Chapter 29
Brady
“Where the hell do we start?” I said as Lily and I surrounded the island in my kitchen, where Klark had laid out a bunch of ingredients, leaving us to fend for ourselves.
It wasn’t that my private chef had abandoned us. It was date night. So, instead of having him prepare something that I knew would be five-star, I’d asked him to leave everything he would use to make his world-famous spaghetti in hopes that I could re-create it. Sure, it would have been easier if I’d just had him leave a pot of it on the stove. But where was the fun in that? Even if I fucked it up royally, which I probably would, at least I got to attempt it with her.
And at least she got to see that I was trying.
“Cooking isn’t my superpower.” She smiled weakly. “Heating up, plating—I can do that all day. Knowing what flavors are missing or lacking or the sequence to make it all turn out magical, forget it. I’m a helpless cause.”
I’d seen plenty of confidence over the years. Words intended to brag, impress, secure a second date that had no chance at all.
What I hadn’t seen was this.
Vulnerability.
Admitting a weakness, and it was so fucking sexy.
“If it turns out like shit, we’ll order in.” I grazed her chin, a spot I was surprised I liked so much. It wasn’t a beautiful feature compared to the others on her face, but it was what pulled everything together. A place that screamed to be held.
“I love that plan.”
I ran my hand past her jaw until I was holding the back of her head, tilting it so her eyes were aimed up at me. “How are your knife skills?”
“I can spread cream cheese equally around the inside of a bagel.” She giggled. “But I have a feeling that’s not what you’re asking.”
God, she was so fucking cute.
“The onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms—can you handle that, or would you rather brown the meat?”
“Onions? Are you trying to ruin me?” She blinked several times as though the onions were already burning her eyes. “I’m kidding. I’ll gladly take one for the team.”
She wouldn’t have to do that after dinner. Once we finished this meal, the night was going to be all about her pussy.
I kissed her softly. Slowly. Tasting what was mine before I pulled away to pick up the packages of meat that Klark had left. There were two kinds—ground beef and pork—and I combined them in a cast-iron pan on low heat and began to break up the chunks.
“Something fucking wild happened at work today,” I said over my shoulder.
“How wild?”
“I went out to lunch with Ridge and Rhett.” I continued to turn around to catch her expression, which showed she was as surprised as I’d thought she’d be. “There was alcohol involved, which was probably why the three of us survived the outing. But still, the three of us returned to the office alive.” I left the meat and grabbed a pot from the cabinet, filled it with enough water, and set it on the stovetop to boil. “Honestly, that’s a goddamn miracle.”
“What prompted the lunch?”
I had to chuckle. “They wanted to pick my brain on how I was revamping the payroll department and how I’d done the same for our check-in and checkout process. They wouldn’t say it, but I think they’re impressed with my work.” I gave the meat a quick stir. “Ridge is looking to spearhead a whole new app design for our company, so they wanted to hear my process.”
“You’re really letting him redo the app? That sounds like something you’d do, not him.”
I sighed. “He’s a single dad. He can’t do a lot of traveling to open new hotels or remodel our current inventory. Although he’s going to be doing an overhaul of our Malibu property and some updates to Beverly Hills, he’s limited to only taking jobs around LA since he doesn’t want to be away from his kid.”
“Understandable.” She sliced through the bell pepper. “Still, I’m a little blown away that they came to you. I’m happy they did. I’m just shocked.”
“No one is more fucking shocked than me.”
She brought over the cutting board with the chopped bell peppers and dumped them in with the meat. “Was I supposed to do that?” she asked after the last piece hit the pan.
I laughed. “I have no idea. Let’s go with … yes.”
She returned to the island and got to work on the mushrooms. “Do you think this is the start of a whole new relationship for you guys?”
I whistled out a mouthful of air. “I don’t know, but it would be a hell of a lot easier if we had a relationship. There’s so much tension. Not as much as when we merged, but enough. When I start Edinburgh, I don’t need my time in LA to be fucking muddy because of them. It’s going to be stressful as it is, balancing the payroll rollout with the Scotland remodel. If they add to that stress”—a short growl came from my throat—“they’re going to like me even less.”
“But lunch went well?”
I thought about the couple of hours we’d spent together. I knew Rhett had tagged along because Ridge had asked him to. A strength-in-numbers kind of thing. But there hadn’t been any yelling. I hadn’t even snapped.
“It was productive,” I replied. “That’s probably the biggest compliment I’ve ever been able to give to them.”
She returned to the stovetop to add in the mushrooms. “And they say women bring the drama.”
I stared at her profile as the mushrooms fell off the cutting board into the sizzling meat. “I know you’re not calling me dramatic.”
She winked when she looked at me. “I’m calling them dramatic.” She returned to the island again. “One day, I bet the three of you are going to be friends. You’re going to walk around the office with Ridge’s daughter on your shoulders, and you’re going to take Rhett to a hockey game with you.”
“Did you hit a joint without me knowing?”
She laughed. “Mark my words. It’s going to happen.” She was peeling the onion, holding her face as far away from it as she could. “You didn’t think you were ever going to settle down, and now, look at you. Cooking spaghetti and talking to me about work like any normal boyfriend would.”
I dumped the noodles into the boiling water and faced her. “And I fucking love it.”
“Me too.”
“Your turn. Tell me about work.”
A topic I’d avoided since we’d returned from Dallas a couple of days ago. I didn’t want to push. I didn’t want to rush her. When she made her decision, it would be on her time, and I’d be all right with whatever she chose.
But I thought about it all the time.
I even discussed it with my brothers and Jo. They knew what I wanted, and they were hoping it happened for me.
“Work,” she said quietly as she cut the onion in half. “Well, you could say tomorrow is a bit of a monumental day for me.”
“Why’s that?”
“It’s my last overnighter with the Daltons. A quick trip to Manhattan with Dominick before my contract ends at the end of the week.” She finished up the onions and stirred them into the meaty mix.
I added in the two jars of sauce, along with the seasoning Klark had left on the counter. I didn’t know how much of each; I just gave the bottles a heavy shake into the sauce.
“How do you feel about it coming to an end?” I asked.
“I thought I’d be sad. The end of that job signified so many changes ahead. I didn’t know where I’d end up or what I’d do or where I’d be living. And then add in the whole David fiasco, and it’s a lot to think about.”
While she worked on combining everything in the cast iron, I assumed the noodles had to be done, and I drained the water and added the spaghetti to the meat. With the large spoon, she began to marry it together.
Within a few rotations, she said, “But I’m not sad at all—don’t get me wrong; I’ll miss those guys. The Daltons were so good to me, but my next opportunity is just as amazing.” She gradually gazed up at me as I stood at her side. “Actually, it’s even better.” She leaned her body into mine. “I want to accept the job you offered, but …”
I didn’t put a hand on her.
I didn’t even kiss her.
I gave her the moment to get out whatever she needed to, making sure my mouth or fingers didn’t influence what she was about to say.
“I don’t want to sign a year contract. I want to go month to month, and I understand if that’s a hard limit for your company and you’d rather go with someone else. I just feel more comfortable with a much shorter contract.”
“No one will have an issue with that.”
Her hand went to my chest. “You have to know, it’s not that I think something bad is going to happen between us—I don’t believe that at all. But if it did, I don’t want either of us to feel like a contract was keeping me in a place that neither of us wanted me to be in.” She moved her hand to cling to my fingers. “With that said, I would never leave you high and dry. I would stay until another flight attendant was found, and I’m happy to put that in writing.”
My other hand went to her waist. “Done. Any other stipulations?”
“Nope.”
“Come on, Lily. Don’t make it so easy on me. You must have other demands that weren’t met in the paperwork I gave you.”
She shook her head. “You almost doubled the salary the Daltons are paying me. You’re giving me more benefits than I had when I worked for a commercial airline. The housing allowance is enough that I can afford the Cole and Spade Hotel in Beverly Hills—yes, I plan to pay for it, you’re not giving it to me for free. I can even ditch the car rental and purchase a vehicle now. And the best part”—she arched her back, fully pressing us together—“I get to be with you.”
She was giving me everything I fucking wanted.
An eruption came from my throat. “And you’re good with that?”
“Beyond good.”
I felt the truth in her words. I saw it in her face.
But I just needed to double-check.
“You’re absolutely sure?”
She dropped the spoon and put both hands on my shoulders. “Not just sure. I’m positive.” She took in my eyes. “This is what I’ve wanted, a position just like the one you’re offering. I didn’t want to go back to commercial. I wanted to stay in the private sector. Why not do it here, with you … when all I want is to be with you?” Her lashes fluttered as she stared at me. “I weighed every angle. I slept on it for more than one night. And I couldn’t come up with a single reason not to take the job.”
I rubbed my nose over hers. “You’ve made me so fucking happy.”
I didn’t wait for her to respond before I slammed our lips together, the taste of her so much richer than the last time I’d done this. My tongue dipped in between her lips, circling her tongue, my hands lifting to her face, holding her cheeks, keeping us together.
“You know what I love?” I asked when I finally pulled back.
“Tell me.”
“That I won’t have to miss your lips while I’m in Edinburgh. That I’ll be able to do this whenever I want.”
There was a raging hard-on in my pants.
One that had sprouted the second she gave me her answer.
One that reminded me whenever I wanted her pussy in Scotland, in addition to her lips, I’d be able to have that too.
One that couldn’t wait to sink into her.
“More sweetness. I can’t even handle it.” A smile covered all the skin that wasn’t hidden by my hands.
If she heard the thoughts in my head, she wouldn’t agree with her last statement.
“Let’s inhale this dinner so I can show you a side that isn’t as sweet.”
“Hurry.” She laughed. “Please.”
I released her to grab two plates, dropping twirls of noodles and sauce on each one, and carried them to the table. On my next trip, I added napkins and silverware, along with the glasses of wine that I’d poured before we began to cook.
“I don’t know why … but I’m nervous to try this,” she joked as she dipped her fork into the pasta.
“It can’t be that bad. It’s cooked. It’s mixed. It just might not be …” I took in a mouthful. “Shit, this is good.”
Her eyes widened as she chewed. “I know … this is kinda excellent. Like way better than I expected.”
The sauce was flavorful, and the meat was savory. The noodles were a little overdone, but it wasn’t a deal-breaker.
“I don’t hate it.” I circled my fork through the heap and chomped up my second bite. “I think I actually like it.”
“Same.” She swallowed. “I really like it in fact.”
But even though I continued to eat, chewing several more bunches of noodles, they weren’t hitting the spot.
They weren’t filling me.
They weren’t giving me what I needed.
I set my fork down and got up, grabbing the bottle of wine from the counter, and knelt on the floor beside her. I slid her chair until she was facing me.
A smile immediately reached her lips. “You’re already full?”
I chuckled. “Not even close.”
I moved her legs around my waist, and I lifted her off the chair, pushing her plate and wine so I could place her on the table. I got straight to work on her jeans, yanking them down, past her bare feet. I didn’t bother with her panties; I just ripped those fuckers off.
“But what I am is thirsty as hell, and the only glass I want to use is you.”
My face nestled between her legs, and I held the bottle above her pussy, pouring the dark red cabernet down her clit. I kept my mouth beneath her, catching the slow stream, not letting a drop hit the floor.
“Oh my God.”
I glanced up, catching eyes that were watching me.
That were fucking smoldering.
I splashed more down her body, lapping the drips as they ran over that perfect, gorgeous pussy.
“You are …”
I continued to gaze at her, waiting for her to finish her statement.
“I’m what, Lily?” I paused. “Hungry? For you? Yes, I’m plenty of that. And when I’m done drinking, I’m going to eat your fucking cunt.”