Burn (Heat #1)(16)

"I have." He takes a sip of water. "Why?"

I'm tempted to ask the obvious question. I don't really want to know if he's f*cked two, three or ten of the women he's worked with. His number doesn’t matter. Mine isn't that high but it's enough to know that he's more experienced than I am. He's comfortable with his body and with mine. He's brought pleasure to a lot of women, or if that's not the case, there have been one or two very lucky women beneath him in the past.

"What happened when the personal relationship ended?"

He stops eating to stare at me. He runs his tongue over his bottom teeth before the fork drops from his hand onto the plate. "Are you ending this, Cadence?"

With shaking fingers, I push my hair away from the side of my face. "I don't want to."

He reaches to scoop my hand into his, his eyes searching mine. "Why are you asking me then? What is it? Tell me."

My ass fidgets on my chair. My body's movements a reflection of what I feel inside. "I'm worried."

"About?" He pushes his chair back, his hand squeezing mine. "What are you worried about?"

I exhale audibly. "Can we handle each other if the personal part of our relationship ends? Will I still have my job?"

"You'll have it." He pulls my fingers to his mouth for a soft kiss. "I respect you as a chef, Cadence. There will always be a place for you on my team. "





CHAPTER 16


"What are you doing?" His voice is raspy as he walks into the dream kitchen of his apartment with a smile on his face. "I go to take a call and you're giving yourself the grand tour."

I laugh as I tuck my smartphone in the pocket of my jeans before I wipe a paper towel over the counter one last time. "I wanted a refill on my water. I came to fill it up and I spilled it everywhere."

He glances at the half-empty glass of water on the counter in front of me. "Were you on a call too?"

"I wasn't," I mutter as I look down at the floor.

"I saw your phone in your hand." He gestures toward my jeans before he moves forward to pick up a tablet that was on the counter.

I stare at the tablet watching how tightly he grips it. "I'm sorry that I got that wet. I dried the cover."

"It's fine," he says curtly. "Who were you talking to?"

This feels like an interrogation and suddenly the words he spoke when I first arrived about making myself feel at home seem hollow.

"I was sending a text message to my mom. She likes if I check in with her every Sunday."

"You're all checked in?"

"I'm good to go." I nod. "What do you want to do now?"

His lips curve into a grin. "I want to eat you for dessert but I need to drop by the restaurant."

I take another drink from the glass. "Is it something I can help with? I can go down there with you."

"Actually," he begins before his eyes drop to his tablet. "I'm going to meet with Darrell to go over two new menu items we're going to try out."

"What are they?" I reach forward to brush his forearm. "I'd love to hear about them."

"I only share new items with the executive staff."

The words hurt, even if they shouldn’t. It's a work issue. I'm a junior chef. I'm so far down the ranks of the brass of Nova that I won't know the new items until I'm rounded up with the rest of the kitchen and wait staff to taste them the day before they debut on the menu. That's how it works at Tyler's restaurant.

"I understand," I say quietly. "I'll head home."

"I'll call you later, Cadence." He brushes his lips across my forehead as he leads me to the door with his hand on the small of my back. "Lunch was great."

Lunch was great. Everything after it wasn't.

***

"It bothers you that he doesn't trust you. Is that it?" Sophia shoots me a sympathetic frown. "I don't blame you, Cadence. It would piss me off too."

"It's not that I'm pissed off." I stretch out on my bed in the blue sundress Sophia asked me to try on. "I'm going to throw something at you, but don't think I'm crazy. Promise me you won't."

"I promise." She crosses her legs as she sits on the edge of my bed.

"Lunch went well," I begin. "We talked about what would happen if we ended things."

She plays with a loose thread on my comforter. "What did he say would happen?"

I don't hesitate before I answer. "He said that I'd still have my job. He kind of seemed upset by the idea of things ending between us."

"Upset how?"

"He asked if I wanted to end it."

"What did you say?"

I cock both brows. "I told him no because I don't."

"But?" She twirls her finger in the air. "Get to the seeming crazy part."

I smile. "His phone rang after he told me my job was secure whether or not we're sleeping together."

"Who was on the phone?"

"The restaurant," I answer quickly. "It was Darrell. He's a head chef. Tyler greeted him by name."