Lainey was uptight and a pain in the ass. Being involved with her would end badly. It would be sweet when they were together…that much he was sure of. But when it fell apart, it would mess with the business. He had worked too hard—they all had. As he thought back over the last few months of work, he realized part of her attraction was her work ethic. She had been there all the way. Her commitment to the restaurant was as deep as his and Mick’s.

  “Hey, Trevor, are you there?”

  She broke into his thoughts.

  “Sorry. Daydreaming.”

  She nodded. “Easy to do here. I don’t know how anyone can live here all winter.”

  They had kept power, thankfully, but he had turned the lights down a bit. There was something about soft lighting with the snow falling outside that pulled at him. It reminded him of home a bit.

  “Something wrong?” she asked.

  He shook his head and smiled. “No.”

  “You looked a bit nostalgic.”

  “Being here in this weather reminds me of England.”

  She nodded as she sat at the breakfast bar. “I liked England. I was there a couple times when I was in school.”

  “About that…you started in food service later than some.”

  She frowned. “I’m only thirty-one. You make me sound like I’m nearing retirement.”

  He laughed. “No. It’s just you said you didn’t come from money so I was wondering how you got to Le Cordon Bleu.”

  She shrugged. “I saved up for it, got a scholarship.”

  He nodded.

  “You?”

  “I had a trust fund I wasn’t allowed to touch without permission before I was twenty-five, so I took out loans. My father wasn’t thrilled with my selection in careers.”

  “But he’s proud now.”

  He cocked his head as he studied her. “I suppose.”

  She gave him a sad smile. “No, he is. I saw his reaction when they came to visit. He’s very proud of you. As is your mother.”

  “I was always my mother’s favorite child.”

  “Are you an only child?”

  For a second he thought she was serious. Then he saw her lips twitch and realized she was joking.

  “I do have a sister, but we pretend she doesn’t exist.”

  “Oh, you mean the one your parents were doting on when they came to see you.”

  He shrugged. “Mom likes me more.”

  “So, a mama’s boy.”

  He laughed. “How about you? Any siblings?”

  Her smiled faded. “No. Not that I know of.”

  He realized she hadn’t had one person show up at their opening. No close friends or family to celebrate with. Of course, Mick hadn’t, either, but then, his relatives were probably not allowed in the U.S.

  “You don’t know if you have any siblings?”

  She shrugged, and he knew she was trying to brush him off. He had allowed her to do that too much. He wanted to know more about her, needed to know. That wall she kept erecting was about to get a few holes in it.

  “Lainey.”

  When she looked at him, he wanted to let her have her way. Unshed tears shimmered in her big blue eyes, and he couldn’t stand to see her cry. He never had, but for some reason, he was pretty sure he would fall apart. She shielded so much from him, from the world.

  Her shoulders sagged. “I was a foster kid. I really never had a family.”

  “Oh.” He didn’t know what else to say. It was a foreign concept to him. Growing up without an irritating extended family had been one of the best things a kid could ask for. At least in his family. But going from home to home and living with strangers sounded like a nightmare to him. Then it hit him. “That’s why you and Mick understand each other.”

  She sighed and nodded. “When I first met him we hit it right off. When that happens, I usually think the guy is gay.”

  He snorted then started laughing. She smiled. “You thought Mick was gay?”

  She shrugged. “How was I to know? I was basing my assumption on my past experiences.”

  “He sleeps with more women than I do.”

  “Yes, but he has reasons.”

  He didn’t like her defending Mick. Sure, the bugger was his best friend, but at the moment he was getting irritated with her protection of him. She gave Mick a pass for his actions, but she put Trevor’s under a microscope. Why the bloody hell did she think Mick had a right to his behavior?

  “And those reasons would be?”

  “You don’t understand. You have a family.”

  “A family that drives me crazy. Just last week my father called to ask me when I was getting a real job. Then my mother called to tell me my sister is dating a wanker by the name of Sid who apparently has tattoos, a Mohawk, and a motorcycle.”

  “First, I doubt your sister is dating a man with a Mohawk. She’s a little too…well, I can’t see her doing it anymore than I would do it. Secondly, you have your family so it’s hard to understand. Both Mick and I know what it’s like to be completely alone in the world.”

  “You have no one?”

  She shook her head. “Mick has some cousins at least, but he says they aren’t dependable.”

  That was the nice way of saying it. His cousins were in the Irish mob but there was no reason to tell Lainey that.

  “What did you mean about him being gay?”

  Her gaze drifted away. “Men who find me attractive are usually gay.”

  He blinked and waited for her to smile. When she only stared at him, he realized she wasn’t joking. “Bollocks.”

  She shook her head. “It’s true.”

  “Plenty of men find you attractive. You don’t notice.”

  She sighed and rose, picking up the dishes. “I don’t want to go into this right now, Trev.”

  When she said his name like that, it did something in him. It was more intimate, like when he called her Lainey. It was insane that the use of his nickname had his libido raging and ready to go. Hell, the last woman he dated was an up-and-coming supermodel with a long list of conquests. She had been known for her flirty ways, but he couldn’t remember her ever getting him this hot. Lainey would make one little comment, say his nickname, and he wanted to take her upstairs and claim her for his own. Hell, he was right now thinking about what it would be like to peel away that fussy shirt of hers and touch the flesh beneath it.

  Trevor chided himself. Thinking about her that way would do nothing more than frustrate him. One thing he did know was that her skin would be soft, silky… Dammit. He needed to keep his mind on the conversation, especially now when she was staring at him as if he were crazy. He knew he could push her more, but they had to get through the night. The fact that she was already calling him by his nickname was enough for him at the moment. If that wasn’t sad, he didn’t know what was.

  “So, what were you doing up in your room?” he asked.

  She shifted in her chair and played with the stem of her wineglass. He hated that she was keeping things from him again. It was as if she wanted to shield anything personal about herself, and Trevor realized he wanted to know more. No, wrong. He didn’t want more. He wanted it all.

  “Lainey.”

  She looked up at him and every thought evaporated in his head. Every. Bleeding. Thought.

  There was something about her eyes. It was the first thing he’d noticed about her, and he often forgot how much he loved them. She might be a tough pastry chef, but there was a softness in her gaze that always made him think of lazy Sunday mornings in bed.

  “I’m thinking of writing a cookbook.”

  The words didn’t register, probably because he had no blood in his brain. “What?”

  She shook her head. “Never mind.”

  He shook his head, too—to try to get his brain to function. That didn’t surprise him at all. Lainey was a woman who was always looking for ways to expand her reach.

  “On baking?” he asked as he threw some of the celery into the pan.

  “Yes. Sort of.”

  He looked up at her and noticed she was blushing. He liked that. It was insane of him because he never really liked to mess with innocents, but there was something about that in Lainey that drew him. He knew she wasn’t a virgin, but there was something about her that told him she wasn’t that experienced. “Are you going to make me beat it out of you?”

  She smiled. “No. I thought I would write a how-to kind of book. So many people in the U.S. think baking is hard, but it isn’t. I want to take them through the basics, teach them how to set up a kitchen so it’s easier to accomplish the tasks.”

  He didn’t say anything for a minute or two. When they were getting the restaurant up and running, she’d had some fantastic ideas about how to promote certain aspects of their business. “That’s a brilliant bloody idea.”

  Her blush deepened, and it made him want her even more. To keep himself occupied, he applied himself to cooking.

  “Thank you. I thought it would be good, and it would highlight the restaurant.”

  He shook his head. “You really do have a world class mind, Lainey.”

  The shy smile she gave him almost had him losing control, so he kept his head down. The temptation to take it a step further had always been there. It had bothered him from the first time he had met her, and now it was making him live like a bloody monk. Was that why he did his best to irritate her? It had to be, but it didn’t matter. He might try his best to build a friendship, but that was all he could do. He needed to keep it platonic because the last thing he needed to do was step over the line.

  No matter what, he would keep himself at that friendly distance. It was all out of self-preservation.

  Chapter Six

  After dinner, Trevor decided to get them out of the house. It was getting a little too cozy, and now that the snow had slowed to a few flurries they could venture out and look.

  Elaine trudged behind him, cursing him every step. He ignored her. He was pretty sure the cold air would do them both good. If anything, it would bring him back to his senses. They worked together, and starting a relationship with her that went beyond that was a mistake. It would lead to complications. And, if he were truthful with himself, that was why he had been so nasty with her. If she didn’t like him, he didn’t have to worry about seducing her.

  “I don’t know why you thought this was going to be fun,” she said through chattering teeth.

  “You said you had never had a snowball fight. Or even made a snow angel. That is just wrong, Lainey.”

  “I haven’t had an enema, either, but that doesn’t mean I think I need to experience one.”

  He turned around laughing. When he opened his mouth to say something he was hit square in the chest with a snowball. He looked down at his chest then up at the attacker. She looked so cute in her little knit cap and bundled up from head to toe in cold weather gear.

  “You know this means war,” he said.

  Her eyes widened. Trevor started after her and she took off with a very un-Lainey-like squeal. He caught up to her in four steps, and they both went tumbling into the snow bank. She was laughing so hard as they rolled over the snow, it didn’t take him long to have her pinned down beneath him. Even though it was cold enough to freeze his bollocks off, heat flared in his blood. Snowflakes now littered her cap and the few strands of hair that had escaped their knit prison. Her cheeks were rosy from the cold.

  “Lainey,” he said.

  Her laughter faded and she swallowed. She felt it too; she had to. That connection had snapped into place just like it always did. There was no denying the heat that was simmering between them. He bent his head for a taste, just a little taste, he promised himself. Her eyes slid closed in surrender, but the moment he was within inches of her mouth, a horn sounded, breaking the moment.

  He snarled and looked over his shoulder, and realized someone had come through to plow the roads. When he looked back down at Elaine, the mood had been broken.

  With regret, he rose to his feet and held out his hand. She was sitting in the snow, frowning up at him like he was some damned stranger.

  “I promise not to bite unless asked,” he said.

  She hesitated, then she put her mitten-covered hand in his, and he helped her out of the snow. Even with his bones aching from the cold, he was thinking a cold shower would be the only thing to ease his need for her. At least he hoped it did, because if not he might die from lack of blood in his brain.

  …

  Elaine leaned back on the sofa and enjoyed the fire. Dinner had been over for a few hours, and they were enjoying their third glass of wine. Or was it her fourth? She wasn’t a big drinker, but she did have a special place in her heart for merlot, especially one that cost more than she made in a week.

  “You really surprise me.”

  She glanced at her companion. Trevor was making it harder and harder to not like him. The truth was, she always did like him. Sometimes when he was bending over she took time to appreciate his ass. She realized then he was staring at her strangely. Oh, damn, did she say that out loud?

  “What?” she said, sounding every bit of defensive as she felt.

  “Nothing. Just…I’ve never seen you drink that much wine.”

  He was right. She did like to drink, but not this much. “Yeah, my nerves and the weather.”

  He cocked his head to the side and studied her. He had done that a few times over the past couple of days and it made her…hot.

  “Is that all?” Skepticism colored his voice.

  “Yes.” She yawned then apologized.

  “It’s been a long few days,” he said.

  She nodded and rose from the couch. He stood and took a step closer. She needed to get away from him, from the thoughts that were plaguing her, especially now, since she couldn’t make her brain come up with a good reason not to jump his bones.

  “I think it would be better if we say good night and go to our own beds,” Elaine said, looking up at him. Her heart was beating so hard and her head spinning. She was amazed she didn’t melt onto the floor.

  “I think that would be smart.” Even as he said it, he traced her lips with his thumb. She shivered. Never in her life had she wanted a man so much. He was wrong for her, a playboy, someone who would never take life seriously, but she wanted him now, more than she wanted her next breath. It was corny, but it was the only thing she could think of.

  “It would make working together not very much fun.”

  “I don’t know,” he said, placing a hand on the wall beside her head and leaning closer. She could smell him. It was the same musky scent that he always wore, mixed with the delicious herbs he cooked with. The heat of his body warmed hers. Her nipples tightened painfully against the lace fabric of her bra.

  “I do know.”

  “Why?” he asked, as his gaze slipped to her mouth. She licked her lips in reaction, and his eyes darkened as he watched the movement. Heat spiraled through her veins.

  “Why what?” she asked, because her brain had stopped functioning.

  “I really don’t know.”

  “Good.”

  He grabbed her, pulling her tight against his body as he kissed her. Unlike the kiss the night before, this one slipped beneath her skin. She needed him, wanted him touching her everywhere with that wonderful mouth. Then he lifted her off the ground.

  “Wait, what are you doing?” she asked as panic started to curl at the edge of her arousal.

  “Doing what I should have done months ago.”

  Her head was ringing alarms, but she ignored it. He carried her into her room and tossed her on her bed. He covered her body with his, swallowing the sound of her gasp by taking her mouth in a wet kiss. She couldn’t think past him, past the feel of him on top of her. He was tearing at her clothes as if he was a man crazed for satisfaction. Part of her was appalled. Another part of her rejoiced. She hadn’t caused this reaction from a man…ever.

  He pulled back and yanked off her shirt. Buttons flew everywhere. For a few seconds, they didn’t move. Trev was kneeling between her legs, one of his hands still holding onto her shirt.

  “I guess I should apologize.” Then he cocked his head and said, “But I’m not going to. Because…wow.”

  It was then she remembered what bra she was wearing. It was one of those things she had splurged on recently, made of red lace that barely covered the important parts. Heat filled her face.

  “Oh, don’t be embarrassed, Lainey.” As he spoke, his finger traced the delicate edge of the top of the bra. “A woman who looks like you do in red lace should never be embarrassed.”

  From his expression, he was being honest. Of course, he wasn’t looking at her. He was thoroughly focused on her breasts. If she had known a little scrap of lace would garner this kind of attention, she would have started wearing things like this earlier in her life.

  “Let me guess…”

  He didn’t finish his thought. Instead, he moved so he could undo her pants and then pull them off her. He smiled and looked up at the ceiling.

  “Thank you for orderly women.”

  Then he joined her back on the bed. The bra had a front closure and he made quick work of it. He covered her again, taking one nipple then the other into his mouth. She was hot, and each time she felt the brush of his teeth against the tip of her nipple, she moaned.

  He kissed his way down her stomach, nipping at her flesh then licking the same spot. By the time he made it down to his destination, she was ready to come apart. He eased her panties off, then kissed his way up her legs. Then he leaned down and drew in a deep breath.

  “Damn, you even smell sweet.” He looked up at her, his eyes dark with need. One side of his mouth curled up. “I wonder how you’ll taste.”

  He leaned down and licked her then. He groaned, slipping his hands under her rear end and raising her up. Without another word, he slipped his tongue inside her, humming against her sex. Then, he scraped his teeth over her clit. The action sent her spiraling into a free fall of pleasure. When she finally resurfaced, she realized she was lying on the bed completely naked with a man who hadn’t taken a bit of clothing off.