow of the walls and the city lights from the windows. Angelo found her jacket on the back of the door and held it out for her.
Past the lobby and through the doors. She hit the button on her keyring remote. The doors snicked shut and locked, then the lobby lights dimmed to a soft glow. Nineteen stories down to the parking garage and into her BMW Z4 roadster.
Angelo whistled appreciatively, but when he would have spoken, she shook her head. She’d had way too many words today. And yesterday. And the day before.
He bowed his acquiescence as if he were a butler in full tails rather than a chef in jeans, a loose button-down shirt, and scuffed sneakers. He held the door for her until she was settled in her seat, then closed it gently. Climbing in beside her, he took the small white box and she fired off the car and flipped the switch to open the convertible top.
She loved this car. It had been a bonus the day she made partner and had her name added to the Stanley, Tu, and Rolfmann letterhead. The stunning magazine ad for the BMW had been her screensaver for six months and the partners had noticed and purchased it for her as a bonus for the big win she’d pulled off on behalf of the fishing corporations last year. She liked working for this firm. She truly did. But she wasn’t going to think about them any more tonight.
The BMW ad had been a gut-punching ad, the long-legged blonde in thigh-high red leather boots and a single red rose contrasted with the jet-black car with black leather upholstery. She almost missed a gear shift when she connected that Melanie must have been the model in the ad. Cassidy had found out that Russell had shot and composed it, and Jo now knew that the supermodel had been his favored subject while he was still a professional ad photographer in New York. Was it because they’d been lovers, or because she was so beautiful? Well, it was interesting either way.
The car tires screamed along the coiled ramp leading upward from deep underground, the engine humming as if eager for the open road, and they almost launched onto the city streets. Angelo reached a hand over and slid his fingertips just once along her thigh. Like an electric shock, her pulse rate jumped by a third.
Ten blocks. She could make it ten blocks. Besides, tackling him in the tight confines of the car wasn’t terribly practical on well-lit city streets. Not that it wouldn’t be interesting to try.
She whirled down into the condo’s underground parking and rolled into her spot.
They took hands as they approached the elevator.
Once the elevator passed the lobby floor with no one else getting on, she pushed him against the cool steel wall and threw herself at him.
He was more than up to the challenge. His kiss crushed against hers. His arms, those splendid, chef-strong arms, wrapped her so tightly against his chest that she’d probably have trouble breathing, if she’d cared to.
It was the last concern on her mind.
This wasn’t the Jo she knew and maybe that was a good thing. She could hear Muriel in the background somewhere telling her to drag the man into her lair.
Straight on!
Jo ran her curled fingers down his chest, her short, practical nails making a slick sound over his linen shirt. She dug them into his pecs and he groaned in her ear.
That groan reached right down inside her. She had the power to make a beautiful man groan with need. Her last concerns about Angelo as a lover dissipated. For tonight she didn’t care about past or future, education or ambition. She deepened the kiss until the heat raged over her skin.
The elevator dinged her floor. She grabbed him by the belt at the front of his pants and dragged him into the hall and down to her condo door.
She opened the door, but didn’t waste time placing her keys in their little bowl. She tossed them aside and heard them plink off a picture.
“Not one word,” she growled as she slammed the door to her lair and shoved Angelo back against it. “Just make me feel. That’s all I want. I just want to feel. Don’t make me think. Don’t let me think.”
He didn’t.
Angelo was blind. It was the only explanation. He was blind and his wildest fantasy, that now lay draped against him gasping for each breath, must be in his mind’s eye. That dusky skin of Jo’s face and arms had driven his dreams wild. He now knew it ran all the way down the length of her body unbroken by tan lines of lighter skin. Her entire body shone lustrous.
Jo lay against his shoulder and all he could think was how much he needed to do that exact same thing again right now, if only his body was ready. Well, even if he wasn’t.
He scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom. Angelo collapsed beside her.
He’d had entertaining little amuse bouche, one-bite taste, relationships. He’d had women who were a nice appetizer or even a fine meal. Counselor Jo Thompson was a full five-course banquet.
When he could finally stand, he fetched the little white box which had somehow survived their frantic entry into the condo.
He tucked Jo in under the quilt and then slid in beside her.
Opening the box, he held one of the dark chocolates out to her mouth.
She took it from his fingers leaving a small nibble on his fingertips. She fed him the other.
He tasted the richness of the dark chocolate as it melted in his mouth. When he broke through to the interior, the flavors exploded into his mouth. Layers began with a wash of sweet Courvoisier liqueur and orange zest. At the very last, he bit into the dark fruit and the cherry built into a heady denouement. Then the surprise, the tiny burst of the lemon and carob chocolate chip he’d slipped into the cherry where the pit had been.
“Oh wow,” Jo sighed and curled into his arms. “Now that is very, very decadent.”
Chapter 16
“Where are you going?” Jo’s voice was warm and slurred with sleep.
Angelo had been trying to leave without waking her, managed pants and socks, but couldn’t quite figure out what to do with his torn shirt. Maybe a stapler. He’d torn it himself as the only way to get it off fast enough. Even that idle thought had his body responding.
He came back to the bed and looked down at her. The white quilt was tucked up around her chin and her dark hair spilled over the pale green pillow case. The city lights did little to light the room in the predawn darkness, just enough for him to admire the picture she made. He le
aned down to kiss her but she stopped him with a long bare arm that snaked out from beneath the covers and planted in the middle of his chest.
“Trying to slip off in the middle of the night?”
“It’s almost five.”
“Still. You’re one of those men who doesn’t want to wake up next to a woman.” Her tone had gone accusatory and was heading toward counselor.
He brushed his fingers along her cheek.
“I have to go shopping for the restaurant. The fish monger will be opening shortly and I like having the first pick.”
“Oh.”
“Oh?” he did his best to hide his smile but it wasn’t working. She looked so good all curled up and warm beneath the covers.
“Oh.” Her hand shifted from warding him off to pressed against his bare chest for a moment. Then she pulled her arm back beneath the covers which she used to pull the covers up even tighter beneath her chin.
He settled beside her and brushed the backs of his fingers on her impossibly soft cheek. This time when he leaned in, she allowed the kiss, a soft lingering moment that refired his blood.
“I, uh…” she protested. “I don’t know what happened.”
“I spent all night trying my best to make you happy and you could forget?” He did his best to sound mortally offended.
“I remember that part.” She raised her head from the pillow enough to brush her lips on his. “Trust me, I remember that part. I’m just not sure who you were with. It didn’t seem like me.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Angelo traced the line of her shoulder through the quilt. “I found the contrast, ah, invigorating.” At one point last night after he’d gotten her naked, he’d had her put the power jacket back on. Just the power jacket. It was the hottest thing he’d ever seen, cleavage almost to her belly button, better than sheer cotton or fine lace. It had been a while before he’d allowed her to remove it again.
“Invigorating?” She practically shouted in his face. “Invigorating?”
He leaned down to kiss her.
In moments her arms had wrapped around the back of his head, nearly dragging him back into the bed.
“I have to go. Mama will be waiting to go to the Market.”
“That’s a new one.” Her voice was little more than a whisper.
It was. He suddenly felt sixteen again, slipping back into the house hoping his mama wouldn’t know what he’d been out doing in the night. He really needed to figure out what was going on there.
He glanced at the bedside clock. And he really needed to get going, period. All he wanted to do was crawl back in with Jo, but that simply couldn’t happen right now.
“I have to go. I’m sorry.”
She nodded and stretched languidly, on her way back to sleep. Rather than jumping on that incredible body, he pulled the covers up around her neck and tucked her in.
“Russell left a windbreaker when he was here right before the wedding,” her voice softened toward a sleepy mumble. “It’s on the coat rack.”
The jacket was too long for Angelo. Russell was enough taller that it almost fit Angelo like a mini dress. But it was better than going through Pike Place Market in a shredded shirt.
He slipped out of the condo and hurried downstairs to begin the ten-block walk to the Market.
Angelo’s mama was already flirting with Henry the fishmonger when he arrived out of breath; he’d jogged much of the way trying to make up time. He didn’t want anyone else getting the scoop on him. But Charlene from Maximilien’s was already there, he usually beat her to the day’s best catch.
Not today, she had some incredible looking mahi-mahi set aside and about thirty pounds of steamers in from Penn Cove.
He couldn’t regret the cause for delay, but it wasn’t good.
His mother continued to chat with Henry, then she winked at him.
Perfetto! Now his mother was going to tease him about not coming home last night.
He poked through the various proteins and was considering the shark, but wasn’t feeling terribly inspired by it. Charlene headed off, giving him a cocky salute obviously pleased with her coup.
“Is she gone?” Maria Amelia appeared at his shoulder and looked down the long tiled corridor of the Market to make sure Charlene wasn’t stopping at the produce vendor or the cured meats counter.
“She’s gone, Mama.”
“Good. She’s pretty, Angelo. But not as pretty as your lawyer friend.”
She was pretty. But she’d never done anything to fire his blood. She was also married to her pastry chef and had been for years. However, even thinking of Jo for a moment turned his thoughts to mush. He had to get moving. Turning back to Henry, he pointed toward the shark, but his mother slapped his hand aside.
She led him around behind the counter and waved a negligent hand. Out of sight at Henry’s feet were three huge mesh bags of the most perfect sea scallops still in the shell that he’d ever seen. Beside them, a tub of ice sported some beautiful squid, perfect for side dishes of fried calamari rings.
She patted Henry on the cheek, “He’s such a good man. So sweet.”
Henry beamed.
His mother might make him crazy, but his menu was really going to shine tonight.
Chapter 17
“Five o’clock at Cutters.” Jo didn’t even greet Cassidy when she answered the phone. Just issued the order.
“Uh. O-kay.” Cassidy’s voice was hazed with sleep.
Jo looked at the clock floating on the glass wall of her office. It was barely seven. The morning light was bright enough that the overhead lights were faded down to almost nothing. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize the time.”
Cassidy was usually awake by now, but she certainly didn’t sound it at the moment.
“S’okay. Russell and I, we were just, sort of, uh, continuing the honeymoon.”
Great, now she felt even worse. Unable to sleep after Angelo left, she’d skipped her morning workout and come straight to work. She hadn’t even stopped for a bagel and cream cheese or anything else fattening and satisfying. She’d had her usual tasteless power drink and driven to the office. She had to drive to work most days now because she didn’t want to be walking home on the city streets after dark, which is when she was typically departing. Even though it would be the longest day of the year soon, she’d wager it would be a long time before she walked home during daylight hours again.
Muriel would be arriving shortly and the next round of case files would follow not long after. She wasn’t up to facing this day.
Jo rubbed at her gritty eyes and apologized again for rousing Cassidy from her marriage bed.
“Sounds major,” Cassidy’s voice was a little more coherent.
“I…,” Muriel rolled in on cue and dropped a to-go cup of coffee off on her desk. “Yes, it is.” She dragged the words out until Muriel had drifted to her own office across the hall. “But I can’t get into it at the moment.”
“Okay.”
“It’s you I need to speak to.” She felt crappy for saying it that way, but knew Cassidy would get the message. Jo didn’t need Russell or Perrin, it was Cassidy’s level-headed thinking she needed at the moment. And, most of all, it was her former roommate’s reaction she was worried about.
After only the briefest of pauses, Cassidy replied, her voice fully awake. “See you at five.”
Muriel brought in the first stack of the morning and looked for a space to set it on Jo’s desk.
“Someone looks as if they had a great time last night.”
Jo groaned to herself. That was the problem with working with Muriel for five years, she couldn’t hide a single thing from her.
She took the first file of the day and began slogging her way through it.
Jo hadn’t shown up at the gym, not that he’d really expected her to, so Angelo had made his workout short. He’d started with lots of energy, but within ten minutes his body was dragging, within twenty it was stopped. Trying to function on two or three hours of sl
eep wasn’t cutting it.
He needed to rethink his need for personal masochism. Of course she had the good sense to sleep while she could. She was a sensible woman. But not as sensible as she wanted you to think.
There was a wild streak hidden deep inside Jo Thompson that had startled, aroused, and fascinated Angelo. Brilliant, beautiful, and lethal. When he’d coaxed her back into that power jacket, and just that power jacket, she’d taken absolute control. It was a role reversal he wasn’t used to. He didn’t object, but he’d found most women wanted to abandon themselves to his control. Not Counselor Thompson. In that jacket, she’d climbed atop him and used him until his mind blanked and his body ached. Or had his body blanked and his mind ached? Whatever it was, it had been incredible. Out of the jacket, she’d gone soft and gentle, wrapping herself about him to welcome him in. He couldn’t imagine ever getting enough of her.
After shopping and the lame excuse for a workout, he’d crawled home and sacked out until it was time to go to the restaurant for lunch service. A shower and shave did little to restore his equilibrium and nothing to erase the self-satisfied smile in the mirror. He practically floated up the six blocks to work.
“I hear she’s at it again,” Mr. D warned him when he stopped by to share a morning espresso.
Angelo didn’t need to ask who, nor did he pause to finish his shot before running up Post Alley behind Mr. D’s, dodging cars and slow-moving pedestrians who were plodding up the steep hill, so steep that the sidewalk had bumps built into the concrete to keep you from slipping back downhill.
Once again, a line, thankfully shorter this time, had formed in front of the restaurant. They didn’t open for another hour, what was Maria Amelia doing this time?
Angelo slowed in order to appear calm when he arrived, though his heart was pounding far harder than the mere block-and-a-half run justified.
The Complete Where Dreams Page 41
