Flavor Of The Month (Kiss & Tell Book 2) Page 11

  He put his hand out and touched the receiver, then tapped on it and pulled his hand back. He couldn’t call her again. He’d look…desperate.

  He grinned. Well, that was only fitting because he was increasingly becoming more desperate—namely to spend more time with Reilly.

  When he’d awakened that morning to find her sweet body curved against his, he’d had an epiphany of sorts. Rather than the immediate panic that usually filled him when he woke up to find he’d spent the night with a woman, he’d felt…at peace. Whole somehow. And so damn happy that it had taken an hour to wipe the grin from his face.

  Something like that had never happened to him before.

  While the thought should have scared him, it didn’t. Instead, it made him even goofier still. Finally he was finding out what it meant to love somebody.

  Not just somebody but Reilly Chudowski.

  He now understood what his father had felt when he met his mother and married her three weeks later at an Elvis ceremony in Las Vegas.

  How every last one of his friends had felt when they’d given up bachelorhood for the chance to wake up next to that one woman every morning.

  How it felt to know that you’d found that one person in the entire world who simply got you.

  The telephone rang. He sat up in his chair, hoping it would be Reilly. He picked it up on the second ring without looking at the caller ID display.

  “Ben, baby, where have you been? I’ve been trying to get a hold of you forever.”

  Heidi Klutzenhoffer.

  Where hearing from the leggy redhead would have made him happy just the week before, now it only made him feel…uncomfortable somehow. Now that he knew the difference between what he could feel for a woman, and what he had felt before, it didn’t matter that Heidi was every man’s wet dream. The only person who could do that for him anymore was Reilly.

  “Hello, Heidi. I’m sorry you’ve had so much trouble getting through. There’s been a lot going on here lately.”

  “And here I thought you were trying to avoid me,” she purred in a voice that had landed her some commercial voice-overs and had just gotten her a role in an upcoming Colin Farrell movie involving vampires. The sexy redhead would be the perfect foil for the latest Hollywood bad boy, especially if she were cast as one of the bloodsucking vampires.

  Last Saturday had marked their third outing together. A match made in PR heaven. Literally. His publicist had met up with her publicist and all had been in agreement that since both of them were currently in between steadies it would help them to be seen together. So he’d taken her first to a charity event, then to a golf outing and finally to the feature film wrap party last Saturday night. Sure enough, on all three occasions they’d landed a photo in nearly every paper in L.A. and he even understood one of the national rags had picked up a shot or two. Of course the headline in the national rag nearly made him choke—something about the two of them adopting pets from the city pound to satisfy certain…sexual appetites—but as his publicist told him, only no publicity was bad publicity.

  He absently scratched his chin. What was it that made his reaction to Heidi so different from his feelings for Reilly? Okay, so it didn’t help that on all three of their outings Heidi obsessed about the way she looked every other second, and demanded his attention on the offbeat seconds. She had a dry sense of humor and he suspected she was more intelligent than your average model. He had even enjoyed her company. On strictly a friendship level. He hadn’t slept with her on the first two occasions because he’d needed to get back to the restaurant—or had that been an excuse? And last Saturday…well, all night his mind had been on another woman he had just met and who had captivated him.

  Who continued to captivate him.

  He rubbed his brow line, wondering what Heidi wanted. “How could you ever think I would want to avoid a wildcat like you?”

  She appeared to like the comparison and laughed throatily. “Well, then, I take it you’d be up for taking me to the Affleck-Damon premiere next weekend, then?”

  The word “no” sat on the tip of his tongue. And remained there. It wouldn’t be proper etiquette to turn her down flat immediately after her proposal. He glanced at his calendar and noticed that the following weekend was Thanksgiving.

  Of course. The beginning of the Christmas movie season. And seeing as the latest Ben Affleck and Matt Damon collaboration had the biggest box office buzz this year, the premiere would be well covered….

  Reilly…a voice whispered in his head.

  “As luck would have it, I have something on my calendar for that night, Heidi,” he said.

  “Oh, no!”

  He dry washed his face, hating the sound of disappointment in her voice. It wasn’t her fault that she just didn’t do it for him. Maybe he should let her down a little more gently. “But let me call my publicist and see if there’s some way I can get out of it.”

  “That sounds more like my Benny,” she purred.

  Ben cringed. His only intention was to call his publicist and have him make his apologies to Heidi first thing tomorrow morning. There was no way in hell he was going to that premiere with her. Not when he could be spending the time with Reilly instead.

  After talking about mundane things like the warm weather and the latest Hollywood gossip, he ended the call and was just about to put another in to his publicist when Lance appeared in the doorway. “You’re not going to believe this order….”

  MALLORY’S WORDS of warning against Ben haunted Reilly throughout the rest of the day. Of course it didn’t help that Layla had called at around three to repeat, albeit in a more civilized way, what Mall had said. Reilly was absently surprised that Jack hadn’t said anything when she’d called him and asked if he was available to make some deliveries for her in the morning because Tina had an early class. Then again, Jack wouldn’t say anything. Rather his words would be stamped all over his handsome face.

  She should have hired the pimply kid she’d interviewed that afternoon for the delivery position who’d only had his license for a week. Anything would be better than having to see Jack’s frown of disapproval.

  But, more than anything, the fact that it was half-past six and Ben was late lent a credence to Mallory’s words that Reilly was loathe to admit, but recognized just the same.

  She was upstairs in her apartment, having showered and changed then worked herself into another sweat with all her pacing. Usually the movement helped her think. But not now.

  She eyed the clock. She had said six, hadn’t she? Yes, she had. While everything else about the day emerged a chaotic blur, that part she remembered clear as a bell.

  She’d asked him to come over at six.

  And it was now six-thirty.

  Damn.

  She grabbed her apartment keys then slid into her flip-flops. If she was going to be restless, she might as well be restless downstairs where she could put it to good use. She had an order for tomorrow afternoon that she could get a head start on. Then there was the mess she’d left because she had finished up later than she had anticipated. What did Ben think? That she didn’t have anything better to do than sit around and wait for him? She was a busy woman. A busy businesswoman with lots to fill her time with. She wasn’t about to sit around waiting for whenever he could spare her a minute.

  She reached for the door handle at the same time someone knocked on the door.

  She jumped back to stare at it. Okay, that was creepy.

  In fact, there were more than a few things that gave her the creeps lately.

  A quick clearing of her throat and then, “Come in.”

  Her visitor—she hoped it was Ben—tried the handle with no luck. Reilly had forgotten she had locked it.

  She stuck her thumbnail between her teeth. Was it a sign, maybe? That perhaps she should leave Ben on the other side of the door and tell him she couldn’t see him again?

  She rolled her eyes as she stared at where Luis was winding around her ankles. What was it with he
r and signs lately? She wasn’t superstitious. She wasn’t even particularly religious.

  She unlocked the door then allowed him to open it. I’m not a doormat, I’m not a doormat, she repeated to herself.

  But the moment she saw him she felt like lying down in front of him and inviting him to wipe his feet on her. That was her physical reaction. Then she noticed his drawn look, his five o’clock shadow, and just felt concern.

  “You look awful,” she said.

  He gave her a half smile. “Yeah, well, I feel pretty awful, so why shouldn’t I look it?”

  A small voice in her head demanded to know why he was late, why he hadn’t had the courtesy to call and who in the hell that Heidi woman was anyway. But it wasn’t her voice. It was Mallory’s.

  Her voice? It made her invite him to sit down, made her go into the kitchen for an ice-cold beer, then sit down next to him.

  “Sorry, I’m late,” he said after he’d taken a healthy sip. “I would have called, but by the time I realized I was so late I was almost here.”

  “You don’t have to explain,” she said, cringing the instant the words were out of her mouth.

  He offered up a genuine closed mouth smile. “Yes, I do.”

  “Okay, yes, you do.”

  “It’s just…”

  She waited for him to continue, resisting the urge to gesture with her hand in a prompting manner. Like a wheel regaining momentum.

  Then it struck her. The reason he was late. The reason behind his not looking at her the way he usually did.

  Oh, God. He was going to dump her.

  “It’s just…” he said again.

  “It’s Heidi, isn’t it?” Reilly took his beer and downed half of it. She realized he was watching her and she smiled foolishly then wiped the back of her hand across her mouth.

  She had not just done that!

  “Heidi? Oh, you must mean Heidi Klutzenhoffer. No, this isn’t about her. Heidi was nothing but an occasional appearance companion. Nothing more.”

  “Was? As in past tense?”

  “Was.” He chuckled quietly. “Looks like you had the kind of day I did.”

  “Depends on what kind of day you had,” she said carefully.

  Well, chalk one up for Mallory. She would get a chance to tell her “I told you so” sooner than even Reilly had believed. Ben was about to dump her. Then again, could she really blame him? Here he was one of the most eligible bachelors in L.A. and this morning she had raced from his place like a bat out of hell with barely a wave after having had one of the most incredible nights of her life. Then to top all that off she’d pretended he was a client when he called later because Mallory had been in the shop and she hadn’t wanted her friend to know she was talking to him, even though Mall had figured it out anyway.

  And now she was an out-and-out doormat just waiting to be replaced by a newer model.

  “This was one of the most difficult days of my life,” Ben said.

  Reilly’s throat closed and she had to force herself not to reach for his beer again and drain the rest of it.

  “For the first time in seven years I had to close the doors to Benardo’s Hideaway due to circumstances beyond my control.”

  Reilly blinked once. Twice. Her heart beat an unsteady rhythm in her chest.

  He wasn’t telling her to get lost.

  He was sharing a difficult moment with her.

  “Is that all?” she blurted.

  Ben blinked at her.

  Reilly smacked her forehead with the heel of her hand. “I’m sorry. You’re right. It has been a difficult day for me, too. Although not as difficult as your day, apparently.” She rested her hand on his shoulder, feeling his taut muscles beneath. She began to knead them. “What happened?” she asked.

  He grinned at her. Not a half-assed attempt, but a full-out Ben Kane knee-wobbler. Reilly caught her breath. “You first.”

  She shook her head. “No. I didn’t have to close shop. You had to close your restaurant.” She worked her fingers along the ridge of his neck. “Is it because of the electricity?”

  “No. Yes.” He sighed and sank down farther into the cushions. “The power’s still out, but that’s not the reason I closed the doors.” She watched as he closed his eyes. Was it her, or was he relaxing under the simple power of her touch.

  Oh, she liked this.

  She scooted a little closer so she could better work the muscles of his left shoulder.

  “Fabio, the head chef, called in. It seems he was mugged in the parking lot of the meat market we work with.”

  “Oh, God! Nothing serious, I hope?”

  He cracked his eyelids open. “Mmm. That feels good. Continue doing what you’re doing….”

  She did, feeling a strange kind of joy at her being able to ease his tension in such a small way.

  “Is Fabio okay?” she asked.

  “No. I mean, yes. His injury wasn’t life-threatening.”

  “Injury?”

  He nodded and his eyes closed again, allowing her to concentrate on the sexy line of his mouth. “The mugger slammed his left hand in his car door. Ten bones cracked right in two.”

  Reilly gasped.

  She’d noticed the night before that Fabio was a lefty. That meant—

  “Yeah, that means he’s pretty much out of the kitchen until he heals.”

  “Oh, Ben, I’m so sorry. Fabio must be devastated.”

  “That’s the word I was looking for,” he said, sinking even further into the sofa. “I could see he was devastated when I picked Fabio up from the hospital then called Lance to let him know what was happening.” His frown lines deepened. “I could have sworn the guy was a kind word away from blubbering.”

  “Cooking is his life.”

  Ben nodded. “Yeah.”

  Reilly tried to move to his other shoulder but couldn’t reach so she began to straddle him. He squinted up at her, his mouth turning up into a suggestive grin. “Now that’s a move designed to make any man forget his troubles.”

  She lightly whacked him. “This isn’t about sex, you maniac.” She felt his instant hard-on between her thighs and wondered if she could take the words back. “It’s about making you feel better.”

  “That would make me feel better.”

  She watched where he was skimming his hand down her waist toward her crotch. She caught his arm and laid it back down by his side. “Would you just relax? I took a massage therapy course one year. I know what I’m doing.”

  He closed his eyes. “I’ll say.” He scooted down further so that his erection rested more solidly between her legs. “And what move would this be?”

  “That move would be the ‘if you don’t stop wriggling I’m going to do some major damage’ move.”

  “Ah. Sounds painful.”

  “You have no idea.”

  She smiled as she said the words because, despite his suggestive behavior, Ben was relaxing. Well, all but one part of him. She noticed his muscles slacken under her careful ministrations. Watched the tense planes of his face soften.

  He quietly cleared his throat. “So tonight we go your way?” he asked.

  She twisted her lips, working on a particularly stubborn knot in his right shoulder. “How do you mean?”

  “Fast…or slow.”

  Sex. He was talking about sex again.

  And her body was responding in a way that said it was more than open to the idea.

  But her mind…

  “You know,” she said quietly. “You better watch out or I’ll start to suspect that you want me just for the easy sex.”

  The pleasure disappeared from his face and he opened his eyes fully to take her in. “Trust me, Reilly, if this—whatever this is that is happening between us—was just about the sex, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

  For some stupid reason, his response delighted her in a way she couldn’t even begin to analyze right now. Of course, he could also mean that sex with her wasn’t good enough to be just about the sex, but
she chose to ignore that. For now anyway. She was sure she’d probably fret about that part of it at two in the morning when she should be sleeping.

  She leaned forward and kissed him. “I like that,” she said softly.

  He waggled his brows at her. “How much?”

  She laughed then ordered him to close his eyes again.

  For a long time, neither of them said anything as she slid her hands and fingers up and over his arms and shoulders then up to his temples. She was half-afraid he’d fallen asleep, until he hummed in approval when she worked on his hands, finger by finger.

  “You know,” she said quietly. “All doesn’t have to be lost. You know, in terms of the restaurant.”

  His gaze was questioning.

  She shrugged. “I was just thinking…Fabio’s injury isn’t completely debilitating. Meaning he could still physically be present at the restaurant, right?”

  Ben nodded. “Right,” he said hesitantly.

  “Well, then, he could just supervise the other cooks. You know, teach them how to make the dishes the way he would. No, he might not be able to chop veggies or dice the meat, but I don’t see why he couldn’t do everything else.”

  She watched as a grin slowly began to spread across his face. Then she stilled when he slid his hands up over her arms across her jaw then threaded his fingers into her hair so he could draw her down for a kiss. “You’re a genius.”

  Right now she’d settle for bed bunny.

  He gave her another kiss, this one long and leisurely. She felt a different kind of tension build up in him and transfer to her, making her all hot and wet. God, but he felt good. Too good. And while the sensation should have scared her, for some reason it didn’t. Instead she found herself merely enjoying the ride, ready to take this…thing between them as far as it would go.

  She pulled back slightly from him and rested her forehead against his. She waggled her eyebrows at him. “Now, about this sex thing…” she said in her best seductive voice.

  12

  “MOM SAYS you’re acting like a whore.”

  The following Monday morning, Reilly nearly spewed coffee all over the top of the table she and fifteen-going-on-forty-year-old Efi were sitting at in the front corner of Sugar ’n’ Spice. Five days had passed since Ben had called her sister’s house making excuses for her so she could sleep in. Five bliss-filled days of Ben coming by her place every night. Of exploring each other’s bodies. Of exploring each other’s lives.