What's Cooking? by Sherryl Woods
Authors: Sherryl Woods
Tags: United States, Romance, Literature & Fiction, Contemporary, series, Contemporary Fiction, Harlequin Special Edition
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time to be honest. It was time to trust the feelings that hadn't gone away, feelings that had only gotten stronger.
"And I want you," she admitted. "I think we've both been patient long enough."
He stroked a finger along the curve of her jaw. Her pulse jumped, then skittered crazily. She was making the right decision. She had to be.
"Be certain, Maggie," Rick begged. "I'd rather be patient days or even weeks longer, if it means you won't wake up in the morning with regrets."
"No regrets," she promised. Whatever happened, she wouldn't regret it. Not this time.
And morning would be soon enough to worry about whether or not her impulsiveness was going to set the experiment back. Or whether it even mattered anymore.
101 i
I
Chapter Seven
.Kick fought off the sense of urgency that had his blood pumping hard through his veins. He intended to take it slow and easy with Maggie tonight, to savor every moment of anticipation. Now that she'd agreed to sleep with him again, he planned to let the evening unfold at its own pace.
The risk, of course, was that she'd change her mind, but it was a risk worth taking to savor this sweet anticipation. Watching the color rise in her cheeks each time their hands brushed, feeling the leap of her pulse when he skimmed a finger along her wrist, made every second of the delay worthwhile.
He stepped up behind her as she rinsed lettuce in the sink and trapped her there with his body, his arms linked loosely around her waist.
"What are you up to?" she asked, a breathless hitch in her voice.
102 102WHAT'S COOKING?
"Helping," he said, all innocence.
"Really?"
"Sure. I'll wash the vegetables for the salad for you," he offered.
"Then I can get the chicken ready to go in the oven," she said, though she didn't try to move away.
"Why would you want to do that when this teamwork is going so well?" he asked, picking up the vegetables she'd dropped and holding them under the running water. To do it, he had to press his body even more tightly to hers.
She laughed. "Is that what you call this? Teamwork? Now that you've got the lettuce, peppers and tomatoes under the faucet, I'm just standing here. That's not much of a contribution."
"Sure, it is. You're providing inspiration."
"I suspect what I'm really providing is a cheap thrill," she taunted, deliberately wriggling her hips in a move designed to drive him mad.
Rick's breath caught as every bit of blood rushed south. "Bad move, darlin', at least if you hope to have dinner anytime soon."
"Thought so," she taunted triumphantly. "Let me go so I can fix the chicken."
"I'm not stopping you," he insisted.
"You're not getting out of my way, either."
Rick chuckled at her firm refusal to try to wriggle free on her own. He finally stepped aside. "Bet you don't have this much fun in that test kitchen at work."
"I don't know," she said, her expression thoughtful. "Mordecai is pretty sexy."
He stared at her. "Who the hell is Mordecai?"
103 103
"My assistant."
Rick didn't recall any sexy males around the City-side test kitchen. "Really? Was he at the photo shoot?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"He's shy."
"You have an assistant who's sexy and shy?" Rick asked, unable to hide his skepticism.
"Very sexy, very shy," Maggie confirmed.
Rick studied her with a narrowed gaze. "You're pulling my leg, aren't you? There is no Mordecai."
"Of course there is. I would never lie to you."
"But...?"
"There's no but," she insisted.
His suspicions were not allayed. Nor was this unexpected and totally unfamiliar streak of jealousy. "Well, there's definitely something you're not telling me," he groused.
She laughed then. "You are so hysterical. You're practically turning split-pea-green right in front of me."
"If you're suggesting that I'm jealous, you're nuts," he retorted, though the truth was he wanted to find this Mordecai person and remind him very forcefully that Maggie was officially off-limits. Come to think of it, maybe he should punch the guy for good
"And I want you," she admitted. "I think we've both been patient long enough."
He stroked a finger along the curve of her jaw. Her pulse jumped, then skittered crazily. She was making the right decision. She had to be.
"Be certain, Maggie," Rick begged. "I'd rather be patient days or even weeks longer, if it means you won't wake up in the morning with regrets."
"No regrets," she promised. Whatever happened, she wouldn't regret it. Not this time.
And morning would be soon enough to worry about whether or not her impulsiveness was going to set the experiment back. Or whether it even mattered anymore.
101 i
I
Chapter Seven
.Kick fought off the sense of urgency that had his blood pumping hard through his veins. He intended to take it slow and easy with Maggie tonight, to savor every moment of anticipation. Now that she'd agreed to sleep with him again, he planned to let the evening unfold at its own pace.
The risk, of course, was that she'd change her mind, but it was a risk worth taking to savor this sweet anticipation. Watching the color rise in her cheeks each time their hands brushed, feeling the leap of her pulse when he skimmed a finger along her wrist, made every second of the delay worthwhile.
He stepped up behind her as she rinsed lettuce in the sink and trapped her there with his body, his arms linked loosely around her waist.
"What are you up to?" she asked, a breathless hitch in her voice.
102 102WHAT'S COOKING?
"Helping," he said, all innocence.
"Really?"
"Sure. I'll wash the vegetables for the salad for you," he offered.
"Then I can get the chicken ready to go in the oven," she said, though she didn't try to move away.
"Why would you want to do that when this teamwork is going so well?" he asked, picking up the vegetables she'd dropped and holding them under the running water. To do it, he had to press his body even more tightly to hers.
She laughed. "Is that what you call this? Teamwork? Now that you've got the lettuce, peppers and tomatoes under the faucet, I'm just standing here. That's not much of a contribution."
"Sure, it is. You're providing inspiration."
"I suspect what I'm really providing is a cheap thrill," she taunted, deliberately wriggling her hips in a move designed to drive him mad.
Rick's breath caught as every bit of blood rushed south. "Bad move, darlin', at least if you hope to have dinner anytime soon."
"Thought so," she taunted triumphantly. "Let me go so I can fix the chicken."
"I'm not stopping you," he insisted.
"You're not getting out of my way, either."
Rick chuckled at her firm refusal to try to wriggle free on her own. He finally stepped aside. "Bet you don't have this much fun in that test kitchen at work."
"I don't know," she said, her expression thoughtful. "Mordecai is pretty sexy."
He stared at her. "Who the hell is Mordecai?"
103 103
"My assistant."
Rick didn't recall any sexy males around the City-side test kitchen. "Really? Was he at the photo shoot?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"He's shy."
"You have an assistant who's sexy and shy?" Rick asked, unable to hide his skepticism.
"Very sexy, very shy," Maggie confirmed.
Rick studied her with a narrowed gaze. "You're pulling my leg, aren't you? There is no Mordecai."
"Of course there is. I would never lie to you."
"But...?"
"There's no but," she insisted.
His suspicions were not allayed. Nor was this unexpected and totally unfamiliar streak of jealousy. "Well, there's definitely something you're not telling me," he groused.
She laughed then. "You are so hysterical. You're practically turning split-pea-green right in front of me."
"If you're suggesting that I'm jealous, you're nuts," he retorted, though the truth was he wanted to find this Mordecai person and remind him very forcefully that Maggie was officially off-limits. Come to think of it, maybe he should punch the guy for good
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