"Just enough." He points at the linen napkin and fork that are next to the bowl. "What are you waiting for, Cadence? Take a bite."
"Do you plan on kissing me when I leave tonight, Tyler?"
"You're planning on leaving tonight?" He shifts on his feet. "I want to make love to you. Do you want to wait before we do that again?"
My body doesn’t want to wait. My heart needs to. I agreed to meet him at his place for dinner and nothing more. I need to venture back into this with a shielded heart. Tyler has the power to cut straight into me with his words. I have to keep my guard up right now and when he's ramming his perfect cock into me, that's hard.
"I'm going home after dinner," I say without hesitation. "I don't want to rush back into things too quickly."
"We’re doing this at your pace." He leans down to kiss the top of my head. "I'll only rush you to eat. The food is going to get cold before you take your first bite."
I can only hope that if it gets too cold that he'll discard it and make it again without an entire head of garlic. Tyler is liberal with his seasonings. I noticed that during my first shift at Nova. I had to shadow Darrell and as I watched him prepare a lamb ragout, I was stunned by the amount of fresh herbs he added to the dish. He wasn't shy with the garlic either, but when I tasted the final creation I was blown away by the balance of flavors.
The garlic wasn't overpowering that day though. I can't say the same as I lean down to inhale the scent of this dish.
"I need you to trust me, Cadence." He crouches next to me. "We're going to start with food. Take a bite. I promise you'll be surprised by how good it is."
I rest my hand on his cheek. Earlier, when we were at Nova's new location, I told him that I wanted to go home. He didn't argue the point. He asked me about dinner and after I accepted, with the stipulation that I bring the wine, he hailed a cab for me and kissed me softly on my forehead. He didn’t press me to stay. He quietly apologized again and told me he couldn't wait to see me tonight.
"I think you're a wonderful chef." I tilt my chin toward the bowl. "This has too much garlic though."
He reaches past me to grab the linen napkin. With a quick flick of his wrist, it's open. He drapes it carefully across the white fabric of my skirt. It's a skirt that Sophia made me for. I chose it, and the matching sheer white sleeveless blouse, before I realized that Tyler expected me to eat pasta. I can only hope that the outfit makes it through dinner still looking the way it does now.
I wait as he carefully twirls a ribbon of sauce covered noodle onto the fork. He cradles his hand below it as he guides it toward my mouth. "Open for me."
I shiver at the words and the way he looks at me when he says them. I do as I'm told. I open my mouth and let him feed me.
I close my eyes as soon as the sauce touches my tongue. I breathe in as I chew slowly, savoring each bite. I swallow just as my eyes pop open.
"You're a genius, Chef."
He scoops up the bowl in his palm and shovels a forkful of food into his own mouth. He chews as he winks at me. "I told you to trust me. This is good, right?"
"It's so much better than good." I point at my mouth. "Can I have another bite please?"
His brow darts up before he thoughtfully feeds me again. "I love watching you eat, Cadence. You look almost as beautiful when you're enjoying a meal as when you're enjoying my body."
I lick my bottom lip, capturing the last remnants of the delectable sauce. "Your body is seriously hot."
"Feel free to stay and enjoy it. It's all for you."
I look down to where the light blue dress shirt he's wearing is opened, revealing a hint of his toned chest. It would be easy to fall back into his bed. It would help ease the tension between us but I'd hate myself as soon as I was home alone in bed with just my thoughts.
I know he feels badly for what happened between us the other night. I can tell that he genuinely wants to put it behind us, but his piercing words were like a slap across my face and until I can push them into the recesses of my mind, I need to keep my panties on.
"I can't stay but maybe we can have dinner together again soon?"
"You tell me when and I'll cook ." He leans forward to brush his lips across my cheek. "I'll take every minute with you I can get."
CHAPTER 11
"So you're telling me that Brendon has given up?" Sophia pins the hem of a red dress that she asked me to try on as soon as I woke up. "I find that hard to believe."
"Believe it. I think he finally got the message." I lean forward to look at the skirt of the dress. It's pleated and pretty but the hem is short and Sophia keeps raising it. "Do you expect me to wear this somewhere in particular?"
"I just need this one for my portfolio." She taps my knee. It's become a silent signal for me to inch forward. "You can wear it almost anywhere as long as you don't bend forward."
I laugh. "I'll just where it when I'm here or when I go over to Tyler's place."