Scorch

by Kait Gamble

Daniel chose that moment to step out of the kitchen. One look at Cara and Chelsea and he turned and walked back in. That wouldn’t have been so odd if Chelsea’s face hadn’t started to burn up the moment she caught sight of him.

  Cara’s eyes widened as she put two and two together. “You hooked up with Daniel!”

  “Shush!” Chelsea dragged Cara into the office and closed the door behind them.

  Her friend was practically buzzing with excitement. “Tell me exactly what happened!”

  “We… I’m not entirely sure what we are.”

  “Is there a lot of sex involved?”

  “That’s about all that’s involved.”

  Cara smirked. “I bet he’s amazing.”

  Chelsea did her best to appear nonchalant, but she knew the burning heat on her cheeks gave her away. “He’s incredible.”

  “And?” Cara punched her shoulder when she hesitated. “And?”

  “And nothing. That’s it.” Chelsea knew that Cara wouldn’t give up until she heard something she wanted to hear. “We both agree that neither of us is looking for anything more right now.”

  Cara caught her eye for a moment and held it in the way she always did that made Chelsea think that her friend was actually reading her mind. “All right. But I want to know the second anything changes.”

  Chelsea fought to stop herself from rolling her eyes. “I’ll text you if anything does. Like the exact instant. Bam! I’ll shove him off and whip out the phone.”

  She was rewarded with a smirk. “Is that too much to ask?”

  They burst into laughter.

  Cara wiped away tears and gave Chelsea a hug. “I needed that. I think everything with the new restaurant and the wedding stuff is really getting to me.”

  “Did you ever look into hiring a wedding coordinator?”

  “Yup, have a meeting with one tonight. Supposed to be the best in the city.” Cara smiled proudly.

  “Of course. You deserve nothing but the best.”

  Cara patted her on the shoulder. “And so do you.”

  “And what about me?” Natalie strode into the restaurant looking nothing like her usual self. Instead of the pale ponytail, a geek logo T-shirt and ratty jeans-wearing computer programmer they were used to seeing, the woman who walked into the room was radiantly self-confident, her hair loose around her shoulders, and the jeans and T-shirt she wore were obviously designer. Most importantly, she looked happy. More than.

  Within the space of a breath, there were a squealing tangle of arms and bouncing female.

  “Uh, hello?” Sebastian stood at the door, an amused smile tilting his lips. “I’m here too.”

  “Sebastian!” They quickly dragged him into the jumble of limbs so they circled and clung to him like ivy on a pole.

  Chelsea was first to draw back and look at them. It had been…what, a year? Far too long since she’d seen them. “You two look fantastic!”

  Cara herded everyone to a table. “I’ll be right back with some wine. Do not start without me.”

  Chelsea smirked. Cara knew full well that she’d have to catch up when she got back with the wine. “So?” It was all Chelsea needed to say. Natalie knew what she was asking.

  Her friend theatrically ran her left hand through her hair, letting the sparkling ring do the talking for her.

  Crying with delight, Chelsea looped her arms around the necks of her two friends. “Congratulations!”

  “What did I just say?” Cara had a mock frown on her face as she plunked the bottle and glasses on the table. “What did I miss?”

  Natalie flashed the ring, setting off another round of shrieks and congratulations.

  Forgotten, Sebastian sat back for a few minutes while they gushed over the ring. Then Cara’s. Chelsea noted the glow of both her friends. She had been like them, once. Bright-eyed and looking forward to married life. It wasn’t that she wasn’t happy for her friends. She truly was. And she knew that the men they were going to marry were good men. Chelsea smiled past the hollow ache in her chest.

  She was jerked out of her reverie by a tap on her shoulder. Daniel smiled apologetically. “I need you in the kitchen for a second.”

  Cara arched an eyebrow. “Is something wrong?”

  “Not at all.” Daniel didn’t elaborate. Instead, he just smiled reassuringly as he led Chelsea away.

  He led her into the pantry and she dutifully followed, wondering what he needed her in there for.

  He stayed silent until the doors swung closed.

  “What’s wr—?” She had barely turned before Daniel wrapped his arms around her and covered her mouth with his. Shock quickly vaporized under the demanding pressure of his lips. The caress of his tongue against hers blasted all thoughts from her mind. Heat bloomed from somewhere deep and coursed through her veins. When he pulled back, she could only stare up at him breathlessly for a long moment.

  “You just looked like you could use a kiss.”

  Her brain took a moment to process what he’d said. Had she? Chelsea thought she’d looked as happy for her friends as she felt. She stared up at him, wanting both to punch his smug expression and to feel his lips against hers again. “And what makes you think that I wanted the kiss to be from you?”

  He edged closer. The heat emanating off his hard body urged her to press herself up against again.

  “The same way I can tell right now that you want me to kiss you again.”

  And Chelsea did want him to do it again. A little too much. “We have to get back out there before Cara comes charging in here.”

  He dipped his head closer and, for a moment, Chelsea thought he was going to kiss her again, but he simply smiled and nodded.

  Chelsea shakily followed him out of the pantry and fought her body into something resembling composure, only she needed more than the few seconds it took to walk through the kitchen to do it. Daniel paused at the door and the smoldering look he gave her almost had her dragging him into the pantry again.

  “Be happy that you are rid of him.” And with that, he shoved her through the door.

  All eyes turned to her. Cara arched an eyebrow. “Everything good?”

  “Yeah, Daniel just wanted to show me something.”

  Cara said nothing, but the look she gave Chelsea meant that she was going to be asking some questions later. Knowing her friend, the questions would be relentless and there was no use trying to get out of it. It was inevitable. Better not to worry about it. What she allowed her mind to dwell on was the kiss and the man who had given it to her.

  There was no denying the attraction. Daniel was hot. No doubt about it. The kiss he gave her had been blistering, making her feel things that she had a hard time remembering ever feeling until he came along.

  And the thing was, she wanted to feel it again. She wanted more of Daniel.

  Chelsea worked to keep up appearances. She hadn’t seen Natalie and Sebastian in ages and made sure that she showed them just how happy she was to see them. But as bad as it made her feel, she barely heard a thing they were saying. Her mind was on the man in the kitchen and she just couldn’t switch gears.

  “Well, I’m going to leave you ladies to it. I’ve got to find Jason to discuss an upcoming project.” Sebastian stood and pecked Natalie on the cheek. “Be back later.”

  Chelsea was glad they were together. It had been far too long.

  Both her friends beamed with happiness. They glowed like two women in love. It warmed her heart to see them looking so content.

  The instant Sebastian was out of earshot, Cara snatched her hand. “What did Daniel want?

  Natalie grinned, waggling her eyebrows. “Are you two getting freaky in the pantry?”

  “Don’t give her ideas! That’s my pantry you’re talking about!” A stricken-looking Cara swatted her on the arm.

  Chelsea rolled her eyes. “Yes, he’s hot. No, we’re not doing it anywhere in the restaurant.” That was the truth, at least.

  Her friends didn’t look convinced, but it was
Natalie who asked, “So what is actually going on?”

  Cara jumped in on that. “They’re into each other, but taking it glacially slow. Apart from the blisteringly hot sex.”

  “Well, good. What do we know about him?”

  She watched as her friends’ dark heads dropped closer.

  Sighing, Chelsea only half listened to what was being said. She knew everything about him that Cara knew and only a bit more. It was that little bit that she wanted to build on. And she wasn’t going to be doing that sitting here with Natalie and Cara. But she wasn’t going to learn too much more with him gearing up for dinner service that night either.

  It took a second to realize that two pairs of eyes watched her. “What?”

  “Details!” The word came in unison from her friends.

  She shrugged. “There’s nothing to tell, really.” At least nothing she wanted to share.

  “Bull! What did he want to see you about?” Cara waited expectantly for an answer.

  “Would you believe that he wanted me to taste something?” His lips counted as something worth tasting, didn’t they?

  Natalie snorted. “Right. ‘Something’. Unless you’re being cagey because he wanted you to get a taste of his—”

  Chelsea smushed her hands over her friend’s lips. “Oh, my God! If you finish that sentence…”

  “When did you become such a prude?” Cara pursed her lips as she jabbed her arm with a well-manicured nail. “Unless… Is she right?”

  “No!” Chelsea knew her cheeks were burning up. Crossing her arms in a clear sign that she wasn’t about to answer any more questions, she sat back. “There isn’t anything to tell.” At least nothing that she wanted dissected by these two just yet.

  The good thing about Cara and Natalie was that they knew when to quit teasing. Most of the time. Luckily, this had been one of the times they knew to back off. Natalie launched into an amusing anecdote about their trip to Switzerland. Chelsea heard something about snow, a lot of it landing on Sebastian, but she wondered about Daniel in the other room.

  Chapter Seven

  Chelsea answered her phone as she walked into the kitchen at Dao. “Hi, Cara. What’s up?”

  “Just wanted to say hi. How are you doing?”

  She couldn’t wait until she got to the restaurant? The soft concern in her friend’s voice was slightly irksome. “I’m fine. You know I am. How are you? You’re the one with a million and one things going on.”

  “I’m slowly going insane, but in a good way.”

  “Anything you need me to do?”

  “Besides holding me together?” Cara laughed. “Wait. You already do that.”

  “I’m serious. Anything you need, I’m there for you.”

  “I’ll be there in a few minutes. Jason is supposed to be arriving soon from another trip. I got up at dawn to tidy my place.”

  “You know he won’t care how tidy your place is. He’s here to see you. You could live in a nuclear disaster zone and he wouldn’t even notice. And don’t you think since you two are getting married that he should be able to see that you’re not always Little Miss Tidy?”

  The voice on the other end of the line laughed. “I know you’re joking but that image seriously just sent goosebumps up my arm.”

  “For what reason? The grossness or the inevitable sexy times?”

  “You’re so not helping. I’ll be there in a little while.”

  “Can’t wait.”

  Chelsea grinned and hung up. Jason always put Cara in a tizzy whenever he showed up. It was almost fun to watch calm, collected and in control Cara lose it for a little while. What would she be like when they finally lived together? She hoped her friends would keep the same exuberance for a few years at least.

  The smile still on her face, she turned to Daniel. “Cara will be here soon.”

  He snorted. “Should she bother? Her mind is always scattered when Jason’s around. Might be better if she takes the next few days off.”

  Chelsea couldn’t help but chuckle. “I dare you to say that to her face.”

  A hint of a smile curved Daniel’s lips. “You first.”

  Since the beach a few days before, things between them had been good. Nothing more was said about her past or visiting his apartment. Things just…were.

  Not that it was any less combustible between them. She pressed her breasts against his back as she shuffled past him.

  He twisted around and had his hands on her hips, holding her tightly against him before she could blink. “Keep that up and I’ll make sure we break that ‘never in the pantry’ rule you made up.”

  Daniel reluctantly let go when some of the staff walked into the room.

  She was quite tempted to break that rule as well. “I’ve gotten all my prep done.” Chelsea tilted her head to look at him. “Have you? Cara’s going to be here any minute now.”

  The smirk didn’t leave his lips as he sauntered away.

  Chelsea entered the dining room just as Cara strode through the door with her usual smile. Chelsea admired that she had such pride in her restaurant. Not surprisingly, since she put so much of herself into it. It was her dream come true and Chelsea was so happy that her friend had managed to carve out something of her own in the world.

  “Hi.” Cara ran her hand over the teak of one table as she checked the setting. After a quick scan of the rest of the room, she gave Chelsea a hug. “How are things looking for tonight?”

  Chelsea beamed at her friend. “Full house, as always.”

  “That’s what I love to hear.” She flitted through the room, and to anyone who didn’t know her, she would look like a hyperactive hummingbird checking over the tables. Chelsea knew better.

  Her friend was nervous and trying to hide it.

  “Is something wrong??”

  Cara jumped a little but managed a smile as she turned to Chelsea. “Of course not. I’m fine.”

  Amusement at her friend’s nervousness put a smile on Chelsea’s face. “Sure you are. What about this visit is making you so jumpy?”

  “I’m fine. Really. Just anxious to see Jason again.”

  “It’s only been a few days since you saw him last.” Chelsea knew she was goading her, but seeing the usually unflappable Cara in a tizzy made her smile. “Could wedding jitters be getting to you?”

  Her friend raked her hands through her ebony hair and gave Chelsea an impish smile. “Shut up. So what’s Daniel got going in the kitchen?”

  “You have to taste it to believe it.

  Cara smiled. “I do believe I will.”

  Following her into the kitchen, Chelsea anticipated a sparring match with Daniel. He rarely shared anything he was working on unless it was close to perfection. With Cara, he never shared until he was certain it was perfect.

  This will be interesting.

  It took a tiny debate and a minute of haranguing from Cara, but Daniel finally let her try his new dessert, and Chelsea managed a bit more as well. They shared a morsel that Daniel gifted them with and chatted. Things were so much more relaxed now that Marco was heading up the new restaurant on the beach. The two had clashed way too often and made working in the kitchen hell for the staff.

  Now the kitchen was practically idyllic, at least in comparison. The usual chaos was controlled by Daniel the way a conductor guided his musicians.

  Chelsea smirked at the tangent her mind had taken. It wasn’t like her to be so…poetic.

  “What are you smiling about?” Cara eyed her archly.

  “The dessert. It’s divine.” She looked up just in time to catch Daniel’s dark gaze. And heat flared low in her belly that brought a slow-creeping flush to her cheeks. When she managed to tear her eyes away, she caught Cara’s wide-eyed stare.

  The moment Daniel had walked out of the room, Cara grabbed her arm. “What’s going on with you two?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You’re kidding, right? You think I didn’t see that look?” Cara pulled her out of t
he kitchen and into her office. “All right. Spill it.”

  Heat crept up her face and even her scalp felt like it was on fire. “There’s nothing to tell.”

  Interest flared in Cara’s eyes. “Bull!”

  She shrugged. “You know we’ve been sleeping together for a while now. It’s just changed gears a little, that’s all.”

  Glee spread over her friend’s face. “That’s fantastic!”

  She hushed her friend. “Don’t get all giddy. It’s still just sex.”

  Cara looked like she was about to bounce out of her skin. “Tell me everything.”

  Chelsea couldn’t believe that Cara was so in favor of a fling between co-workers. “Are you even listening to yourself? And what if we do this and things fall apart? We could never work together again.”

  “I’ll just have to open up another restaurant for you then, won’t I?” Cara nudged her when she didn’t smile. “I can’t say I know a lot about Daniel, but I know he’s a good man. He’s got more integrity in his little finger than Richard ever had in that over-groomed body of his.”

  Cara didn’t have to sell her on that. The less said about Richard, the better. Time to change the subject before Cara exploded from excitement overload. “Have you gone dress shopping yet?”

  The smiled on her friend’s face drooped a little. “I haven’t had time.”

  Chelsea sighed at the sheepish expression on her friend’s face. She scrubbed her hand over her own. “Well, seeing as all eyes will be on you on your big day, don’t you think you ought to start looking? It’s totally up to you, of course.” Cara could wear a garbage bag and still have every man in the room drooling over her.

  “I’m heading to the shop to take a look now.” She gave Chelsea a pout. “I don’t know if I can handle this on my own.”

  “A chance to see you let your inner girl out? I’m in!” Not to mention she could use a few hours of mindless shopping. “Wait. Who’s going to sort things out here?”

  “Jason and Daniel said they would oversee everything. I made them promise last night.”

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  “It’s not like we’re leaving them all night. Just prep and reservations. If they can’t handle that between the two of them, neither of them deserves a place in my life.”