Yes, Chef (Sizzle & Burn Book 1)

by Linda Verji

  “But you’re a guy.”

  He laughed. “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “I don’t know.” Disappointment shimmering in her brown eyes, she asked, “Don’t men like blood, serial killers, ghosts and stuff like that?”

  “That’s like saying all women like pink,” he countered. “Do you like pink, Snow?”

  “Yes!” She piped up immediately. But when he raised an eyebrow at her, she wrinkled her nose and shook her head. A moment later, she sighed. “I really wanted to watch this movie.”

  “You can watch it later.”

  “But this is the first screening and if I wait someone will post spoilers online.”

  “Then don’t read them.”

  “I don’t have any self-control,” she whined as she drew her lips into a pout. “Plus I already bought our tickets.”

  Snow was truly one of a kind woman. Even petulant and dressed casually in jeans, a graphic t-shirt, sneakers and barely any makeup, she was still capable of making his heart pound. He was almost tempted to give in to her begging. Almost. Then the memory of the last horror movie he’d watched pricked at his thoughts and immediate distaste speared through him. All that blood, gore and rolling heads. Yuck!

  “Then I’ll refund you for the tickets. What else is showing?” He wandered towards a wall with a poster of a superhero movie. “This looks good.”

  “I’ve already seen that. It sucks.” Snow sidled up to him and looped her arm into his. Giving him her best shot at cute, puppy-dog eyes, she pleaded, “Greyson, please. Let’s watch this one.”

  Frankly, those puppy-dog eyes were working. He could already feel his hate for horror movies melting by the second. But he didn’t want to give in too easily. His expression impassive, he asked, “What will you give me if I watch it with you?”

  “What do you want?” she countered.

  He tapped his mouth with two fingers. Her brow furrowed and confusion glimmered in her eyes. But moments later, understanding of what he was asking for dawned on her. Her eyes widened as they lowered to his mouth then back to meet his eyes.

  “Here?” There was a hint of nervousness in her eyes as she turned to survey the movie-goers milling all around them.

  “Scared?” Greyson arched an eyebrow. He’d never been a PDA guy but something about Snow made him feel possessive, and like he needed to let everyone know that she was his.

  She bit her lip and spun around for another look at the surrounding crowd. When her eyes met Greyson’s again, there was a mischievous light in them. Before he could react, she lifted on tiptoes and touched her lips to his in a quick kiss.

  “That’s all?” He gave her a disappointed look.

  “You wanted more?” She grinned and slapped his arm. “You exhibitionist pervert.”

  “That’s it.” He tried to pull his arm from her grasp. “We’re not watching your little horror movie.”

  “Okay. Okay.” She held on tightly to his arm preventing escape. “What if I promise to give you a little something more while we’re in the screening room?”

  “A little something more like what?”

  “When I’m scared, I could cuddle up to you.” She squeezed his bicep. “And touch you. A lot.”

  His pulse immediately jumped at the offer and blood rushed through his body to pool at his groin. Watching her with narrowed eyes, he murmured, “Hm. Tempting. But I have a question.”

  “Yeah?”

  “What if I’m the one who’s scared?” He slid his arm around her waist and squeezed. “Is it okay if I cuddle up to you and touch you? A lot?”

  “Oh-” Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened. Obviously she wasn’t expecting him to give as good as he got. He expected her to surrender then, instead her lips widened into a slow, enchanting smile that set his heart off at a gallop. “Do your worst, Mr. Teller.”

  What did that mean? Anticipation curled up within him.

  The screening room was dimly lit, mildly crowded and cool. Snow had gotten them seats smack in the middle of the theater, a prime spot because one could see every angle of the screen without any undue neck-straining. Unfortunately, a few other people had the same idea and there were no empty seats beside them – which meant that he and Snow couldn’t get naughty. His anticipation turned into disappointment. But his reaction was premature.

  As soon as the room darkened for the start of the movie, he discovered that Snow had no problem ‘improvising’. The movie’s premise itself was enough to create chills. College-kid hikers get lost somewhere in the middle of the forest and stumble on a creepy abandoned house. It was the perfect set up for mayhem, murder and fear. But Snow didn’t even wait for the movie to get scary. After handing him the popcorn and waiting for him to set it on his lap, she lifted up the arm rests so that there was no barrier between them then scooted closer to him. Leaning against him, she rested her head on his shoulder.

  Her sweet, feminine scent suffused his senses. He closed his eyes and pulled in a deep breath of her before surrounding her shoulders with his arm. With a small sigh, Snow tucked her arm behind his waist. The change in her positioning only brought her closer to him until he could feel the side of her breast pushing against his chest. Immediate heat zipped through him and warmed his blood. He glanced downwards at Snow, but she seemed unaffected by the close contact. Her eyes were glued on the screen and now and then she reached between them for a handful of popcorn.

  Maybe it was because he didn’t want to be the only one feeling all that heat. Maybe he just wanted to touch more of her. He dipped downwards to touch his lips to her forehead. Startled, Snow looked upwards. When their eyes met, she studied him briefly then smiled. She lifted to set her smiling lips on his for an all too brief kiss before turning back to the movie.

  His lips widened into her reluctant smile. If this was her way of teasing him, then it was working. All her brief kiss had done was leave him aching for something more, something deeper, something longer. His fingers seemed to have a mind of their own because soon they were rubbing up and down her arm. The feel of her soft skin under his fingers was enough to make his cock twitch.

  About fifteen minutes into the movie, the first murder by the creepy child-ghost happened. Immediately, Snow turned her face away from the gory scene on-screen into Greyson’s chest and set her hand on his thigh. Her gripping of his thigh seemed like an innocent action, precipitated only by fear, but it completely ruined his ability to focus on the movie. The warmth of her touch soaked through his black, khaki pants and into his skin. It awakened any nerves that were still asleep and every muscle in his body tightened.

  A minute later, she turned back to face the screen but her hand stayed on his thigh. On-screen, the poor college-kids discovered that their colleague was dead; screaming and panicking ensued. If Snow’s hand wasn’t on his thigh, maybe Greyson would’ve cared about those kids more. But he was completely absorbed in the feel of her hand on him. His hold on her shoulders tightened and he placed another kiss on her forehead. She gave him another smile, another too brief kiss on the lips then turned back to her movie.

  The next murder was so out of the blue that even Greyson jerked in his seat. With a small scream, Snow turned her face into his chest. This time she squeezed his thigh. That squeeze was enough to suck all the air out of his lungs. He was extremely thankful that he had that tub of popcorn on his lap because his cock was swelling at an alarming rate.

  His situation only got harder by the minute. Every time a scary scene happened on-screen, Snow squeezed his thigh. With each squeeze her hand moved higher up his thigh until it was dangerously close to his cock. To make matters worse, she pressed her breasts against his chest at every scared turn until it felt like her voluptuous flesh was tattooed on him. He completely lost interest in the movie at the point. He was staring at the screen but all he could think about was the woman beside him, the feel of her warm hand on his thigh and what she’d do next.

  On-screen, someone got thei
r head sliced right off their neck. Gasps of shock reverberated through the whole theater as the character’s head rolled on the floor, and Snow gasped along with them. This time when she moved her fingers they actually brushed Greyson’s clothed cock. His breathing slowed, caught in his chest. Time stopped as his desire for her reached uncharted levels.

  “Snow,” he whispered, his voice hoarse with restrained lust.

  “Hmm?” She looked up at him all wide-eyed innocence but he wasn’t fooled. He caught the slight twitch at the corner of her lips. She was doing this deliberately!

  “Don’t play with me,” he growled.

  A naughty grin on her face, she inched her hand higher, turned it… she cupped and squeezed him. His eyes widened as blood rushed from his brain straight to his cock. In about a second he was fully erect. His entire body clenched with the arousal that that simple squeeze had awakened. Unfortunately, he didn’t get to enjoy it because a moment later, she moved her hand away. With a faint smile, she turned her attention back to the screen.

  If she was set on tormenting him, then she’d succeeded magnificently. He felt as if he might burst as his hungry gaze traced her features. His primal impulse was to draw her hand back to his cock and beg her to touch him more. But they were in the middle of a crowded theater. Furthermore, it seemed that Snow was all about teasing tonight.

  Well, the only way to fight fire was to start a fire of your own. Eyeing her, he carefully smoothed his fingers up and down her arm then moved them slightly until he lightly – just lightly – brushed her breast. Her response was immediate.

  Her shocked eyes flew to meet his as she sucked in a deep breath. “Greyson.”

  He leaned closer to her ear and whispered, “I told you not to play with me.”

  And he didn’t stop there. As the movie played on screen, he kept brushing his fingers over her breast, teasing her. At one point he actually cupped and squeezed it. Her small whimper and the immediate beading of her nipple was enough to convince him that he wasn’t the only one suffering.

  “Did you enjoy your movie,” he teased when they finally exited the theater.

  “I don’t think I even saw it.” She shot him a frustrated look. “I was so looking forward to it but because of you I couldn’t concentrate.”

  Flashing her a grin, he slung an arm around her waist. “Hey, you started it.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “You’ll pay for this.”

  “Is that a promise or a threat?” he teased.

  She smiled slowly. “I haven’t decided yet.”

  That slow, sensual smile was enough to reignite all the lust bottled up within him. Today was their third date, right? Perfect. He grabbed her hand and started a fast walk down the stairs that led towards the building’s main exit. “Come on.”

  They weren’t the only ones descending the stairs. Two men were striding down ahead of the them. It was easy to tell that the two were a couple simply by the way the shorter, bald man was clinging onto the taller one’s waist. The shorter guy even lifted on tiptoes to kiss the taller guy’s cheek. But that wasn’t what pricked Greyson’s curiosity. There was something about the man’s dark, curly hair and stick-thin form that felt familiar.

  Snow seemed to find the man familiar too because her forehead creased in a frown as she stared at the man. “Is that-”

  She never got to finish the question because just then, the man turned.

  It was Oscar.

  CHAPTER 18

  Snow’s heart jerked in her ribcage as her eyes met Oscar’s. Her first thought was that this was bad. This was really bad. No one was supposed to know about hers and Greyson’s relationship, but meeting Oscar here, like this, was the equivalent of posting it on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube at the same time. Crap!

  Oscar seemed just as shocked to see them.

  “Ch-chef,” he stammered as his wide-eyed stare swept over Greyson, then to Snow, then to the arm Greyson had around her waist. Apparently, it was possible for his eyes to get wider. Snow quickly stepped away from Greyson so that his arm fell from her waist. But it was too late - the damage had already been done. Oscar knew.

  “Hi, Oscar,” Greyson greeted. The man was a master of poker-faces. His expression didn’t let on that he was in any way affected by the chance meeting. His lips widened into a smile as he asked, “Here to see a movie?”

  “Y- yes,” Oscar stumbled over his words as his eyes swung between Greyson and Snow. “You too?”

  “Babe, who are these?” Oscar’s companion cut in, effectively announcing his presence.

  Babe! Snow’s eyes almost popped out of her head as she stared at the short, bald man. There was no way homophobic Oscar was ‘babe’ to any man. Not unless hell had frozen over and birds had started barking. But by the way the man was clinging onto Oscar’s arm it was obvious that some babe-ing was going on between the two.

  “This is my boss, Greyson and my colleague, Snow,” a very uncomfortable Oscar introduced. He tried to shift away from his companion but the shorter man wasn’t that easy to shake off.

  “Oh, you’re the ones who help out Oscar in the kitchen?” The man clung steadfastly onto Oscar’s waist as he beamed at Greyson and Snow. “I’m Leonardo, Oscar’s-”

  “- cousin,” Oscar rushed in. “He’s my cousin.”

  Ha! Snow managed to keep from laughing aloud but she couldn’t restrain her grin. Greyson didn’t seem to believe the cousin-excuse either. His eyebrows shot up so high they almost touched his hairline.

  Leonardo wasn’t impressed by the introduction. He shot Oscar a disbelieving look. “Cousin?”

  “It was good to see you, Chef.” Oscar gulped nervously as he grabbed Leonardo’s arm. “But we ha- have to go.”

  “You do?” Greyson asked.

  “Yes.” Oscar nodded. Snow could’ve sworn that she even saw a drop of sweat bead at his temple as he added, “Someone’s waiting for us.”

  Without waiting for a response from Greyson or Snow, Oscar hustled a reluctant Leonardo down the steps. Snow watched them for a moment before it hit her that this was her opportunity to sew Oscar’s mouth shut. With a “just a sec” to Greyson, she gave chase down the stairs. She caught up to the couple outside the building.

  “Hey. Oscar,” she called out.

  He turned at the sound of his name. When he saw her, obvious nervousness flashed in his eyes and his gaze shifted from her to Leonardo then back to her.

  “Can I have a minute?” With a saucy grin, she added, “Cooousin.”

  Oscar shot Snow a look of pure hatred. If it that look was a spear, she would’ve been pinned to the wall. Unaffected, she needled him more. “Please, cousin. Just a minute.”

  Oscar winced before turning to Leonardo. “Give us a minute.”

  Leonardo looked like he wanted to say something, but after giving Oscar a glare worthy of an award he strode a distance away from them. As soon as he and Snow were alone, Oscar went on the offensive. “So Teller’s the guy you’re dating, huh?”

  “You’re still worried about me and who I’m dating?” She snorted as her gaze trailed past him to land on Leonardo. “I think you’ve got bigger problems that need your attention.”

  “Cut the bullshit,” Oscar snapped. “What do you want?”

  “Let’s make a deal.” She folded her arms over her chest. “Don’t talk about me and Greyson, and I won’t talk about you and your cousin.”

  “That’s not a deal. That’s blackmail.” He actually had the cheek to sound outraged.

  “Tomato. Tomayto,” she retorted with a smug smile.

  His eyes sparked with suspicion as he hesitated for a long, silent moment. “I’m not sure I should trust you.”

  “I’m the untrustworthy one here?” Snow chuckled. “Am I the one who bounces around the restaurant sticking my nose into everyone’s business and making bets?”

  “I don’t bounce around.” Oscar eyed her for another long moment before he finally surrendered. “Fine. We’ve got a deal.”

&nbs
p; His surrender was well-timed because just then Greyson came up behind them. “What deal?”

  “Nothing. Nothing,” Oscar rushed in. “I’ve got a go.”

  One would’ve thought that the hounds of hell were on his tail by how fast he made his escape. Snow grinned as she watched his retreating back.

  “You look happy with yourself,” Greyson said as he sidled next to her.

  “I am.” Snow let out a small chuckle as she linked her arm with Greyson’s. “I’ve finally got something to hold over Oscar.”

  “You mean his sexuality?” He frowned. “You can’t possibly be thinking of outing him?”

  “Of course not,” she quickly rushed to explain. “I’m just using it to threaten him. We’ve made a deal that I won’t tell anyone about his being gay and he won’t tell anyone that he saw you and I here.”

  “That’s why you ran after him?” Greyson asked. The disapproving note in his voice was as obvious as the disappointed glint in his eyes.

  What was with the displeasure? He should’ve been happy that she’d resolved the matter and now they wouldn’t be outed to their colleagues. But clearly, he wasn’t. Did he disapprove of her using Oscar’s homosexuality as a bargaining chip? Or was he annoyed that she’d confirmed their relationship to Oscar?

  Confused, she asked, “Did I do something wrong?”

  He hesitated a while before saying. “No. You did nothing wrong at all.” Then before she could prod further, he said, “Let’s get out of here.”

  In silence, Greyson led the way back to the car. From his straight-as-a-board posture and grim expression it was obvious that he was annoyed but she had no idea why. The tension persisted when they got into the car. She had planned for them to have dinner at her favorite Japanese restaurant after the movie, but now that he was sulking she didn’t know how to bring it up.

  “I’m not a mind reader,” she said instead. “If I did something wrong, tell me so I can fix it.”

  “I told you, you did nothing wrong,” he gritted through his teeth.