“Fuck,” I breathe out, finally pulling back.As much as I want this to continue, this is not the time or the place.
Hannah smiles up at me, her face flushed and sexy as hell, her hair falling out of the messy pile on top of her head thanks to my fingers.“So that’s what going with it is, huh?”
Chuckling, I brush the hair back from her face.“Yeah, I guess it is,” I reply.“Although to be fair, you started it,” I add, giving her a wink.
She smirks.“Right, so it’s me who was out of control this time, huh?”
“Well,” I say, dragging the word out, “not entirely.”
She slides her hands out from beneath my jacket, resting them back on my stomach as she looks up at me.“What are we doing here, Leo?”she asks, her tone serious now.“Because I really like working here and as much as I like this too, I can’t lose my job.I don’t—”
“You aren’t going to lose your job, Hannah,” I quickly say, meaning it.
She raises a brow in question, a questioning look on her face that makes me laugh.“You sure about that?”
Cupping her face in my hands I lean in closer.“Positive.I’m not that much of a dick.”
“But, what about…I mean how…”
Exhaling, I lean closer until my forehead is resting against hers.“How about this?”I start, not sure if it’s a good idea, much less if she’ll be up for it.“Let’s just see where this goes.No pressure, no expectations and no…”
“No telling anyone at work?”
I lift a shoulder in a shrug.“Yeah, I mean, that might be a good idea.Not that I think anyone will care, it’s just…”
“We don’t need the gossip?”
“Right,” I say with a nod.“We definitely don’t.”
“And I don’t need people talking behind my back, thinking I’m getting special treatment or whatever,” she adds.“I really want this job, Leo, I’m serious.”
I drop my hands from her face, taking a step back.“I know you are, and I really want you working here too.You’re an excellent chef and you’ve really fit in well.Everyone likes you and I know Jack and Lauren are really happy with you too.”
I pause, my own words sinking in and making me wonder if us continuing this is a good idea after all.Maybe I’m not being fair to her, because as much as I might want her, itisdifferent for her and the last thing she needs is to be the subject of kitchen gossip.
“Shit,” I exhale, scrubbing a hand over my face.
Hannah seems to read my mind, nodding slowly.“I need to finish this before the dinner shift,” she says, gesturing to the stove.
“Yep, okay,” I say, tugging on my bottom lip, trying to figure out what it is I want to say here.How I can reassure her that I’m not going to let anything happen to her because of this.
“It’s cool, Leo,” she says, her hand on my arm.
I nod.“Okay, yep.I’ll see you in a bit.”Then I walk out, wondering what the fuck just happened.
Somerville’s restaurant is busy with the usual Saturday night crowd, which means Hannah and I manage to avoid any awkwardness, even though this is the first time we’ve worked together since this whole thing between us started.
Whatever this thing is.
Still, that’s one good thing about a busy kitchen and an endless stream of orders, there’s no time for flirting or trying to figure out what the fuck happened earlier when I kissed her in the catering kitchen, only to walk out more confused than ever.
“Shit,” I mutter to myself as I realize I’ve used the last of the cream.I look around, wondering if there’s someone who can grab it for me, but everyone else is busy with their own thing.Pushing the pan off the heat, I walk to the huge walk-in fridge to grab some.
I open the door and step inside, relishing the cold air after hours in a hot kitchen.Closing my eyes briefly, I lean back against the door and take a second.When I open them though, I nearly jump out of my skin at who’s standing in front of me.
“Hey,” Hannah says, two crème brûlée in her hands as she stands watching me, a tiny smile on her face.
Without even thinking about it, I push off the door, take the desserts from her hands and put them back on the shelf, before pulling her into my arms and kissing her.Again.
