Soul Sweet

by Nichelle Gregory

  “Stop calling him that. What titbit?” Misha asked without missing a beat, and Serene grinned.

  “Apparently, Chef Sexy likes to swim in the nude.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yup. There’s a picture I’m sure you don’t want to see, hating gossip rags and all.” Serene laughed at Misha’s incredulous expression as she moved next to her, ready to take a look.

  “What’s so funny, ladies?”

  Misha cleared her throat as Serene quickly put her phone away. She took the glass of champagne Cameron offered and sipped it, leaving it up to Serene to come up with something witty to say while she tried not to imagine his naked body glistening wet.

  “Oh, just an inside joke between sisters.” Serene raised her glass. “Let’s have a toast.”

  “Let’s.” Cameron lifted his glass and looked at Misha. “To tasty revelations.”

  Zings of awareness pulsed through Misha, warming her as she swallowed the bubbly liquid on her tongue. “I already took a drink.”

  “You can still toast.” Serene clinked her glass against hers then Cameron’s.

  The three took a mutual sip before Cameron pulled his phone from his suit jacket. “I’m sorry, ladies, but I need to return this call.”

  “Speaking of which, I need to make a call of my own.” Serene touched Cameron’s arm. “Thanks for the lovely toast.”

  “A pleasure I hope to enjoy again very soon.”

  Her sister gave Cameron a warm smile then walked away with her cell already up to her ear.

  “I guess we shared a drink together after all.” Misha drew in a deep breath when Cameron leaned in closer to her, his green eyes sparkling with amusement.

  “You should know this doesn’t count. As delightful as your sister’s company is, we had a deal—one drink between you and me.”

  “That was contingent upon the rules, Chef Se—Banner.”

  More heat bloomed in Misha’s cheeks and she briefly averted her gaze from Cameron’s, mortified by what she’d almost said. She was going to kill her sister for putting that ridiculous nickname into her head.

  But, it is…oh, so fitting.

  The gossip article Serene had read had to be wrong. No way a man as sexy and talented as Cameron wasn’t dating.

  “You can rest easy, Misha. There is no expressed rule about a Celeb Chef judge sharing a drink with a contestant.”

  “Really?” Splinters of apprehension and excitement scattered throughout her bloodstream.

  Splendid.

  A part of her had hoped some obscure rule would keep her from having to test her theory that spending any more time alone with Cameron would cause her all sorts of trouble.

  “Really.” Cameron silenced his chiming cellphone. “But I can tell you still aren’t crazy about the idea because of the show.”

  “I just don’t think being seen having a drink with you would be good for either of us as long as we’re both on Celeb Chef.”

  Cameron nodded. “Agreed. We’ll just have to wait until after the show is over to share a drink together. Does that work for you?”

  Make up an excuse. Tell Chef Sexy no.

  “Yes.”

  The smile he gave her melted her bones, making it very difficult to stand up straight.

  “Good.” Cameron frowned when his cell buzzed again. “I’m sorry. I’ve got to take this call.”

  “Of course.” Misha watched him walk away, noticing how he drew oodles of attention from other females in the room. She brought her glass up to her lips, unnerved at how just being in Cameron’s presence rattled her cool.

  She hadn’t got weak-kneed over a guy since high school.

  He just makes you jittery because he’s a judge for the show.

  It was true that he, along with the other three judges, literally held her burgeoning career in their hands, but that wasn’t the main reason her she couldn’t seem to find the right words to say when he was near her. No, it was the subtle, fleeting way he’d looked at her more than once…like he wanted to taste her. She was used to those kinds of look from men, but this was the first time experiencing it from a guy she was mutually attracted to.

  “Damn it.” Misha fiddled with the bangles on her wrist.

  Why couldn’t she have thought up some plausible excuse for Cameron?

  Because there wasn’t one… Other than she was too chicken to admit that his interest made her skittish as hell.

  Misha forced a smile as her sister approached then frowned when she saw her face. “What’s wrong?”

  “Sylvia’s mom’s in the hospital and she wants to go be with her. As much as I’d like to stay here with you, I need to go back. She’s my best masseuse.”

  “You should go back.” Misha squeezed her sister’s hand as Serene pouted.

  “I wanted to stay until you won this thing. Because you are going to win.”

  “Win or lose”—Misha hugged her sister—“I’ll be fine. You go home and take care of your business.”

  Serene pulled away with a heavy sigh. “I’m going to go home, check on things and try to come back if I can.”

  “Okay. Did you check flights to Chicago already?”

  Serene nodded. “I booked one leaving in the morning, but I need time to pack. I’m sorry, Mish.”

  “Don’t be. Like I said, I’ll be fine. Let’s eat and get out of here so we can go back to the hotel and you can get ready to leave.”

  “Just promise me you’ll kick ass on the next challenge.”

  “I promise.”

  Serene smiled as they made their way to the banquet tables. “Good. You’ve gotta promise me something else too.”

  “Uh-huh… What?”

  “Promise me you won’t get too distracted by Chef Sexy.”

  Misha pulled out her chair beside Vivian and sat down. “Not a chance.”

  “Uh-huh, right. I don’t care what you say”—Serene took her seat and placed her napkin on her lap—“there’s something cooking between you two, something spicy.”

  “Please.”

  “Hey, I just call it like I see it.”

  Misha parted her lips, ready to tell Serene she was wrong and that she didn’t intend on letting anything or anyone distract her when her gaze locked with Cameron’s across the table. She quickly reached for her own napkin, closed her mouth and smoothed the white cloth over her lap.

  There was no way in hell she could make such a promise to Serene or to herself.

  Chapter Five

  “Where is that damn taxi?” Serene glanced at her watch for the fifth time.

  “This is ridiculous. I’m going to call the cab company.” Misha reached into her purse for her cell when Serene grabbed hold of her arm. “What?” She looked up to see Serene directing her attention to the entrance of hotel. Misha turned her head and her heart twisted when she caught sight of Cameron jogging towards them. Even from a short distance, she could appreciate the way the damp, white, long-sleeved T-shirt he wore lovingly caressed his muscles. He came through the glass doors and stopped in front of them, deliciously sweaty and slightly out of breath.

  “Good morning, ladies.” Cameron flashed a wide grin. “What’s all of this?” he gestured to Serene’s suitcase.

  “A business emergency is forcing me to leave early.” Serene huffed. “Too bad my cab isn’t here to get me to the airport early as well.”

  “I’m dialling the cab company now.” Misha tore her eyes off Cameron’s sexy unshaved jaw line and began punching numbers into her cell.

  “Misha, wait.” Misha looked up from her phone to look at Cameron along with her sister. “Serene, I’m sorry to hear you have to leave. Let me alleviate some stress. Take my limo to the airport.”

  Serene smiled. “Are you serious?”

  “Absolutely. All the judges have a limo at their disposal during the length of the show. Just let me call my driver and you two can be on your way.”

  “Okay, thank you. How much—”

  “Serene, stop right
there.” Cameron took his cell from the back pocket of his jogging pants. “Give me two minutes and you ladies will be on your way.”

  “How nice of him,” Serene said when he’d turned away to talk on his phone.

  Misha kept her eyes on Cameron. “Very nice.” Her gaze ran over the sweat-drenched cotton shirt that hugged the contours of his back.

  Very nice indeed.

  Serene cleared her throat and Misha shifted her attention back to her sister, deftly ignoring the ‘I see you looking, girl’ look she was giving her as Cameron came back over to them.

  “All right. You two are good to go. Jerry, my driver, is about to pull up. Let’s go out front.”

  Misha and Serene followed Cameron when he took hold of her sister’s suitcase and proceeded to wheel it outside to the already waiting limo. The two sisters greeted Jerry when he took the suitcase from Cameron.

  “Thank you so much, Cameron.”

  Misha nodded. “Yes, we appreciate your help.”

  “No problem, ladies. There’s nothing more stressful than getting to the airport late.” He opened the limo door and they got into the back seat. “Serene, now you’ll have plenty of time to get through security and to your gate. It was nice meeting you. I hope you have a safe flight back home.”

  Serene buckled her seatbelt and leaned her head back. “You’ve greatly reduced my stress level.”

  “Good.” Cameron glanced at Misha. “I’ll see you later.”

  Serene waved as he started to close the door. “Bye, Cameron.”

  “And, there’s your taxi.” Misha pointed out of the window as the limo slowly pulled away from the kerb.

  Both sisters watched Cameron walk up to the cab. Misha could tell from his body language that he was dismissing the driver.

  “Chef Sexy is very helpful.”

  Misha gave her sister a bright smile. “Mm-hmm… He is.”

  “Mm-hmm… And from what I can see, for you…distracting as hell.” Serene popped a piece of gum in her mouth. “Wait until I tell your girls you’ve got your eye on a white guy.”

  “Don’t you dare.” Misha glared at her sister.

  Serene held up her hands laughing. “Relax. I’m not saying a word until you do.” Her sister wagged her finger at her. “And you will.”

  “No, I won’t because nothing is going to happen between me and…and…Chef Sexy.”

  “I think you actually believe that.”

  Misha sighed. “I believe you’re getting on my nerves.”

  “Only because you know I’m right.”

  “Wrong.”

  Serene shrugged with barely concealed amusement. “Okay, Mish.”

  “Let’s just get you to your gate on time.”

  Serene nodded and thankfully changed the subject.

  * * * *

  Forty minutes later, her sister was at her gate and Misha was in the limo heading back to the hotel. She answered the incoming call when her cell rang with a smile. “Hey, Kaden.”

  “Hey, yourself.”

  “I can’t believe you took time out of your busy schedule to call your little sister.”

  “Mom told me Serene had to come back early. I had to make sure you were all right being out there alone.”

  Misha pressed her fingers on the window. “I may be your little sister, Kaden, but I’m a big girl. Besides, this is the Emerald City, not New York City.”

  “Speaking of New York City… Isn’t that where that new chef is from?”

  “He’s actually from Chicago.” Misha grasped her cell tighter at the mention of Cameron. “He moved to New York when he opened his restaurant there.”

  “Oh right, that’s right. I’ve heard good things about his spot downtown. Maybe one of these days I’ll make it over there with Aimee.”

  “Serene’s already been and she said it was great.”

  “Well, Chef Banner makes Celeb Chef interesting. I love how he carefully chooses the right words to completely school your sub-par competitors.”

  “Sub-par? They’re here for the same reason I am, because we’re damn good chefs.”

  Kaden chuckled. “Calm down. You know there can only be one chef standing after the flour settles, right?”

  Now Misha giggled. “Yes, I know that.”

  “I want you to flatten the competition with your spatula.”

  “Enough with the kitchen metaphors.” Misha grinned at the sound of Kaden’s deep laugh. “How’s Aimee doing?”

  “She’s busy as usual too. She told me to tell you she’s rooting for you all the way and so am I.”

  “Aww… Thank you. Please tell Aimee I appreciate that.”

  Her brother exhaled. “I will.”

  “Kaden?”

  “Yes?”

  “Is everything okay? I’m getting this weird vibe from you. Something’s off.”

  “Ahh… So, you’re tapping into your psychic abilities now like that crazy friend of yours.”

  “Hey, I’m going to tell Ava you called her crazy.”

  “Go ahead. She’ll take it as a compliment.”

  “Probably. No, seriously, Kaden, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. Stop worrying about me. You’ve got enough on your plate.” Kaden laughed. “Kitchen metaphors just come so easily when I’m talking to you.”

  “You’re a mess.”

  “You just make a mess in that kitchen and bring that win on home.”

  “I’ll do my very best.”

  Misha ended the call just as Jerry pulled the limo up to the entrance of the hotel. She moved to unfasten her seatbelt when her door opened. Glancing up, she blinked in surprise when she saw Cameron leaning down to look into the vehicle.

  “Please tell me your sister made her flight.”

  Her stomach dipped and bobbed at the warmth in his voice and smile. He’d showered and was dressed to entice wanton thoughts from any mortal female, wearing dark jeans and a sand-coloured sweater that complimented his sexy green eyes.

  “She did. Thank you again.” Misha tried to keep her eyes on his face when she wanted another quick look at his freshly shaven jaw line.

  “Before you get out, I want to invite you to join me for brunch.”

  His invitation thrilled her more than she’d be willing to admit to anyone.

  Misha’s eyes widened. “Now?”

  “Right now. You’re already in the car. I can whisk you away unseen.” Cameron glanced around. “In fact, I should get in, guarantee no one accidentally sees us together.”

  Misha envisioned sharing a meal with Cameron as he got into the limo then closed the door, effectively sealing in his tantalising scent with him. His leg brushed against hers and she scooted over in an attempt to avoid any further physical contact. He smelt so damn good and his proximity made it hard for her to think rationally. She wanted to grab hold of his denim-clad thigh and squeeze, test the hard muscles she knew lay beneath.

  “So, Misha, what do you say?”

  The amusement in his voice mortified her as she whipped her gaze up from his thigh. She attempted to play down her discomfort with a cool smile. “I’d say I might be a little underdressed for brunch.” Misha ran a hand over her own worn jeans.

  “You look perfect.” Cameron rapped on the partition, turning to her as the limo moved away from the kerb once more.

  Tiny tendrils of awareness teased Misha’s senses as his gaze trailed up from her heels to her face. “There’s nothing sexier than a woman in a pair of nice jeans.”

  Cameron wanted to see Misha underdressed.

  Hell, he wanted to see her naked, covered with sweat in his bed, but that didn’t mean he didn’t appreciate the way he’d seen her jeans hug her juicy ass. She’d paired the denim with a black, short-sleeved cowl neck sweater and a sexy pair of matching slingbacks. He’d taken a chance ambushing her. For a moment, he’d thought she was going to refuse his invitation. She had some reservations where he was concerned—he could see it in her eyes every time she looked at him—and he int
ended to find out if that was because he was a judge on the show or because she felt the electric chemistry between them too. He couldn’t wait until they’d reached their destination, where they’d have total privacy. Something he’d been wanting for the two of them since he’d laid eyes on her.

  “You do realise I didn’t actually say yes to this unexpected brunch invitation.”

  Cameron watched Misha push the button on the door to crack her window. He resisted the urge to reach out and wind his fingers through her crinkly, ebony tresses. “So, say yes and make this brunch date official. I know you don’t want to say no.”

  “It’s hardly a date.”

  Cameron grinned as Misha broke eye contact to rummage around in her purse for her cell. “Does the idea of going on a date with me make you uncomfortable?”

  “Why would it?”

  “I can think of a few reasons.”

  He expected her to ask what reasons he spoke of, reasons he wanted to explore and discuss, but she remained silent while she fiddled with her phone. She felt the spark between them, Cameron was sure of it, no matter how hard she tried to play it off.

  “Where are we going?”

  Her voice sounded a little breathless to Cameron as she placed the device back in her purse. He wondered how she’d sound moaning for him if he was buried deep inside her slick warmth. Cameron shifted in his seat to hide the evidence of his stiffening cock.

  Damn.

  What was it about this woman? Why could he think of nothing more than tasting and taking her?

  “Cameron?”

  Her brown eyes held his and Cameron knew he wouldn’t be satisfied until he’d heard his name falling from her lips in a sing-song of pleasure wrought by him. “Say yes to my invitation officially and I’ll tell you. Otherwise, I’ll have Jerry take you back to the hotel. Is that what you truly want?”

  Misha gave him an exasperated sigh. “No.”

  “Good.” He smiled, realising how hard admitting she didn’t want to go back must have been for her. “You’ll be glad you came with me today.” His unintentional choice of words sent more blood rushing to his cock.

  Something flicked in Misha’s eyes and Cameron wonder if the same illicit images of the two of them erotically entangled had popped into her mind too.

  “We’ll be there soon.” Cameron lowered his window. “Is that too much air?”