Hungry for More (2012) (23 page)

“But I don’t see a wet stain,” Tad frowned.

“That’s because…
the...uhm…
spill was the same color as my dress,” Bridged stuttered.  She grabbed a cloth and held it over her chest.  “I’m going to go and change!” she blurted, making a break for her bedroom.

“You’re coming back though?” Paul pressed, looking anxious until Bridget gave her head a timid little nod.  He smiled.  “Good.  I have something that I need to tell you and Tad.”

“What is it, Daddy?” Tad asked curiously, giving Bridget the chance to slip away.

“I’ll tell you when Bridget gets back.”

“Does that mean you
aren’t
fighting with Nanny anymore?”

“That’s right, no more fighting,” Paul vowed, hoping that was a promise he could keep. 

Paul fixed himself a simple omelet to eat while Tad filled him in on everything that he had missed.
  He was pleased to hear James’
name come up only once.  Bridget reappeared shortly after Paul had finished cooking, dressed now in a more
casual
skirt and top ensemble. 

“So?” she said, eyeing him shyly.  Her cheeks were flushed, and her lips still swollen from his kisses.  Tad didn’t seem to notice that anything was amiss however.  “You had something to tell us?”

“Yes.”  Paul dabbed his mouth with a napkin.  “Well, it’s the reason I’ve been away so long.”

“Nanny said you were looking for a new job?”

“Right,” Paul grinned.  “And I found one.  Better than that in fact, I’ve got myself a new restaurant.”

Tad and Bridget both expressed their excitement as Paul filled them in on all the details.  He was happy that
they
were happy, and relieved that he could offer Tad the stability that he needed.  A stability that he hoped still included Bridget.  She was just as much a part of the family as any of them.  He hoped she realized that
.
  He wasn’t prepared to leave her with any doubts.  Before the night was over he fully intended to tell her exactly what she meant to him.

Chapter 19

“Daddy, will you read me my bedtime story tonight?” Tad asked, cornering his father later, after Bridget had given him his bath.

Paul agreed, happy to see that Bridget stayed to listen too.  Once Tad was asleep, they both slipped out of his bedroom and into the hall.

“Thank you,” Paul murmured.  “
f
or looking after him so well this past month.  I don’t know what we would do without you.”

“I’ve wondered that myself once or twice,” she giggled.  As her laughter faded, the tension between them increased.

“I’m sorry if I spoiled your evening, Bridge,” Paul said huskily.

She shook her head immediately.  “No!  No, you- I’m so glad you’re home!” she blurted, throwing herself against his chest.

Paul stroked his fingers through her hair, slowly guiding her down the hallway, away from Tad’s room.

“And James?” he asked slowly.  A wiser man would probably have stayed quiet on that subject, but the idea of Bridget with another man drove Paul insane.

“Oh Paul!  It was nothing!  I promise!  Tonight would have been the first time that we’d ever seen each other without Tad!  I’m sorry!”

“Shh, it’s okay, I understand,” Paul whispered, feeling as though a huge weight had
been
lifted off his shoulders.  “I treated you badly, but I won’t do that again,” he promised, kissing her mouth gently.

Bridget sank into the kiss, wondering if this was real or if she was only dreaming. She had missed Paul so badly that she ached- even when she was furious with him. Now that some of the hurt had healed, her need for him was even more desperate.

With a courage she had never mustered before, she nudged him toward his bedroom. “You must be tired…”

“Not really,” Paul responded and then grinned playfully, “But I
do
think that I ought to lie down.”

She didn’t have a suitably teasing reply, and so she simply flushed and followed him to the mattress as the door clicked shut behind them.

Paul pursed his lips as he looked around the space. It was immaculate- as though it had been empty for weeks.

“You didn’t sleep her
e
?” he asked, already knowing the response.

Bridget nodded sadly. “I didn’t think you’d want me here.”

Paul kissed her forehead. “Of course I do. This is where you belong,” he whispered into her hair, “I told you once before…” and then his rough, talented fingers went to work stripping away their clothes- first hers, then his, until they were naked, pressed together skin to skin.

He didn’t push Bridget back onto the bed immediately. He stole a few moments, raking his fingertips over her smooth, soft skin, learning the new contours of her body.

“I’ve been working out,” she muttered shyly.

“I noticed,” Paul replied- but then felt compelled to add, “I wasn’t lying, Bridget. I really did think you were perfect before.”

“So I’m not perfect now?” she asked anxiously. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that prospect. It was reassuring to know that Paul’s desire for her had always been genuine- but she had worked
so
hard!

“You’re
different
now,” he responded, after some thought, “But still wonderful…” He planted a few more tender kisses on her neck and shoulders before adding, sheepishly, “…just don’t get
too
much skinnier, okay? I like you…soft, it’s sexy.”
H
e said, the reverent tone of his voice making it clear that he meant it as a compliment. He must have felt self-conscious, however, because he added. “Besides, it’s bad for business.”

“Bad for business?” Bridget quirked a brow.

Paul kissed her forehead. “Would
you
want to buy your dinner from a chef with a skinny wife?”

She
wasn’t
his wife. Bridget forced herself to remember that fact.
Still, it thrilled her how easily the words tripped off Paul’s tongue. The words fizzed through her body like the bubbles in champagne.
S
he felt lighthearted as he finally eased her between the sheets and covered her body with his own.

Bridget had never been so thoroughly loved before. Paul was painstaking in his attentions, showering every inch of her body with attention. He continued to kiss her neck and breasts as he moved between her legs. He kept the tempo slow and smoldering as he worked her almost to the point of release- and then withdrew, letting the pressure ease for a moment before he rolled onto his back and made Bridget ride him until they broke.

“Mmmmmmm…” she murmured, feeling week and addled as she finally collapse
d
onto the pillow beside him.

Paul chuckled warmly, and then reached out to brush the damp hair out of her face. Bridget smiled and snuggled into his chest.
“I love you, Bridget.”

She stiffened. In a heartbeat, the drowsiness was gone.

“You
what
?”

“I love you,” Paul repeated quietly- but with conviction. He hadn’t planned on saying those words to her- but he knew that they were true, and didn’t see any sense in taking them back- although he would certainly feel better if Bridget reciprocated, rather than gaping at him like a fish!

Luckily, she didn’t let him linger in his misery long.

Her cheeks flushed- it was too dark for him to see, but he could feel their heat. “Oh, Paul! I love you too!”

Chapter 20

Six months later…

“Chef?
Sorry to bother you…” the
maitre d’
poked his head into the kitchen, looking uneasy, “But there’s a woman
on the phone? She’s insisting on
speak
ing
with you. She said that she’s your sister
-
in
-
law
.
”

“Dixie!” Paul exclaimed, and handed off his risotto to a
commis
that was waiting in the wings. He jerked his chin in thanks, amused by the man’s astonished expression. Paul had poached the man from Chatterly’s- and he still hadn’t gotten used to his boss’s newfound ability to take an occasional break. “I’ll take it in the back.”

Paul wiped his hands on a dishtowel and then stepped out of the kitchen. He walked down a short hallway to his office and took a seat.

He looked around the space for a moment, and thought about things to come. For the time being he was marking time in the kitchen of the Four Seasons Hotel, filling in for a friend while his own place was being built. He would have liked to have jumped back into cooking immediately- but he was determined to do things right. The investors were willing to build his kitchen from the ground up, and everything was going to be top of the line. It had taken a few months to locate a space. Then, designers had been called in to plan the dining room, kitchen and bar. Everything was going to be perfect- it just wasn’t going to be ready until the end of the year! Paul wasn’t exactly a patient man. He was glad that he had the temp job to keep him busy- and that he was already on the payroll for his new digs as he planned the menu and oversaw construction. The double dipping was nice.

Paul picked up the receiver and pushed a button for the call to come through. “Hello?” he said. “Dixie?”

“Paul!”

“Did you find out what I need?”

“Of course!” his sister-in-law replied immediately. “Did you ever doubt that I would?”

“Never,” Paul admitted, and then copied down an address and phone number that Dixie read off.

“The
d
ad’s in publishing,” Dixie told him, “University press…but the sister lives in London. The family gets down there almost every month.”

Paul chuckled, amused by the thoroughness, “You learned all that from Google?”

“I have my sources.”

“You’re a wonder, Dixie.”

“That’s what they tell me.”

“Ever consider working for the CIA?”

“They don’t pay enough,” Dixie responded, then said goodbye and hung up the phone. Paul smiled down at the piece of paper in his hand for a moment, and then he picked up the phone again as he worked on the next phase of his master plan.

Bridget stared down in wonder at the first class plane tickets that Paul handed to her.  She blinked, certa
i
n that her eyes were playing tricks!

“London?”

“I’ve been asked to make a guest appearance on one of their cooking shows,” Paul nodded.  He was wearing a broad grin.  Bridget couldn’t blame him.

“You really
are
famous, aren’t you?” she giggled.  It was easier to forget Paul’s modest brand of fame than the high profile fame of a movie star or a sportsman, but it was real all the same.  “But why are there two tickets?” she asked, hardly daring to hope.

“Well that would be one for me… and one for you,” Paul’s grin grew even wider.

“For me?” Bridget whispered.  “Do you really mean it?” she gasped excitedly.

“Of course I mean it!” Paul chuckled.  He brushed a tender kiss against her cheek.  “I thought it would be a nice treat for you
.
  That you’d like to go back home
.
”

“I would!  Of course I would!” Bridget nodded happily.  “I’d like to go anywhere with you,” she smiled softly.  Paul smiled straight back at her and dragged her into his arms.  He kissed her slowly and deeply, until Bridget’s toes were curling in their shoes.  “Oh!” she gasped, pulling back and looking suddenly uneasy.

Paul frowned.  “What is it?  What’s wrong?”

“Tad!” Bridget chewed her bottom lip.  “I didn’t see a ticket for him there?”

“I don’t think Tad’s quite old enough to manage such a long flight,” Paul said gently.  That he realized such a fact was a testament to how his parenting skills had developed over the months.  “Dixie has offered to have him stay with her while we’re gone.”

“You’ve already asked her?” Bridget asked.  She couldn’t help feeling a
little
hurt that Paul had already discussed all of this with his sister-in-law before coming to her.

“I just wanted to make sure that everything was arranged before I surprised you,” he said smoothly, kissing her again.

Bridget twined her arms around Paul’s neck, smiling up at him, and feeling like the happiest woman alive.  She still had trouble believing that all of this was real.  It didn’t seem possible that her life could be this wonderful.

“What show have you been asked to appear on?” she asked curiously.  “Will I be able to come to the studio and watch?”

Paul had cut back on all his television appearances, determined that all of his time was going to be put into readying the new restaurant.  He had some promotional bits and pieces planned for closer to the opening date, but nothing that Bridget had been involved in yet.