Chapter 7
Carter studied Kit, capturing her gaze with his. He wanted to reach out and slide his fingers through her butterscotch-colored hair that reached her shoulders in a thick wave. If a person’s eyes were truly a window to the soul, then Kit’s moss-green eyes were shuttered to avoid letting anyone see the depths of her being.
He wanted to see that a lot more than he cared to admit. What was in that woman that drew him to her?
He couldn’t help but still feel the heat of her skin, even though he had pulled away from her. It had been sparks that hit him immediately. Even if it was just the Heimlich maneuver.
Good job taking that class.
She had curves and more curves that he had the intense desire to explore. He could imagine his fingertips drifting over her soft bare flesh, and his thumbs circling her hard nipples before he tasted them. God, he bet she tasted good—every inch of her.
When they’d been at the grocery store, he’d spent a good deal of the time enjoying her movements. Watching her as she bent over to grab an item off a shelf, or when she opened the doors in the freezer section and the cold air made her nipples tighten into hard, obvious points against her shirt.
As he watched, a pretty pink stained Kit’s cheeks—like she’d guessed every thought in his head and he wondered if he was that transparent.
Her breast rose and fell with the quickening of her breaths. The sexual undercurrent that sizzled between them was something completely unexpected. It was crystal clear she felt it as much as he did.
When he had first met her in the kitchen, he had been attracted to her. That attraction had intensified to something that had taken him completely off guard.
Down boy. Kit is your employee, and you don’t date employees.
If he fired her and then asked her out…
He mentally shook his head. His thoughts were crazy as hell. That wouldn’t be fair to her at all. He was a better man than that and knew better than to get tangled up with an employee.
“Where are you from, Kit?” Jill’s voice broke the connection between Carter and Kit.
Kit looked vaguely confused for a moment but recovered as she turned her attention to one of Carter’s three younger sisters. “Originally San Francisco, but I’ve been in L.A. for the past several years.”
“I love L.A.” Haylee lowered her fork, mashed potato still on the tines. “It’s so fast-paced. Nothing like this place.”
“But there’s something about San Francisco that’s just awesome,” Leeann said. “It is so cool that you can walk everywhere you want to go.”
“San Francisco is okay.” Jill picked up her knife and fork. “I just don’t understand why so many homeless people live there. It’s so cold.”
Carter frowned as he watched Kit’s face. She looked as though she’d been slapped. It was like it hit a personal note with her.
He wanted to tell Jill to shut up. She had this habit of not knowing when to stop talking.
“I guess it’s a problem here, too, but we don’t see it on an everyday basis because we have to drive just about everywhere, we go. Not to mention it gets so hot here in the summer that who would want to stay?” Jill continued speaking as she cut into her pork chop. “It must be hard to be homeless.”
“It is.” Kit’s voice was a little harsh. It must have been because she had just choked. “It’s very difficult for people who are homeless to live anywhere. Being on the street isn’t living.”
Jill had touched a tender nerve with Kit, and Carter wondered why.
Seemingly oblivious to Kit’s discomfort, and the slight heat beneath her words, Jill nodded. “I understand.”
You can’t possibly understand, Kit’s eyes seemed to say. Then her expression became a study in neutrality.
“Where did you work in L.A.?” Haylee pointed to the food on her plate, and Carter was relieved she had changed the subject. “You must have been the chef at a really nice place because this is not your typical rancher’s fair.”
Their mom laughed. “Heaven’s no, it’s certainly not. I don’t remember ever having food this good cooked from that kitchen.”
“I was head chef at one of the larger boutique hotels.” Kit offered a reserved smile. “Ours catered to wealthier clientele and provided amenities that most boutique hotels do not.”
“What in the world are you doing here?” Sometimes Jill’s habit of saying what was on her mind and being blunt had Carter shaking his head. But it would be a lie if he didn’t wonder what had dragged her out this direction himself.
“I love the country.” Kit shrugged one shoulder, but it was not a casual shrug. Her body was tense, as if she was prepared to run. “I spent a lot of time on my grandparents’ farm in Northern California when I was growing up.”
“What happened to your grandparents?” Jill barreled forward and Carter wanted to do a face-palm.
Kit sounded hoarse as she spoke. “They died in a car accident on their way to visit my father, when he was in the hospital.”
Before Jill could stomp all over Kit’s feelings any more than she already had, Carter cut in. “Where did you learn how to cook like this?”
An expression of relief passed over Kit’s features. “Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Los Angeles.”
The credential had been on her resume. Her resume had been impressive all around, and it was a surprise that someone like her would be interested in a job like this one. It wasn’t a position that would make her rich or famous.
“I’m not surprised.” Julie waved her fork around as she spoke. “This is amazing.”
“I’m glad you are enjoying it.” Kit smiled, some of the tension seeming to roll off her shoulders. “I love to cook, so it’s a pleasure for me.”
“Believe me, the pleasure is definitely all ours.” Justin settled his fork on his already empty plate, amusement in his chocolate-colored eyes. “I’m going for thirds after I finish seconds.”
Everyone laughed, and a smile lit Kit’s eyes.
She was a beautiful woman. A woman with many layers…a woman Carter would like to get to know better. Much better.
He shook his head. She was his employee. That was dangerous ground. Like stepping on a rattlesnake in your bare feet.
Throughout the birthday dinner, his family was hellbent on telling as many embarrassing stories as possible about Carter, like it was a birthday tradition. He just shook his head and laughed with the rest of them.
They talked about the time he got drunk on his eighteenth birthday; his aversion to carrots and how he would spit them out when he was a baby—more like projectile vomiting; how nervous he’d been on his first prom date and that he’d had spinach stuck in his braces after prom dinner; and a few other stories.
He watched Kit during the meal without making it obvious that’s what he was doing. At least he hoped it wasn’t obvious. It was hard to tell if anyone else noticed how he had his eyes on Kit.
Carter found her almost mesmerizing. Something about her made it difficult to focus on anything else. When she laughed at some of the tales, her eyes sparkled and her grin was infectious. She was an entirely different woman now than she was when talking about herself.
When they finished dinner, Leeann and Haylee helped Kit clear the dishes, and then Kit brought out the cake. It was a four-layer white cake with custard and raspberry filling, and chocolate ganache icing. She presented it like it was the proudest she’d ever been with a cake she’d made. The cake looked like it had been made by a specialty shop, perfectly iced. It was almost a shame to cut into it.
After a huge bite, he turned to Kit. “This is the best damned cake I’ve ever had—even better than the one you served to the employees after lunch. That one was the best I’d had before now.”
Everyone else chimed in with enthusiastic compliments. They were fussing over how good the food was and how much they wanted her to stay around.
Kit looked embarrassed but pleased. “I’m glad you like it.”
“Love it.” He dug into the velvety white cake and chocolate ganache until only crumbs remained, and then helped himself to seconds.
When dinner wound down, and Kit and the McLeods had cleared the table, everyone insisted on pitching in to clean up in the kitchen, too.
Kit laughed and smiled with his family as they joked around and made record time with the dishes. Kit had cleaned the kitchen as she cooked, so it hadn’t been a mess. Just a few dishes left from when they ate.
Once Carter had seen his family out the front door, he returned to the kitchen where Kit was wiping down the mixer she had used. He watched her from the door, staring at her as she worked.
It took a while for her to notice him. He had almost a minute of uninterrupted time to take in her body as she moved around the room.
Kit glanced up and he could swear he heard a small gasp escape her as their gazes locked. Not a gasp from being startled, but one from recognizing a truth—a truth of knowing each other in ways he couldn’t explain. He could feel it coursing between them. That knowledge—uncontrolled, powerful, unstoppable—raw, sexual, intense. She wanted him as much as he wanted her—that was clear in her green eyes. He could read it all over her expression. She felt the same connection between them that he did.
Shit.
This was never supposed to happen. And it was his fault.
He was already in over his head and he barely knew the woman. Maybe it was time to get the hell out of here and cool off. A cold shower. Anything to get his mind off of the curves of the woman who had been talking with his family.
For a single moment, he thought about saying goodnight and leaving.
No.
One thing Carter McLeod never did was run away from anything, including his feelings. He faced things head-on, figured it out, and determined if he should move on or explore the situation further.
This was one instance that required more exploration.
From that soft blush on her cheeks, she didn’t look ready to walk away either. He wanted to see how far that blush reached under her shirt. Would the pink color cover the rest of her skin?
He wanted her more than anything else right then.
It would be wrong for him to toss her onto the table and start kissing her right there, but he wanted to. He really wanted to. He wanted her. Right then. Right there.
He suppressed a frustrated groan as he couldn’t take his eyes off of her.
He forced himself to think of his grandmother before he turned around and acted like he was just thinking about something else. Anything else. Anything but her.
She was getting to him in ways he hadn’t known anyone could. Just being in the same room as her was driving him absolutely crazy.
I can handle this.
He just needed to find the chance to talk to her. Alone.
He made plans to see her after she got off of work. He needed to show her where she would be living anyway, right?
The image of him in her bed flashed through his mind. He had to suppress a groan as he imagined her hair splayed out under her while he leaned over her and slid his lips across hers while he skimmed his hands over her body.
Stop it.
He took a deep breath while he finished dragging himself back into control.