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

by Maddie James

  Patricia reached up between her breasts, grasped her camisole at her cleavage, and ripped the thing straight off her chest. “Take me.”

  “Goddamn.” He didn’t have to be told twice.

  In one fell swoop he scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder caveman style, her ass at his eye level and one hand firmly holding her in place there. He loved how her butt felt in his hands. One by one she kicked off her heels. He stalked to the bedroom and tossed her on the bed. Immediately, he reached for the side zipper of her skirt and pried it apart, tugging the body-hugging fabric over her hips and off her legs.

  “Oh hell, get the damn thing off!” Patricia commanded, and he ripped it the rest of the way.

  A black scrap of fabric covered her sex, and he made short work of that while crawling over her.

  “Mount me.”

  “Let me kiss you first.”

  “Fuck me, dammit, Cooper! I want you now.”

  Shit. “Yes, ma’am!” Evidently she’d kept herself on a short leash for way too long. He was honored to accommodate.

  As he prepared to sink into her though, he lingered for only a second studying her face, toying with her gaze, searching for any speck of emotion to the moment. There.

  Right there. In her eyes. He learned forward on an elbow, gently ran the backs of his fingertips over her temple and cheek, and peered deeper into her eyes.

  “I love you, Patricia,” he whispered.

  Next he did just exactly what she’d ordered him to do.

  Sank into her to the hilt and then some.

  ****

  At exactly the point Cooper said the ‘L’ word, Patricia pushed any and all thought and reason out of her head. She deprived herself of sex for way too long. Probably one of the reasons she was reacting this way to Ames. Yes, of course, that was what it was. At the moment, she was only about feeling. And what Ames was doing to her right now felt pretty damned good.

  She’d forgotten how satiny smooth his skin was. His hot chest rubbing against her breasts felt sensational, but not as fantastic as what was happening between her legs.

  He’d plunged at her urging, the sweet, hot length of him filling her and causing her to gasp. Dammit, he felt so good, easing himself in and out, in and out, friction building as she squeezed the walls of her insides around him.

  Reaching, she grasped his hard biceps and clung.

  His hands wandered about her face and neck, holding her still. Breathing steadily in and out, his pants were hot and moist against her cheek. With every stroke he went deeper, and all she wanted was to keep him there forever, so she wrapped her legs tight about his waist to prevent him from going anywhere.

  Like he was going to go somewhere.

  You’re not going anywhere, Ames Cooper.

  Not tonight.

  That was it. She’d have him for tonight, that was all she needed, then she didn’t have to worry about tomorrow or what came later. If she wasn’t connected emotionally, she wouldn’t get hurt. She’d just enjoy what the night and Coop would give.

  And he was giving.

  Their bodies hot and sweaty now, they strained against each other, their breathing labored and hands and fingers exploring.

  Their rhythm increased while Patricia relished in the feel of him toying with her G-spot deep inside. Squeezing her legs tighter and tilting her pelvis, she held the position. “Don’t move from that spot,” she whispered. “There, right there.”

  He assaulted that tender internal spot over and over again until her mind went white-blank and she could feel her eyes rolling, her head thrown back, her body clenching about him.

  With a burst of sensation her entire being reacted with an eruptive orgasm and shook her to the core. She called out and dug her nails into Coop’s back, and within seconds, he shouted and rammed hard between her legs, their bodies wracked with spasms of pleasure.

  Their breathing slowed gradually, as did their rhythmic gyrations, until they stilled and curled into one another.

  Ames folded her into his chest, wrapped arms and legs about her, and pulled a comforter up over their bodies, making a small cocoon that encompassed only them. It made Patricia feel like they were the only two people in the world.

  Breathing deep of his scent, her face nestled in the crook between his neck and shoulder, she relished in the warm feeling of contentment. But she couldn’t feel that—contentment was an emotion and there was no place for emotion in what she was doing tonight.

  No place.

  She didn’t know why, but tears were stinging her eyes, and she didn’t even think about wiping them away.

  ****

  A few hours later, Patricia came to a slow awakening in Ames’ arms. She faced out, with him spooning her from behind. His right arm was draped protectively about her shoulder; her cheek rested on his left forearm.

  It was dim in the room, with a light on in the suite’s living area keeping it from being completely dark. Her eyes fluttered and blinked as she looked forward.

  To say she was experiencing a bout of after-sex remorse was likely an understatement. What was wrong with her? Of course, it wasn’t like she’d settled for a one night stand with a stranger. This was Ames, after all, a man with whom she’d had a relationship with some time back. But it was also Ames, she reminded herself, who had cheated on her and hurt her.

  Hurt her bad.

  Not this time.

  No, she wouldn’t allow herself to be hurt this time. She would take things into her own hands. Be in control of the situation. Not let herself get sucked in by the man’s sexual charms.

  But oh, his sexy charms were so very suckable.

  No matter. She would not succumb.

  She sighed.

  “You awake?” came the soft, deep voice from behind.

  “Yes.”

  “How awake?”

  “What?”

  “Are your eyes focused yet?”

  She thought that a strange question. “I think so.”

  “Then what do you see in front of you?”

  What? In front of her?

  She looked past the bed and saw nothing of any significance. “Ames, quit playing games. What are you talking about?”

  “Oh the bed. What do you see on the bed. By your pillow.”

  By her pillow. Oh. There was something. Something square and black and...

  Ames shifted in the bed and turned on the bedside light behind her. When he did, something sparkled from that black box.

  A ring.

  Her throat closed up.

  A black box with its lid open sat perched next to her pillow.

  In that box was a single solitaire diamond ring of a very nice size.

  “Oh, shit, Ames.”

  He lay back down beside her and nuzzled his cheek next to hers. His long arms encased her. She felt warm and cozy on the outside and was shaking like hell on the inside.

  “Marry me, Patricia,” he whispered. “I love you. I’ll never again do to you what I did in the past. I was such a fool letting you slip through my fingers. Please believe me. I love you. Marry me.”

  Without uttering a word, Patricia reached out and snapped closed the lid on the box.

  Chapter Six

  She had to get away, there was no question about it. Not just out of that hotel room and away from Ames, but out of New York City. In fact, she’d even risk illness to be in a place where she didn’t have to think—unless she wanted to. A place that was full of peace and quiet, where cinnamon coffee brewed every morning and where the aroma of just-baked blueberry muffins drifted up the stairway to wake you.

  A place where life was predictable.

  She was back in Legend, Tennessee, and sleeping in the blue room at Legend’s Landing Bed & Breakfast, listening to birds sing outside her window and smelling the mountains and lake. She swore she could smell them. Fresh. Clean. Very much unlike the city.

  “I could get used to this.”

  She was used to it, actually.

&nbs
p; It was a week earlier when she’d left Ames lying alone in that bed in the hotel room. Left him there without saying a word. She’d simply gotten up, found some clothes of Suzie’s to put on—hers had been ripped to shreds earlier—and left.

  For the next couple of days she’d called in sick to work, avoiding any chance of meeting up with Ames. She was embarrassed by her actions in more ways than one.

  Embarrassed by the way she’d thrown herself at him like she was a bitch in heat. Embarrassed by the fact that she couldn’t say straight to his face that she wouldn’t marry him. She was, simply, hands down, bald-faced embarrassed.

  And sad.

  Finally, she decided to go see Suzie. She’d packed up the chef’s belongings at the hotel and brought them to her three days earlier.

  Patricia rose from her bed and slipped into her robe. It was high time she earned her keep around here. Petey was much better and Suzie had some catering to do today. She’d promised to help.

  As she descended the stair and slipped into the kitchen, she could hear Suzie on the phone. While she chatted, Patricia helped herself to a cup of Suzie’s house blend, looked out the back window over the lake, and sighed. She wondered if she could find a job here...

  “So, that’s that. It’s all set.”

  Dragging her gaze away from the lake, she looked at Suzie, who appeared startled that Patricia was in the room.

  “What did you say?”

  Suzie drew her bottom lip in with her teeth and set her phone on the kitchen island. “I said that it’s all set. Um, the crew will be here day after tomorrow. That means you and I can finish the catering job today then do what shopping we need for the shoot, um, taping, and be ready when the crew gets here.”

  At that moment Patricia decided that she had indeed been in Legend too long because her brain must have turned to mush. “Who were you talking to, Suzie?”

  “Talking to? Oh, Patrick.”

  “Patrick? Monahan? My boss?”

  Suzie ran a knife around a huge blueberry muffin in a tin and popped it out on a plate. She added a pat of butter—real butter—on the side, and slid it toward Patricia. “Here, eat something. We have a full day today.”

  Wait a minute. “Why were you and Patrick talking? I don’t get it.”

  Suzie bustled about the kitchen, all but ignoring her, then stopped, finally, hands perched on hips, and looked at Patricia. “You were unavailable, Patricia. We decided to move forward without you. I need to get this last taping out of the way so I can get on with my other obligations. Patrick needs the show in the can. We talked and decided to make the decision without you because, well, you’re really not into making decisions lately.”

  Patricia straightened her shoulders and stood a little taller.

  “I am so into making decisions.”

  Shaking her head, Suzie said, “I beg to differ. You’ve taken yourself out of the decision making game of late.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You didn’t make a decision with Ames, you just left.”

  “That was a decision. Sort of.”

  Suzie harrumphed.

  “It was!”

  “Decisions require thought and contemplation. You didn’t give Ames’ sincere proposal any time, thought, or contemplation. You reacted, you didn’t decide.”

  “I decided to come here.”

  “You were escaping. Again.”

  “I decided to help you with your catering.”

  “I didn’t ask you, I told you I needed your help. Face it, Patricia, you are in no shape to make decisions, so Patrick and I decided to move forward without you.”

  A slight panic gripped her. The crew was coming here. Ames? “So we’re just doing the video, right? No stills?”

  Suzie sighed. “We already did those promotional shots, Patricia. You know that as well as I. No, we are not doing stills. We are taping the last episode.” She turned back to where she was mixing olive oil and spices and vinegar with a whisk in a large bowl. “Now, eat your muffin, drink your coffee, and get dressed. I have three dozen hard boiled eggs here that need to be peeled and chopped so I can make potato salad for the Daughters of the American Revolution luncheon. I, for one, am tired of your moping around and feeling sorry for yourself. Now, skedaddle.”

  And that’s exactly what Patricia, did—ate, drank, and skedaddled. But maybe that was exactly what she needed at this point, someone to tell her what to do, rather than to make stupid decisions on her own that came back to bite her.

  Because she was bit—her heart had hung heavy every second of her life since she’d left Ames alone in that hotel room. She feared it was an action she would regret for a long, long time.

  ****

  At four-ten a.m., Ames finally got up and moved to his dark room. With digital technology these days, he rarely developed his own pictures for work, but often did so for pleasure. He liked the process. It calmed him to focus on one step at a time, one photo at a time. He’d been up late, after Suzie’s call, trying to figure out what was the best thing for him to do. That’s when he’d pulled out the roll of film he’d taken from the sidelines the first day he’d been on the set with Suzie.

  Though, the pictures weren’t of Suzie, they were of Patricia.

  He lifted one out of the solution and hung it to dry. It was a profile pic of her watching Suzie, her gaze intent upon what was happening on the set. That was one of the things he loved about her—how she got so wrapped up in life and work, how she took charge, got things done.

  God, he missed her.

  He’d screwed up. Should have waited with the proposal and the ring. He just wanted so badly to right the wrong that had been done all those years ago. He wanted like hell not to hurt anymore.

  He’d thought he’d hurt three years earlier when he realized how deeply he had broken Patricia’s heart with his indiscretion. But nothing in his life had ever hurt as much as when she’d snapped that ring box shut and walked out of his life.

  He could still hear the click. Final.

  Staring at Patricia’s picture, he knew right then and there that he had to find a way to move on. Had to. He’d screwed up. Big time.

  “I need to work.” Yes. Throw yourself into your work, Ames. That will keep you busy. Lucky for him he had a job option.

  Suzie’s publisher had just hired him to shoot her cookbook.

  He reached up and snatched the picture of Patricia off the line and tore it in half, letting the two separate pieces fall to the floor.

  ****

  Dusk was falling and Patricia quickened her step. She wanted to be closer to the B&B with night falling. She’d grown accustomed to her evening walks around the lake path near Suzie’s house the past few days. The longer she stayed in Legend, the more she didn’t want to leave.

  She approached the dock where Suzie had her small boat tied and walked down to the end of the dock. She liked being out over the water like this and savored the peace and calm. A gentle wave slapped against the pilings. The setting sun over the mountains behind her cast a silver-rose reflection over the lake. To her left, a thumbnail moon hung high in the sky. The scene was pure heaven.

  She’d done a lot of thinking the past few days—about her, some choices she’d made in her life, and Ames. She wished she could rewind the past couple of weeks, and do just exactly what Suzie said she should—give time, thought and contemplation to what Ames had asked her. Because right now, at this moment, if Ames were to ask her again to marry him, she would react quite differently.

  But that wasn’t going to happen.

  “Retrospect is always more clear,” she muttered.

  With a deep breath she reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Carefully, she opened it and looked down to read the list. There was a little light left so she could still make out the words. Sort of. Or maybe it was just that she had memorized them.

  Suzie was right. This wasn’t a list of requirements for a husband, this was a list that represented
everything that Ames wasn’t. But it was all too late, now. Too late for everything. Crumpling the list in her hand, she balled it into a fist, looked up at that sliver of moon, and gave the wadded up paper an overhand toss into the lake.

  It didn’t go very far and landed with an unsatisfying plop onto the water. She stood and watched it bob out of sight under the dock.

  Time to head back to the house. With a deep sigh, she turned.

  “Patricia, stop. Please don’t move.”

  ****

  Ever the gracious host, Suzie had insisted that he take in the lake while she readied his room, telling him that the sunsets were often spectacular and to be sure and take his camera. He’d arrived a night earlier than they had agreed on.

  He was simply ready to get on with things.

  He’d expected the gorgeous view that she’d told him about. What he hadn’t expected was to see Patricia standing at the end of the dock, silhouetted against the light of a waning day, sun reflecting off her auburn locks, looking small and lost against the background of lake and mountain.

  No, he hadn’t expected to see her, but his heart kicked up its cadence at first glance.

  Make this right. Somehow, some way, make this right.

  He raised his camera.

  ****

  The voice startled her but she knew exactly who it was.

  “Ames?”

  He was backlit by the setting sun, standing on the opposite end of the dock. With his camera to his eye, he clicked the shutter and then lowered it. “I wanted to capture you just like that. The sun on your hair was awesome.”

  He moved closer.

  “What are you doing here, Ames?” She wanted to say she was too tired to deal with this, too tired to fight it, not ready to see him.

  He shrugged. “Taking in the sunset, same as you, looks like.”

  She was too tired to fight this and didn’t even know if she wanted to. Her shoulders slumped. “No, Ames. What are you doing here, in Legend.” Her voice was small and low.

  He stood directly in front of her now. “I’m shooting Suzie’s cookbook. What are you doing here?”

  “I came to escape, I guess.”

  “Oh? Escape what?”

  “You. Me. Us. Making decisions. Whatever.”