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“You’re not supposed to know about any of that,” he mumbled to himself.
“Well, I found out because Ryker told me. I didn’t know that it was supposed to be a secret,” she challenged.
“It is a secret,” he said. “Do you have any idea what the guys would do to me if they found out that I studied in Paris? I’d never hear the end of it.”
“You seem to put a lot of pressure on yourself when it comes to what the guys think about you. I mean, you really care that much about what they think or say about you, Taz?”
“I do,” he admitted. “They are my brothers, and I care about what they think about me. I only told Ryker about my training because I wanted him to give me a chance in the kitchen. Hell, he thought that I was lying when I first told him.”
“How did you convince him that you were any good at cooking?” she asked. She swiped at the tears that were now spilling down her face and Taz chuckled.
“Here,” he said, taking the knife from her. He finished dicing the offensive onion as she washed her hands and wiped the tears from her eyes.
“That thing is evil,” she said.
“There is a little trick to not crying over your onions. If you put them in the freezer first, you won’t cry so much,” he said.
“Really, I just pop it into the freezer, and it won’t make me cry when I chop it?” she asked.
“Yeah, about thirty minutes before,” he said.
“Well, you could have told me that before I blubbered all over the diced onion,” she teased.
He shrugged, “It was fun to watch you struggle a bit. It’s part of learning to cook. I mean, if it was easy, everyone would do it.”
Kai giggled, “True, and then both of us would be out of a job. You know, you never answered my questions about how you convinced Ryker to give you a chance.”
“It’s kind of a long story,” he said. “I stuck my nose in where it didn’t belong with him and Harlow, and I ended up wearing down his resistance. I followed that man around like a damn dog, begging him for a chance, and finally, Harlow convinced him to give me one.”
“Wow,” Kai breathed. She knew that asking this next question might not be her place, but she was interested in his answer. “Did you and Harlow have a thing?” she asked.
“No,” Taz almost shouted. “She was my friend from the start—kind of like you and me.”
“We are not friends though, Taz,” she reminded. He kept telling her that they were, and she knew that he was trying to keep her in the “friends’ zone,” but she had to admit, she wondered what it would be like to be more than friends with the giant, ginger biker.
“Sure we are,” he insisted.
“No, you keep trying to convince me that we are, but you don’t even really like me,” she breathed. Every time she went into the kitchen, he’d growl at her to get out. He often reminded her of an angry bear, telling her to leave his campground. Usually, she found their little song and dance amusing, but lately, it just plain hurt her feelings. It was almost that he didn’t find her worthy to even hang around him most of the time.
“You’re just so much younger than I am,” he insisted as if trying to come up with excuses that might work to deter her.
“I just told you that I’m twenty-five,” she said.
“Right, and I’m thirty-five. I’m a full ten years older than you are, Kai. We’re from two different worlds. You’re a college kid and I’m a biker.”
“That’s complete bullshit,” she spat. “You and I hang around the same people, at the same club, and we work at the same place. We run in the same circles, Taz. I’m still a college student because I made shitty decisions and didn’t go right after high school. I should have, I’d be finished with college by now and possibly teaching.” It was all she really wanted. “Instead, I have to stand here and listen to you make up excuses for not wanting me, which I also think is a load of shit.”
“I don’t want you,” he insisted.
“Then why do you look at me the way that you do?” she asked.
“How do I look at you?” he questioned. He was challenging her to just come right out and say it. Well, she’d be all too happy to lay her damn cards on the table. She was pretty sure that she could beat the hand he was holding anyway.
“You look at me like you want me, Taz. I catch you doing it all the time. You tell me to get out of your kitchen, and then, I find you staring me down while I’m serving tables every night.”
“I’m just checking to make sure that everyone is enjoying my food,” he lied.
“Why wouldn’t they like your food?” she shouted. “You’re a fucking gourmet chef.”
