Perfectly Matched: ...And the Rest of the Matchmaking Chef Books

by Maddie James

  “Crap.” Tossing the magazine on an ottoman, she rose and started for the kitchen. Candy Bar Crunch Ice Cream waited in the freezer. If she was lucky, she still had chocolate sauce, too.

  The cold blast of the freezer hit her full face about the time a repeated, brisk knock sounded at her front door. She jumped a little and glanced at the kitchen clock. Almost ten-fifteen. Kind of late for visitors…

  The doorbell chimed.

  Another knock.

  Leaving the Candy Bar Crunch behind, she padded toward her front door and peeked out one of the sidelights. Her front porch light was already on.

  “Huh?”

  She stepped back.

  Mack?

  What did he want? She was in her pajamas. Should she open the door? Get dressed first?

  Her brain spun and indecision raced through her chest.

  Mack. It was Mack!

  From her coffee table, a vibration sounded. Turning, she glanced at her phone. Then to the door. Back to the phone. Finally, she skipped to the table and picked it up, punched the text button, and read the message.

  Please? May I talk with you?

  With a pounding heart, she jogged back to the door, unlatched and opened it. The pups bounded forward and Mack pulled them back with their leashes.

  “Mack?”

  “Hi, Lyssa.”

  Paws licked her red toenails. Buttercup strained against her collar. “What…?

  Damn, but he looked tired, sporting a lot more wrinkles around his eyes. His face looked drawn.

  “Are you okay?”

  “No.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  Both dogs started barking.

  “Hush,” he told them, still struggling to hold them back. “We’ve not been invited in yet.”

  “Oh. Oh!” Lyssa stepped back and opened the door wide. “Mack, what’s going on?”

  He crossed the threshold with the animals. Paws and Buttercup skidded between them and jumped up and down on her legs. She reached to scratch both heads.

  “I need help with the dogs, Lyssa.”

  Oh? A business call. Her heart sank. “I…I’m not sure what I can do to help, Mack. I mean, I screwed up totally last time and…”

  “No. Not totally with the dogs. With me.”

  What was he talking about? “I don’t understand.”

  “Well, it sort of is me. And sort of the dogs. You see, I can’t sleep.”

  “I’m not sure how I can help you with that.”

  “The pups don’t sleep. At night.”

  Well, if you’d take them out of those cages, perhaps they might… Oh, shit. He was still mad and blaming her.

  “I screwed up, Mack,” she blurted out. “I’m sorry I got them out of the habit of sleeping in their cages. This is my fault.”

  “Then fix it.”

  The abruptness of that statement took her aback. “I…I don’t know how. I’m not sure I know what to do.”

  “Well, something has to give. I put them in those damned crates and they are up all night long, whining and barking. They don’t sleep and I can’t. Damned dogs nap during the day; I have to work. You have got to help me.”

  Again, she perused his face, thinking. What if…?

  Should I go for it?

  Yes.

  “All right. I can fix this.”

  “Good.”

  “You have to trust me.”

  “All right. I’m all yours.”

  You betcha, cowboy. “Hand over the leashes.”

  Eagerly, he did just that.

  “Shut and lock the front door behind you.” While he did as she asked, she reached down and unlatched first Buttercup’s, then Paws’ leashes.

  Both dogs raced off in record time down her hallway and out of sight.

  Mack heaved out a sigh. “So where did they go?”

  “To bed.”

  “Your bed.”

  “That’s right.”

  His green-eyed gaze caught hers again, steadfast. If he was going to yell at her, he might as well get it over with, but she wasn’t budging.

  “You’re tired,” she finally said.

  “Yes.”

  Grasping his hand, Lyssa turned and started toward the hallway herself, leading him along the way.

  “Where are we going?”

  “To bed.”

  “Your bed?”

  “Yes.” She turned and looked straight into his eyes. “Unless you want to sleep in the crate.”

  The right side of his mouth turned up. “No ma’am. Lead on.”

  Lyssa turned out the lights along the way and when they reached her bedroom, dimmed the light on her bedside table. Without talk, she climbed into bed, scooting dead-weight puppy bodies aside while she slipped between the sheets. After Mack removed everything but his boxers, he joined her.

  She turned out the light.

  With a huge sigh, Mack wrapped his arms around her as she lay with her ear against his beating heart. Within seconds, his gentle snore filled the night and his arms released their grip.

  Nothing, in her entire lifetime, had ever felt so wonderful.

  In fact, she lay there for quite some time, simply listening to him breath and absorbing the nearness of his solid male body.

  For the first time in her life, she was totally in love.

  ****

  Mack woke slowly, realizing immediately that he wasn’t in his bed. He knew that because he couldn’t move his feet. He tried, but they were pinned to the bed. Puppies. Not only that, but something soft and silky was tickling his nose and the object he had his arms wrapped around was definitely not a pillow.

  Flesh. Woman flesh.

  Lyssa.

  He’d slept deep and hard. Hell, he hoped he hadn’t snored too much. As he woke little by little, he walked through the quick scenario of the prior evening and how he’d ended up in her bed.

  It brought a smile to his face. Thank God he’d come to his senses.

  She squirmed into him. Spooning up against her backside was a very pleasant thing. So pleasant, in fact, he realized that he was rock hard. Kind of nice, he determined, waking up with a boner and lying next to a woman. That hadn’t happened in a long, long time.

  Not just any woman. This woman. Waking up next to Lyssa like this felt so damned decadent.

  His hand moved to a breast and he cupped her through the thin fabric of her pajamas. She was full-breasted and offered him quite a handful. Not a problem for him. Ample breasts and hips satisfied him quite nicely. Toying with her nipple, he played until it was peaked and hard.

  Then he moved to the other one and did the same.

  Lyssa scooted closer, her ass cradling his erection. Sweet Mother…

  He slid a hand beneath her shirt to further caress her softness.

  “Mack…”

  Lyssa said his name on a sweet breath.

  “Good morning, sweetheart.”

  She responded by turning in his arms, facing him. The palm of his hand smoothed along her tummy and hip as she moved. Perching up on an elbow, he stare down into her sleep-softened face and loved the way she looked—yes, loved—and loved how she was looking back up at him.

  He could do this for a lifetime.

  Crazy. He loved her.

  Cradling her face, he leaned in and kissed her lips. She responded by hooking her hand around his neck and drawing him downward. She tasted salty and sweet, with dewy, plump lips that beckoned and promised oh-so-much more.

  Mack pulled her pajama top over her head and she wriggled out of her bottoms. Their gazes kept their connection while he pushed his boxers down, kicked them off, and maneuvered around sleeping dogs.

  She was beautiful. Every inch of her. Creamy skin from head to toe, soft and delicious, with rounded curves that pleased him very much. Her body felt like coming home.

  He explored with a light touch, starting at her collarbone and moving downward. Her eyes closed and her breath caught in her throat, as he teased one nipple, then another,
before moving his flat palm down to skim her belly, and lower.

  Leaning over her, he took one breast into his mouth and sucked while his middle finger below inched between her legs and met sweet moist flesh.

  “Oh, Mack…” She arched upward.

  His libido jackknifed.

  ****

  The palm of Mack’s hand was hot on her skin. Nothing had ever felt as good.

  Closing her eyes, Lyssa savored the feel of him touching her, smoothing his hand over her tummy, inching lower.

  The moist heat of his mouth shocked her when he took first one breast, then another, into his mouth and tugged. The sensation of being drawn into him caused her to involuntarily bow forward, urging him to continue.

  She wanted more.

  She wanted all of him.

  He parted her labia, slipped one long finger inside, and the gentle caresses he plied to her insides left her molten. Her legs spread in want and need.

  Leaving her breasts, he angled over her, shifting covers and his body, and trailed his hot, wet lips down her body. The moistness he left on her nipples aroused her even more as the cool morning air hit them. Breathing deeply as he moved steadily southward, she anticipated his intent.

  Oh, yes…

  It wasn’t long before he nuzzled her at the place where her hip and pelvis met. He licked down that crease between leg and her core, trailing his tongue toward her center. He groaned as the tip of his tongue grazed her lips and poked deeper into her depths.

  She gasped and clutched at his shoulders as he spread her apart with his fingers and flicked the hard pebble he found there. “Oh, my God…”

  He lapped and caressed, alternating with soft tickles and brazen assaults. She responded by spreading wide for him and allowing him full access. Damn, this felt so good… He, felt so good. On her. Licking, lapping, sucking…

  The explosion that built and erupted caught her by surprise. Mack didn’t let up, tormenting with fast and hard, then long and languorous strokes of tongue until the long series of convulsions were past.

  At that point she was powerless and sated, while relishing in the most intense orgasm of orgasms ever.

  ****

  Feeling her, experiencing the depth of her climax, holding her quivering flesh in his hands, and savoring the lingering taste of her on his tongue, was all Mack needed.

  Except for one thing.

  He had to bury himself in her.

  And fast.

  He sank into her sweetness and Lyssa’s body came alive again. She wrapped her legs and arms around him and took all he gave her. He couldn’t stop. Didn’t want to stop. Needed the constant rock against her, the friction of moving in and out, the wet slap of his body into hers, as he took her hard and fast.

  Hard and fast and complete.

  With a shout, he spilled into her, stilling his body with one last and thorough thrust.

  Lyssa cried out and trembled beneath him, and he realized she’d come again.

  He collapsed and cradled her against him, telling himself once would never be enough.

  He wasn’t even sure if a lifetime of Lyssa would be enough.

  ****

  Sometime later, Lyssa awoke, and panicked. Something was wrong. The bed was way too empty. Jerking upright, she grasped the sheet around her.

  The pups were gone.

  Mack, was gone.

  Tears threatened behind her eyelids.

  “No,” she whispered. “Please, God. No.”

  At once, a clattering commotion erupted in the hallway and two fluffy bundles of joy came bounding around the corner, into her bedroom, and leapt up and on the bed. Their puppy smiles immediately melted her heart.

  They were still here.

  Mack followed them in with two cups of coffee, one in each hand. He sat both on the bedside table and leaned over the pups to place a quick kiss on her lips. “Good morning, sweetheart.”

  He is still here.

  Thank you, God.

  She smiled back. “Good morning, my love.”

  And she meant that. She did love him. With everything that was in her.

  Wearing a wicked smile, Mack crawled into bed and joined her under the covers. Paws and Buttercup made places for themselves between legs and over laps. Still smiling, she looked at them, then glanced sideways at Mack.

  “I shouldn’t have let them sleep with me.”

  Mack heaved in a sigh. “Perhaps. But you did.”

  “You’re not mad anymore?”

  He shook his head. “The anger was unwarranted.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Laughing, Mack pulled her close. “Honey, right now, I am the happiest man alive. I have a hot woman in my bed and dogs at my feet. What else does a man need?”

  “Hot fudge?”

  Slinking lower into the bed and pulling her with him, he replied, “Well, there is that.” He pulled the sheet up and scooted the dogs to the side while covering his body with hers. “I love you, Lyssa Larkin. Marry me?”

  A thrill shot through her like none she’d ever experienced. “I’ll marry you, but I never plan to divorce you.”

  “I would certainly hope not.”

  “Long story.”

  “We’ve got a lifetime. Right now, however, I’m not about words, just action.”

  “I’m all over that.”

  They shifted in the bed and something vibrated under Lyssa’s pillow. Mack pulled back and gave her an odd look. “Your phone?”

  Heat flashed over her face. “Um, no.”

  Mack’s eyebrows shot up. “A vibrator?” He chuckled. “What other surprises do you have up your sleeve, Alyssa Larkin?”

  She shrugged. “Not much, M. Roberts. Just the norm. Whipped cream, hot fudge, a strategically placed maraschino cherry or two…”

  SIDE DISH

  Becca North doesn’t want a boyfriend but her best friend Nora certainly does. Becca is so off men. But when Nora, owner of Nora’s Novel Niche, meets Suzie the Matchmaking Chef during a book signing at her store, she finagles her way into a romantic picnic date lunch for her—and a blind date—on Suzie’s television show. Nora drags Becca along all the way from Pigeon Forge for moral support and to check out her date.

  Thing is, Nora’s date would rather check out Becca, instead.

  THE PIGEON FORGE TIMES

  LOCAL COOKBOOK CELEBRITY TO SIGN FIRST COOKBOOK

  PIGEON FORGE, TN: Chef Suzie Matthews, owner of Legend’s Landing Bed & Breakfast in Legend, TN, will sign her debut cookbook, The Best of Legend’s Landing Bed & Breakfast, Saturday afternoon from 2-4 p.m. at Nora’s Novel Niche.

  Suzie has owned and operated the Legend’s Landing Bed & Breakfast since 2006. She is known for her Hearty & Healthy breakfasts, a term in the process of being trademarked. Aside from running her B&B and working on her next cookbook, she gives cooking lessons at the B&B on the third Saturday of each month, and occasionally caters events with her cousin Sydney Schul, owner of Sydney’s Sugar High Coffee Stop and Bakery in Legend.

  Suzie was a former sous chef for the Mountain View Resort Hotel outside of Gatlinburg, a Smoky Mountain landmark. Her husband, Brad Matthews, is the owner and Chef de Cuisine of Lake Legend Lodge located on Legend Mountain.

  Nora Patterson, owner of Nora’s Novel Niche, is preparing for a record crowd. According to a press release issued by Ms. Matthew’s New York publicist, an announcement regarding an upcoming television opportunity will be made during the book signing.

  Chapter One

  “Are you looking for an annual or a perennial?”

  That sounded like a question she should know the answer to but didn’t. Looking the sales girl in the eye, Rebecca North replied, “Annual?”

  “Sounds like you’re not certain.”

  How she hated being clueless. “You’re right. I don’t know. An annual sounds like something I should make an appointment for with my doctor.”

  The young girl laughed. “Well, you are sort of on the right track. You go to your d
octor once a year, right? That’s annually. So a plant that is an annual only comes up once.”

  “Once a year?”

  “No. Once.”

  “Sounds like it should be once a year.”

  “That’s a perennial.”

  “Huh?”

  “It comes up and keeps coming up year after year.”

  “Oh.” Confusing. But sounded like what she needed to get her mother for her birthday. Something that kept coming back. The gift that kept on giving. “That’s what I want then.”

  Turning, the girl pointed to the left of the nursery. This was the first time Becca had been to Haven’s Hill. She knew her mother loved the place, so she felt like she could find something here to please her. “The perennials are all back there,” the girl said, “next to the trees and shrubbery.”

  “Which would also be perennial?”

  She grimaced. “I suppose you could say that.”

  Maybe she should just get her mother a tree. You can plant trees in the fall, right? Glancing back to the girl, who had now disappeared, she shrugged. She’d ask questions later. Right now, perhaps the best thing she could do was act like she knew what she was doing.

  She had to get a gift today. Her mother’s birthday shindig was tonight.

  Thing was, she had no clue where to start. Becca was a bookworm, not a gardener. Her mother had always had such a nicely landscaped lawn, with flowers everywhere, but Becca’s tiny apartment afforded her space only for a houseplant or two, and she was lucky to keep those alive.

  She wandered the aisles of green, stopped once in a while to finger a feathery frond or bend to read the plant names on plastic tabs, only to realize that she still hadn’t a clue what she was doing.

  About the time she was ready to head out, having decided that perhaps yet again she’d get her mother a book she wouldn’t read instead, she turned to find herself crowded up against a strong, male chest. A chest that wasn’t budging.

  “Help you find something?” the chest said.

  Well, actually, it wasn’t the chest, but the mouth attached to the face above the chest that spoke. Somehow, her hands had ended up flat on that chest and she could feel a quiet thump-thump-thump of what must have been his heartbeat against her palms. At once, her own heart echoed that thump-thump-thump, and she worried that it was beating so loudly, that the chest, er, man in front of her, would hear it.