The Alpha Male Romance Boxed Set (30 page)

"You know, Gabriel, this feels an awful lot like a date," Beth commented as he pushed her chair in for her. They were seated in a private room where one wall was actually a window overlooking Portland. Millions of lights sparkled in the darkness below them and if you looked far out you could see the water. It was nothing short of spectacular.

"Does it now?" he asked unbuttoning his suit jacket, shrugging it off and laying it across the back of his chair as he sat down across from her. "For the sake of argument. You don't start working for me until tomorrow morning, so technically, even if this were a date it wouldn't be a conflict to our working relationship."

A light knock came at the door.

"Come in," Gabriel called out.

Beth turned in her seat, expecting to see the waiter, but instead the head chef walked in closing the door behind him. "Gabriel, good to see you again."

"Pete." Gabriel stood and walked over to the other man. They shook hands and then did what Beth called a "man hug," one arm, with no lower body contact. The chef appeared to be about the same age as Gabriel; early thirties perhaps.

He waved his hand in the direction of Beth. "This is Beth; she's going to be your student for the next few weeks or so."

Student?
Beth looked up at the handsome blonde-haired man, who was assumed to be a close friend to Gabriel.

"Ahhh Beth, it's going to be a pleasure teaching you everything I know," he gave her a wink that had her heart racing and colour rising to her cheeks as he extended his hand to her.

Beth took his hand, as she glanced over at Gabriel with a questioning frown.

"Peter is a world renowned chef and he is going to be teaching you the art of cooking. You know, something beyond... mac and cheese."

Beth's eye narrowed as she glared over at Gabriel.
Oh God, could that have been more embarrassing.

Peter chuckled good-naturedly. "No need to be embarrassed Beth, a good many people should stay far away from the kitchen, but no worries, I will turn you into a master chef in no time."

Gabriel caught her gaze and grinned, unaffected by her penetrating stare. "So now, you won't be able to say you're not qualified for the job." Gabriel nodded towards Peter. "Pete here will ensure that you are."

While becoming a chef certainly wasn't her lifelong dream, to be tutored by the head chef of
The View,
was an opportunity that she couldn't refuse. Maybe he
could
whip her into becoming a great chef. Maybe this was the opportunity she needed? Anything was possible and she was determined to keep an open mind.

"I really appreciate you taking the time to teach me what you know Peter."

Peter smiled down at her and nodded. "My pleasure." Turning back to Gabriel, "I have your pre-order; a selection of your favourite dishes to sample."

"That would be great. Thanks."

"I'll be seeing you tomorrow Beth. And have a good evening, let me know if there are any problems. Your usual wine Gabe?"

Gabe?
She hid her grin. Yes, they must be close if he's calling comfortable enough to call Gabriel, Gabe.

"That would be splendid Pete. Thanks."

With a final nod, Peter turned his head and left closing the door firmly behind him. Without the conversation, Beth's attention was shifted to the soft, sultry music that had been playing in the background.

She glanced over at Gabriel as he pushed back his chair and stood, extending his hand to her. "Dance with me until dinner arrives." It was more of an order than a request, his eyes saying he did not expect to be denied.

"Here? Now?"

He smiled softly and nodded, but his tone was firm, "now."

Taking his hand, she rose from her chair and he led her to the small vacant area in front of the window. He pulled her tight into him, wrapping his arms around her waist. She found herself melting against him. As she slipped her hands up his hard chest and secured them around his neck, a voice in the back of her mind warned her she was going to get hurt. It warned her that he was way out of her league and that she was just a distraction until he started dating some new super model or actress. She pressed that voice to the deep recesses of her mind, as she gazed deep into his intense, dark eyes.

After all of the nights she spent dreaming of him, why couldn't she allow herself to pretend this could be real? Just for the night while dressed in the most exquisite gown she'd ever owned, being held in the arms of the most charming and gorgeous man she'd ever laid eyes on. She wanted to pretend she was the princess and this life was really hers.

He held her tight, the soft sway of his hips against hers lighting the fire within her. She leaned in closer to him, and the smell of his cologne came to her, a sweet, yet spicy musk that begged her to come closer, pressing her hips against his.

Damn, damn, damn,
she chastised herself. It was so hard keeping her distance when all she wanted to do was get closer. How could she possibly work and sleep just down the hall from him? She shuddered at the thought of seeing him bring another woman home, and God forbid hearing him fucking that woman.

"Hey, what's the matter?" She was jolted for her thoughts by his soft voice and his index finger hooked under her chin lifting her eyes back up to meet his.

Time seemed to freeze as they stood together, locked in each others embrace. She could see the hunger evident in his eyes that it sent a pleasurable chill through her. As she pressed up against the length of his body, she felt his erection against her stomach. He wanted her, and she'd never wanted anyone so badly than at that very moment. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words escaped her. He lowered his mouth to hers. His lips were about second from touching hers when the moment was suddenly shattered by a knock at the door.

"Fuck," he muttered softly, as he straightened back up, saying exactly that she was feeling. "We'll talk in a bit okay?" He loosened his grip on her and she immediately missed his warm, hard body against hers.

Beth nodded and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Come in," Gabriel called out, stepping away from her completely and leading her back to the table with his hand planted firming at the small of her back.

The door opened to reveal a number of servers holding platters of delicious looking and smelling foods.

Oh-my-God! I'm going to have to cook dishes like that!
She was going to need more than Peter to cook like that; she was going to need a miracle.

****

"The food was amazing Gabriel. I have no idea how I could even compare to the food they serve there. Even with tutoring from Peter." Beth looked up hesitantly at him as he opened the front door of his home - correction,
their
home - and ushered her in before him.

Gabriel sighed in exasperation. "I've already told you Beth, if I wanted a gourmet chef I would have hired one. As we have discussed in the contract, you're duties include-"

"Wife without being the wife, maybe minus the sex. I got that," she teased.

Gabriel shook his head, but a smile touched his lips.

"But those dishes were intimidating."

Closing the door and locking it behind them, Gabriel turned to face her. He'd wanted to kiss her all evening. If the waiter hadn't had such fucking bad timing he would have. But would that have been the best of ideas? He raked his fingers through his short dark hair, feelings of indecision rushing through him as he considered it.

After a minute he shook his head. "You'll do fine. You were amazing at coffee shop." With a hand at the small of her back, he urged her towards the winding staircase.

Her sapphire blue eyes peered up at him and she flipped her golden hair over her shoulder as they ascended the stairs. "I served you coffee at the coffee shop. Hardly a testament to my cooking abilities."

He grinned. "I suppose not."

At the top of the staircase both paused and turned to face each other. Gabriel's room was to the left, while Beth's was to the right. The air between them thickened. She had been right; it felt like a date. But if it had been a real date, he'd be pulling her into his arms and ushering her to his bedroom, instead of standing before her as the air between them simmered.

She captured her lower lip between her teeth and his eyes were automatically drawn to her frosted pink painted lips. They were lush and inviting. His cock stirred in his pants and he groaned inwardly.

Not being able to control himself he reached out and touched her cheek with the back of his hand. Her skin felt like satin to the touch and he stepped closer, closing the gap between them. He needed to feel more of her and he was powerless to stop himself. Her breath became ragged as their eyes locked and he saw the fire burning in hers that reflected his body's reaction.

He had to have her, at least one kiss. One. Technically she didn't start work for him until tomorrow. Technically.

As if waiting for the inevitable kiss, she inhaled sharply as he slowly lowered his mouth to hers, giving her a chance to back away. His hand slipped from her cheek to the back of her head and he fisted her long satiny locks, tilting her face up a fraction more and then capturing her lips with his own.

Beth slipped her palms up his chest and to his shoulders. She moaned as his lips touched hers, her body melting against him. Her touch and her moan set off fireworks within him. His cock hardened almost instantaneously as he slipped a hand around her waist and pulled her tight to him, his erection pressing hard against her stomach.

Her lips parted and Gabriel took full advantage of the opportunity, slipping his tongue between her soft lips and exploring her mouth fully tasting the sweetness of the wine on her tongue. His tongue caressed hers, as his hand slid to her backside and he pulled her groin tighter against him.

Fuck he wanted her. Needed her. He didn't think he'd ever wanted a woman so much. What was it about this woman that set him aflame? He had no idea, but she was special. She was a classic beauty that didn't even know it. She was genuine and in the span of a few minutes a day for several months she'd managed to enchant him.

He groaned against her lips and the temptation to lift her up onto his hips and carry her to his bedroom so he could ravage her became too great to withstand. So he released her, stepping back so quickly he nearly stumbled in his haste.

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

He wasn't.

Disappointment flashed in her eyes and she gave him a shy smile. "Don't be."

They stood several feet from each other, both reeling from the kiss and the feelings that came with it. "I'll see you in the morning Beth. Thank you for a great evening."

A soft rose colour touched her cheeks. "Good night Gabriel." Without another word she turned and slowly made her way to her room as he watched.

He e
ven loved the way she said his name,
Gabriel
, it seemed to roll off her tongue sounding seductive and enticing.
What is that saying? If she turns she wants you?
He pondered it as he watched her round bottom sway under the fine black material covering it. Damn, what he would love to do to that ass...

As she reached for the door handle of her bedroom she paused and looked over her shoulder at him. Their eyes locked again and he suddenly felt like a school boy with a crush.
Get it together, you've dated super models, actresses and heiress' for fucks sakes!
But none of them were like or compared to the sweet blonde from the coffee shop. Giving her a half wave he turned and marched off to his own room with the intention of taking care of the throbbing problem in his pants.

****

Beth groaned as her alarm clock began buzzing and attempted to cover her head with her pillow to block out the offending sounds. It was no use. This was her first day at her new job of being Gabriel's personal chef, housekeeper and whatever else that struck his fancy. Giving up on blocking out the alarm clock she pulled herself out of bed and turned it off.

Her head was throbbing.
God, how much wine did I drink last night?
Judging by the scale of her hangover - too much. Flashes of the previous night came to her. Gabriel had been so handsome and charming and her fear was becoming a reality, she was falling for him. And that kiss! Oh-My-God! If he hadn't stepped back from her and ended the kiss she would have been more than eager to spend the night serving her new boss in whatever way he wanted.

Trying to clear her head of the thoughts of him - he was her boss now, nothing more - she made her way to the shower stripping off her t-shirt and panties as she walked.

A half-hour later, at 6:30am, Beth was dressed in boxers and a fresh t-shirt and was in the kitchen preparing breakfast. Gabriel told her the night before he wanted something nice and simple so she was to prepare eggs over-easy, toast with strawberry jam and bacon. Easy enough right? She hoped it would be as easy as it sounded. She always had a tendency to overcook bacon. Okay, that was a lie, she burnt bacon. Always. She crossed her fingers that wouldn't be the case today.