He turned the heat off the sautéed shrimp, certain he must have seen her sister's face before if she was a cover model, but he wasn't up on the fashion world enough to recall a specific name. "I can't say her name rings a bell."
"Maybe her face will." She walked over to the refrigerator and pulled a picture from beneath a magnet, then showed it to him. "This is her at a photo shoot for Cosmo magazine just before she decided to retire."
Her sister was stunningly beautiful, and dressed in a trendy outfit that drew the viewer's attention to her best assets-her breasts, slim hips, and endlessly long legs that ended in spiked heels. She must have been facing a fan, because her curled hair was blowing around her head in a sexily tousled way, and her come-hither eyes beckoned to the viewer to come and join her for a good time.
He felt Kayla's gaze on him, as if she were waiting for some kind of reaction to her gorgeous sister. A few of the complex pieces of the puzzle that was Kayla clicked into place, making him realize where a few of her insecurities might have stemmed from.
"Hmmm," he said mildly, his gaze on her face. "I can't say that I recognize her, though I can definitely see the resemblance between the two of you. The blond hair, the green eyes, and you both have the same amazing smile."
She glanced from him, to the picture, then back at him again, her brows furrowed into a small little frown of disbelief.
"But back to you, your summers with your grandmother, and how you got into the baking business," he said, dismissing the photograph in favor of conversation with Kayla.
She returned the picture of her sister, then reached into the cupboards for dinner plates. "My parents divorced when I was eight, and every summer my mother would send me off to Arizona to live with my father for three months. Since he had to work, I'd spend my days with my grandmother at her place, which I loved, since she spoiled me rotten."
"How come your sister didn't go with you?"
"She wanted to, badly, but my mother had a slew of pageants and auditions lined up for Jillian, and she never had the extra time to come and visit."
So, Kayla had been shipped off like an unwanted child by her mother. The thought burned in his stomach like acid. "Did your sister want to do all those pageants and auditions?"
"No. Not really." She set the table with flatware and laid out potholders for the main dishes. "Our mother was the one who was obsessed with Jillian becoming a model, and since that's all my sister knew, she ended up signing with a modeling agency before she was eighteen."
He transferred the pasta and herbed shrimp to a serving dish, and tossed a little feta cheese on top to give it an extra bit of flavor. "Sounds like Jillian missed out on a normal childhood, and all those summers with your grandmother."
He transferred the pasta and herbed shrimp to a serving dish, and tossed a little feta cheese on top to give it an extra bit of flavor. "Sounds like Jillian missed out on a normal childhood, and all those summers with your grandmother."
"I definitely consider myself the lucky one."
She smiled, but it was obvious to him that her mother's rejection had hurt, and possibly even affected her still.
"My grandmother and I would bake scones and pies and cakes and cookies" Her smile grew as she shared her happy memories. "I always came home having gained at least ten pounds, which my mother would disapprove of, and immediately put me on a diet."
Suddenly, Kayla grew quiet, as if she'd revealed more than she'd meant to. He instinctively knew there was much more to that story, but he wasn't about to force her to dredge up painful recollections she wasn't willing to share on her own.
Together, they put everything on the table, then sat down and filled their plates with the fragrant entrée. The salad was tossed with a vinaigrette dressing, and he'd brought a warm, fresh loaf of French bread to go with the meal.
"What about you, Jack?" Kayla asked as she twirled long grains of vermicelli around the tines of her fork. "Do you have any siblings?"
"Nope, I'm an only child." He refilled her empty glass of wine, and topped his off, too. "My father passed away when I was five."
"I'm sorry," she said, her gaze soft with compassion.
He broke off a slice of bread and slathered it with butter. "I definitely miss him and often wonder what it would have been like if he hadn't died, but I had a great mother who did her best to take care of me, and despite some hardships, I never doubted that I was loved." Their life hadn't been easy, which made him appreciate what he had now all the more. "She's happily remarried and lives in San Francisco with her new husband. The closest I've got to a brother is my best friend, Rich. We grew up together in the same apartment building, and now he's the manager of my restaurant."
"That's so great." She smiled and took a bite of her shrimp.
They finished eating their dinner with Jack regaling her with amusing tales and antics about how wild he and Rich had been during their early teenage years. By the end of the meal, she was laughing and relaxed, from the two and a half glasses of wine she'd consumed over the past hour, and from their casual conversation, which was exactly what Jack had wanted.
They both worked to clear the table, and while Kayla washed the dishes, Jack dried the pots and pans for her and put them away. Then she urged him to sit back down, and she set the cake platter and dish of candies on the table in front of him.
She went back to the cupboard for a clean plate, and he filched one of the Love Bites to sample. He put the whole thing into his mouth and chewed, surprised by the smooth, creamy lemon filling that was more sweet than tart.
"Ready for your dessert?" she asked, just as she turned around, dish in hand, and caught him biting into his second piece of candy. She came to an abrupt stop, and looked momentarily startled.
He swallowed and grinned impishly. "I kinda already helped myself. These Love Bites are fantastic." He finished off his second piece and reached for a third.
"I'm, um, glad you like them." She came back up to the table, her gaze watching him attentively.
For what, he had no idea. Unless he'd been too presumptuous in sampling the candies. "I'm sorry, was I not supposed to eat them yet?"
"No no, that's okay." Her smile reappeared. "In fact, I'll have one, too."
She tossed a Love Bite into her mouth and chewed. Yet despite enjoying a candy of her own, she seemed to watch him out of the corner of her eye as she cut a generous portion of the dessert and put it on a plate.
The slice of cake broke apart, and she grimaced in obvious disappointment. "Damn," she muttered. "This cake might be too moist, but I'll readjust the recipe if you like the taste." A worried look creased her brows. "Looks like this particular piece will be a bit messy with the raspberry filling. I hope you don't mind."
Oh, he didn't mind one iota. Especially when she'd just presented him with a prime opportunity to increase the intimacy between them-which he had a sudden driving urge to do.
He examined the cake thoughtfully. "I have to agree. It does look a bit messy." He transferred his gaze, to her face and let a slow, sexy grin ease up the corner of his mouth. "I'm thinking maybe you ought to feed it to me," he suggested. "Remember the problem I had with the Pink Squirrel sauce?"
She laughed, obviously realizing where he was heading with this whole scenario. And with that silent acknowledgement, something about her whole, demeanor changed turned sultry and seductive and oh-so-confident. "I remember."
"Good." Certain they were both thinking the same thing, he grasped her wrist and tugged her gently toward him. "Then what do you say you come here, sit on my lap, and feed me my dessert?"
Chapter 5
Much to Jack's pleasure, Kayla came to him willingly, without an ounce of resistance, and settled her bottom on his hard, muscular thighs. The thin material of her dress didn't provide much of a barrier against the thickened shaft already straining against the fly of his jeans. And judging by the spark of desire he saw in her green eyes, she was well aware of his erection-and all it suggested. She turned him on and he wanted her.
"I'm ready for my first bite," he encouraged huskily. She lifted her hand toward the cake, then frowned. "I forgot a fork."
Before she could move off his lap and spoil the seductive moment, he settled a hand on her waist and held her in place. "Who says you need one? Your fingers will do just fine."
"All right," she agreed with a smile that was as naughty as it was nice. After scooping up a small portion of the cake with her fingers, she lifted it to his mouth.
His lips parted, and she pushed the confection onto his tongue for him to taste. God, she made the most amazing, decadent desserts-this one a perfect combination of raspberry glaze and smooth white chocolate buttercream that made him moan in appreciation.
Her eyes were bright with expectation, her breathing deeper than normal, causing her breasts to rise and fall enticingly. "What do you think?"
"I'm not sure," he teased, just because he wanted her to feed him again. And because he enjoyed the touch of her cool, soft fingers against his lips. "I think I need to try another bite just to be certain."
She lifted a brow, obviously seeing past his ploy, but said nothing as she broke off another piece of the moist cake and slipped it into his mouth.
He swallowed, caught her hand before she could pull it away, and met her darkening gaze. Awareness swirled between them, an exciting, shimmering vibration that heightened the throbbing heat settling low and deep in his belly.
"Umm, looks like I missed some right here." He slowly licked the pad of her finger, then nibbled on the tip, and she squirmed restlessly on his lap. "And a spot right here" He slid his tongue between her index finger and thumb to clean up a wayward morsel, then scraped his teeth along her palm.
She shivered and gasped, but he wasn't done tantalizing her yet. No, he'd only just begun-and he'd take this seduction as far as she was willing to go.
Dabbing his finger into the frosting and raspberry filling, he touched the sweet mixture to her bottom lip, prompting her to open for him. "Your turn to taste."