by Jaci Burton
"Thanks. I hope you like them."
"I'm not sure where you found the time to learn how to cook," Mia said. "But, I'm glad Amelia is here tonight because otherwise I'm sure I'd be getting burgers on the grill."
Flynn shot a grin over at Mia. "You probably would."
"Hey," Amelia said. "I like burgers on the grill. You didn't have to do anything fancy on my account."
"I'll keep that in mind for next time." Flynn gave Amelia a knowing smile. She gave him an enigmatic, polite one in return.
After the oysters, he finished prepping the crab salad.
"This is just as good as the appetizer," Amelia said after she finished the salad. Maybe I could hire you as my assistant at Ninety-Two."
"Funny. And maybe you can try out as a linebacker."
"You know, I never said I wanted to play football."
"Are you insinuating that I'm 'playing' at being a cook?"
Amelia calmly took a sip of wine before replying. "I didn't insinuate a thing. You're very sensitive for a tough guy."
"Now you're insulting my manhood?"
"I didn't realize we were bringing your penis into the discussion. And at the dinner table, in front of your sister. Really, Flynn, how could you?"
Mia laughed. "You two are hilarious. And I really like you, Amelia. Not many people can go toe-to-toe with my oldest brother. You're doing a fantastic job. If my other brothers were here I think they'd stand and applaud."
Flynn glared at his sister. "Shut up, Mia."
Mia just snickered and got up to clear the table. When she left, he turned his attention on Amelia.
"And here I expected you to be all quiet and shy in front of my sister."
"You did? Why would you think that?"
"I have no idea."
Mia came back in. "Oh, please don't change your personality on my behalf, Amelia. I like you just the way you are."
"I like you, too, Mia."
He felt ganged up on. Maybe this was how Mia felt being surrounded by all guys growing up. Deciding it was best to ignore both of them, he let it slide and went to pull the lasagna out of the oven.
Amelia had made her way into the kitchen.
"That smells amazing, Flynn. I can't wait to taste it."
He liked that she could tease him and throw insults one minute, and be complimentary and sweet the next. One didn't survive in the Cassidy family if you held on to anger or insults for long.
"Thanks. I hope it tastes good."
She laid her hand on his shoulder. "I have no doubt it will."
"Oh, come on, you two," Mia said. "I like it better when you're flinging insults at each other."
"Give it five minutes," Flynn said, looking at Amelia. "I'm sure they're coming."
Amelia gave him a warm smile, squeezed his shoulder, then headed back into the dining room.
The dinner conversation was decidedly less controversial. Both Amelia and Mia raved over the lobster lasagna, and Flynn couldn't help but agree. It had turned out great.
"There's a hint of something spicy in here, Flynn. What is it?" Amelia asked. "Did you add jalapenos or something?"
"Red pepper flakes and a touch of cayenne pepper. Just enough to give it a hint of heat."
"It's excellent. Lasagna can often get bogged down in the sweetness of the tomatoes and cheese. I really love the idea of adding a little spice to it. We should put this on the menu."
Coming from a chef, that was one hell of a compliment. "You can feel free to experiment with your own recipe and, yeah, we can add it to the menu."
"Good. I'll work it in around the pasta selections."
After they finished dinner, they sat back and drank more wine.
"I'm sorry to have to tell you I didn't make dessert. I'm not a dessert-making kind of guy."
"I can whip something up," Amelia said. "Provided you're in the mood for dessert."
"I don't know about Flynn," Mia said, "but I'm always in the mood for dessert."
"That's not necessary, Amelia. I told you, it's your night off."
She leaned over and patted his hand. "And I told you that I love to cook. Let's take a stroll into the kitchen and see what you have available."
He sighed. "Fine."
He watched while she examined the contents of his refrigerator and pantry. "You have strawberries. I could make us some shortcakes and we'll have it with strawberries and whipped cream."
"Just like that." Mia had taken up a spot at the island.
Amelia let out a short laugh. "Some baking would be in order, but yes."
Flynn shrugged. "If that's what you want to do."
"Absolutely. Let's get these dishes out of the way and I'll take care of dessert."
Flynn shoved the sleeves of his Henley up to his elbows. "I'll do the dishes."
Mia slid off the bar stool. "No, you're both cooking. I'll handle dishes."
In the end, Amelia and Flynn helped put food away while Mia did dishes. With the three of them it took no time at all to clear the kitchen. Flynn and Mia finished up while Amelia started on the shortcake. Since Flynn didn't have individual pans for making smaller cakes, she ended up going with one large cake. He cleaned and sliced the strawberries while she prepped the cake and put it into the oven.
"You didn't have to do this, you know," he said.
Amelia smiled. "How many times are you going to say that so that I have to reply that I love to cook? If a day goes by where I'm not cooking I don't feel like it's a complete day. So get over it, Flynn."
"Yeah, Flynn," Mia said. "Get over it. Amelia loves to cook, so get out of her way."
He supposed he was going to have to get used to the idea that cooking wasn't burdensome to her. He'd wanted to give her a night where she could put her feet up and relax, but maybe this was her way to relax.
As she leaned against the counter and sipped on her glass of wine, Amelia said, "Let me put it this way. If you and your brothers--or a bunch of your teammates or friends--were together and someone suggested you go outside and play a game of football, would you balk and say, 'No, I don't want to because that's too much like work for me'?"
He frowned. "Hell, no. I love playing football."
She nodded. "Exactly. That's how I feel about cooking."
He began to see her point. "Okay, I get it. Rock on with your shortcake, Amelia."
She laughed. "I intend to."
The smell of the cake baking filled the kitchen with a delicious sweetness. Baking wasn't something he got into, but maybe he'd have to expand his horizons, because he sure as hell loved desserts. And when Amelia pulled the perfect cake out of the oven, it was all he could do to wait until it cooled. While it did, Amelia made whipped cream.
"Can you come live with me and be my personal chef and my new best friend?" Mia asked.
Amelia grinned. "Sure. When you make that new business a go and you're rich and successful, give me a call."
"Hey," Flynn said, shooting a frown at his sister. "No stealing my talent."
"Is that what she is?" Mia asked. "Your talent? Or is she more than that? Because we haven't yet discussed what I overheard the other night about the two of you having sex."
"And we're not ever going to discuss that, Mia, because it's none of your business."
Flynn had shot a warning glance over to Mia. She might have had a few glasses of wine, but his sister knew when he meant what he said.
"Okay, fine. Let's talk about how soon we can eat the shortcake instead."
"Actually, right now," Amelia said. "Flynn, can you get the strawberries out of the refrigerator?"
"Sure."
He was glad he wasn't going to have to press the point any further with his sister. Instead, they all sat down and ate what had to be the lightest shortcake he'd ever eaten, topped by the best damn whipped cream he'd ever had.
Was there anything Amelia couldn't do?
"This is so damn good," Mia said. "I'm totally serious about declaring my undying love for you, Amelia."
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Amelia laughed. "I'm glad you like it."
"I don't just like it, I love it. And wait until my mother meets you. She's a total foodie." Mia looked over at Flynn. "Which reminds me, Thanksgiving is coming up. What do you typically do for Thanksgiving, Amelia?"
Amelia gave a deer-in-the-headlights look to Flynn. He had nothing to offer, so she said, "I . . . don't know."
"Where's your family?" Flynn asked.
"My father died ten years ago. My mom remarried and she and her husband typically go to his parents' house for the holidays."
"So you go there to visit?" Mia asked.
Amelia shook her head. "My mother and I . . . well, let's just say we don't see eye to eye on a lot of things, so we haven't shared many holidays together in the past several years."
Mia gave her a sympathetic look. "That just sucks. You should come to the Cassidy ranch for Thanksgiving. It's a huge free-for-all with my brothers and their fiancees and my parents and uncles and aunts. It's insane but friendly. And my mom would love you. Wouldn't she, Flynn?"
Amelia gave Flynn a helpless look, but he didn't like the thought of Amelia being alone for Thanksgiving. "Yeah, she would. Come to the ranch."
"I . . . couldn't. It would be such an imposition. Plus, there's work."
Mia let out a scoffing sound. "Please. It's not like the boss won't give you the time off. Right, Flynn?"
The more Flynn thought about it, the more the idea held appeal. "Absolutely. You should definitely come spend time with us for the holiday, Amelia. The restaurant is closed for Thanksgiving, and you can take a couple extra days off."
Amelia looked from Flynn to Mia and shrugged. "I . . . guess so?"
Mia got up from her chair and hugged Amelia. "That's great. You'll enjoy it on the ranch and my whole family is going to love you."
They finished dessert, then cleaned up the kitchen. After hanging up the dish towel, Mia yawned. "I'm tired and I have an early meeting tomorrow. So if you don't mind, I'm heading to my little house in the backyard to go to bed."
"Sure, Mia," Flynn said. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."
Mia hugged Flynn, then Amelia. "It was so great spending time with you. I hope I get to see you again before I leave town. Oh, wait, you're coming to the game on Sunday, aren't you?"
Amelia blinked. "I hadn't planned on it."
"Oh, you definitely have to. St. Louis is coming to town and my other brother Grant is the quarterback for that team. It'll be a family thing. Brother against brother. You can't miss it."
Amelia lips quirked. "Brother against brother, huh?"
"Yes. We'll get a pass for the skybox and we can drink and eat food and root for . . . I dunno, whomever."
Flynn frowned. "Whomever my ass. You'll be rooting for me."
Mia laughed. "I take no sides when it comes to my brothers and you know that. Anyway, Flynn will give you the details. Say you'll come?"
Amelia looked at Flynn. "Is she always this pushy with her invitations?"
"Always. You might as well say yes now or she'll be at the restaurant hounding you until Sunday."
Amelia shook her head. "Then, yes. I wouldn't want to miss two brothers beating up on each other."
Mia laughed. "Awesome. Grant's playing quarterback so it'll mostly be him dodging Flynn, who'll be trying to get past the offensive line so he can grind Grant into the ground. Fun stuff."
"Sounds like so much fun," Amelia said with a tilt to her lips. "I'll see you on Sunday."
"Great. Night." Mia started to turn away, but she stopped. "Oh, and by the way, I have plenty to drink, and snacks in my little house in the backyard, just in case you two decide to get busy tonight. You don't have to worry about me popping in on you."
"Good night, Mia," Flynn said, giving his sister a very direct look.
She laughed and waved as she walked out the door.
Which left Flynn alone with Amelia. Amelia was sitting on one of the kitchen bar stools. She looked up at him, a shocked expression on her face.
"Your sister. She's kind of a force of nature, isn't she?"
"Understatement."
And then Amelia went quiet, staring down at her lap. He could tell she had something on her mind. When she lifted her gaze, she said his name.
"Flynn?"
"Yeah?"
"About Thanksgiving. I mean, it was nice of Mia to invite me, but I totally understand if you don't want me there."
Ah. He walked over to her and pulled her off the stool. "I want you there."
"But--"
"No buts. I want you there."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I'd love for you to come with me to Texas. My mother would love you. She likes food."
"Well, that's nice and all, but isn't that like a family thing?"
"Not with the Cassidys. I mean, yeah, the family comes. But friends do, too. And whoever else shows up. Thanksgiving is a free-for-all with us. Whoever shows up is always welcome."
"You're sure."
He rubbed his hands up and down her arms. "Yes. So don't make a big deal about this, okay? Besides, I want you there. You'll come hang out with my family at Thanksgiving. Nothing more than that."
She nodded and smiled. "Okay. That makes me feel better."
"Good. Now that we got that out of the way, my sister's gone to bed for the night. We're alone and she won't come through those doors again until morning."
He waited, gauging her interest in his statement. She didn't budge, and when he leaned in and brushed his lips across hers, he tasted the sweetness of whipped cream mingled with the tartness of wine.
She snaked her hand up his arm, then pulled back. "So now you've got me alone, Flynn Cassidy. What do you intend to do with me?"
His breathing quickened and he pressed his forehead against hers. "Do you want a written list, or would you just like me to show you?"
"Writing takes too much time. Show me."
FOURTEEN
Amelia had planned to just make this night about dinner and conversation. But then she'd had wine. Great food. Excellent conversation. And a really good time.
She'd also learned a lot about Flynn in the process. Like how much he adored his little sister. How protective he was of her, but also how much he respected her. And that made her warm to him even more than she already had. Which had melted any residual resistance she might have had. Not that she'd had much to start with once he'd opened the front door to her earlier tonight. He'd had on worn jeans that hugged his muscular thighs, and a partially unbuttoned black Henley with the sleeves rolled up.
In theory, saying she was done with him was one thing. When confronted with all that hotness, it was another.
Now he held his hand out for her and pulled her toward him. She slid willingly into his arms and he tugged her against him.
"I missed you last week," he said. "And while I love having my sister here for a visit, I wanted to be alone with you tonight."
She inched closer, loving the feel of his hard body pressed against hers. "We're alone now."
"Yeah, we are. So how about we take this to the bedroom, where I can close and lock the door and make sure we're not disturbed?"
"That sounds like a really good idea."
He took her by the hand and they walked toward the bedroom. They made it as far as the landing to the stairs before Flynn pushed her against the wall.
Her lips curved as he looked at her.
"What?"
"I had a conversation with my friend Laura recently, where I told her I'd never had hot, dirty, up-against-the-wall sex."
His brows shot up. "Is that right? Let's fix that right now."
His mouth came down hard on hers. She felt every bit of his passion as his tongue slid between her lips and swept along hers. She whimpered against his mouth, needing him as much as he needed her. She lifted her leg and wound it around his hip, his answering groan her reward. When he rubbed his hard cock against her, she thought she might slide to the floor, grateful she had t
he wall and his body for support.
He pulled his mouth from hers, his eyes dark and filled with desire as he looked down at her. "I'm not sure we'll make it to the bedroom."
Her sex quivered. "You keep grinding against me like that and I'll come before we make it up two steps."
"You said you'd never had it up against the wall. Isn't that what you want, Amelia?"
Just thinking about it made her body respond with a flash of heat. "Yes."
He laid another blistering-hot kiss on her, the kind that made every nerve ending explode within her. He trailed his lips over her jaw, her neck, his hands roaming her body as he did. He cupped her breasts, teasing her nipples through the material of her dress and her bra. Even with her clothes on he elicited a reaction. Her nipples ached for his touch, for his mouth, her body quivering under his touch.
He dropped to his knees and raised her dress over her hips, then looked up at her with a wickedly sexy smile.
"Don't you look all hot and sexy in purple."
She smiled down at him, so happy he'd noticed her new underwear. "Thank you."
He held the material of her dress in his hands, then shoved it at her. "Hold this."
He reached for the strings at her hips and pulled her underwear down her thighs, letting it drop to her ankles. She stepped out of it.
"Spread your legs for me, Amelia."
Her legs shook as she widened her stance and he moved in between her thighs. His soft hair tickled her thighs as he drew in, then flicked his tongue out and teased her sex by drawing circles around it.
"Flynn." His name fell from her lips in a soft, needy whisper.
"Yeah, I know." When he laid his mouth fully on her, she rested her head against the wall, overcome by the sensations of heat and wetness from his mouth and tongue. He was taking her to nirvana one torturous lick at a time, and she wasn't sure she'd be able to stay upright. But it felt so damn good, and in no time at all she was crying out with an orgasm that hit her like a lightning strike. Sharp, delicious pulses soared through her, and Flynn grasped her hips and held on while she bucked against him with her climax.
He took her down slow and easy while she gasped for breath. When he stood, he held her panties up with one finger.
"Yeah, purple is damn sexy on you. Does the bra match?"
She smiled. "Yes."
He tucked her panties into his jeans pocket. "We'll get to that later. Now you get hot, dirty sex up against the wall."
Her breath caught as he disappeared for a few seconds and came back with a condom in his hand. He tore the wrapper off, unzipped his jeans and shoved them down his hips. He pulled her leg around him and stepped into her, fitting his cock against her sex.