“Not going to answer that either?” she guessed as she reached up to trace the bar through his left nipple.

“I’m going to answer,” he told her, pressing his hardness against her warm mound, “but you keep interrupting me. That’s not very nice.”

As Rachel’s eyes met his, he thought he saw some hesitation for a moment, but as he continued looking down at her, he felt the hesitation disappear as her mouth curved and her lips parted.

“No, it’s not. So, what’s my punishment going to be?”

Playing with the red-and-black hair that was spread out on the pillow, Cole rocked against her. As a small moan left her lips, he leaned down to her ear.

“Patience of a saint. The mind of a sinner. That’s what my tattoos say.”

She let her eyes drift to his arms, and as he ground his hips into hers once more, she pouted and sighed.

“What language is it written in?”

Cole nibbled the shell of her ear down to the lobe. “Norwegian.”

She pulled her head away and turned it on the pillow. “Is that your heritage?”

Enjoying her curiosity, Cole continued to assault her ear as he murmured, “Part of it.”

“As in big blonde Vikings?” she asked, her voice catching in breathy excitement.

Cole lifted himself up on his arms and pinned her to the bed with a stare. “That seems to excite you. Do you like the idea of being ravished by a Viking?”

Her hands came up to grip his upper arms as she arched her back, pushing herself against his cock. “Maybe I want to be punished by one, for not being very nice.”

“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.

“It’s him, isn’t it?” Mason pushed.

With her pulse pounding and blood ringing in her ears, Rachel glared and stormed past him. “It’s none of your business. Stay here.”

“Hang on a minute,” Josh finally piped up. “Cole’s out there? Waiting on you? That guy doesn’t wait for anyone.”

Aiming annoyed eyes over her shoulder at Josh, Rachel warned, “Don’t even start. As of yesterday morning, I am not talking to you.”

“What did I do?” he asked, having the gall to act offended.

“You have a big mouth,” she accused, looking from Josh to her brother. “Now, both of you, stay here.”

With that, Rachel rushed around the prep tables and over to the doors to the main dining room. Pushing through the frosted double doors, it took her only seconds to spot Cole.

He was seated at a table in the center of the restaurant, facing her, and he was dressed in the same immaculate black suit, white shirt, and blue tie he had left the condo in this morning. He had one arm resting flat on the white linen tablecloth, and the other, his left, was propped up on his elbow with his fingers and thumb at his chin. He looked like he was in deep thought, and as his eyes met hers across the dimly lit dining room space, she knew she was at least a part of those musings.

After he had seen her home this morning, which was completely out of his way, Rachel had changed into a pair of flared black dress pants and a purple turtleneck pullover. Now that she was at work, she was dressed in her purple smock and black pants.

Smoothing her palms down her sides, she thought, Breathe. Remember, you were just with him this morning.

The only problem with reminding herself of that little tidbit was the fact that she was still completely frustrated, and she wanted his hands down her pants pronto. He had been spot-on about one thing: Just his look alone was bringing her perilously close to the edge.

Walking through tables that were starting to fill, she was aware of him tracking her every move. Pushing her shoulders back, she walked as confidently as she could to his table. She stopped behind the seat that was opposite him, placing her hands on the back of the chair.

“Good evening, Mr. Madison. I heard you requested to speak to me.”

* * *

Taking a good long look at the woman standing on the other side of the table to him, Cole decided he liked what he saw. He was almost positive that most chefs wore black-and-white checker pants with a white top, but not Rachel. No, Rachel, as usual, was making a statement, and on her, it worked.

“I did.” He replied, tracing his fingers along the pattern in the tablecloth.

“Well, here I am. What can I do for you?”

Cole tilted his head to the side. “Well, first things first, how are you feeling right now, Rachel?”

She looked around to make sure no one was within hearing distance. With a tight-lipped smile, she informed him, “I feel like if you touched me, I’d explode.”

“Is that why you are all the way over there?”

“Yes,” she confirmed quickly. “I thought, for the time being, it was the safest place to be.”

“You’re probably right, especially with how I’m feeling.” Sitting up straight in his seat, Cole had to hold back a laugh at the way she gripped the back of the chair she was using as a shield. “Relax, Rachel. Despite how hungry I am, I’m not into sharing my meals.”

He was about to add something else, but then he spotted Josh and the man he knew was her brother, making their way through the restaurant toward them. Shifting his eyes to just behind them, he also saw the two women he had seen at both Whipped and the Halloween party.