“God, no!”
He exhaled sharply. “Okay, then what? You aren’t worried about them trying to set me up?”
“With egg girl?” She laughed. “No, but I appreciate you telling me.”
That had him lifting her chin. “Of course I’d tell you. You’re my best friend and my partner.Mi media naranja.”
She wrapped her arms around him. “First the Romance Shrine and now the words for soulmate in Spanish? What’s next?”
“How about Latin dancing?” He drew her closer and began to sway. “We talked about going out and exploring Paris together…”
“But we’ve sucked at doing that.” She eased back and cracked her neck. “Too much work or maybe we’re getting old. All I want to do is take a hot shower with you and eat ice cream in bed while you tell me about your day. Of course, we’d have wild sex in the shower.”
“Of course,” he said with his lips twitching. “I know you’re working hard, harder than anyone. I don’t mean to add to it. I promised not to drain you.”
She rubbed the scruff on his jaw. “You aren’t. This circus is. I know we need the construction crew, but I swear I can feel them pounding their hammers all the way down in the kitchen.”
Wincing, he hugged her to his chest. “I’m sorry. They’re working as fast as they can on the built-ins and wainscoting before the painters come in. I was reviewing our progress before you got home. Hiring the second crew has accelerated our schedule. We’re lucky we’re dealing with mostly cosmetic changes for the first two floors to start. We should be able to seat people upstairs in two weeks, but I don’t want to commit until I’m sure. Nanine’s apartment and the outdoor space requires more work. Hopefully with it being the top floor, you won’t feel the reverberation so much.”
“I’m not complaining,” she said like the trooper she was,patting his chest. “You’re doing an incredible job. It probably helps that I’m super charged right now. When dinner service rolls around, all I can hear over the crackle of my duck rendering on the stove is the steady hum of conversation from the front of the house. I keep wondering if a Michelin critic is out there and what he or she is eating.”
“Totally understandable. I’m not even there, and I wonder.”
“So we’re both going a little crazy right now. Which is why all I want to do is come home and hide in the Romance Shrine with you.”
“I’m glad you’ve embraced it.” He leaned down and kissed her softly. “I bought five thousand votive candles in bulk today since we’re plowing through them.”
“You did not.”
He gave her another sultry kiss. “Oh, and I have more good news. I just signed the deal with your mentor.”
“It’s official?” She launched herself at him. “God, you have no idea how happy that makes me. Chef did so much for me. I know you’re going to love working with him.”
“He can’t sing your praises enough either.” Every time the man went on about Madison’s accomplishments, Kyle couldn’t keep the smile off his face. “The news is going to be big.”
“I know it will be.” Her grip delighted him as much as her joy. “We definitely need to celebrate.”
He took her hand and led her over to the freezer. Opening the door, he gestured to the shelves. “Behold. I bought more ice cream along with candles. The Romance Shrine is stocked for another few weeks.”
Her hand tugged his shirt, bringing him down to her level, and she planted a steamy kiss on his eager mouth. “You bought all the flavors! Kyle, I should be appalled at the cost of importing ice cream from Miami, but right now, all I want todo is order you upstairs, tell you to strip, and turn the shower on.”
He started unbuttoning the rest of his shirt, and damn, he loved the way her golden eyes sparkled with desire. “Make sure you grab the spoon.”
As he walked out, he threw a heated look over his shoulder.
Everything was going pretty damn well if you asked him.
He wasn’t going to let anything fuck that up.
