Spark (Heat #2)(12)

"You really hurt me, Tyler," I whisper. "Some of those things you said are hard to forget."

"I know." He moves closer to me. "Let me show you that I can do better, Cadence. Give me a chance to do that."

"You can't keep dwelling on my relationship with Brendon." I drop my hand to my hip. "You have to accept that it happened and that it's over."

"I can do that." His arms cross over his chest. "I can do whatever it takes to make things right between us."

"Don't let my past ruin this." I stare into his eyes. "What happened the other night can't happen again, Tyler. If it does, this part of our relationship is over."

"I understand." His gaze is fierce as he closes the distance between us. "I'll keep my jealousy in check. I'll show you that I'm a better man than that."

"I believe that you're a better man than that."

"I'll prove to you that I am. You have my word."

I reach up to touch his chin with my hand. "It hurt too much, Tyler. It worries me that you can hurt me that much."

"Don't." He eases me closer to him, wrapping his arms around me. "I promise it won't happen again. Let me show you how good I can be for you."





CHAPTER 10


He places the food in front of me. The aroma of garlic instantly assaults me. It's so strong that my eyes start to tear up.

"Chef?" I look at the deep bowl filled with handmade pasta and tomato sauce. "How much garlic did you put in this?"

"Just enough." He points at the linen napkin and fork that are next to the bowl. "What are you waiting for, Cadence? Take a bite."

"Do you plan on kissing me when I leave tonight, Tyler?"

"You're planning on leaving tonight?" He shifts on his feet. "I want to make love to you. Do you want to wait before we do that again?"

My body doesn’t want to wait. My heart needs to. I agreed to meet him at his place for dinner and nothing more. I need to venture back into this with a shielded heart. Tyler has the power to cut straight into me with his words. I have to keep my guard up right now and when he's ramming his perfect cock into me, that's hard.

"I'm going home after dinner," I say without hesitation. "I don't want to rush back into things too quickly."

"We’re doing this at your pace." He leans down to kiss the top of my head. "I'll only rush you to eat. The food is going to get cold before you take your first bite."

I can only hope that if it gets too cold that he'll discard it and make it again without an entire head of garlic. Tyler is liberal with his seasonings. I noticed that during my first shift at Nova. I had to shadow Darrell and as I watched him prepare a lamb ragout, I was stunned by the amount of fresh herbs he added to the dish. He wasn't shy with the garlic either, but when I tasted the final creation I was blown away by the balance of flavors.

The garlic wasn't overpowering that day though. I can't say the same as I lean down to inhale the scent of this dish.

"I need you to trust me, Cadence." He crouches next to me. "We're going to start with food. Take a bite. I promise you'll be surprised by how good it is."

I rest my hand on his cheek. Earlier, when we were at Nova's new location, I told him that I wanted to go home. He didn't argue the point. He asked me about dinner and after I accepted, with the stipulation that I bring the wine, he hailed a cab for me and kissed me softly on my forehead. He didn’t press me to stay. He quietly apologized again and told me he couldn't wait to see me tonight.

"I think you're a wonderful chef." I tilt my chin toward the bowl. "This has too much garlic though."

He reaches past me to grab the linen napkin. With a quick flick of his wrist, it's open. He drapes it carefully across the white fabric of my skirt. It's a skirt that Sophia made me for. I chose it, and the matching sheer white sleeveless blouse, before I realized that Tyler expected me to eat pasta. I can only hope that the outfit makes it through dinner still looking the way it does now.

I wait as he carefully twirls a ribbon of sauce covered noodle onto the fork. He cradles his hand below it as he guides it toward my mouth. "Open for me."

I shiver at the words and the way he looks at me when he says them. I do as I'm told. I open my mouth and let him feed me.

I close my eyes as soon as the sauce touches my tongue. I breathe in as I chew slowly, savoring each bite. I swallow just as my eyes pop open.

"You're a genius, Chef."

He scoops up the bowl in his palm and shovels a forkful of food into his own mouth. He chews as he winks at me. "I told you to trust me. This is good, right?"

"It's so much better than good." I point at my mouth. "Can I have another bite please?"

His brow darts up before he thoughtfully feeds me again. "I love watching you eat, Cadence. You look almost as beautiful when you're enjoying a meal as when you're enjoying my body."

I lick my bottom lip, capturing the last remnants of the delectable sauce. "Your body is seriously hot."

"Feel free to stay and enjoy it. It's all for you."

I look down to where the light blue dress shirt he's wearing is opened, revealing a hint of his toned chest. It would be easy to fall back into his bed. It would help ease the tension between us but I'd hate myself as soon as I was home alone in bed with just my thoughts.