Kiss The Cook

Palate already takes all my time and energy, and I'm planning to expand. I'm determined to see my business succeed. All my money, all Nana's money is tied up in it. I can't afford to fail.

'To be perfectly blunt,' she continued in a rush, 'I don't want my attention diverted by a relationship that will eventually die from lack of attention. Then I'll not only have a failed business, but a broken heart on my hands. I've already had my heart broken once. Believe me, once is enough.'

'I can understand that,' he said in a quiet voice. 'My schedule is bad, too. I have to travel a lot, and I've been putting in twelve-, fourteen-hour days for so long, it seems normal. And since I made partner, it's even worse.' He reached across the seat and squeezed her hand. 'But I'm willing to make time for something important.' His eyes probed hers in a way that sent her pulse skittering. 'I'm willing to make time for you.'

Her heart flipped over in her chest. He wasn't supposed to say these things. He was supposed to say fine, great, gotta do my bachelor thing, see ya, have a nice life.

'There are only so many hours in a day, Chris.'

'I know. And since I met you, you've been on my mind every single one of them. I didn't want it, I can't explain it, but there it is.' He squeezed her hand and smiled at her. 'Hey, relax. All I'm suggesting is that we get to know each other better. Go out. Have some laughs. Nothing serious. No strings.'

Aha! Nothing serious. No strings. That was his male bachelor reflex kicking in, no doubt. She shook her head to clear it. 'There are a hundred reasons why we shouldn't pursue this… this whatever- it-is.'

He raised his eyebrows. 'Really? I'd love to hear them, 'cause I've been trying to convince myself of that very thing and I'm coming up blank. Name one.'

Okay. One should be easy. There were easily a hundred. Or at least a dozen. So why the heck couldn't she think of one? Probably because of the way he was looking at her, his handsome face serious, a lock of midnight hair falling across his brow. It lulled her brain into a completely dormant state.

Her thought processes suddenly kicked in and relief washed over her. 'Okay. Here's one. We have absolutely nothing in common.'

'That's not true. We have a lot in common.'

'Such as?'

His gaze roamed slowly over her from head to toe, igniting small bonfires all over her skin. When their eyes met again, his gleamed with mischief. 'We both have belly buttons.'

A breath she hadn't realized she held whooshed from her lungs. 'Belly buttons? Oh, Brother.'

His lips curved in a sexy half grin. 'I'll show you mine if you show me yours.'

'I'll bet. Are we still talking about belly buttons?'

'Of course.'

Her gaze unconsciously drifted down to his abdomen. She nearly swallowed her tongue when she saw the unmistakable bulging evidence of his arousal.

Clearing her throat, she said, 'It would appear you have an 'outie.''

'Constantly. Ever since I met you.'

Good grief. Now she knew they weren't talking about belly buttons anymore. She somehow managed to force her gaze away from his fascinating 'outie.' Gazing into his amused eyes, she tried to recall what on earth they'd been talking about. Oh, yes. The hundred reasons why they shouldn't pursue a relationship.

'Okay,' she said. 'Here's another one. I know all about guys like you.' Ha. So there.

A frown appeared between his brows. He looked puzzled. 'Guys like me? What's that supposed to mean?'

'You know. Good looking, er, accountant types. Oh, you might appear harmless, but you're all philanderers.'

'I'm a lot of things, but I am not a stamp collector.'

'Not a philatelist. A philanderer. Someone who engages in casual affairs.'

'Excuse me?'

'Fickle-hearted. Love 'em and leave 'em. Wham, bam, thank you ma'am…' her words trailed off as she noted his expression. All signs of amusement had vanished. In fact, he looked genuinely hurt.

He grew still, his eyes serious and unflinching. 'That's what you think of me? What have I done to make you think so badly of me?'

Nothing. Damn it, he'd been nothing but kind. And he scared her to death. He rekindled desires and needs she'd ruthlessly buried when her fiance had dumped her. Worse, this man made her feel things she'd never felt before, and that was reason enough to run and hide.

She pushed her hair behind her ears and realized her hands were shaking. 'I don't think badly of you. You're just too… too everything. Too handsome. Too nice. Too sexy.' She clasped her sweaty palms together and shook her head. 'A boyfriend is the last thing I need. Relationships and I don't get along.'

'I'm not him,' he said in a quiet voice.

'Who?'

'The guy who hurt you.' He laid his hands on her shoulders and gently shook her. 'Melanie, I'm not him.'

'I know.' To her chagrin, hot tears pushed at the back of her eyes. Drat. She refused to cry. It was out of the question.

'Do you want to tell me about it?' he asked. 'It might make you feel better-clear the air.'

She shrugged and forced away the tears. 'There's not much to tell. I was engaged. The day before the wedding I stopped in at my fiance Todd's apartment to surprise him with a gift.' She paused and took a deep breath. 'I surprised him all right. Him and Missy, my maid of honor. Doing the wild thing right on the kitchen floor.'

A pained expression creased his face. 'Ouch.'

'That's exactly what Todd said when I belted him upside his head with my purse.'

'I hope you gave him a lump.'

A tiny smile touched the corners of her mouth. 'Actually, I gave him a concussion, a fact which helped my pride but didn't do much for my broken heart. I lost my fiance and my best friend in one fell swoop. Not to mention the humiliation involved in canceling a wedding with only a few hours' notice.'

Chris gently drew her across the seat, into his arms, and settled her head against his shoulder. Melanie closed her eyes and sighed. He felt so good. He smelled so good. Like warm sunshine. His heart thumped against her cheek in a soothing, lulling rhythm. It would be so easy to get used to snuggling against him.

He dropped a kiss into her hair. 'I'm sorry, Melanie. Sorry something so hurtful happened to you. But at least you didn't marry the jerk.'

'No, I didn't,' she said into his shirt. 'But the experience made me careful. Very careful.'

Leaning back, he placed his fingers under her chin, forcing her to look at him. The half smile tilting his mouth was at odds with the dead-serious look in his eyes. 'I can promise you'll never find me boffing your best friend on the kitchen floor.' He raised his hand. 'Scout's honor.'

'Chris, look-'

'I don't cheat, Melanie,' he said quietly, all vestiges of his smile and humor gone. 'I don't lie and I don't make promises I can't keep. I always try to be upfront with the women I date. I'm very attracted to you. I'd like to see where it leads. I'm not looking for a lifelong commitment. Just a date.' He shrugged. 'Who knows? Maybe we'll go on one date and end up hating each other.'

Fat chance. Melanie had a sneaking suspicion that she'd end up falling hard and coming up empty again. Her stomach cramped at the thought

'The point is,' she said, 'you've come along at a really bad time. I simply don't have time for you. I don't want to want you.'

'Well, if it makes you feel any better, I don't want to want you either. So how about dinner tomorrow night?'

He drew her closer, until they were pressed intimately together. The heat of his body surrounded her, igniting flames in her newly awakened erogenous zones. Her body leapt to life with a ferocity that left her bordering on panic. She had to get away from him. Right now.

Pulling herself out of his arms, she grabbed her purse, scooted across the seat, and all but bolted from the car.