Love Required (The Real Love Series)

by Codina, Melanie

  Drying her hands off on a towel, she slipped off her apron and set it on the counter before turning to follow the tux out of the kitchen. She almost ran into him as he stayed rooted in place. Looking up at his face, he was still smiling as he said, “My name’s Jason, by the way.”

  She dropped her gaze to his outstretched hand. It was a large, strong-looking hand. The type of hand that could inflict a lot of pain and damage if it were attached to the wrong kind of man. Hesitantly, she slipped her smaller hand into his, preparing herself for his strength. What she felt instead was the warm, gentle touch of his fingers wrap around hers before he gave it a small shake.

  Staring at their joined hands, she was surprised that she didn’t feel any hesitation or fear. Just warmth. He was still holding her hand when she looked back up at him in question, but his own questioning stare forced her to realize she hadn’t responded to him. She spoke up, “Oh, sorry. Tori … my name is Tori.”

  He gave her hand another gentle squeeze before letting go. “Nice to meet you, Tori.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  JASON made his way out of the kitchen toward his table of family and friends. He shortened his long stride so Tori didn’t have to chase after him. She was a tiny thing, he thought. Smiling to himself, he glanced back as they weaved between tables and chairs on their way to the front of the room. He noticed she stopped to speak with one of the waiters before she resumed following him. He felt rude having her trail behind him, but there was no way to make it between the obstacles without going single file.

  When they made it through the first group of tables and came to the dance floor, Jason paused and allowed her to come up next to him. She looked up at him in question. He could only give her a smile as he gestured for her to follow the path around the dance floor. She did, allowing him to place his hand on her lower back to guide her. Tori flinched when his hand made contact, but she relaxed a moment later. He wasn’t sure if he should be worried about that reaction, but he convinced himself this was the gentlemanly thing to do. Plus, he wanted to touch her.

  It was selfish, he knew, but that didn’t change his mind. Getting closer to his table, he knew the second Allie caught sight of his approach. Her face took on a knowing glint as she turned and whispered something to Mike before looking back at Jason.

  Jason extended his hand forward, showing Tori they’d arrived. “Here we are.”

  Tori looked up at him and asked, “What exactly is it you need from me?”

  He just smiled as he moved to her other side, positioning himself between Allie and Tori. “I just need you to say what you said in the kitchen.”

  Tori gave him an adorable shrug as she turned her attention toward the table. Standing on her right side, he caught sight of a long scar that ran from the corner of her mouth at an upward angle toward her ear. It was clear she had used something to cover it up, but his height over her afforded him a view. It was so precise, which told him it was not an accidental injury; it was intentional. The thought of someone deliberately hurting her stole his ability to speak, and they were left standing at his table in awkward silence.

  Allie spoke up, “What’s going on, Jason? Did you get in trouble in the kitchen?”

  Shaking his head at Allie’s sarcasm, he distanced himself from the vision in his head. He looked at Allie as Tori leaned forward, placing the plate of dressing on the table. She let out a small laugh as she defended him, “He was no trouble at all in the kitchen. In fact, he asked me to make sure we brought out extra dressing for you so you wouldn’t have to go without. He was very insistent.”

  Tori looked back up at him and winked before turning back to the table, waiting for whatever it was he brought her out there for. She winked at him. He thought that was one of the hottest things a woman could do. It showed she was flirty, confident, and comfortable. He really liked that. Not to mention the vibrant green eyes she was winking at him with were like emeralds set in ivory cream surrounded by a crown of deep auburn hair. Her hair was in such vibrant contrast to her eyes, it made both features stand out more. He had to fight the urge to reach out and touch her. It was a strangely hard thing for him to do.

  When she turned back to look at him, she had that questioning look on her face again, and he realized he was making a fool of himself by only staring at her and not speaking to the table of people looking up at them. He could care less what his family and friends thought; it was her he didn’t want thinking he was an idiot. Finally finding his voice, he said, “Everyone, this is Tori. She was helping me in the kitchen when she said something I thought you should hear.”

  Jason could see Mike smirking behind Allie. Jonathan and Zane were also sporting matching grins. Allie’s narrowed eyes and raised eyebrow showed she knew he was up to something. He loved knowing he was about to take her down. A smile spread across his face as he thought of his plans once she became the table bitch. Looking back over to Tori, he asked, “Could you please repeat our conversation in the kitchen for my family here?”

  “Um, okay. Well, first you complained that it was going to be a long night. Then I said, it can’t be all that bad, you’re at a party after all.” She said to the table before turning to look at him again. He smiled and gave her an encouraging nod. Her answering smile was like a punch to the gut, and he had no idea why this little woman had such a visceral effect on him. Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, he broke eye contact and looked to Allie, who was watching him intently. He was certain she picked up on his reactions to Tori, but he focused on how he was now the one on the winning side of their wager.

  “There you go, half-pint. A woman who has the same opinion as me,” he gloated. Sure, only jerks gloated, but the fact was that Allie would definitely gloat, so why shouldn’t he?

  “Whatever, gigantor,” Allie said to him before turning her attention to Tori. “He didn’t tell you to say that, did he?”

  Tori asked, “Say what? He only asked me to repeat what I said in the kitchen.”

  “So he didn’t tell you to say this was a party and not a reception?” Allie asked again, clearly trying to avoid the fact that she was about to be bossed around. Jason couldn’t help but huff a laugh at her.

  Tori glanced over at him before answering Allie, “No, he didn’t, but this is a party. Sure, it’s a wedding reception, but that’s just the description of the type of party. The actual definition for reception is a social gathering to celebrate something or to welcome someone. Party is a synonym of reception.” She finished with a smile like she had just solved a puzzle. Jason couldn’t have said that any better himself, and he was pretty amused by her ability to quote the actual definition. He wasn’t sure if it was weird or not, but he was a little turned on by it.

  Turning back to Allie, Jason relished in the shocked look on her face. Which was quickly followed by an amused one. Allie was never quiet, but now she was stunned silent. The silence must have made Tori uncomfortable because she quickly began to babble, “I’m sorry, did I say something wrong? I only know the definition because I’m in the catering business and it helps us determine what we wear for the job. Parties get black and white attire. Business luncheons get polo shirts and kakis, and sometimes we do jobs on the beach and we wear Hawaiian shirts and leis. When the schedules are posted, party is the word used to describe the event …”

  Jason watched as Tori continued to chatter on in her own defense. He felt bad that she had become uncomfortable, and he suddenly felt the need to protect her. Whether it was appropriate or not, he stepped closer to her and wrapped his arm around her waist, and interrupted her chatter, he glared down at Allie and said, “Oh, come on, half-pint, your silence is making the poor woman feel she needs to defend herself.”

  Tori didn’t stiffen when he touched her that time, but she did look up at him. He didn’t look down at her because he knew her face would be very close to his, and he wasn’t sure what her proximity would make him want to do. More so than what he already wanted to do that was. Allie smiled. “Sorry
, I wasn’t trying to make you uncomfortable, Tori. I was in shock that you delivered that definition without an ounce of sarcasm, and I was trying to come up with a way to get out of what I know is going to happen when you leave our table. Oh, and I can’t stop staring at your hair.”

  TORI watched as the very pretty Allie stood and rounded the table in her direction. When she reached her, Tori wasn’t sure what to do. Allie’s eyes were round as she gently picked up the thick braid that rested on Tori’s left shoulder. She couldn’t help but think how this was a touchy feely group of people but that it didn’t seem to bother her as it normally would.

  Allie was playing with the end of her braid and examining it closely as she ran her hand gently down the bumps of it. “The coloring is beautiful,” she said.

  Tori smiled and was about to speak when the man who was seated next to Allie said something, “Allie, sweetheart, it’s not polite to randomly stroke people’s hair when you don’t know them.” His amusement was evident in his tone. “Apparently we’ve found Allie’s kryptonite: Tori’s hair.”

  Allie snorted a laugh next to Tori and said, “Oh, be quiet. I’m a hairdresser; I stroke people’s hair all day long. But I’ve yet to see a color this stunning except in pictures.” Allie stepped back and said, “I’m sorry, it’s rude to ask, but I have to know who does your hair so I can find out what color that is. It’s stunning. You can’t say it’s brown, and you can’t say its red.”

  Tori and Allie stood close to the same height, which Tori loved because she was usually the short one in the crowd. She also couldn’t help but take in Allie’s beauty, and with that acknowledgement, came the insecurity of standing next to a woman who looked flawless, when Tori herself was flawed.

  Reaching up, she unconsciously touched her right cheek, feeling the scar. She quickly moved her hand up to push a bit of hair behind her ear, hoping she hadn’t drawn attention to the scar itself. She could feel Jason’s eyes on her and she didn’t want him to see her imperfection. Covering up her scar was routine for her, if only to avoid questions or sympathetic looks. But for some reason, allowing him to see it felt like she was exposing too much.

  His hand was still resting at her waist and as comfortable as it felt, her need to hide her flaw was greater. Turning her body to face Allie more, and away from Jason’s assessing gaze, she answered Allie’s question, “Oh, I don’t have a hairdresser, this is my natural color.”

  Allie looked at her like she was crazy. “Shut the front door. No way! That beautiful coloring is all yours?” She picked up the braid again and marveled at it.

  On more than one occasion, Tori had been asked who did her hair because the color was so beautiful. But it was one hundred percent hers. A slight feeling of sadness welled up inside when she admitted, “My mother had the same color, too.” She really missed her mom lately.

  When Tori felt a hand on her shoulder, she looked up and saw Allie smiling at her before she said, “What a beautiful reminder.”

  Tori wasn’t sure how Allie picked up on the past tense in her sentence so easily, but it was nice of her to acknowledge it. Realizing she had spent far too much time away from the kitchen, she cleared the small lump in her throat and looked to the table of people in front of her. “Well, it was nice chatting with all of you, but I really should get back to the kitchen. Lord only knows what trouble could be happening without my direction. Please, let me know if there is anything you need tonight.”

  Allie took a step away, and Tori turned back to look up at Jason. The movement disengaged his hand from her waist and a slight bit of disappointment swelled up inside her. Masking the feeling, she smiled and said, “I hope I was able to help. Let me know if you need me for anything else.”

  She extended her hand to him, and he quickly took it in his own. Once again, she enjoyed the warmth his touch brought to her—even more so when he used both of his big hands to surround her small one. When he gave her that hypnotizing smile again, she fought her desire to stare at it. “You more than helped me, Tori. And believe me, I will definitely find you later.”

  Her body’s reaction to his touch was almost foreign to her. Given the past few years where the thought of being with a man was of little concern for her. Sure, she’d seen men who she thought were attractive, and she’d even been asked out a time or two, but none had that palpable of an effect on her. It was refreshing to know that she wasn’t completely damaged.

  Giving his hand a squeeze, she smiled and winked at him before turning and heading back to the kitchen. She fought the desire to look back at him over her shoulder. Even though she thought it was possible he was watching her leave, she didn’t want to risk the disappointment if he wasn’t. There hadn’t been anything other than a great smile and some friendly gestures, so she had no reason to think he was attracted to her. But a girl could dream, and if she were to be completely honest, that man was what dreams were made of.

  CHAPTER THREE

  TORI was still smiling as she walked into the kitchen and found Tessa snapping her fingers and pointing at a tray as she gave orders to one of the waitresses. Huffing a laugh, she shook her head and picked up her apron, wrapping it around her waist. Tessa was a crack-up, and her blatant display of what she believed to be authoritative, but truthfully came across as annoyingly bossy, always made her smile. Friends who you could trust were few and far between for a woman who left behind a life that had taken away all of the people she held close. At some point, she hoped it would be possible to repair those relationships—the ones destroyed by her marriage. For now, though, she had Tessa, and the other stuff remained on her list of things to do.

  Coming up alongside Tessa, Tori said, “Go ahead, Melody, you can take your tray out now.” The young woman nodded and quickly removed herself and her tray of food.

  “Trying out a new bossy voice again?” Tori asked as she gauged where they were in serving the meal. Her kitchen was organized and ran smoothly, her staff respected her, and she loved doing this. Creating meals was one of her favorite things to do, and she was grateful that her evil husband didn’t take that away from her, too. Kiss my ass, Damien, she thought with a smile as she leaned against the counter and watched the activity around her.

  “Well one of us needs to be bossy around here. You just smile and ask them to do things. What’s the fun of being a boss if you don’t get to boss people around?” Tessa asked.

  “Does it look like my staff needs me to yell at them?” Tori asked with amusement. This had been the topic of conversation at least once at every event they worked together. It was apparently their thing.

  Tessa gave her a confused look, “No, they don’t. That’s what I don’t understand. How do you get them to do whatever you ask without being mean?”

  “The only person who doesn’t do what they’re told to do is you, Tess. Maybe they want to please me, and you … maybe you just like being bossed around? Is there some underlying need to be dominated or something? Oh, maybe you want to be bossed around by a chick?” Tori added with humor.

  Tessa looked like she was considering the idea before saying, “That’s a possibility. I did think you were hot when you told me what to do. How about we make out and see where it goes?”

  A loud clattering sound behind them got Tori’s attention. Whirling around, she found two young men from her staff staring at them with wide eyes. One of them cleared his throat and smiled. “I wouldn’t mind watching that.”

  Tori threw a towel at the young man, hitting him in the chest. “I’d move along, guys. You know what Tessa’s like when she gets ideas in her head. She might think it’ll be a good idea to watch the two of you make out.”

  The silent one made a choking sound before saying, “I’m outta here.”

  The other young man only smiled bigger and said, “I’m game if I get to see you two make out.”

  Giving him a stern look, she made a shooing motion with her hands. “Get back to work, Joel. Nobody is going to be making out here.”

  He
looked disappointed, but made sure to add before turning away, “Make sure you find me if things change, though.”

  Shaking her head, she turned back to Tessa who was smiling big as she watched Joel walk away. When she looked back to Tori she said, “I wouldn’t mind making out with that.” She motioned her head in his direction, as if Tori didn’t know who she was talking about.

  “You are at least ten years older than him, Tess. And you need to stop talking like that at work. I don’t need someone complaining about sexual harassment.”

  “There would be nothing harassing about you and me making out, just sayin’. And ten years is no big deal; he’s at least twenty-one, and that’s plenty old to know what to do with his working parts. Besides, I’m sure I could teach him a thing or two,” Tessa added as she leaned on the counter facing Tori.

  “You really need to look up the definition of sexual harassment in the work place.”

  “I will, but only if there are pictures.” Tori found herself once again trying to stifle a laugh at her friend. She was totally comfortable in her skin, and Tori was so glad to have found her.

  Together, they watched as the wait staff started to bring in empty dinner plates. The cleanup process had begun, and soon the bride and groom would be cutting the cake. Thankfully Tori was able to delegate the cake cutting to someone else; she hated doing that part. Glancing over at Tess, she said, “I’m putting my bossy voice on for you.” Clearing her throat and scowling, she said, “You’re cutting the cake tonight, so make sure you don’t screw this up.”

  Tessa smirked. “That totally just gave me a lady boner over here. Bossy Tori is definitely hot.”

  Of course, Joel was walking by as Tessa said that. His smile and obvious glance down to look for Tessa’s “lady boner” was almost too much to handle. Taking her apron off and tossing it on the counter, she said, “For crying out loud, Tessa, you have got to stop saying crap like that here.”