Page 33 of Prelude of Love
“Down, boy.” Melody laughed. “At least let the poor man feed us first before you proposition him.”
I polished another glass, wondering if I could somehow make myself busy enough to escape the conversation. “Your chicken sandwich will be extra spicy. Maybe that’ll keep your mouth occupied.”
Chance’s voice dropped lower. “Oh, there are much better ways to do that. Want me to demonstrate?”
“Chance.” My warning tone only made him grin wider.
“Yes, Duke?” He batted his eyes innocently.
“Behave.”
“Or what? You’ll punish me?”
Melody cleared her throat. “As entertaining as this is, perhaps save the verbal foreplay for when I’m not present?”
“Sorry, Mom.” He may have apologized, but he didn’t look sorry at all.
She took another sip of her drink as she shifted her attention to me. “You’re handling his advances with admirable restraint. Most people would have caved by now.”
“Most people aren’t married,” I pointed out.
“Early wouldn’t mind,” Chance said. “In fact, I think he’d be quite interested in joining us for some fun.”
“You’ll have to do better than that.”
Instead of deterring him, he lit up with excitement. “I love challenges.”
Tashana emerged from thekitchen with their orders. “Who had the chicken sandwich with ghost pepper sauce?”
Chance raised his hand. She faltered when she saw who he was, but she set it in front of him without further comment.
“That means you must have the grilled salmon with asparagus,” she continued, passing Melody her lunch. “Enjoy.”
They both thanked her before she left.
The presentation was the perfection I expected from my kitchen staff. Chance’s sandwich came with a side of sweet potato fries seasoned with rosemary and sea salt, while Melody’s salmon glistened with herb butter.
“This looks amazing,” Melody said, cutting into her fish. Her eyes closed in appreciation at the first bite. “Duke, you’ve outdone yourself with this one.”
Chance took a brave bite of his sandwich, and I watched with satisfaction as his eyes widened behind his glasses. He grabbed his drink, taking a quick sip before grinning. “Holy shit, that’s got a kick. But it’s incredible.”
Something warm settled in me at their praise, but I kept my expression neutral. “The kitchen knows what they’re doing.”
“Oh, stop being so modest.” Melody pointed her fork at me. “Speaking of which, when are you going to name a dessert after me? ‘Melody’sMidnight Mocha Cake’ or ‘Melody’s Musical Meringue’ would be amazing.”
Chance laughed. “Mom, those are terrible names.”
“Better than anything you could come up with,” she shot back. “Besides, Duke needs something sweet on the menu to match his personality.”
“His personality?” Chance’s eyebrow rose above his frames. “He’s a lot of things, but I wouldn’t call him sweet.”
“That’s because you haven’t known him long enough. Under that gruff exterior is a total softie.”
I gestured to my rock-hard body. “No part of me is soft.”
“You put up a tough front while secretly being an absolute teddy bear.” She took another bite of salmon. Her presence reminded me so much of my mother, with the same quick wit and the ability to see through people’s defenses. Mom would have loved her, would have joined right in with the teasing. The thought brought an unexpected ache of fondness rather than the usual sharp pain of loss. “Though I must say, Duke, the whole strong-silent-type thing really works for you.”
“It does,” Chance agreed. “Especially when you get all protective and commanding.”
