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“I need the vegetables peeled and prepped and the fish in the sous vide. Then sauces.”
“On it,” she said calmly.
He didn’t bother to say thank you as he bent back over his station, but she could work with that. The back of her neck tingled, and she knew without turning around that Damian had joined them.
“Wendy will be back in a minute,” he said, then took her hand and tugged her out into the hallway.
“Thank you for coming.”
“I’m happy to help.”
“I’m still grateful.”
His eyes had dropped to her mouth, and he suddenly groaned and pulled her into his arms. She went willingly, raising her face for his kiss even as his arms closed around her. He tasted as spicy and delicious as ever but before she could melt into him, there was a crash from the kitchen. She sighed and tried to step back. For a moment he didn’t release her, but then he echoed her sigh and his arms dropped.
“Later.”
The word was somewhere between an order and a question, but she nodded.
“Later,” she promised and returned to the kitchen.
By the time they finished cleaning the kitchen at the end of the evening, she was exhausted but also exhilarated. Jack had mostly remembered to keep a rein on his temper and everyone had pitched in to help. Even Nereus had done what he could with one working arm. She’d kept her promise about not challenging Jack, and he’d relented enough to let her take over the desserts without any intervention from him.
He even gave her a begrudging nod before he left.
“You’ll do,” he muttered, and she managed to thank him politely, holding her laughter until he was gone.
Kai was the last to leave, whistling cheerfully as he put the final polish on the already sparkling kitchen.
“Go home, Cody,” Damian said as he joined them. He sounded almost as tired as she felt.
“It’s Kai, and I’m not going home. There’s a band at the Tavern tonight.”
“Then go listen to them.”
Kai grinned, touched his fingers to his cap, and left. Damian came to join her where she was leaning against a prep table.
“Where did Kai come from?” she asked, and his eyes glinted with amusement.
“You see, when a male brownie and a female brownie love each other very much?—”
She laughed and elbowed him.
“That’s not what I meant and you know it. I meant why did he choose that name?”
“Apparently it’s Hawaiian for salt.”
“Really?” she laughed again. “I suppose that makes it a good surfer name.”
He gave her a skeptical look and she was suddenly conscious of how close they were.
“Come upstairs and have a drink.”
She really shouldn’t, but she nodded anyway.
“All right.”
He took her hand and led her up to the closed door at the top of the stairs. The door opened into a small hallway, and he pointed at the various doors.
