Recipe For Seduction (A Madewood Brothers Novel) (Entangled Brazen) by Gina Gordon

spoke, his eyes never leaving hers. “I don’t need fancy foundations or monstrous facilities to make a contribution. I don’t need any of that.”
    He returned to his carrot cake. “I’m content making my own contribution in my own quiet way. Helping a few kids at a time in the program. Bringing happiness to peoples’ lives through food and cooking.”
    She loved Cole. Had grown to love Jack and Neil. But seeing the way all three of them made this wonderful man feel inadequate just wasn’t right. He didn’t say so. Would never say so. But she could see it in the little-boy vulnerability that sneaked across his face when he thought no one was looking.
    She walked over and leaned into him. “You’re the rock, the control factor, the constant to your brothers’ ever-changing moods and grand ideas.” How dare they think he was any less important, any less successful than they were, just because he didn’t boast about it? In her eyes, he was the most amazing man who ever lived. He needed to realize that. “It’s time you stopped playing the dutiful son and brother. Just do what you want to do.”
    He was contemplating her words, she could tell. He swallowed hard; his Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat. “Jack is the award-winning philanthropist. Neil is the lauded visionary. Cole is the idealistic activist. Who am I if not the dutiful one?”
    “You’re an excellent chef. And an amazing mentor to all those kids you teach. What could be better than that?”
    He grunted, but she could see that her words made him stand a little taller. “Maybe I should become a licensed mediator. Who else is going to make sure my brothers don’t kill each other?”
    They exchanged wry smiles. It seemed they’d both hit a personal standstill. She craved to be more than a boring mother figure, and he wanted to break free of being his brothers’ keeper.
    Good grief. An existential crisis was not exactly what she had expected to encounter this evening. Dinner. A little sex, maybe. Okay, a lot of sex. But definitely not a heart-to-heart.
    She liked it. They had always been able to talk to each other growing up. Damn, she’d missed him these past years.
    They steered away from the conversation long enough to finish making the cake. Their last task was pouring the batter into the clean pan he had rubbed all over with butter.
    She loved watching him cook. So sure of himself. So confident that everything he touched was in his control. A shiver ran up her spine as her body shifted gears. Would he touch her in the same way? With the same confidence and control?
    “You’ve got a little something—” He interrupted her sensual thoughts with a swipe of his finger against her cheek. It was covered with flour when he pulled his hand away.
    She rubbed at her skin, but it only made him laugh. He pulled a tea towel off the oven handle and wiped her cheek. When he was satisfied, he grabbed her hand and gently wiped away her messy fingers with the rough fibers of the towel. His touch ignited a fire deep inside her. As he trailed his finger along her forearm, excitement built, sharp and tingly in her stomach.
    More and more her lips parted, the longer he kept their bodies in contact. She swiped her tongue across her bottom lip. She tasted dry flour and saw desire clouding his eyes.
    She placed her hand on his and stopped his motions. He dropped the towel, his hand immediately reaching for her cheek. She let her head fall into his palm and savored the warm feel of his skin. But there were so many other places she’d like his hand—both of his hands. And right now, they all ached for his touch.
    She was no shrinking violet. She knew where she needed him and how she needed him. And she wasn’t going to waste one more minute on shy, conservative Veronica. She would channel June Beaver and take the reins. Finally! Satisfying her lifelong crush with some good hot sex with the object of her schoolgirl adoration was exactly what she needed. She’d