Addicted (The Addicted Series, #1)(73)

"Who you've known for a total of about one week if you add up all the time you've actually spent in the same city together. Don't tell me he doesn't push some buttons physically for you, Krystal. I know your type too well. Hell, even I have to admit he’s nice on the eyes.”

I groaned. This is what getting drunk one night with a good friend does for you. "Perhaps, but you also know there's no way in hell I'm even thinking of going there. First off, he's now family. Second and more importantly, he's acted like a total * for most of his life."

"And while that’s true, his intentions were good this time," Kimberly told me. She explained the conversation they'd had, and how she'd told him what his little stunt had caused in the restaurant. She ended it with telling me about his final question. "If my guess is right, you're going to come home to an apology and an invitation to watch Ratatouille."

I laughed despite myself. "Well, there are worse ways to get an apology. Alright, alright. He's forgiven for his little stunt. But that's strike one. Three strikes and he’s out.”

"And right into the Hilton or something even more upscale," Kimberly joked. "You know, it's not really my place to stick my nose in, but you were the one who asked me to look into John Castelbon those years ago. Julian doesn't know the truth. Shouldn't we tell him? I feel like a lot of his act is just that, an act. He's hurt and scared, he blames everything on his father, and he thinks his mother was some sort of saint. Maybe he needs a wakeup call."

I thought about it, and shook my head. "There'll come a time Kimberly, but not right now. Hey, my break is almost over, I need to get back to work. Thanks for the heads up."

"No problem. Enjoy your Disney movie," Kim joked, and hung up on me. I put my phone back in my pocket, and headed back inside. I still had a dinner service to get through, no matter what Julian might have planned for me.



* * *



Krystal





The lights were dim when I came in the door, just after midnight. It was a Wednesday evening, which traditionally at Alinea meant dinner service was light. In keeping with the preparations for Iron Chef, Horst had let me and Shannon's other team members go as soon as the last plate was off the pass, so I actually walked out at just after eleven fifteen. I thought about taking a cab but decided instead to take a ride on the bus like normal. Unfortunately, my timing was just off, and I ended up not getting home until after twelve.

"Hello?" I said as I closed the door behind me. "Julian?"

I heard a started sound from the sofa, and Julian sat up, obviously surprised. "Krystal? Oh God, what time is it?"

"Just after midnight," I said, setting down my bag and coming over. He had set up his laptop computer on the coffee table, and it was pretty obvious he had fallen asleep. "You must be getting caught up from jet lag."

Julian yawned and stretched before wiping his hands over his face and nodding. "Yeah, I must. Wow, jeez, sorry."

I chuckled and sat down next to him. With his hair a bit disheveled from sleep, he looked cute, a lot more innocent than I'd ever seen him before. "It happens to us all. I've gotten used to being able to catch some sleep on a moment's notice. So what's loaded?"

"Well, I figured you'd be coming home late, so I didn't want to keep you up all night. First off, I wanted to apologize about last night. I didn't mean to disrupt your work or to cause you any problems."

"Thank you," I said, smiling. "Just to let you know, Kimberly called me during my break. She told me about your conversation. Regardless of the result, I know your intent was in the right place."

"Thank you," Julian said, reaching out and taking my hand. "Secondly . . . you cook one mean ass steak. Best I've ever had in my life."

His compliment made me blush, and my smile spread into a grin. "Okay, okay, you're forgiven. Now, are you going to tell me what you loaded up or am I going to be forced into hitting the play button myself?"

"Just a moment," Julian said, getting up from the couch. He rushed into the kitchen area before returning, carrying two bowls. From my sitting position on the couch I couldn't see what they were. "I wish I could take the credit for these, but as you know I can't cook much at all, I’ll admit I ordered delivery. I figured you'd had dinner at the restaurant, so I just got us some dessert."

He handed me my bowl, along with a spoon. "I don't know if it's up to Michelin star standard, but I've got a weakness for tiramisu. This place about a mile away delivered, and so I got us a tiramisu and a panna cotta. So anyway, as to what I loaded. I thought about it, and I realized as much as a movie would be fun, you'd probably be too tired. I thought instead about your upcoming TV appearance, and loaded this instead."

He hit the play button, and I was immediately taken back as the theme from Backdraft played over the speakers. "You loaded the original Iron Chef? Awesome!"

It was even more than awesome. Julian had chosen with quite a bit of forethought, choosing an episode that featured the first woman to defeat one of the Japanese Iron Chefs. As the cooking progressed, we both enjoyed our dessert, and afterwards leaned back to relax, my sweet tooth satisfied.

What happened next felt strangely natural to me. With exhaustion overtaking me, I leaned over, relaxing against Julian's arm, until he lifted his arm around my shoulder. It was warm and comfortable there for sure, and there was an unmistakably masculine aura. I leaned in and relaxed, letting my head rest against his body, feeling the light tingles of arousal begin to work their way through my body. I could hear Julian's heart through the thin cotton of his shirt, and by the time the final credits played, my body moved on its own. Scooting up, I turned towards him, our eyes meeting before we started leaning in, our lips parting.