Life Changer (Chicago First Responders Book 2)

by BJ Harvey

  With a quick time check, I quickly make the rounds and touch base with Suzy, then move toward my filming kitchen and get the risotto started. I leave it to cook before waiting for Rhodes to arrive at the back door, which he does, not even a minute late.

  When I lay eyes on him, I instantly feel a whole lot better for seeing him. “Hey.”

  He smiles and steps in, looking over my shoulder before wrapping an arm around my waist, holding his hand against my hair, and lowering his head. Then he’s kissing me surely, thoroughly, and only pulling away when I sag against him. “Hey. How are you?”

  “A hell of a lot better now.” I run my hand down his chest and lace my fingers with his, feeling lighter than I have all week. It’s funny how being around someone can lift your mood. Although in Rhodes’s case, it’s just the thought of him lately. I’m like a giddy teenager. It would almost be embarrassing if I wasn’t enjoying it so much.

  He laughs, his eyes crinkling at the sides. “Funny that. I am too.”

  “Let’s see if I can make you feel even better,” I say before leading him along the hallway and through the open door to my filming kitchen. “Welcome to the chef’s private dining room.” I stop to close the door behind us, letting him walk inside and look around as I engage the lock. I follow him over to the big stone-covered center island that doubles as a workstation, and watch him run his palm over the countertop.

  “You film in here, don’t you? I recognize it.”

  “Oh yeah, I forgot you’re a fan,” I tease.

  He glances over at me with a wry smile as I move to the other side of the bench.

  “You might say that. Is that a bit weird for you?”

  “If you’d stalked me, I’d make you wait for my cooking.”

  His eyes widen. “I didn’t—”

  I wink at him and giggle. “I’m joking. Besides, you’re far too cute to let a little fan-boying hold me back.”

  “I’m going to have to watch myself around you,” he replies with a shake of his head. “Something tells me you’re gonna keep me on my toes for a while.”

  I beam at his intimation that he plans on whatever this is between us going on for ‘a while.’ “Mayyybe . . .”

  “Right, now tell me what I can do to help.” He starts rolling his shirt sleeves up and moving around to join me.

  It shocks me—but given it’s Rhodes, I don’t know why I’m surprised. “No, no. This is supposed to be me cooking for you.”

  He rests his hands on my hips and turns me toward him. “Would you deny me the chance to assist the Dee Duncan in her kitchen?”

  “Well, when you put it like that . . .”

  After bringing his face closer, he brushes his lips against mine. “Let me help you, sweet cheeks. I’ve been looking forward to it all day.”

  Rhodes might’ve been a fan of mine, but I’m fast becoming an equally big fan of his, especially if he keeps touching me every chance he gets. Cupping his face in my hands, I flex my fingers against his stubbled cheeks and smile. “Will you help me cook us dinner, honey?” I ask, loving the gentle look he’s giving me.

  “It’d be my honor, chef.”

  Wanting to kiss him again, I lift on my toes and press my mouth to his, moaning when he wraps me in his arms and takes over the kiss. When we pull apart again, he rests his forehead on mine, our eyes locked. “Lucky I locked the door. At this rate, we’ll never get fed.”

  “Not complaining, sweet cheeks.”

  “Okay, then. Let’s get started.”

  “Yes, chef,” he says, shooting me a cheeky smirk before looking around at the numerous bowls of pre-prepped ingredients.

  I move to the big industrial refrigerator and start pulling out what we’re going to need. “Because I’m an overachiever, who wanted to impress my date, I may have gone a little overboard with the menu,” I explain, handing things off to Rhodes when he holds out his hands to help.

  “This date of yours must be one hell of a guy,” he muses.

  I laugh. “Yep. He’s a firefighter, like you. Rather handsome and claims to be rusty at dating, but so far he’s proving that to be a lie.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yep. At least he’s a great kisser though. Really good. I’m hoping he plans to kiss me a lot. His nice butt doesn’t hurt his case either,” I continue, earning a deep chuckle that I feel everywhere.

  “He sounds like a catch.”

  “It seems that way, yes.” My face starts to ache from grinning too much.

  When I return to his side, he bumps my hip with his. “I’ll stop seeking compliments if you tell me what culinary delights you have in store for us tonight.”

  I roll my eyes and sigh melodramatically. “Needy men, I dunno. Lucky I really like you, Rhodes Anderson.” I turn around and hold up my handwritten list of dishes for him, putting on my best presenting voice. “So, tonight, we’re starting with a little snack of grissini with goat cheese and black-truffle dip. For the appetizer, there’s oysters three ways—mignonette sauce, a Vietnamese chili dressing, and Oysters Kilpatrick.”

  “Wow,” he says, sounding genuinely impressed.

  Happy that he is—and that he’s not averse to seafood, which was a big risk—I continue. “And over there in the pot I should be stirring, is our main of sweet corn and crab risotto.”

  “Damn.”

  My lips twitch as I glance over at him. “Either I’ve reduced you to single-word answers or I haven’t done my job right.”

  He lifts his brow and smirks. “Or maybe I’m wondering if I have a shit-show in hell of keeping up with you to help cook this delicious meal.”

  “Don’t worry, honey. I promise I’ll go easy on you . . . with the cooking anyway.”

  “Honestly, I’ve watched you cook online, and I was mesmerized. Seeing you do it in front of me might be a dream come true.”

  “Oh, you wait. If you’re impressed with all of that, then dessert is gonna knock your socks off.”

  “Just my socks?” he says with a sexy smirk so hot I momentarily consider delaying our meal.

  “Behave. I can’t cook and be thinking about everything I wanna do to you.”

  “Now this I want to hear. How about you keep going, and I’ll sit over here far away from you while you tell me all these things you’ve been thinking about doing to me.”

  “Maybe I wasn’t always the one doing.”

  “Even better. Because I’ve got my own little mental wish list going too.”

  “Do tell me about these plans you said you had for me . . .”

  He chuckles, his eyes alight with an equal measure of humor and heat. “Where’s the fun in that? I’ve been looking forward to seeing the master at work in her element.”

  “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

  Then he languidly runs his eyes down my body and back up, sending a wave of heat in its wake that makes me lock my knees to stay upright. When his hooded gaze meets mine again, there’s no mistaking the direction his mind has gone. By god, I like where it’s going, too. Although, if this keeps up, dinner will be out the window and we’ll be dining down on each other.

  “How about we keep adding to our wish lists while we cook, because that risotto smells amazing and everything else you’ve described sounds just as good. And maybe . . .” he says, leaning in close. “Maybe one of my fantasies has been to cook with you, too.”

  That makes my chest warm and my lips curl up. “Okay then. You can grab those two ears of corn and strip off the kernels for me while I stir the rice, make the dressings for the oysters, and pour us a glass of wine.”

  “How about I get us the wine, and then I’ll strip the corn. But first, I have to do this.” Then his hand is wrapped around the back of my neck and he’s closing the distance between us for a long, wet, thorough kiss—something I’m learning Rhodes does very well.

  He grins at me when I moan at the loss of his mouth. “Like that,” he rumbles.

  “Not as much as I do, honey.”

 
“Debatable,” he murmurs, his eyes drifting to my mouth again.

  I flatten my hand on his chest. “You’re gonna have to stop looking at me that way if you ever wanna eat.”

  “Yeah . . .” he says, not changing the way his eyes are eating me up. He shakes his head as if trying to snap out of a daze. “Right. Wine then corn.”

  “Sounds good.” I smile before flexing my fingers against his heart and moving away to finish the main course.

  “Damn, Dee. That was fucking amazing,” he says, placing the cutlery on his empty plate and leans back in his chair.

  Having gorged ourselves on all three courses so far. It’s fair to say we’re well-fed and happy, especially if the satisfied grin on Rhodes’s face is anything to go by.

  I lift my glass to my lips and take a sip of the 2018 Far Niente Chardonnay I paired with the risotto. “Glad you enjoyed it.”

  “I knew it would be good, but I don’t think I’ve eaten that well in years, probably since before Lils got sick.” He wraps his fingers around his glass before freezing, his gaze jumping to mine. “Shit. Sorry.”

  Tilting my head, I see his bunched brows. “For what? You had a wife, Rhodes. You have a son. I have a son and had a husband. The difference is that mine is still in my life on a daily basis, and you lost yours far too early.”

  His eyes soften. “Yeah. But it’s not good form to bring her up during a fantastic date with a woman I hope to see again.”

  “You wanna see me again?” I ask, my lips quirking into a small smirk.

  “Well, you’re cooking doesn’t suck.”

  “Nice to know.”

  “And you make the art of cooking a hell of a lot more interesting.”

  I shift forward in my seat, leaning into an elbow on the table. “That was because I had a sexy man in my kitchen cooking with me.”

  His eyes flash again. Fuck I like that look on him. Then his expression turns serious again. “But I am sorry. Jake and I talked about it after Lily passed away, and we agreed we would never forget her, and part of that is by talking about her.”

  I reach over and hold my hand out, the weird tightness in my chest easing when he laces his fingers with mine. “I love that though. I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like to live through losing the love of your life, and to have Jake to think about while all of that was going on. But I also can’t imagine you’d ever forget her, Rhodes. I’d want to hear about her.”

  His body jolts. “You do?”

  “She’s as much a part of you as Jake is. And to state it plainly, so there’s absolutely no doubt in your mind, I like you, Rhodes. A lot. And I want to spend time with you—and Jake—and want you to meet Harvey again too.”

  “I want that,” he says with no hesitation, no uncertainty.

  This man, god, he kills me with his honesty. It’s so fucking good. Flynn and I lived in denial for such a long time, trying to keep a steady ship and not rock the boat by admitting what we both knew to be true. Since then, I made myself a promise to always be honest and put my needs way up the list.

  Rhodes isn’t finished. “I also want it known that I don’t date—not until you—and I know it hasn’t been long, but this feels right between us and I’m not a fan of sharing, so—”

  “You asking me to go steady, honey?”

  He chuckles and shakes his head at me. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

  “Then do I get your class ring or letterman jacket?” I tease.

  “Haven’t had those for a long time. I could probably give you one of my CFD tees.”

  I giggle and sigh dramatically. “Oh, I guess that’ll have to do.”

  He rubs his thumb over my knuckles. “I’ll try to limit bringing Lily up.”

  “Don’t you dare.”

  His eyes widen and his glass stills.

  “I’m serious, Rhodes. We said we wouldn’t censor, and with all indications being that I’m going to want to see you for a while, you’ll have to interact with Flynn, because he’s still a big part of my life too.” I squeeze his hand to make sure I have his attention. “You accepted meeting my ex-husband and barely skipped a beat. You’ve gotta trust that I can do the same. Lily was your wife and Jake’s mom. She’s important, and I wouldn’t be the woman you deserve if I can’t accept that.”

  “Fuck I wanna kiss you right now.”

  I arch a brow. “What’s stopping you?”

  “Absolutely fucking nothing,” he spits out as he surges up and rounds the table before pulling me to my feet, wrapping me in his arms and slamming his mouth onto mine. My lips part and my tongue seeks his. My hands glide through his hair and hold him in place, my body threatening to overheat as we make out like teenagers, the world around us fading away. It’s sublime.

  A little while later—after feeding each other my famous chocolate lava cake and tasting it on each other’s lips, which might be my new favorite way to eat anything—Rhodes regrettably says he should head home.

  “Before you go,” I say, releasing his hand and walking over to the fridge. I pull out a paper bag with the Delish logo on it and move back to him where he stands watching me with a confused expression. “This is for Jake.”

  “You made my kid a doggy bag?”

  I shrug. “It’s nothing. We had leftovers, and it’s better than letting it all go to waste.”

  “You know you’re gonna be his favorite now, right? Probably more than me.”

  “You’ll be the one delivering it so we might share that top spot. Not a bad place to be.” I grin up at him. “Especially if it scores me brownie points with his dad.”

  “All you have to do is breathe to do that, sweet cheeks.”

  I huff out a breath, making him growl.

  Hand in hand, we walk out to his car before making out against the wall. It leaves me pent up, and for a brief moment, I wish I could drag him back to the kitchen and say goodbye with other parts of my body.

  “Thanks for dinner, Dee,” he rasps against my lips, his body still pressed against me.

  “You’re welcome. Thanks for helping me cook it.” I roll my hips, earning a deep groan that courses through me.

  “Don’t tease me when I’m on a knife’s edge here.”

  “Oh, really?”

  He turns to where we just came from, down the hall. “Any other time, any other place, I’d be showing my appreciation in more creative ways.”

  Absolutely nothing could wipe my grin off my face in this moment. I slide one of my hands down over his butt and push him against me. “I’ll hold you to that.”

  “That’s a promise, sweet cheeks.”

  My lips quirk up. “Feels to me like it’s you with sweet cheeks right now.”

  Rhodes chuckles and kisses me while doing it. “Check with Harvs about mini-golf this coming weekend. And since Jake’s license test isn’t for two more weeks, he’ll be up for an outing too.”

  “Big step,” I murmur, looking deep into his soft blue eyes. “Going out with our kids.”

  “I think we’re old enough and wise enough to know not to waste time when it comes to something that feels this good and this right. We’ll go at whatever pace feels right between the two of us, but nice and slow with the kids.”

  My heart stutters before it melts into a puddle at my feet—pretty much the same thing my entire body is threatening to do. “Rusty my ass,” I murmur, earning a panty-dropping grin from the man.

  He leans in so our lips are barely touching, his warm breath fanning over my skin and making me tremble. “Seems I’m finding my groove when it comes to you.” Then he kisses me once more—this time soft and slow and gentle. He pulls away and gifts me a smile that makes me feel like the luckiest woman in Chicago.

  Thank heavens for knights in shining armor and matchmaking brothers, because holding Rhodes in my arms, I never wanna let him go. And though that should scare me, it absolutely does not.

  Chapter 11

  Rhodes

  As much as all the guys at work have given me ‘advice’
about what to do, when to do it, and Scotty’s constant questions about whether I have done it, I’m not going to wait X amount of days to call her. I’m not gonna play games, because I’d hate for her to do that to me, and in the three weeks since the setup, there’s been absolutely nothing but straight-up honesty. This thing that’s building between us is as easy as breathing. Even accidentally mentioning Lily didn’t annoy Dee. In fact, she was fucking perfect in her response to it.

  It’s a hard thing to discuss, and not because I’ve been holding myself back for six years or grieving my wife. Jake and I gave ourselves to the end of the year that she died to simply grieve, processing everything as it came flying at us; the missed milestones, birthdays, family traditions, and the little things. Like no longer coming home to a house filled with delicious baking smells or crawling into bed after a twenty-four and just holding her in my arms for the peaceful ten minutes we’d get before Jake would wake up or Lils would have to get ready for work.

  After that year, we shifted to celebrating her life and remembering all the good things. Now in almost everything we do, we carry her with us.

  Then there’s Dee, and I don’t know what it was that first drew Jake to her videos, but when he showed me that first one where she was talking about box food being sustenance for aliens, it was like I had been lost and suddenly found again. It’s the only way I can describe it. It wasn’t love at first sight, but it was definitely a case of interest, intrigue, and many hours spent watching her old videos.

  After meeting her, kissing her, and dreaming of all the things I wanna do to and with her, that feeling has only intensified.

  Checking the time and noting I’ve still got a good three hours until Jake gets home, I consider asking her for an impromptu lunch date. Maybe a burrito or hot dog and quick walk around Grant Park. Picking up my phone I dial her number.

  “Hey, handsome. I was just thinking about you.”

  My brows go up. “Is that right? Funny that. I was thinking about you too.”