Scorch (4 page)

For a long moment, there was nothing but the sound of the water and their labored breaths.

Daniel withdrew then turned her back around to give her a long, slow kiss. “I’d better get going. I have to let the dog out and get changed before heading to the restaurant.”

“I’ll see you there, then.”

He pecked her on the lips again before exiting the shower.

Chelsea grinned as she stepped back under the spray.

That was one hell of a way to start the day.

* * * *

The restaurant was bustling with activity when she arrived. As usual, everyone knew what they had to do and executed it with precision. Her being there was almost redundant. But she did what was expected of her. As always. Cara would never forgive her if anything went wrong on her watch. She would make sure that would never happen.

She easily got her duties sorted. With Cara gone so often lately, the routine of getting everything ready was getting to be a habit, which might not be a bad thing. Once Cara had the beach restaurant up and running, she would be spreading herself thin. Chelsea could help out.

Helping to run a restaurant wasn’t something she had planned on a year ago. Her life was set, as far as she was concerned. She was to marry a man who had the world at his feet. She’d dropped everything to join him in his world, putting her whole life in his hands, and he had let her down utterly. The whole thing left a bad taste in her mouth.

But she wasn’t going to think about Richard now. Never again, if she had it her way. Chelsea wandered into the kitchen to see what was going on in there.

Daniel had just walked out of the pantry when he caught her gaze.

“Anything I can do to help?”

Chelsea meant it earnestly, but the moment Calvin, the waiter, walked out of the room, Daniel hooked his hands around her hips and dragged her to him.

“I can think of something.”

The laughter that bubbled forth from Daniel couldn’t be stopped. “I’m sure you could. But I’m thinking that sex in Cara’s kitchen would set off alarms in her head. You know she’s got a sixth sense when it comes to this place.”

He grudgingly let her go, but not before whispering gruffly, “I could just slide my hand between your thighs, slip my fingers in…”

And that set off a whole new round of images in her head that sent tingles up her spine as she edged back to steady herself against the counter. Her knees didn’t quite feel up to the job after the image of him doing what he’d suggested rushed through her mind. “Tonight. Right now we have to get the menu sorted.”

He arched an eyebrow at her. “No reason we can’t kill two birds with one stone.”

She shoved half-heartedly at his shoulder. “Quit messing around. We have to get this stuff done.”

He didn’t push it any further. Only gave her a lingering kiss before turning to walk back into the pantry. It wouldn’t be long before the rest of the kitchen staff would arrive to prep.

Chelsea wasn’t sure if she was disappointed or not, but she shrugged the feeling off. There were things that she needed to organize before the wine delivery arrived.

* * * *

With dinner service in full swing, Chelsea watched the dining room with satisfaction. Everything was going as smoothly as she could hope for. As well as if Cara were here running things herself. She couldn’t help but feel a little smug. At least this was something she could do competently.

She did the circuit through the room and was greeted with smiling faces and compliments to the chef. Even Marco and Daniel were making it work in the kitchen and food was coming out without a hitch. Chelsea wasn’t going to jinx it by saying anything. She just hoped it kept up for however long Cara was gone.

The tension drained from her with each hour they crept closer to closing. By the time the last patrons paid and walked out of the door, Chelsea was exhausted—and proud.

She ambled over to lock the door then flipped off most of the lights at the same time, leaving the room illuminated just enough to see what they needed to tidy up.

She got out of the way of the cleaning staff as they did their thing and headed to the bustling room next door. Their end of night routine was like a well-organized ballet—up until she heard the telltale sound of plates crashing on the other side of the kitchen.

That didn’t happen too often, so she investigated. Amid the chaos of getting things tidy, Daniel and Marco hustled the cleanup of the broken dishes and keeping people clear so that no one got hurt. The busboy, who had presumably broken the plates, dashed back with a brush and pan and quickly cleared up the debris.

Even that went smoothly, but Chelsea couldn’t help but feel as though the lucky streak they were having had run out.

Pushing the thought aside, she caught Daniel’s eye as cleanup wound down, and one by one, staff finished their jobs and took off for the night. He nodded. He would hang back after everyone else left.

If Cara wasn’t there, Chelsea was the last to leave. She made sure everything was set for the next day and that the restaurant was secure. Lately, Daniel stayed behind as bodyguard. It wasn’t as if the restaurant was in a rough neighborhood—far from it. But she did like not having to be there alone.

Once everything was locked tight, Chelsea sighed with relief. Another night. Another success.

“You look like you’ve gone ten rounds with a champ,” Daniel whispered against the skin of her neck.

“I feel like it.”

“Ready to go, then?” He lazily wound an arm around her waist and led the way to her car.

She unlocked it and got in. “Will you come by tonight?”

“Just try to keep me away.” He winked. “I have to let the dog out, then I’ll come over.”

“See you then.” Being with him seemed to be the only way she could unwind lately. Not that she’d tried much of anything else. Maybe Cara’s idea of having a fling was sound advice after all.

Chapter Four

Chelsea glared at her bare apartment as if it was its fault that she couldn’t find a way of making it more romantic. What could anyone do to dress up what was essentially a box? Not that Daniel cared. He hadn’t commented on her lack of décor since his first visit. She doubted he noticed much outside of how to get to and from her bed.

Not that men cared about such things. She had never imagined his apartment, but she’d wager that it wasn’t anything lush or well decorated. It didn’t really make sense to have places that were opulent and hardly spend time in them. Since she’d moved back, she’d only ever returned to her apartment to sleep. That was, until recently. Her returns were much more recreational as of late. Maybe on the weekend she would find some time to do a little decorating and furniture hunting.

If her account allowed for it.

Something else she had to get used to. Chelsea might miss the days when everything she wanted would miraculously be provided by Richard, but at least now she had control over everything—including her life.

And that felt wonderful.

With a smile, she tidied up what little mess she’d made getting dressed that morning. Swapped the bedsheets, tossing the ones they’d all but demolished into the wash, and freshened up. By the time she’d had a quick shower, applied light makeup and donned a matching lace bra and panties set that she didn’t mind being torn to shreds, there was a knock at the door.

With boldness that she discovered she liked, Chelsea swept the door open with a smile.

Daniel paused to stare. His focus darted downward, pausing at the interesting bits, before returning to meet her gaze. “Now that’s how you should always answer the door.”

Laughing, she stepped back to let him in. “To everyone? Or just you?”

He pecked her on the cheek as he slid a hand over her ribcage to cup her breast. “I think we should keep this between us, don’t you?” Daniel lifted a bag she hadn’t noticed him carrying. “I saw you didn’t get much to eat, so I brought a little something.”

He’d spotted that? She had been so busy that she hadn’t even realized. “Thanks. I’ll get some plates.”

Pulling a bottle of wine out, he winked. “And some glasses.”

She caught a glimpse of the vintage on her way into the kitchen. Impressed, Chelsea nodded as she grabbed what they’d need. “Very nice.”

“I aim to please.” He took out a couple of trays and put them on her coffee table next to the wine. “And, not to disparage your interior-design skills…” Two candlesticks followed. He quickly produced a lighter and lit them.

“So what did you bring? Leftovers?” She wasn’t ashamed to admit that she was actually hoping for something he’d made. Daniel’s cooking was divine. Cara never would have let him have free rein in her kitchen otherwise.

“No. I’ve brought something I whipped up after work.”

Curious, she sat next to him on the tiny couch and waited eagerly for him to lift the tray covers. What could he have put together so quickly?

Turns out quite a bit.
The mingling of scents caused a rumble in her stomach. How he had managed a three-course meal that looked so intricate had to be a chef thing. If she’d attempted the same, it would have been a disaster.

He quickly dished out the food and swept a hand toward it all. “Enjoy.” While he poured the wine, he watched her taste it with a confident smile. “What do you think?”

“I don’t know what you put in this noodle thing, but it’s amazing.”

Daniel chuckled “Noodle thing? You’ve been working in the restaurant how long now?”

“Shut up. I’m starving and my brain doesn’t work when my stomach’s empty.”

“Then, by all means, eat up.” His voice dropped to a whisper as he leaned in to nuzzle the delicate skin just below her ear. “I need every part of you in working order later.”

Her hunger for food burned away with his words. It was ridiculous how instantaneously her body reacted to his touch, but Chelsea liked it. She couldn’t think of a reason not to. Being with him was fun, exciting—freeing. She sat there in her underwear eating a meal, for goodness’ sake! Yet another first.

She just had to remember not to lose her head. It was a fling. Nothing more.

And she intended to enjoy every moment of it.

With a flick of her wrist, she pushed the plate away.

Daniel looked at her questioningly. “What’s wrong?”

Sidling closer, she took his plate away. “What makes you think anything is wrong?” Chelsea eased herself onto his lap to straddle him. “I just figured that we could enjoy your meal later.”

Gripping her thighs, he adjusted his position, pressing his rapidly hardening erection against her as he did so. “I like the way you think.”

“And here I thought you were only interested in my body.” A burst of laughter exploded from her when he deftly picked her up and rolled her beneath him. His weight on her was something else she was really beginning to enjoy, as was the sensation of his lips on her breasts. But when he drew back with a pained grimace, she couldn’t say she enjoyed that.

“This couch might be good for you, but I can’t exactly get comfortable,” he grumbled.

Chelsea looked down the length of him and saw him bent at an awkward angle, trying to fit himself on it with her.

“It’s your own fault for being so tall,” she teased. “Come on. I think my bed’s proven that it can accommodate you very well.”

Without comment, he picked her up, wrapped her legs around his waist and headed toward her bedroom. “How about next time we go to my place? We’d have all kinds of furniture to have our wicked way with.”

“Sure.” Not if she could help it. Going to his place would mean getting to know him better, which was one step closer to a real relationship. She’d just have to keep him distracted so the notion never entered his mind again.

They burst into the room. Daniel gently dropped her onto the mattress and yanked off her bra and panties. He raked his gaze over her, leisurely taking in his fill. He then began quickly to divest himself of his clothing. With each item removed, the ache between her thighs throbbed a little more. Chelsea bit her bottom lip when his abs came into view. They were magnificent. She didn’t know when he found the time to work out but he had to be doing something to keep himself in such good shape. He looked as though he was carved from stone that had been shaped by a master artist. Every muscle begged her hands to touch, to feel.

And she didn’t waste any time when he lowered himself over her, nestled himself between her thighs. She let her hands run up his arms, over his pecs and down his abdomen. When she got around to looking at his face again, Chelsea found that he watched her with an amused tilt to his lips. “What?”

“You touch me as if you’ve never touched a man before.”

In a way, it was true. She had never explored Richard’s body like this. Never wanted to run her hands over every part of him. Nibble, lick and taste him. Didn’t crave his lips against hers every time he spoke. With Daniel, it was a struggle not to strip him naked and jump him no matter where they were. “The truth is I haven’t, really.”

He looked as if he had questions but thought better of asking them. Instead, the smile that curved his lips was wicked. “Anything else you haven’t done with a man that you want to try now?” Daniel fell back and stretched out, offering himself to her.

Her mouth moistened at the sight, as well as other parts lower down. He looked absolutely delicious. “I can do whatever I want?” She let her hands dance over his stomach, over his hips to rest on his thighs. Lowering her head, she cocked her chin to look him in the eyes. “Can you close your eyes?”

Daniel’s smile grew but he did as he’d been told. “As my lady wishes.”

Chelsea was stymied for a second. He’d most often been the one to take the lead and if he wasn’t, he’d usually take over. Richard never gave her the chance. Come to think of it, she’d never really taken the lead anywhere else in her life before their breakup. She just did as she was told and was content to let everything be sorted for her. What a pathetic existence.

Not anymore. Chelsea focused on the man beneath her. What to do first? She straddled his thighs. Leaning forward, she flicked her tongue over his nipple, gliding it over his pec to taste the skin on his tense abdomen. Nipping at the ridges, she made her way down, letting her hair trace over him the way she knew he enjoyed. She followed the trail leading from his navel to his cock and was rewarded with a groan.