Cole thought about the request for a moment. “Why are you so brave this morning?”

She leaned down over him with her hands behind her back, and he enjoyed her full round breasts as they swayed forward to graze his chest while she kissed him softly.

“Because I trust you,” she admitted.

As she sat back up, Cole was surprised to feel his heart warm at her admission. Damn, it didn’t only make my heart happy, but it’s also making my cock hard.

“Okay, Rachel, what do you want to know?”

He studied her closely as her eager eyes looked over his body. When they zeroed in on his morning erection, he waited for the question that he figured was obvious, but in usual Rachel fashion, she marched to the beat of her own drum.

“When do I get to taste you?” she asked, her gaze lifting back to his eyes.

As he met her stare, Cole replied, “When I say so.”

She pouted at him as he raised his arms and placed them under his head. Suddenly, he was liking this game of hers very much.

“Not now?” she double-checked, letting her eyes fall back to his Prince Albert.

“No, not now.”

“Why not?”

“Because I said no.”

Rachel scoffed, “What guy says no to a—”

“Rachel?” He waited for her to look at him. “Not. Now.”

“Fine. Your loss though.” She shrugged before she pointed to his arms. “What do your tattoos say?”

Feeling a smug smile cross his lips, Cole reached out and took one of her arms. Tugging her down over him, he shifted and rolled them over, so he was lying on top of her. As she parted her thighs, he snuggled between them and placed his palms on each side of her head.

“Not going to answer that either?” she guessed as she reached up to trace the bar through his left nipple.

“I’m going to answer,” he told her, pressing his hardness against her warm mound, “but you keep interrupting me. That’s not very nice.”

As Rachel’s eyes met his, he thought he saw some hesitation for a moment, but as he continued looking down at her, he felt the hesitation disappear as her mouth curved and her lips parted.

“No, it’s not. So, what’s my punishment going to be?”

Playing with the red-and-black hair that was spread out on the pillow, Cole rocked against her. As a small moan left her lips, he leaned down to her ear.

“Patience of a saint. The mind of a sinner. That’s what my tattoos say.”

She let her eyes drift to his arms, and as he ground his hips into hers once more, she pouted and sighed.

“What language is it written in?”

Cole nibbled the shell of her ear down to the lobe. “Norwegian.”

She pulled her head away and turned it on the pillow. “Is that your heritage?”

Enjoying her curiosity, Cole continued to assault her ear as he murmured, “Part of it.”

“As in big blonde Vikings?” she asked, her voice catching in breathy excitement.

Cole lifted himself up on his arms and pinned her to the bed with a stare. “That seems to excite you. Do you like the idea of being ravished by a Viking?”

Her hands came up to grip his upper arms as she arched her back, pushing herself against his cock. “Maybe I want to be punished by one, for not being very nice.”

“I don’t want to punish you, Rachel.”

As she raised her thighs to his hips, he brushed his mouth on hers.

“But I am going to show you why I have that written on my arms.” With that, he rolled off of her. Getting out of the bed, he made his way to the bathroom, and just as he stepped through the door, he heard her call him.

“Cole!”

Looking over his shoulder, he saw that she had turned her head on the pillow to face him, and she was now moving her hand down between her thighs.

“Don’t,” he warned.

She bit her lip hard. “That’s it? You’re just going to leave?”

“Yes. You need to learn the reward that comes from patience. I have it in abundance. While you are practicing that today, remember the other half of the saying. Because when I’m sitting behind my desk at work, I will be thinking of all the ways I can sin with you.” Cole turned and continued into the bathroom, and just as he was about to shut the door, he called out, “And do not touch yourself today, Rachel. Don’t you dare come before I get to you.”

“And how would you know?” she shouted in response.

Cole strolled back over to the door, staring at her in his bed. “By the time I get to you, I promise you will be begging for it. In fact, I should just be able to look at you, and you will want to come. If your greedy little hands have done the deed, you won’t need me now, will you?” Turning on his heel, he said, “I’m taking a shower. Keep your hands off of what is mine.”

As a frustrated groan met his ears, he couldn’t help but smile as he turned on the water.

* * *

Rachel pushed through the back door of the restaurant at six fifteen. She rushed in and made her way straight to her office. Late again, damn it. When she spotted Sarah, Rachel gave her a quick wave and a smile. She shrugged off her jacket and pulled the bright red beanie from her head.

“We ready to go for tonight?” Rachel asked.

Sarah was hot on her heels. “Yes.”

After Rachel hung up her jacket on the back of her office door, she removed her turtleneck pullover and threw it on her chair before picking up her smock. Fastening it quickly, she reached back to braid her hair. She stopped when Sarah gave her a soft laugh.

“Lena showed up around forty-five minutes ago, and we have not seen or heard…well, much from Mason since. They’re in his office.”

Rachel screwed her nose up in an exaggerated eww look and shook her head. “I don’t even want to know,” Rachel joked, walking out into the kitchen to the stainless steel prep table. “As long as the pears are cored, wrapped, and ready to bake, all I care about is that the weekly special is ready to go.”

Sarah nodded. “Of course, of course. He’s just so funny when Lena’s here. He goes from Mr. Business Smooth to a dopey-eyed, lovesick—”

“Fool?” Rachel suggested with a grin. “Yeah, I know. They are sweet and all of those great adjectives. Let me know when you see them emerge. I don’t really want to be—”

“What? Ambushed?” her brother’s voice called from behind her.

Groaning, Rachel shut her eyes for a moment as she raised a hand and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Surprised, Mase,” Rachel told him, turning to find both Lena and Mason standing behind her hand in hand. “I didn’t want to be surprised.”

“Of course, you didn’t,” Lena said, coming to the rescue, as she stepped forward. “I was leaving anyway. I’m meeting up with Shelly for a movie. Hey, when’s your next day off? We should all get together.”

Rachel creased her brow and glared over at Mason as he raised his eyebrows. Obviously, he hadn’t told his wife about their little chat, so Lena didn’t know that Rachel wanted some time away, making this all the more difficult. Lena was such a sweetheart, and lying to her never felt good.

“I’m pretty busy right now with the flower shop and all. I’m in the middle of hiring someone, so maybe next week?”

There. That wasn’t a full-on lie.

Mason wasn’t buying it though. She could tell by the disapproving look on his face, and Rachel felt her guilt creeping in.

“Oh, okay. Well, that sounds good. I have a really busy schedule this week anyway.”

Good, Rachel thought.

Just when she stupidly assumed she had gotten away without any kind of uncomfortable conversation, Lena added, “But we need to get together soon because you need to tell me all about Cole.”

Oh, fantastic.

“Cole? Who’s Cole?” Sarah asked with a curious smile.

Rachel lifted her eyes to her brother’s to find they were fixed on her.

“No one, Sarah. He’s just a mutual acquaintance. He works for Josh.”

“Oh, gotcha.”

“Who works for me?” a deep voice said into the kitchen.

Rachel cursed under her breath as she glared over at Josh—the traitor—who had just appeared in the door of the kitchen.

“Last time I checked, you don’t work here. So, what are you doing back in my kitchen?”

As the staff made their way around them, like they weren’t even there, Josh gave her a look that screamed, Since when do you care?

“I’m dropping off Georgia. These two are going to a movie.” He nodded to Lena.

Rachel looked around him, but she couldn’t see the blonde bombshell anywhere in sight. “Then, where is she?”

As the side of his mouth curled up, Rachel had a fleeting fantasy of socking him one right in the kisser.

“She’s in the bathroom, fixing her already perfect hair. What’s the problem, Rach? Trying to get rid of me?”

Through clenched her teeth, Rachel managed to say, “No. I am trying to get everything I need together before it gets insane back here.”

“Well, most of it is done. We just need to mix the caramel sauce, and we are good to go. Prep is finished.”