Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
J ami had spent the entire night running through her plan—what she was going to say to Ryan, how she’d pitch the idea of a marriage of convenience to him, all for the sake of her inheritance. It was rehearsed, foolproof. She had everything under control.
At least, she thought she had. Because then she bumped into Jed Winchester. And her carefully laid plan went right out the side of her head.
She hadn’t seen Jed when she'd walked into The Bean Barn. She'd been too focused on the cup of coffee. She'd traveled the world, including to Paris and Rome, but no one brewed a cuppa like they did at The Barn. She could just taste the smoothness of the beans the closer she got to the shop.
With her tastebuds distracted with anticipation and her mind mentally going over her well-crafted speech for Ryan, she had not been prepared for the one thing—the one person—who always threw her off her game. Here he was, standing right in front of her, holding his coffee like some sort of casual, rugged Adonis. His gaze locked on to hers, and everything—every single carefully constructed plan—fled her brain.
What was she doing here? Where was she, exactly? What was her name again?
Jed's eyes locked on hers and held her captive. His gaze didn’t just stop there, though. They drifted downward, settling on her mouth in a way that made Jami's breath hitch. It was like he was remembering that kiss.
That kiss. The one she'd given to him when she should have only been thinking about Ryan. The one he'd stolen from her, along with every thought of the boy she’d thought she was in love with. The one they'd shared when she came to the realization that no one would ever make her feel in those few moments what Jed Winchester had made her feel.
It had been the true definition of an amuse-bouche. A tantalizing taste, just enough to awaken her senses, to make her crave more. It had been brief, a fleeting moment on her lips, but it held the promise of something richer, deeper. Like the first bite of a meal so perfectly seasoned it left her yearning for the full course. In that single kiss, he’d made her feel what no one else ever had—a flash of heat, a burst of flavor, a taste of what could be.
Just enough to ruin her for anyone else, yet leaving her hungry for more. And judging by the way his eyes darkened, maybe he thought about it just as much.
Being this close to Jed Winchester—God, she hadn’t been this close to him since that day back in high school. Since that kiss. And now, her heart, her brain, her body were all in agreement: she wanted to get closer. Much closer.
Which was insane. This was Jed Winchester, her mortal rival, her sworn enemy in all things, food and life. She couldn’t just... kiss him.
But oh, how she wanted to. The pull between them was undeniable, like gravity or something even stronger. Was there something stronger than gravity? Obviously yes, since it's what she was feeling right now.
He opened his mouth, maybe to say something, maybe to bridge the electrified silence between them, but before he could, another voice broke through the spell.
"Jami, over here."
Ryan’s voice cut through the moment like a bucket of cold water.
Ryan.
The guy she’d been dating when she’d kissed Jed. No, scratch that—Jed had kissed her. And she’d gone along with it, heart racing, sparks flying, because it had been the best kiss of her life. Back then, and now. And there was no way she was going to admit that to anyone. Least of all Jed.
A wave of guilt washed over her, just like it always did when she thought about that night. She’d never told Ryan what happened. Never explained why she’d broken up with him or that Jed had been the real reason.
She snapped back to the present, tugging her hand away from Jed’s grip, but he held fast. His fingers were warm and firm around hers, and his eyes flashed with something dark, something possessive.
“Jami.” Jed's voice was low, rough around the edges, almost a growl. “What are you doing with Ryan?”
The question knocked the breath out of her. His voice held a tension that tugged at her, pulling her deeper into the memory of that kiss, of how right it had felt to be with him, even when it shouldn’t have. She couldn’t even form a response at first, her heart pounding in her chest, his grip grounding her but also igniting something dangerously close to desire.
“It’s... It's none of your business,” Jami finally managed to say, her voice breathless.
Her pulse pounded in her ears as she tugged her hand free from Jed’s grip, willing herself to stay calm. Her heart, however, was anything but calm. Jed’s question echoed in the air between them. Tension radiated from him like heat from the pavement on a summer day.
She opened her mouth, and before she could stop herself, the words tumbled out. “Ryan and I are getting back together.”
Ryan had left the table in the corner to come up to the two of them. “We are?” he asked, brows shooting up to his hairline.
Jami shot him a warning glance.
Ryan cleared his throat awkwardly. “I mean... we are. Yeah. Totally.”
His voice wasn’t even remotely convincing. But that was because he knew it too. He'd known that day back in high school when they'd broken up that they weren't meant for a happily ever after. Ryan hadn't even fought her when she told him she wanted to break up. It was like he knew it was coming. Unfortunately, Ryan didn't catch on quickly enough because Jed wasn't buying any of it.
Jed's gaze shifted between the two of them, his expression a mix of disbelief and something darker—something dangerously close to anger. His mouth was set in a hard line. The easygoing charm he usually wore vanished.
“Getting back together?” he echoed, the words sharp.
Jami swallowed, her throat dry. The weight of Jed’s gaze pressed down on her. She cleared her throat, forcing herself to stand tall. “Who I marry is none of your business, Jed.”
Both Jed and Ryan spoke at the same time. “Marry?”
“I mean, who I date is none of your business.” Jami threw a quick glance at Ryan, who was looking more confused than anything. And a touch afraid.
It was one of the reasons she had broken up with him—aside from that kiss with Jed, which had been the reason she hadn't gotten back together with him. She'd run roughshod over Ryan during their entire relationship. She had no difficulty in managing him and getting him to do whatever she wanted. Jami knew she would have no such luck with Jed Winchester. Like it had when she was a teen, the thought thrilled her as a woman.
Jami found herself momentarily distracted by the way the muscles in Jed's neck tightened, the way the tension seemed to roll off him in waves. She hated how much it still affected her, even after all these years. She couldn’t let him know how it got under her skin, couldn’t let him see the crack in her armor.
“Jed,” she said, grabbing on to the first distraction she could think of, “you should probably get back to your restaurant. Go check on your chicken to make sure it’s not drying out.”
That did it. She'd gotten him right in the pride—his cooking pride. She'd once called his chicken dry. It had been. But he'd never gotten over it.
Jed’s eyes flicked between her and Ryan, his gaze sharpening on Ryan. His lips parted. But whatever he was going to say next never came.
Jami laced her fingers with Ryan’s and gave a gentle tug, leading him toward an empty table. Her heart hammered in her chest as she gave Jed her back. She knew better than to give a predator such a vulnerable opening. When she glanced back toward the door, Jed was gone.
She let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding, her shoulders relaxing just slightly. The coffee shop felt quieter now, the tension between her and Jed evaporating into the morning air, leaving behind an unsettling emptiness.
“What was that all about?”
Jami ran a hand through her hair, trying to gather her thoughts. She wasn’t sure how to explain the strange tug-of-war that had just played out between her and Jed. She wasn’t even sure she could explain it. She had bigger issues to focus on right now.
“I have a way to help you with your... situation.” She didn’t have to say the word debt . They both knew what she meant. “And I think it could work for both of us.”
Ryan’s eyes narrowed, curiosity flickering in them. “I’m listening.”
Jami steeled herself, knowing that once she said it, there would be no turning back. So she let the words come out in a rush. “If we get married, I’ll get my inheritance. And with that money, I can help you pay off your gambling debt.”
Ryan’s expression changed, interest morphing into something almost calculating. He leaned forward, a smirk tugging at his lips. “You’re serious?”
“Dead serious,” Jami replied, her voice steady. “It’s a win-win. You get out of debt, and I get what I need to keep traveling to culinary destinations.”
Ryan sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest as he studied her. She saw the wheels turning in his mind, the pros and cons of her offer being weighed. Despite the guilt gnawing at her for using him like this, she knew it was the best shot she had at getting what she wanted.
A part of her couldn’t help but wonder what Jed would think if he knew. Would he care? Would it even matter?
Jami pushed the thought away. This was business. Nothing more.
But as she looked toward the spot where Jed had been standing moments before, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was walking a very fine line.