“I don’t want to punish you, Rachel.”
As she raised her thighs to his hips, he brushed his mouth on hers.
“But I am going to show you why I have that written on my arms.” With that, he rolled off of her. Getting out of the bed, he made his way to the bathroom, and just as he stepped through the door, he heard her call him.
“Cole!”
Looking over his shoulder, he saw that she had turned her head on the pillow to face him, and she was now moving her hand down between her thighs.
“Don’t,” he warned.
She bit her lip hard. “That’s it? You’re just going to leave?”
“Yes. You need to learn the reward that comes from patience. I have it in abundance. While you are practicing that today, remember the other half of the saying. Because when I’m sitting behind my desk at work, I will be thinking of all the ways I can sin with you.” Cole turned and continued into the bathroom, and just as he was about to shut the door, he called out, “And do not touch yourself today, Rachel. Don’t you dare come before I get to you.”
“And how would you know?” she shouted in response.
Cole strolled back over to the door, staring at her in his bed. “By the time I get to you, I promise you will be begging for it. In fact, I should just be able to look at you, and you will want to come. If your greedy little hands have done the deed, you won’t need me now, will you?” Turning on his heel, he said, “I’m taking a shower. Keep your hands off of what is mine.”
As a frustrated groan met his ears, he couldn’t help but smile as he turned on the water.
Rachel pushed through the back door of the restaurant at six fifteen. She rushed in and made her way straight to her office. Late again, damn it. When she spotted Sarah, Rachel gave her a quick wave and a smile. She shrugged off her jacket and pulled the bright red beanie from her head.
“We ready to go for tonight?” Rachel asked.
Sarah was hot on her heels. “Yes.”
After Rachel hung up her jacket on the back of her office door, she removed her turtleneck pullover and threw it on her chair before picking up her smock. Fastening it quickly, she reached back to braid her hair. She stopped when Sarah gave her a soft laugh.
“Lena showed up around forty-five minutes ago, and we have not seen or heard…well, much from Mason since. They’re in his office.”
Rachel screwed her nose up in an exaggerated eww look and shook her head. “I don’t even want to know,” Rachel joked, walking out into the kitchen to the stainless steel prep table. “As long as the pears are cored, wrapped, and ready to bake, all I care about is that the weekly special is ready to go.”
Sarah nodded. “Of course, of course. He’s just so funny when Lena’s here. He goes from Mr. Business Smooth to a dopey-eyed, lovesick—”
“Fool?” Rachel suggested with a grin. “Yeah, I know. They are sweet and all of those great adjectives. Let me know when you see them emerge. I don’t really want to be—”
“What? Ambushed?” her brother’s voice called from behind her.
Groaning, Rachel shut her eyes for a moment as she raised a hand and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Surprised, Mase,” Rachel told him, turning to find both Lena and Mason standing behind her hand in hand. “I didn’t want to be surprised.”
“Of course, you didn’t,” Lena said, coming to the rescue, as she stepped forward. “I was leaving anyway. I’m meeting up with Shelly for a movie. Hey, when’s your next day off? We should all get together.”
Rachel creased her brow and glared over at Mason as he raised his eyebrows. Obviously, he hadn’t told his wife about their little chat, so Lena didn’t know that Rachel wanted some time away, making this all the more difficult. Lena was such a sweetheart, and lying to her never felt good.
“I’m pretty busy right now with the flower shop and all. I’m in the middle of hiring someone, so maybe next week?”
There. That wasn’t a full-on lie.
Mason wasn’t buying it though. She could tell by the disapproving look on his face, and Rachel felt her guilt creeping in.
“Oh, okay. Well, that sounds good. I have a really busy schedule this week anyway.”
Good, Rachel thought.
Just when she stupidly assumed she had gotten away without any kind of uncomfortable conversation, Lena added, “But we need to get together soon because you need to tell me all about Cole.”
Oh, fantastic.
“Cole? Who’s Cole?” Sarah asked with a curious smile.
Rachel lifted her eyes to her brother’s to find they were fixed on her.
“No one, Sarah. He’s just a mutual acquaintance. He works for Josh.”
“Oh, gotcha.”
“Who works for me?” a deep voice said into the kitchen.
Rachel cursed under her breath as she glared over at Josh—the traitor—who had just appeared in the door of the kitchen.
“Last time I checked, you don’t work here. So, what are you doing back in my kitchen?”
As the staff made their way around them, like they weren’t even there, Josh gave her a look that screamed, Since when do you care?
“I’m dropping off Georgia. These two are going to a movie.” He nodded to Lena.
Rachel looked around him, but she couldn’t see the blonde bombshell anywhere in sight. “Then, where is she?”
As the side of his mouth curled up, Rachel had a fleeting fantasy of socking him one right in the kisser.
“She’s in the bathroom, fixing her already perfect hair. What’s the problem, Rach? Trying to get rid of me?”
Through clenched her teeth, Rachel managed to say, “No. I am trying to get everything I need together before it gets insane back here.”
“Well, most of it is done. We just need to mix the caramel sauce, and we are good to go. Prep is finished.”
It was normally such a blessing to have an organized worker, but in this instance, Rachel really wished Sarah had been an incompetent mess. Rachel wanted an excuse to flee, any excuse to get away from familiar eyes piercing into her.
“That’s great, Sarah, but I need to—”
“Um, excuse me, Rachel?”
Like some horrible comedic scene, all five of them turned to the main window, dividing the dining room from the kitchen to see Wendy. The restaurant manager was standing there with a grin so wide that there was only one thing that could have possibly prompted it.
Oh, please. Not now. Not right now.
“There’s someone asking for you in the dining room,” Wendy said, looking at Rachel.
Before Rachel could say anything, Mason jumped in, speaking up. “Who, Wendy?”
“Don’t answer that!” Rachel countered as she glared at her brother.