by Candis Terry
She’d been working for hours without a break and he imagined she must be hungry too.
Last time he’d seen her she’d been talking with Sean. She’d had a smile on the lips Parker had kissed last night and laughter flowing from the mouth that had moaned his name as she clenched her legs around him. Parker wasn’t so sure he liked her sharing that smile and laughter with Sean. Then again, he had no claim on the woman and no intentions to make one. Right now all he could offer was a thank you for her hard work in the form of a nice dinner. Anything else was off the table.
Parker found her up on a ladder installing shelves on the back wall of what would eventually become his office. For a moment he stood back and watched her work. He regarded her focus and attention to detail. But that wasn’t all he admired about her. She was much shorter in construction boots than high heels, but he damn sure loved her curves in those tight jeans.
Like a pro, she used the electric drill to screw in the anchors. Then she unhooked the tape measure from the pocket of her jeans and measured the space between the screws.
“Perfect.” When she leaned away from the wall, gave a nod to her achievement, and high-fived herself, he chuckled.
Before she picked up the electric drill again he stepped up behind her, placed both hands on the ladder, and caged her in. “Thanks for your help. It looks great.”
“No problem.”
She turned in his arms. Thanks to the rung she stood on, they were chest to chest. Had they both not been wearing such heavy clothes, her breasts would have pushed right into him and that would have made him damn happy.
“Told you I could handle it.”
“Hey.” He held up his hands. “I have two kickass sisters. I’m not the kind of guy who would doubt you because you’re a girl.”
“Well, that might be your first mistake of the day. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not a girl. I’m a woman.”
“Oh.” He settled his hands on her hips and lifted her down, but still held her close. “Believe me, I’ve noticed.”
“Are we off the clock now, Chef?” She dragged a finger softly across the five o’clock shadow dusting his jaw. “Or do I need to report you to my boss?”
Had a smile not been playing on her pretty mouth he’d have backed away. He wasn’t her boss. Not yet anyway.
Maybe not ever.
“How about we call it a day and go get something to eat?” he said.
“What makes you think I don’t already have plans?”
“Do you?”
Her brown eyes sparkled as she shrugged and the now dirt-streaked pink sweatshirt brushed over her breasts. “Depends on what you’re offering.”
He moved his hands to the small of her back and impulsively drew her even closer. “What would you say if I offered you something that will make your mouth water and make you cry for more?”
“I’d say”—her eyes danced over his face and down his chest—“I like the way you think.”
Thirty minutes later he delivered on his promise.
“Oh. My. God. This is amazing.”
Parker laughed as Gabriella sank her teeth into another juicy barbecued rib from Cranky Hank’s Smokehouse. The sticky sweet sauce covered her fingertips and spread from the corners of her mouth like a wide smile. And she didn’t even care.
That impressed the hell out of him.
Most women ordered salads then picked around the bowl to make it look like they were eating when they really weren’t. Gabriella had dove into her plate with gusto and was making lusty sounds similar to when he’d been buried deep inside her body.
He was ridiculously turned on. In public. In a brightly lit restaurant. With several snoopy community members eyeballing him like they knew what was going on behind the zipper of his jeans.
“I thought you were a food purist,” he joked. “Someone who doesn’t believe in changing the taste by smothering or crisping the food to death.”
“I am.”
“Newsflash.” He pointed to her plate. “Those ribs have been smothered in so much sauce they’re dripping.”
“So sue me.” She shrugged. “Every once in a while I like to indulge in something that’s really bad for me.”
“Oh yeah? Like what, other than barbecued ribs?”
“Like . . . you.”
“I’m bad for you?” He didn’t know whether to take that as an insult or a compliment.
“Completely.” She wagged her half-eaten rib at him. “Before I see you, I have all these good intentions. Plans. Purposes. But when I come within ten feet of you, some kind of weird chemical thing in my body takes over and shuts off all sensible thinking.”
“Ten feet, huh. So . . .” He dug his fork into the shredded brisket on his plate without taking his eyes off of her. “What happens when you’re within two feet of me?”
She gave him a saucy smile. “I end up naked on your dining table.”
“I’m perfectly okay with that.”
“Really? What happens when the next woman comes over to cook for you? Won’t you look at your dining table and feel . . . awkward?”
Awkward? No.
Horny as hell? Oh yeah.
“No one has ever come to my house to cook for me before,” he assured her. Unable to picture anyone other than her laid out on that table or any other table, he stabbed at the potato salad on his plate. “Can’t imagine it will happen again any time soon.”
“So I’m a first?”
And probably a last.
“You fishing, Gabriella?”
She shook her head. “Didn’t bring my pole.”
Miraculously he avoided blurting out a juvenile response of him having one ready for her. “Well obviously something is on your mind.”
“Other than hoping to leave a lasting impression on you and your dining table?”
“Yeah. Other than that.” He did like her honesty. And the suddenly uncomfortable fit of his jeans told him he was damn well ready to repeat last night right now. But getting kicked out of Cranky Hank’s for having sex on the table would spread like gossipy wildfire throughout the valley and he’d never hear the end of it. Plus he wasn’t a fan of doing jail time for indecent exposure.
Among other things.
When she sank her teeth into another bite of rib then licked the sauce from her lips, he changed his mind. He was more than willing to bear the brunt of the aftermath.
Pushing away her plate, she wiped her hands and face with the towelettes provided. “I guess I’m curious about what type of menu you plan to have at your restaurant. You haven’t said and I’m wondering why you’re keeping so tight lipped about it.”
“I don’t remember you directly asking me.”
“Well, consider it asked.”
“Truth?”
She nodded. “Always.”
“I can’t decide.”
“Seriously?” She crumpled the used towelettes into a pile on the table.
“Yeah. Go figure. I’ve dreamed of having this opportunity for years. I thought I’d planned everything down to every minor detail. Like what type of salt I’d put on the tables, what brand of ovens I’d use, and what the serving plates would look like. But now that it’s actually happening?” He shrugged. “I can’t make up my mind. I feel like the proverbial deer in the headlights.”
“Need some help with that?”
Parker hated to admit it, but he wouldn’t mind another opinion. The restaurant wasn’t something he could discuss with his brothers. Their eyes would glaze over around the time he brought up his ideas for entrées.
Gabriella knew food. And she could cook like nobody’s business. He respected that about her.
“I don’t know if help is the right word,” he said.
“Maybe you just need to relax a little.” She wadded up her napkin and set it on the table.
“I’m not sure I even know how to relax anymore,” he said, even though she’d left him completely relaxed last night. “There’s a lot riding on getting th
e restaurant open and making it a success. I thought I was ready, but with everything that’s happened this past year, maybe I was wrong.”
He hated admitting weakness. Especially to someone he didn’t really know all that well. But there it was.
“Well no wonder your creativity is all tangled up. Right now everything is about business and construction. And you’re too tired at the end of the day to dream.” She reached across the table and settled her soft hand on top of his. “I’ve got an idea. How about we take this discussion back to the restaurant? Sometimes the atmosphere of a place will lead you in the right direction.”
And sometimes the atmosphere of a place just made him want to remove her clothes with his teeth. Not that he apparently needed a specific atmosphere to reach that conclusion.
“You don’t want dessert?” he asked.
“Of course I do.”
When she looked up at him with a hint of suggestion in those deep brown eyes he wondered if she had a replay of last night in mind.
He sure as hell hoped so.
The moment they walked through the barn door, Gabi knew she needed to pull back on the reins of her enthusiasm. This wasn’t her restaurant. It wasn’t her dream. That honor belonged to Parker. And though she had a million ideas spinning through her head, she could only share a portion so she didn’t override his passion.
Or worse, piss him off so he wouldn’t hire her.
From the moment her father had told her she didn’t have what it took to be a success in his world, she’d fantasized about taking over his restaurants in New York, Chicago, and Las Vegas and completely making them her own. The truth didn’t occur to her until she’d matured a little and her anger based notions dissolved.
Taking over what her father had already created would never prove anything.
Once she’d finally gotten that figured out she realized she needed to create her own culinary universe. Whether that meant someday she’d own a restaurant of her own or be the head chef somewhere fabulous, she had no clue. But the eager dragon that lived and breathed within her sometimes drove her too fast and too hard. And sometimes it drove people away.
Parker deserved to have his own dream come true. She could never be so selfish as to put her own wants first. Exactly what that meant she wasn’t sure because that’s all she’d been thinking of lately. But somehow, in the past two days, he’d become far more important than just a one-night stand.
The realization snuck up on her like a Halloween scare and she had to take a deep breath. Put things in perspective. The sexual chemistry they had was off the charts, but they’d made a deal.
One night.
And so, she’d do her absolute best to keep her desire, her overenthusiastic mouth, and her ideas on lockdown. And she’d do her best to support him in his quest to make his own dream come true.
Even if that meant hers had to wait just a little longer.
“Sorry it’s so cold in here,” he said, closing the door behind him. He switched on a camping lantern supported by a makeshift table held up by two sawhorses. “The heating and cooling system hasn’t been installed yet. Neither has the lighting. You sure you want to do this here?”
“Yes.” She turned and found him standing there with his hands thrust into the pockets of his heavyweight coat. Behind him a beam of moonlight shone through the window and glistened against his dark hair. He looked so good she wanted to crawl inside that big coat and wrap herself around his warm body.
“I want to do this here,” she added. “The cold can help us imagine what it might be like when you have your grand opening in the next couple of months and the types of meals that will warm up your customers.”
“Actually . . .”
He moved closer and everything inside of her that had wanted him last night at his houseboat wanted him right now in this cold, half-finished shell of a barn.
“The restaurant won’t open to the public until mid-January. But everything needs to be completed before Christmas,” he said. “Jordan and Lucy want to have their wedding reception here. Which doesn’t make any sense at all when there’s a perfectly pleasant event center on the property.”
“Are you talking about Groomzilla?”
“The one and only.”
“I don’t care what you say, he sounds sweet. Like he really wants to make it special for his bride-to-be.” Gabi could only hope that someday she’d be lucky enough to find a man who would love her as much.
“He does,” Parker admitted. “That’s why I’m busting my ass to get it done on time.”
“Because you love your brother.”
“I love all of them.”
“All?” There were more amazing-looking Kincade men? Impossible. “How many more?”
“Four brothers. Two sisters. Oddly, until a few months ago I only had one sister.”
“But I thought your parents . . .”
“Died earlier this year. Our new sister, Lili, is an adult. Our father had an affair with her mother.”
“Wow.”
His eyes narrowed. “Shocked?”
“No. I can just . . . relate. I mean, obviously I can’t compare the situations, but my father also had an affair when he was married to my mother.”
That much she could reveal without giving away her father’s identity. “I have two much younger half sisters I’ll probably never get to know.” God knows she’d tried. But she’d been refused by their mother, who held as much animosity toward Gabi’s father as Gabi’s own mother did. She really couldn’t blame either woman. Of course, he hadn’t been able to stick with that relationship either. He’d moved on and was now cavorting around with a woman a few years younger than Gabi.
While that might be embarrassing for her personally, she couldn’t help feeling more sorry for the innocent children he’d created that he’d never care for. Never be a father to. The whole thing just made her heart ache. Because even though she didn’t know her half sisters—may never know them—she knew how it felt to be abandoned by your father.
“So I think it’s wonderful that you’re getting to know your new sister,” Gabi said.
“I’m sorry you have to go through that.” Genuine empathy darkened the tone in his voice.
“You too. You’re lucky you have an opportunity with Lili.”
“It’s not her fault our father cheated on our mother or treated her and her mother like shit. It’s not any of our faults. So why should anyone be further punished?” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “Her mother recently passed away and Lili’s all alone. The vineyard is a family business. She’s family. And she has talents that fit. So we might as well all make this work out together.”
Gabi admired that Parker was the kind of man who would welcome someone with open arms instead of pushing them away. She liked that his thoughts and emotions went beyond the surface, and that he seemed to be the type of man who didn’t rush to judgment or want to punish someone for another’s doings. That showed real character.
When it came to figuring out his restaurant menu, his mental roadblock might be bigger than he realized. He’d been through a huge emotional roller coaster since his parents died. The pressure to get the restaurant done in time for his brother’s wedding added extra stress. Also, running a busy full-time business that began before the crack of dawn each day was bound to cause anyone to stumble. More than likely the man just needed to relax a little so he could figure things out.
Or . . . maybe he needed just the opposite. Maybe he needed to get really riled up about something to get his blood boiling.
Her nonni often said that passion could be a great motivator. If that was the case, Gabi would happily volunteer to help the sexy man blow off a little steam.
“You do have a big family. That might be a little intimidating for her,” she said of Lili. “I imagine it would take some getting used to.”
“Oh.” He snapped his fingers. “Can’t forget we also have Ryan’s little girl, Riley, and Aunt Pippy. Until Jordan and Lucy
get married, she’ll stay up at the main house with our teenage sister, Nicole.”
“Pippy? Unique name.”
“Unique woman.” He chuckled affectionately. “It’s a nickname for Penelope. She’s a little on the quirky side. Thinks it’s still the make-love-not-war era. Or at least that’s what her psychedelic wardrobe, makeup, and jewelry tell us.”
Gabi thought of her nonni, who was the complete opposite, and favored a long calico print apron that had gone out of style a century ago. “I think I’d like to meet your aunt Pippy.”
“Careful what you wish for.” Parker led her by the elbow deeper into the restaurant where it was a tad bit warmer. His unexpected touch sent a tingle up her arm and into her chest. “Sorry I can’t offer you a chair, but I can pull up a bucket.”
“I have a better idea. Let’s go into the kitchen. Maybe the surroundings will give you some culinary inspiration.”
“Whatever you want.”
Now there was a dangerous thought.
“Might be warmer in there too.” He grabbed the lantern and led her through the shiny new stainless door.
Might be a whole lot warmer if he’d just wrap his arms around her.
She glanced around the empty room that would eventually become a kitchen and ordered herself to stay focused.
“Show me where everything will go.” She took a step back toward the wall to give him space. “I want to picture it in my head.”
He looked at her funny.
Yeah. She definitely needed to pull back on the enthusiasm.
“It’s a basic floor plan. The walk-in cooler goes there.” He pointed. “Oven, grill, and burners here. Salad station there. Assembly station there. Pickup over there.”
