by Liv Brywood
As the judges sampled the food, Zack studied their faces. Lori gave him a little wink which he ignored. He didn’t want Kim to accuse him of flirting to gain an advantage. Besides, he’d much rather save his seduction skills for later. If he lost, he’d cook dinner for Kim, but then he’d have her for dessert.
“My mouth’s on fire, but I like it.” Bobby said.
“Thank you, Chef.”
Zack maintained a neutral expression. He really wanted to jam a chicken leg down the guy’s throat. If Bobby ever gave anyone a real compliment, Zack would fall over dead.
The judges moved over to Kim’s dish. As they sampled her chicken, their eyes widened. Bobby actually ate everything on the plate before rendering his verdict.
“The spark of citrus really livens up the chicken,” he said. “I didn’t taste very much salt, but the lemon gave it a tart dash of flavor. Well done.”
Zack’s eyebrows shot up. Well I’ll be dammed, he is capable of a compliment.
“Thank you, Chef,” Kim said.
As they judges moved onto the next contestants, she leaned over.
“I expect a low sodium, low fat dinner with fruit for dessert,” she whispered.
“They’re not done yet.” Zack jerked his head toward the judges.
“We both know I won.”
“We’ll see about that,” he murmured.
Although he knew he was toast, he wasn’t ready to admit defeat yet. He could allow her to win one round, but tomorrow he’d be back with a vengeance. He couldn’t lose sight of his ultimate goal. Once he had his own place, he’d never have to wait for the hot water heater to warm up another shower’s worth of water. He was so sick and tired of taking cold showers. If his brothers were more considerate, then maybe he wouldn’t be in such a huge rush to move out, but they just told him to get up earlier if he wanted hot water. Why should he have to wake up before sunrise in order to take a decent shower?
“The scores will be posted in two minutes,” Sebastian said over the loud speaker.
“Two minutes until you lose. Although….you’re probably used to only lasting two minutes anyway, so this shouldn’t hurt too much.” Kim flashed a devious smile the sent liquid smoke through his veins.
“I can last a whole lot longer than two minutes.” He stalked toward her until she backed into the table. He placed his hands on either side of her, effectively pinning her in place. “Just say they word, Cupcake, and I’ll show you just how long I can last.”
Her nervous laughter sent a thrill straight to his cock. He stepped back and eyed her with feral determination. Every voluptuous curve called out to him and it was all he could to do keep his hands to himself.
“The board is up.” She pointed over his shoulder.
As he trailed behind her, he watched the sashay of her hips. She was doing it on purpose just to rile him up.
“Well played,” he muttered.
“What?” she asked innocently.
“Nothing.”
When they reached the board, she tossed her hair over her shoulder. She turned around with a smug expression.
“You lost,” she said.
“By one point.”
“That’s all it takes,” she said.
“Enjoy it while it lasts because tomorrow I’m bringing my full cooking arsenal,” he said.
“Good. I’d hate to think you were going soft on me.”
“I’ve never go soft… on anyone or anything in my life…” He paused while her cheeks turned a bright shade of pink. “And I’m not about to start now.”
He smiled as the color spread down her neck to her chest. Did her whole body flush when she was embarrassed? He’d sure as hell like to find out.
“I’ll be at your cabin at seven,” he said, “So you’d better be hungry and ready to have your mind blown.”
As her eyes widened, she blushed even harder. Before she had a chance to respond, he turned and strolled toward his bike. The princess didn’t think he could cook healthy? He’d show her. There wasn’t anything he couldn’t do in the kitchen, or in the bedroom for that matter. Since he only had a few hours to prepare, he hopped on his motorcycle and roared home.
As soon as he’d finished prepping for dinner, he covered the various bowls and trays with plastic wrap. He set everything in the fridge before heading upstairs.
After another disappointing lukewarm shower, he rifled through his closet. He owned about twenty pairs of jeans and a dresser full of black tank tops, but he didn’t have much in the way of shirts. When he spotted a long-sleeved, button up, red and black paid shirt, he grabbed it. Perfect. He slipped it on then pulled on a pair of black jeans.
Although they hadn’t called it dinner a date, he intended to treat it like one. She’d only seen his rough and tumble cowboy side, not his sensual, passionate side. If he played his cards right, he’d get to show her every side of him tonight. Maybe he’d even wear her out enough to win tomorrow’s round. He didn’t usually fight dirty, but if she kept kicking his ass, the kid gloves would have to come off.
He grinned as he headed back into the kitchen. After loading up the cooking supplies, he added a six-pack of beer. For a second, he considered grabbing a bottle of Remy’s wine, but he had no idea which one would work with dinner. That was Remy’s realm, not his.
When he reached her cabin, he gave a quick knock. The items in his arms teetered precariously while he waited. As she opened the door, he nearly dropped everything. Good Lord she wasn’t playing fair.
A sleek black dress hugged every curve. The neckline consisted of a deep V which ended right between her milky-white breasts. He swallowed as his gaze roamed up to settle on her dark red lips. He wanted to throw everything aside and plant a soul-shattering kiss on her lips.
“Wow,” he said.
His bear clawed at his chest and flailed in a fit of lust. The creature wanted him to take her right now, on the floor, in the bed, on the kitchen countertop. He stomped down the impulse. He wasn’t a complete animal.
“Come in,” she stepped back to allow him to pass.
He walked into the kitchen and set everything on the counter.
“I brought beer, but I’m thinking wine may have been a better choice,” he said.
“Beer’s fine. I’ve never liked wine very much. If given the choice, I prefer whiskey.”
“I’ll have to remember that next time,” he said.
“Do you need any help?” she asked.
“Nope. I’ve got this. Why don’t you grab a beer and keep me company while I work.”
“I can do that.” She popped one open and handed it to him before taking one for herself. “So if you were to get lucky and win, what would you do with the money?”
“Don’t you mean when I win the money?” he asked.
“Nope. I’m sure I had it right the first time.”
“We’ll see,” he said. “But to answer your question, I want to build my own home on the ranch.”
“Why?”
“I love my siblings, but sometimes things get a little too crowded,” he said.
“But you still want to stay here rather than move to a new ranch?”
“Don’t get me wrong,” he said. “I love my brothers and sister very much, and we have one hell of a family business with the horses and cattle, but I need my own space. I wouldn’t be able to stay away for long, so it makes sense to build here. We’ve got plenty of room. Besides, I wouldn’t want my family to have to pick up the slack. There’s too much work as it is, so leaving them wouldn’t be right.”
“That’s noble of you.”
“Don’t be so surprised,” he said. “I’m a really nice guy when I’m not competing.”
“You can be nice when you’re competing too,” she said. “You don’t have to be a jerk.”
“You think I’m a jerk?” He frowned as he pulled a salad bowl out of the cupboard.
“You have a cocky attitude,” she said before taking a swig of beer.
“I
prefer to think of it as confidence.”
“There’s a fine line,” she said.
“Hum.” He glanced over his shoulder and found her studying him with an unreadable expression. Regardless of what she thought about him now, it would all change tonight. He’d make sure of it.
As he finished cooking, he assembled a plate worthy of a fine dining restaurant. He carried it to the table and set it before her.
“I hope you like steak,” he said.
“I asked you to cook something healthy.”
“I don’t know why you’re so obsessed. You look great and you seem as healthy as a horse.”
“Thanks, but I have my reasons,” she said.
“Well, just try one bite. I chose a very lean piece of top sirloin. There wasn’t even any fat to trim off of it.”
“Okay. I guess a little taste won’t kill me.” She reached for a fork and knife but he stopped her.
“Wait.” He cut a small piece off of the steak on her plate and held it out to her. “I want to see your expression when you taste it.”
“Of course you do.” She laughed.
“Just humor me.”
“Fine.” She let out a frustrated breath. “But you’re not feeding me.”
“Deal.”
As he handed her the fork, her fingers brushed against his. An arc of desire sizzled down his spine to ignite his libido. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from her mouth. As her lips closed around the meat, he shivered. His cock went instantly hard at the thought of having those lips wrapped around him.
“It’s actually really good,” she said.
“It melts in your mouth, doesn’t it?”
“Am I going to have to listen to these one-liners all night?” she asked in a joking tone.
“You have a dirty mind. I marinate the steak to make it extra tender.”
“What did you use for the marinade?” she asked.
“Grant family secret.”
“I should have known,” she said, and took another bite of her steak.
“I could tell you…”
“But then you’d have to kill me?” She arched a brow.
“No, not kill you. I’d have to make you part of the family.”
“Sounds like the mafia,” she said.
“I’m gonna make you an offer you can’t refuse,” he said in his best Marlon Brando impression.
“You’re so ridiculous.” Her whole face lit up as she laughed.
“What can I say? I like to have fun.”
“I like this side of you.” She held his gaze for a moment before returning to cut another piece of meat.
“So what about you?” he asked. “Where did you come in from?”
“Houston. I live there with my mom.”
“You never moved out?”
“I did,” she said. “But she got sick, so I had to move back in to help take care of her.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Cancer.”
“Oh, man,” he said. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. She’s not dead. She’s a fighter and she’s going to beat this thing.”
He reached across the table and placed his hand over hers. When she looked up, her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. He couldn’t imagine what life was like for her. He struggled to come up with something comforting to say, but everything seemed so trite. So he simply squeezed her hand instead.
“You mentioned that you work as a caterer,” he said.
“Yes.”
“Weddings?”
“Weddings, parties, corporate events,” she said.
“I bet that’s hectic.”
“It is, but I love being able to cook full time.”
“That would be amazing,” he said.
As she scraped the last bit of corn off of her plate, he smiled. She hadn’t left as much as a single kernel behind.
“I think I’m going to explode.” She patted her stomach. “But it was good, I’ll give you that.”
“Can you say that a little louder, so I can make sure that I heard you right,” he teased.
“It was good, but don’t push it or I’ll change my mind.”
Zack held up his hands in surrender. “I’ll take it.”
A tantalizing drop of sauce clung to the corner of her mouth. He reached forward and swiped it away with the pad of his thumb. He popped it into his mouth and sucked. Her eyes darkened with lust. So, he wasn’t the only one hot under the collar tonight.
“You’re right. Delicious,” he murmured. “Maybe you can cook for me sometime.”
“Maybe.” They sat in charged silence until she broke the spell. “I need to work off all that butter you added. Would you like to go for a walk with me?”
He could think of about a hundred other ways he’d rather work off dinner, but all of them involved her being naked and sweaty. He hadn’t even kissed her, so dragging her off to bed was out of the question. His bear disagreed.
As they stepped outside, he took her hand in his. She gripped it lightly. A crescent moon hung over the bayou while stars twinkled in the night sky. He loved country living. He couldn’t understand why anyone would ever want to live in a city. The concrete jungle swallowed up nature and pushed people further away from their ancestral roots. He could never leave the ranch. His bear wouldn’t allow it.
“It’s so beautiful here,” Kim said.
“Ranch life isn’t easy, but I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”
He squeezed her hand and pulled her a little closer as they headed toward one of the barns. A huge stack of hay bales rested against the outer wall. He grabbed a blanket from a rack on the side of the barn and laid it on the hay.
After sitting down next to her, he took her hand again.
“So I told you why I want to win the competition, what about you?” he asked.
“My mother’s treatments cost a fortune.”
“Don’t you have insurance?” he asked.
“Yeah, but they don’t cover all of the drugs and some of the copays are really high,” she said. “If I win, I’ll be able to pay off all of the past-due bills. We’ll finally be able to get our life back. I don’t want her stressing out about money. I don’t want her worrying about anything because if she does, she won’t get better.”
Zack felt like an idiot.
“Here I am, whining about wanting a house for myself while you’re fighting for your mom. I’m an ass.”
“No, don’t say that,” she said. “We’re all in the competition for different reasons. The reason you want to win isn’t any worse or better than mine. It’s just different.”
Her compassion warmed his heart. Not only was she sassy and smart with killer curves, she also had a gentle soul. She clearly loved her mother very much and wanted to help her.
“Do you know how amazing you are?” he asked softly.
“Because I care about my mother?” She shot him an incredulous look. “I think anyone with half a heart would want to take care of their family.”
“It’s more than that. You don’t do it out of obligation. You do it because you love her, and I think I understand why you’re so passionate about this competition now.”
“Don’t get me wrong,” she said. “I want to win. I’m not doing this just for my mom, I’m doing it for myself too.”
“You’re an amazing woman,” he said.
As she turned to face him, the clip holding back her hair slipped free. He reached over and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. As slid his hand behind her neck, she stopped breathing. When his lips brushed against hers, she sighed. She reached up and wound her arms around his shoulders. He groaned and deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue past her lips and into the sweetness of her mouth.
Her scent swirled around him, mingling with the grassy hay and damp bayou air. The taste of her played across his tongue until he wanted even more. He lay her back against the hay. She surrendered to his increasingly passionate kisses, driving him wild with need. He dragged hi
s lips down across her throat until she moaned and arched against him.
This was madness. He shouldn’t be touching her like this, but he couldn’t resist her anymore. His hands drifted across the curve of her waist before resting on her hips. As he leaned into her, the rigid length of him pressed against her thigh. She moaned and twisted until his cock pushed against the apex of her thighs. He wanted to yank her dress up, rip his jeans off and make love to her on the spot. But he couldn’t just pound her into a hay bale. It wouldn’t be right. But it would feel so damn good.
Chapter 6
Consumed by his kisses, Kim threaded her fingers through his tousled hair. If the hay bales hadn’t been holding her up, she would have melted into the ground. As he pressed against her, warmth flooded her core. He tasted of beer and recklessness and the longer he kissed her, the more she wanted to surrender to his torrid heat.
As his tongue teased between her lips, she swirled hers in response. His demanding tempo dragged her further into an abyss of pleasure. The thick length of him poked against her thigh, giving her a hint of what he’d been hiding underneath those snug Wranglers.
His teeth grazed her lips as he pulled back. Her lips were tingling and swollen, but she wanted more. She tried to draw him closer, but he hovered right above her, close enough to feel, but just out of reach.
“We should stop,” he whispered.
“Why?” Her stomach plummeted as he moved to sit next to her.
“I don’t want us to do something we’ll regret later.”
“I won’t regret it.”
She tugged him back down. He reclaimed her mouth with a ferocious kiss, animalistic and wild. Wet and needy, she arched against him before wrapping one leg around his thigh. He ground against her before pushing away. This time he scrambled off of the hay bales.
She sat up and brushed a trembling hand across her swollen lips. She’d never been kissed so thoroughly in her life.
“You’re making it hard for me to be a good guy,” he said in a tone laced with carnal hunger.
“Then don’t,” she whispered. “Don’t stop.”
He stood between her legs and pulled her hard against him. Every rigid inch of him pressed against her panty-covered sex. She reached for the button on his jeans, but he grabbed her wrists and pinned them behind her back.
