Today would have to be the end of it, because she was leaving Trouble in several months. Spending five months away in Mongolia was sure to put a damper on whatever relationship they’d develop. As for coming back to Trouble? Elisa always loved it here, but making a career for herself here seemed like less and less of a possibility. If she was serious about being a photojournalist, surely she’d have to travel. Taking pictures of food was okay, but it didn’t fully satisfy her. She could not allow herself to fall for Brody, knowing she was leaving. Her heart couldn’t handle that.

Her attention honed in on the man of her fantasies the second she walked into the restaurant. He stood at the bar next to Charlene, who held a handful of papers. Elisa didn’t so much as spare the other woman a glance. Brody’s spectacularly hard ass, encased in a pair of black slacks, held her attention so well that she damn near tripped over her own sandals. She moved her eyes upward, only so she could place one foot in front of the other like a competent human being. That view didn’t help matters either. Wide shoulders filled out a baby-blue collared shirt, which accented his midnight hair. The strands were clipped short and close to his head, the tips not even reaching his ears. During her modeling days, Elisa had grown an affinity for men with long hair. Something about the roguish way the long strands would fall over a man’s collar like he just didn’t give a damn made Elisa weak. Brody was the antithesis of every man she’d known during her modeling days. This was the first time in her life short, spiky hair took her breath away.

As though he sensed her presence behind him, Brody turned his attention from Charlene to Elisa. His gray eyes met hers from across the room and then swept down her body with slow appraisal. When she’d put on the knee-length skirt that morning, it hadn’t felt too short. Now she had to resist the urge to tug at the hem with the way his eyes lingered on her legs.

He lifted his gaze back to hers and turned from Charlene. His long legs ate the distance between them with purposeful, confident strides. Elisa felt like the prey to his predator. Suddenly, she couldn’t remember the reason for staying away from him.

Oh, yeah. He had the potential to completely shatter her heart.

Brody came to a stop in front of her. “I was kind of thinking you weren’t going to show.”

“Well, you are paying me,” she said with a reluctant smile.

“That’s not the only reason you came.”

She decided to let the comment go, even though he was totally right. How did she manage to give herself away? She cleared her throat and tried to refocus her attention to the reason why she came. “Are you ready for me?”

One of his dark brows crept up his forehead.

A laugh bubbled in her throat when she realized how her words sounded. “With the food,” she spluttered out. “To take pictures, I mean.” Geez, that was articulated like a five-year-old.

“I know what you meant,” he replied. He tilted his head. “Are you sure you know what you meant?”

Well, now she wasn’t. Being around this man took away all ability to think coherently. Did she really need the money from this job that badly? Was it worth screwing with her sanity? The jury was still out on that one.

Okay, steer the conversation back on track. “So, where are we doing this?” Did every word that came out of her mouth have to have a double meaning?

This time Brody’s mouth turned up in a slow melt-your-bones grin. “We’ll go into the kitchen,” he finally said.

Oh, good. They’d be around other people. She wouldn’t be in danger of spontaneously jumping his bones.

FIVE

BRODY COULDN’T THINK STRAIGHT.

Every time Elisa moved, the dark strands of her hair fell over her shoulder like pieces of silk. Too many times to count he’d had the urge to tunnel his hand into her curtain of hair to see if it really was that soft. Her almond-shaped eyes lit up with delight when they landed on the dishes the sous-chefs had prepared for them. The reaction was equivalent to a person who’d just struck gold.

Then, as though she’d just realized the situation, she’d shot him a questioning glance. “Where’s Travis?”

“My father fired him.”

Both her dark brows shot up her forehead. “Uh…” Her gaze glanced around the kitchen, touching on the chefs flying through their usual motions with efficient but rapid ease. “How’s this going to work with no chef?”

Brody touched one of the plates that Elisa had already scrutinized. “Let’s take a closer look at these, then you can tell me for sure.”

She tilted her head to one side, revealing a tiny pearl earring in her ear. “Well, they look great. Aesthetically pleasing. Nice balance and color.”

When she finished snapping the photos, she placed the camera back in the bag and gathered her notebook. Brody forced his eyes to stay above her waist. Elisa had the sort of legs that went on for miles. The skirt that fell to her knees left plenty to his overactive imagination. His mind had no trouble thinking up ways Elisa could use those babies.

She’s doing a job for you and babysitting your son. Watch yourself.

Brody never had a problem controlling himself around a woman. Not even when he first met Kelly. Something about Elisa brought an animalistic side of him, like he needed to drop to his knees and howl at the moon. That or claw her clothes off.

She caught him staring when her gaze darted to his. Her eyes held his for one moment, then she flipped her notebook closed. “I think I’m done here.”

Brody peeled his tongue from the roof of his mouth. “Why don’t you go find a place to sit?” he suggested. “I want to have a quick word with the guys, then I’ll come find you.”

She nodded and turned from the kitchen. With miraculous willpower of steel, Brody kept his eyes off her ass. Mostly because he didn’t want his employees to catch him ogling her. What kind of dirtbag would that make him? A horny one, that’s what.

Vic was slicing mushrooms with lightning speed when Brody approached him. “Hey, I just wanted to say great job with that. I know I kind of sprung this on you, but you guys came through for me.”

The young chef glanced at Brody. “I saw her smiling. I take it we passed her inspection?”

“So far,” Brody answered with a nod. “For now let’s take it one step at a time. But I will try to get someone in here soon to alleviate some of the pressure.”

“As long as he or she has more experience than Travis had,” Vic muttered.

Yeah, he didn’t have to tell Brody twice. He nodded and glanced at the kitchen doors, as though expecting Elisa to be standing there. Damn, his desire for her was so strong that he couldn’t keep his mind on one simple conversation with one of his chefs. “In the meantime, throw together some dishes for us, will you?”

“Sure, what’ll it be?” Vic asked without glancing up.

Brody turned and started toward the kitchen doors, so damn eager to be near Elisa again. “Surprise me,” he said over his shoulder.

He spotted her right away, sitting alone in a booth with the light overhead catching on the dark strands of her hair. Her head was bent over a menu and her teeth stabbed into her lower lip, accentuating its fullness. The action made him want to curl his hand around the back of her neck and yank her mouth to his. Then he’d see for himself just how full and luscious her lips were.

A shot of heat bolted down to his groin.

She glanced up at him and smiled when he approached. “Is everything okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, we’re good.” He lowered to the booth and stretched his legs out. “This all sort of got sprung on the chefs at the last minute.”

“Well, they did a great job. The guy with the dark hair has good technique.” She eyed him from across the table. A little too closely, but hey, who was he to complain? “He might be a suitable replacement for Travis.”

Yeah, he’d thought about that, but Vic was more valuable where he was. “Vic? The thing is, he’s an excellent prep cook, but he lacks the imagination of a head chef. I’m not convinced.” Though he knew Vic would jump at the opportunity to run the kitchen, Brody wasn’t about to hand that job over to just anyone. Not again. Not with so much at risk. Whoever he brought on essentially held Brody’s future in his hands.

“You’re still kind of gun-shy, aren’t you?” Elisa asked with a grin.

Damn, she glowed when she smiled. “Hell yeah, I’m gun-shy. Right now I’m oh for two, and no way in hell will my father let me get to oh for three.”

Elisa folded her arms on the table. “So, what happens now? Do we postpone the shoot?”

He glanced around and thought about just having Vic or Stanley whip something up for Elisa to photograph. After all, she’d said herself they’d done a good job with the dishes, that she’d gotten some promising shots. But why rush? In the past, rushing was what had gotten him in trouble. No, best to take his time. Even though they weren’t running the article right away, Brody had been curious to see what Vic’s plating would look like on film. When he’d found out about Travis getting the boot, he’d contemplated calling Elisa to tell her not to come. But any excuse to see her was good enough for him.

“For now, yeah. It needs to get done right.”

She nodded and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I understand that. Just consider me on standby. In the meantime,” she held the digital camera up. “I have these as a reference.”

Yeah, she’s got you figured out, pal.

Brody’s eyes dropped down to her mouth, as he imagined, for the second time, what it would be like to kiss her. Really kiss her. Tongue-searching, breath-stealing, backseat-of-a-car tonsil hockey. When was the last time he’d made out with a woman?