The Rebound Pact (12 page)

Holden
laughed, relieved she’d turned the tension upside down. “I thought they made a lovely addition. I told you I would keep them there.”

She laughed too. And he was suddenly struck by how easily she changed her moods. Was it the result of dating a politician or was
she shutting him out? He was praying it was the political influence in her life. The other option was just too painful. Or could she be comfortable enough with him that she could show him her pain and not leave—that she could turn such an upsetting moment into one of laughter? He liked that notion a hell of a lot better.

“Hope you don’t get too many visitors.”

He shook his head. “You’re the only one so far
, since...my ex moved out about six months ago.” His voice went bitter when he mentioned Lacy. He hadn’t meant to admit that. To basically tell her that he’d not had any other women in the house, but the words just popped out. He turned to the oven, checking to see if he’d remembered to turn it off, so he wouldn’t have to look at her. When he turned back she was staring at him, an interested look on her face.

She bit her lip,
then held up a crostini. “Ready for your first taste?”

He was more than ready. Holden nodded and opened his mouth. She slid the fully loaded oval of bread into his mouth. An explosion of flavor hit his tongue.
Tangy, garlicky, creamy goodness. He chewed, nodded his head, and held his fingers together as he’d seen chefs do when they loved a certain food. “Mmm, mmm, mmm.”

“We have a winner!” She laughed and took a bite herself.

He picked up his wine and took a sip, pleased by how well her choice of food mixed with the bouquet of flavors in his wine. “That was amazing, Gabrielle.”

“Thank you. I can’t wait for you to try the pasta.”

He grabbed plates out of the cabinet, forks and knives. “Where do you want to eat? I have a dining room.”

“That sounds great. We can set the food out on the table.”

She followed Holden through the back of the kitchen to his dining room, walled with windows that overlooked the landscape, including the large pond on his property. He’d yet to turn on the lights, and looking through the glass the landscape was lit up by the night time stars and moon.

“What a beautiful view.” She set down the crostini
platter, the pasta bowl and tofu dish, then went to look out his window. “I bet it’s amazing during the day.”

Holden came up beside her, placed his hand on the small of her back and stared out the window.
She shivered slightly when he touched her. He liked touching her. Really liked that they stood here, both admiring the beauty and tranquility of the setting.

“It is. I like to go down to the pond, sit in the shade and watch the ducks swim by.”

She glanced up at him, her eyes sparkling in the moonlight. She crossed her arms over each other, rubbing her elbows. “Sounds peaceful.”

He ran his knuckles lightly up her spine.
“Maybe we can set up a table out there for our brunch.”

“I would love that.”
Her voice was soft, a caress as she turned to look up at him through lowered lashes.

He wanted more than anything to bend down and kiss her.
To feel her breath on his skin. To hear her soft moans of pleasure against his ear. None of that. This was dinner. Business. “Me too. Now, about dinner?” His stomach growled as he took in all the aromas.

“Let me get the rest. Oh, do you have a bottle of your chardonnay handy? I think that will go best with the pesto and the tofu.”

“Absolutely.” He went to the kitchen and grabbed the bottle he’d opened before she arrived.

They finished setting up the table and when Holden turned to flick on the lights, she stayed his hand, sparks firing up his arm from her touch.

“This might sound weird, but do you mind if we eat in the dark?”

“It does sound a little weird…” he chuckled.

“It’s just that the view of the stars and moon is so pretty and when you turn on the lights it will be gone.”

“Okay.” He took her hand and led her to the table, pulling out her chair. Once she was settled, he took the chair beside her. “What about candles?”

He saw the flash of her smile in the moonlight. “That would be wonderful.”

He quickly stood and found the candles and matches in his china buffet, then returned them to the table, giving them a little ambience.

“Love it,” she exclaimed. “Now we can see what we’re eating and you’re still indulging my need to see your view.”

Holden laughed.
“Anything to please the chef.” He raised his glass. “To another amazing evening—and the fulfillment of my appetite.” Yeah, he’d gone there, blatantly insinuating that he wanted her.

She laughed and t
hey clinked glasses, their eyes locked in an intense stare as they sipped. If he didn’t start eating he was going to swipe everything from the table and set her on top of it, making a meal of her body. Screw it. He was going to do it. He’d spent plenty of evenings downing peanuts and carrots. He pushed his chair back, prepared to stand and whisk her into the air.

Luckily—or unluckily—
Gabrielle served him the pasta and tofu.

He scooted his chair back in. Disappointed he wasn’t making love to her right now, but also happy he was eating. She was a damn fine chef.
They ate in silence for a few moments. He couldn’t believe the flavors bouncing around in his mouth. The food seemed so simple, but her use of spices and diverse ingredients made the dishes taste completely different than what was expected—and in a good way.

“This is
magnificent. The bistro is going to be a major hit with your recipes and culinary abilities, Gabrielle.”

She wiped the corners of her mouth.
“Thank you. I was really hoping you’d like them. When I worked at La Peche, the restaurant had its own previous list of menu items. I did some tweaking, but the owner wanted me to stick to her menu. I’m excited for the opportunity to create my own dishes with you.”

“You still blew away the critics.”

“Yeah, but I always wondered what would have happened if she’d let me take the reins. But you know,” she sat back, swirling her wine glass, “I can’t dwell on the past. It doesn’t do any good. I’m moving on to new and better opportunities. Thank you for that.”

“I should probably be the one doing the thanking. Without you, I’m not sure we’d have been able to pull it off the way I want to.”

She smiled and sipped slowly at her wine.

“We’re
a good team, you and me.”

“That we are.”
And in more ways than one. Watching her watching him had his blood pumping hard, his cock rigid in an instant. She was so intense in her scrutiny, as if she savored every second, every detail. “I still can’t believe that Len broke up with you. You’re remarkable.”

Her eyes flashed a bit of anxiety. “
I’m glad he did. We wouldn’t have lasted anyway. Melanie predicted our break up a year ago. There was too much pressure. I wasn’t around enough. Better that it happened before we married.”

“Who’s Melanie?”

“My roommate from college. We’re still really close. You’d like her.”

“I like you already.” Did he really just say that?

Even in the candlelight he could see a blush form on her cheeks.

“I like you
, too. I didn’t mean it like that, about Melanie.”

He shrugged. He hadn’t taken it that way, wasn’t interested in anyone but
Gabrielle.

She sat forward and placed her glass down. “What happened to you and
your ex?”

Damn. He never wanted to talk about that.

The lively spark in Holden’s eyes shut down when she mentioned his ex. He frowned a little, his gaze moving from her to the window as he chugged the rest of his wine. The topic of exes was generally taboo, but he’d brought it up and she was relieved to admit that she was glad things between her and Len didn’t work out.

“I don’t want to talk about her. Not when I’m having a good time with you.” He leaned forward, his demeanor returning to the cool, confident man she knew.

But for those brief moments, she’d seen through his assured bearing. Holden appeared to still be damaged. Whatever the woman had done, she’d really screwed him up. All Gabrielle wanted to do was get up from her chair and pull him into her embrace, to comfort him the way he’d comforted her.

He’d told her at the winery that he
r pain was probably worse than his, and at the time she’d thought he was right. She’d been more upset with the loss of her career when Len dumped her than with anything else. But now she was starting over, and she actually felt better than she had in a long time. On the inside, she was still working through some issues, but she was healing, could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Holden
looked like he was still stuck in the dark. At least that was the impression she got. Probably been listening to Melanie too much. But if she had to guess, she’d say the way he dealt with his problems was overworking, not actually trying to heal.

A lot like Max. A lot like her father.

Funny how the men in her life were all so similar.

Ex
cept for Len. He was a tool. A total douche. Good riddance.

“You know, in the kitchen, when I was getting all weepy, you hugged me, Holden. It made me feel a lot better.
For that moment, we were more than all this.” She waved her hand around at the table. She’d give him what he needed. Space. And offer up the chance to talk if he needed to. That was all she could do. She didn’t want him to completely close off from her. “We’ve known each other a long time. If you ever want to talk about it, I can listen. But how about, for right now, we eat some cake?”

He smiled then, relief flowing from his features. The crinkles by his eyes relaxed, the strain in his muscles eased. She stood, then leaned over and pressed her lips to his.
It was a slow kiss, one that lingered, savored. She meant it to be more than just a lusty kiss. One that sealed the deal on their emotional night. When she pulled back, his gaze locked on hers, thoughtful, expressive, as if to say thank you.

“Why don’t you get the dessert wine
?” she offered.

He gave her slow grin.
“Sweet wine and cake, the perfect end to a fantastic meal.”

As she walked out of the room, she glanced coyly over her shoulder. “And that’s not even dessert.”

To hell with trying to avoid the bedroom. They needed each other. The whole point of the rebound pact was to help them get over the pain of their past relationships. She was definitely going to forget tonight’s aching and she planned on making Holden forget about the bitch who’d broken his heart.

When she returned to the dining room with two plates topped with slice
d cake, Holden had a bottle of muscat in one hand and two glasses in the other, and he was blowing out the candles.

“Now we are going to eat in the dark?”

He winked at her. “Better, I thought we could finish this outside.”

She nodded and followed him through the house, out the back door onto a patio made for parties or romantic evenings. There was a
lighted kidney shaped stone-surrounded pool, complete with a hot tub and flowing waterfall. He led her over to a sitting area with cushioned outdoor couches and matching arm chairs. He set down the glasses and wine bottle on the glass-topped wicker table, and she followed suit with the cake.

Holden sat down on
the couch and patted the seat next to him. She sat beside him, snuggling into his side.

“Is this better?”

“Yes,” she said, glancing up at the black sky sparkling like diamonds. “You just might have the best view in Mount Airy.”

He chuckled. “I wish I got out here more often. I spend most of my time working.”

“I know the feeling. I was working three a.m. to midnight at La Peche.”

“No joke?”

“Yeah, it was rough. I had sous-chefs, but my boss wanted me there, keeping tabs. I didn’t argue. Other than the hours, it was an amazing gig.”