Romancing the Chef

by Robyn Amos

  “To me, too. A little souvenir from the bachelorette party,” she whispered.

  “I like it,” he whispered back.

  Feeling bold, she stripped off her underwear. The scrapof fabric had barely hit the floor before Ace lunged forward and swung her up into his arms.

  He carried her to the bedroom and placed her gently on the bed. Ace tore away his coat and shirt, but he didn’t pause for her to take in each ripple of muscle or the dark-roasted-coffee color of his skin. His hands worked quickly to satisfy the raw need that was etched out on his features. Off came his pants and underwear before Ace went in search of protection.

  Once he found it, he crawled onto the bed, raising himself up on his knees before her. Finally, Ronnie could take in the feast.

  The only light was the twinkling city shimmer streaming in through the windows. But it was enough for her to see that Ace had a lot to be proud of. He was broad and solid, from his linebacker torso to his powerful thighs.

  Then his hard, heavy form came down on top of her, as Ace slowly entered her, gently yielding to allow her to fully accommodate his size.

  Ronnie stretched her fingers and came into contact with the soft, springy hair on the hard planes of his chest. She let her nails flick his small, peaked nipples before striking out to explore his slatted abs.

  Ace took her mouth in hungry bites, first a corner, then a lip. Then their tongues found each other. Meanwhile, his hands were sampling the buffet, cupping her breasts, stroking her waist, caressing her hips.

  Ronnie’s thoughts became hazy as sensations began to layer like the flavors of a rich sauce. She tasted his salty-sweet skin from his neck to his toes. Her eyes feasted on his physical perfection.

  As Ace’s caresses became more intimate, she remembered how long it had been since she’d been with a man like this.

  Then he whispered, “I want you so badly,” while sipping at her neck. Folded against his larger, muscular body, Ronnie felt petite and dainty. And she knew she’d never been with a man quite like this. He was focused on her pleasure, each touch attentive and loving. He made her feel like the only woman in his world.

  Her hands roamed his broad back, while his large hands molded the cheeks of her round derriere, pulling her close until there was no more space between them. Their bodies paired like a filet and fine wine, each bringing out the best in the other.

  Ronnie heard her breath coming heavily as her anticipation mounted. An ache began to grow in her core, and she craved more of Ace, unable to get enough of him.

  “Ace, please,” she pleaded against his mouth.

  He continued to feed her lust with quick, hard strokes. She bit her lip, as he turned up the heat. Then, just as Ronnie thought she could take no more, she reached her boiling point. The pressure inside her released like steam in a kettle, and Ace followed seconds after.

  After a moment, their bodies began to cool, and Ace withdrew, kissing her gently on the cheek.

  With a sigh, Ronnie fell back against the pillows, her appetite fully satisfied.

  Ace watched Ronnie come awake. Before her eyes opened, her body uncurled and she stretched one arm above her head. Then her lashes fluttered, and he found himself staring into her dark brown eyes.

  There was a moment of disorientation, then a slow smile curved her lips as she focused on his face.

  “Good morning,” he said jovially, leaning forward to press his lips against hers.

  Ronnie accepted the kiss then glanced away shyly. “Good morning. I feel like I slept like the dead. What time is it?”

  “Almost noon,” he answered, laughing, watching her expression change from shy to startled.

  She sat up straight in bed. “Noon? I’m a morning person. I never sleep this late.”

  Ace was neither a morning nor a night person. He’d actually been a bit of an insomniac lately, waking early and going to bed late. But with Ronnie in his arms, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept so soundly.

  “I guess I really wore you out,” he teased.

  She grinned at him. “I think I gave as good as I got.”

  He nodded. Ace was in a fantastic mood and Ronnie was one hundred percent the reason. And he wanted to let her know that.

  “Seriously, Ronnie. Last night was incredible. I’ve wanted to be with you for so long.”

  She snorted. “So long? A whole three days?”

  “No, not just three days. I’ve wanted to be with you since culinary school.”

  Ronnie scoffed. “Come on, Ace. You don’t have to do this. I don’t need you to throw me a line or pretend this means more than it does. You gave me just what I needed. It was great. We can leave it at that.”

  Ace frowned, stunned at her reaction. “Wait a minute. I don’t think you’re hearing me.”

  “I hear you. And I’m letting you off the hook. I’m done looking at relationships through rose-colored glasses. We had fun. Now the only thing I need to know is how this is going to affect the next leg of the competition. You’re not going to go all soft just because we slept together, are you?”

  Ace’s spine straightened. He wanted to argue. He’d hadfeelings for Ronnie from the very beginning, but she didn’t want to believe it. He knew she had a rocky history with men. Trying to convince her that he really cared about her was probably futile at this point.

  The only way to let Ronnie know how he felt would be to show her. And he was more than willing to put forth the effort.

  “Do me a favor,” he said, “and don’t mention soft and sleeping together in the same breath. And you don’t have to worry about the competition. I always bring my A game. I expect you to do the same.”

  “Don’t worry, I will. And don’t get complacent just because I’m in fourth place right now. You haven’t seen the best of me yet.”

  Ace laughed, thinking back to all of the trash-talking they used to do in school. “I’m sure that’s true. The problem is, even your best isn’t as good as my worst.”

  Her eyes went wide. “Oh, is that so? It’s been many years since we’ve cooked in the same kitchen. You have no idea what new tricks I’ve learned.”

  He lay back on the pillows folding his arms behind his head, feeling confident. “That’s true. I’ve seen how you cook in the bedroom, and I have no complaints there. But you have to remember, I’ve sharpened my knives in kitchens around the world. You haven’t seen all my best moves either, in the kitchen or the bedroom.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “Oh, you’ll be lucky if you get a repeat performance in the bedroom.”

  Ace sat up, clutching the sheets to his chest in mock outrage. “You’re not telling me this was just a one-night stand, are you? I think you should know I’m not that kind of guy!”

  Ronnie picked up her pillow and bonked him on the head. “Stop being so silly,” she said, glancing at the clock.

  “Oh, no, the day is getting away from me. I have to hit the gym and then get back here to pack for the flight to Hawaii this evening. When are you leaving?”

  “First thing tomorrow morning.”

  She started to climb out of bed, and Ace, realizing he wasn’t ready to leave her presence, took her wrist and pulled her close. “Are you sure I can’t persuade you to stay here in bed with me?”

  “I don’t know.”

  He leaned down, dropping kisses on her neck.

  “It is a tempting offer.”

  He started massaging her shoulders.

  She squirmed in his embrace. “You have to stop that. I can hardly think straight.”

  “That’s the idea.”

  “You don’t understand. Cara’s going to call and ask me if I made it to the gym while I was here, and if I can’t honestly tell her that I did, she won’t leave me alone.”

  “Some might consider what we did last night a workout,” he said, placing a kiss on her throat.

  She hit him in the stomach with her pillow.

  “Never mind. How about you sleep in with me and just tell her you
worked out.”

  “There’s a good reason I did so poorly at the poker tables the other night. Apparently, I have a tell and Cara’s very familiar with it.”

  “A tell, huh?” Ronnie could be hard to read. So if she had a reliable habit that tipped her hand, Ace needed to identify it. “What is it?”

  “Oh, no, I’m not telling you. You’re just going to have to figure that one out on your own.”

  “Fine. If you won’t join me, I’ll join you in the gym just like I promised. Afterward maybe we can grab a late lunch.”

  “I wouldn’t mind having a workout buddy, but I can’t do lunch. I have to meet up with LQ later. I’ll probably just order room service to eat while I pack.”

  “All right, then why don’t we have dinner together tomorrow night in Kauai?”

  Ronnie hesitated.

  He wagged his finger at her. “If you don’t go out with me again, I’m going to feel used.”

  “Fine, you big baby. Dinner, but don’t count on dessert. We’ll have to see about that.”

  Chapter 10

  Ronnie dressed in her sweats and took the elevator to the gym to meet Ace. As soon as she set foot inside the pristine high-tech gym, she regretted agreeing to let Ace join her.

  While the gym itself was amazing, offering a huge selection of fancy machines, free bottled water and indoor rock-climbing, the atmosphere was already making her want to run back to her room.

  All the women were scantily clad hard-bodies that made her wish she’d done more than throw on a baggy T-shirt and frumpy cutoff sweatpants. And her ponytail wasn’t cutting it either. If you wanted to work out in this gym, you needed full hair and makeup to match your designer workout clothes.

  Ronnie might have bailed out completely if Ace hadn’t chosen that very moment to come up behind her. “There you are. Ready to break a sweat?”

  She turned to see Ace dressed in a sleeveless gray T-shirtand long white basketball shorts. The outfit was nothing special, but he definitely made it look good. Maybe they should have slept in after all.

  “Yeah, but I don’t know how long I’m going to stay. Maybe I’ll just run on the treadmill for a few minutes.”

  “Sounds good. Let’s do it.”

  Ronnie programmed her machine, watching as he matched her settings. “Um, don’t let me hold you back. I concentrate on fat burning rather than cardio.” She winced. Did she really just say fat burning out loud? That was just great. Remind him that she had a lot of fat to burn. Not sexy at all.

  “No problem. This is a great warm-up and we’ll still be able to talk to each other.”

  Wishing the treadmill would allow her to run away rather than stay in one spot, Ronnie started a light jog. Just as she was beginning to recover from her awkward confession, two bikini-clad blondes got on the stationary bikes that faced them.

  “Okay now, that’s just ridiculous. It’s got to be against the rules to work out in just bikinis. It seems unsanitary.”

  Ace grinned, barely breaking a sweat. “I don’t know. This is Vegas. I’m sure it’s not the most shocking thing that’s taken place in here.”

  Ronnie thought for a minute and a private smile crossed her face. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

  “Wait a minute. I saw the look you just had on your face. What was that all about?”

  “Nothing. I just remembered something. You’re probably right.”

  “What did you remember?”

  She shook her head. “It’s not my story to tell.”

  “Then don’t name names, but you have to spill it. Now.”

  She didn’t need much prodding. Ronnie had never been able to resist a good piece of gossip. “Okay, back home, I knew someone that had a little after-hours workout in the gym that we belong to.”

  Ace was silent for a moment, then his eyes went wide. “Oh, no, are you telling me that Cara had sex in the gym?”

  Ronnie almost lost her footing. “I never said it was Cara.”

  “I know you didn’t. I’m just putting two and two together. She used to be a fitness trainer. She probably had keys to the place to sneak in and get busy on the bench-press machine or something.”

  “She’d kill me if she ever found out that you knew. You have to keep that to yourself.”

  Ace laughed. “No problem. I know how to keep a secret. I’m just shocked, really. I always thought she sounded like she was a bit … conservative.”

  “She was, but I guess she loosened up when she met her husband-to-be.”

  “Now tell me this, where’s the freakiest place you’ve had sex?”

  “That’s a nosy question,” she said, looking around to make sure no one was eavesdropping on them.

  “You can say that to me after last night?”

  “I can say that because I don’t really have a good answer. I’m kind of a regular girl when it comes to that stuff. It’s always been indoors and on a bed.”

  “Unbelievable. If I’d been laying odds on it, I would have bet you were the adventurous type.”

  “That’s why it’s a gamble,” she said. “And you would’ve bet wrong.” To take the attention away from herself, she asked, “What about you? Are you adventurous?”

  He flashed all his teeth in a devilish smile. “Maybe.”

  “So? Are you going to tell me?”

  He thought for a few seconds. “I guess I’d have to say the car wash.”

  “What?” Ronnie stopped running for a moment to stare at him.

  “You know, the kind that lets you stay in the car while it drives itself through the brushes and sprays.”

  “Oh,” she said, resuming her pace. “Wait a minute. Don’t those car washes have big viewing windows where people can watch?”

  “If anyone was watching, all they saw was me sitting in the driver’s seat.”

  She stopped again. “I don’t understand.”

  “Of course, my girlfriend was missing from view. I was getting a little wash and polish of my own.”

  “Oooh!” Blushing, Ronnie started running faster on the treadmill. Great. Now Ace probably thought she was boring.

  After that, Ace tried to continue the conversation, but Ronnie kept increasing the pace until they were both panting too hard to talk.

  When the timer sounded on her machine, she jumped off. “I’m going to hit the shower. So much to do today. See you in Kauai tomorrow.”

  “But, Ronnie, don’t you want to—Okay, bye.”

  Ace shook his head as he watched Ronnie walk away while he tried to catch his breath. He always managed to push things to the point that she ran away. Everything had been going so well between them. Had he ruined it by sharing too much too soon?

  For every two steps forward with Ronnie, Ace took one step back. Long-term relationships were foreign to him, andhere he was pursuing one with a woman who might not be ready for it.

  How could he even be sure that he was ready for it? He didn’t exactly have a long track record with serious relationships. After watching the slow death of his parents’ marriage, for a long time he hadn’t even believed true love really existed.

  But being with Ronnie felt really good. She told him this morning that they were just having fun. Maybe he had to stop focusing on getting serious and just concentrate on the fun.

  Ace smiled to himself. Just because she hadn’t been sexually adventurous in the past didn’t mean they couldn’t change that. An idea began to formulate for their date the next night in Kauai.

  “Well, that’s an evil grin if I ever saw one,” Garett said, coming up next to him.

  Ace laughed at his friend, who was better dressed for the tennis court than the gym, in his white polo and shorts. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Oh, I think you do. Wasn’t that Veronica I just saw leaving?”

  “If you knew her at all, you’d know she hates to be called Veronica.”

  He shrugged. “She looks more like a Veronica than a Ronnie to me. So how was your date last night?�
�

  “It went surprisingly well, considering that dirty trick you pulled.”

  “Dirty trick?” Garett said with feigned innocence. “I don’t know of any dirty tricks. But you don’t have to thank me for the tickets. Just knowing you’re satisfied is thanks enough.”

  “Thank you? I should sock you. If Ronnie hadn’t been such a good sport, you could have ruined everything.”

  “But I didn’t, did I? Dare I ask where you slept last night?”

  “You can dare, but you won’t get an answer.”

  Garett laughed. “That’s okay. I don’t need an answer. I called your room several times this morning and you weren’t there. So actually, I take it back. You really should thank me.”

  Ace rolled his eyes. Garett wasn’t ever going to change and it was useless to try to reason with him. “Whatever. I have to go shower.”

  “Stop by the front desk on your way up to your room. I left a clipping for you.”

  Ace stopped in his tracks. “What kind of clipping?”

  “I was able to work my magic and get you mentioned in the local paper. I wanted to get you in something national but it was short notice.”

  Feeling a tingle of suspicion sneak up his neck, Ace all but ran to the front desk. The woman behind the counter handed him an envelope, and Ace stepped on the elevator and pulled out the clipping.

  It was a very small article but it carried a powerful impact.

  The Sexy Chef Makes Good On His Name With Fellow Reality Show Contestant.

  The article went on to describe their date and the racy show they’d attended last night. Suddenly sweat was pouring down his back that had nothing to do with his workout.

  Hopefully, Ronnie would board her flight before anyone could show her the local paper, Ace thought, hastily stuffing the clipping back into the envelope. If she found out that this story had originated with his publicist, their romance really would be just a one-night stand.

  Chapter 11

  Ronnie boarded the plane feeling her usual preflight jitters, coupled with second thoughts about her night with Ace. It was time to admit that she’d gotten in over her head. She’d planned on merely dipping her toe into the dating pool. Instead, she’d done a cannonball straight into the deep end. It was time to get out before she drowned.