She bit back her yelp, releasing the plate as though she’d been zapped by a jolt of electricity.

“Don’t let Adam scare you,” Caleb said from across the table. “He always gets what he wants and isn’t afraid to grab it.”

Always got what he wanted, huh? Would he follow her into the kitchen again and grab her? He continued to watch her, perhaps hoping to catch some sort of invitation from her. If she gave it to him....

Nope, not going there. Not even going to indulge in the fantasy of it. She would be professional and treat this as though the Kelly family were guests in her restaurant.

She wiped her hands on her apron as though she could remove the memory of his touch. “I hope you enjoy it. Be sure to leave room for dessert, though.”

“I definitely will.”

Oh, dear Lord, the way he said the words almost had her wanting to offer herself for dessert. Would he continue to have that low rumble in his voice as he tasted her skin?

She couldn’t escape to the kitchen quickly enough.

* * *

Guilt tightened Adam’s chest as Lia bolted for the kitchen. He hadn’t meant to scare her away. Perhaps he’d read her wrong earlier. Maybe she was some sort of reclusive spinster who freaked out when a man touched her. The idea still barely tempered the strong pull she had on him every time she entered the room.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into Lia tonight,” her mother was saying. “She’s normally so friendly, always ready to join a conversation.”

“It probably didn’t help that Adam yanked his dinner out of her hands,” Caleb replied. “Nice manners, bro.”

“I was only trying to help. It looked like her hands were full.” And she was about to spill everything on me.

“Perhaps you should apologize to her.” His mother said the words with a sweet smile, but the tone was the same one she used when she would suggest he go to his room and think about whatever naughty thing he’d done as a child.

He eyed the door to kitchen as though it were a gateway to hell, a place of never-ending torment. “I’ll give her a few minutes to settle down. Besides, I want to enjoy the food while it’s still hot.”

Once again, Lia’s dish surprised him. It was a thin, breaded chicken breast, but she’d topped it with arugula, cherry tomatoes, and some sort of cool lemony mustard sauce. The combination of flavors and textures produced the same balanced harmony he’d come to expect from her cooking. He devoured it, sopping up the last drops of sauce with the warm bread that had been sitting on the table.

“I’m sure Lia would love to hear how much you enjoyed the meal,” his mother said before he’d finished chewing. In other words his time had run out, and unless he came up with another excuse, he was bound for the kitchen.

“Yes, Mom.” He stood and stretched, doing everything he could to delay the inevitable torture that awaited him on the other side of the door. He could be an adult and ignore the inner hunger that plagued him. As long as he didn’t look at her, didn’t allow thoughts of how wonderful her curves felt, didn’t wonder how her lips would taste, he’d be fine. After all, she was just one of his mother’s friends.

He opened the door and peeked into the kitchen. Lia stood in front of the island, drizzling a bright pink sauce over little bowls of pale orange gelato. When she finished, she squirted some of the sauce onto her finger, the tip of her tongue darting out to lick it off.

Damn, didn’t she know never to do that in front of a man? “Can’t resist your own cooking?”

She jumped, her eyes wide, the sauce smearing along the side of that luscious mouth. “I just wanted to make sure the flavors had had time to meld.”

“Uh-huh.” He approached her slowly, each step a measured act of control. “And have they?”

She back away until she hit the opposite counter. “Have they what?”

“Melded together?” He was right in front of her now, desperately fighting the urge to taste the sauce lingering on her lips for himself.

Her tongue flicked out again, removing some of it. “I think so.”

Before he knew what was happening, his thumb was on her cheek, cleaning away the sauce she’d missed. Her breath hitched when it traced the edge of her bottom lip. It was so soft, so full. Practically begging to be caught between his teeth as he kissed her.

Instead, he withdrew his hand and tasted what was on his thumb. Raspberry, with a hint of rum and mint. “I agree.”

The tension eased from her shoulders. “I’ve paired it with cantaloupe gelato.”

That’s right—focus on the food, not her. “Interesting combination, but then, I’d expect nothing less from you.” The compliment came easily. His gut unclenched. There. He could have a conversation with her without being ambushed by sexual thoughts every three seconds.

“I hope your family will like it, too.”

“I’m sure they will.” Despite his reassurance, she still squirmed against the countertop, reminding him why he’d come back into the kitchen in the first place. “I wanted to apologize if I’ve done anything to make you uncomfortable tonight.”

“I suppose it’s like your brother said—you’re used to getting what you want.” A hint of a challenge edged into her voice. “But then, I should’ve expected that from someone like you.”

“Someone like me?” He crossed his arms, refusing to give an inch until he got to the bottom of this. “And what exactly is that supposed to mean?”

“Just that. You’re rich, handsome.” His ego preened until she added, “I bet you thought I’d fall all over myself to get your attention.”

“Excuse me?”

She brushed past him and placed sprigs of mint in the bowls. “Let’s face it, Adam. We’ve both been tricked here because our mothers think they know what’s best for us when clearly we’re two very different people.”

Her dismissal stung, leaving him scrambling to defend his pride. “Perhaps, but you of all people know that sometimes two very different things work well together.” He picked up three of the bowls and held them out to her to prove his point.

She met him dead on with a bluntness he wished he’d gotten earlier. “Are you saying you find me attractive?”

“I think that’s pretty obvious.” And if it wasn’t, he’d gladly give her proof.

A rich shade of pink stole into her cheeks. “You certainly have an odd way of showing it.”

“It’s kind of hard when you have my mother, my brothers, and Jasper all interrupting.”

That earned him a laugh. Her eyes flickered to him, then looked away. She tucked a curl behind her ear. “I don’t suppose there’s a place we could go where we wouldn’t have to worry about interruptions?”

His cock jumped to attention, and his mouth went dry. Was this the invitation he’d been waiting for? He racked his mind for some place they could go before settling on the boat. “Care to meet me on the dock in a couple of minutes for a sunset cruise?”

“Sure, so long as my mother isn’t in a hurry to get back to Chicago.”

“Doubt it—she and my mom have been talking bridge strategies all night.” He carried dessert into the dining room with a new spring in his step. By the end of the evening, he’d finally get to the bottom of his strange reaction to Lia and perhaps satisfy his curiosity about how her lips would feel under his.

“Everything all right, dear?” his mother asked.

“Just fine, Mom. I offered to take Lia on a quick spin around this part of the lake.” He turned to his brothers and silently added, Alone.

Dan nodded. “Good idea. I’ll have to leave soon anyway. Call and all that.” He held up his pager as if to prove his point, but more likely, he wanted to get back to whatever nurse held his fancy.

“And I need to call Kourtney,” Caleb said, earning an almost imperceptible frown from their mother.

Adam definitely needed to find out what had happened in Florida before his brother left for Afghanistan, but that could wait.

Right now, the closest thing to a date he’d had in the last six months was waiting for him by the boat.

* * *

Lia tiptoed toward the dock, scared one loud sound would have Jasper after her again. But as she got closer to the boat, a whisper of doubt echoed through her mind. What the hell am I doing here? I’m going out there, alone, with a sexy man who will probably have me wanting to toss my panties overboard in a matter of seconds.

In his defense, though, Adam had been a gentleman...so far. Perhaps all he wanted to do was chat.

So why did that leave her disappointed?

The sun sat low on the horizon, painting the clouds pink and orange and turning the water into fire. If Adam wanted to take her on a sunset cruise, it would be brief one. Night would be here soon, meaning she’d have to dodge deer on that gravel road in pitch-black darkness on the way home.

This is a bad idea. I should just go now before—

She spun around and collided with Adam. The scent of soap mingling with the faint trace of spicy cologne rose from his skin, filling her nostrils and turning her insides to mush. Why didn’t she notice how good he smelled earlier?

He wrapped his hands around her shoulders, steadying her. “Are you okay?”

She managed to nod, even though her heart was still thumping away in her throat.

“Then why do you look scared out of your wits?”

“I...uh....” Anything but the truth. “I’m worried Jasper may come after me again.”

Adam laughed and led her down the dock. “He wouldn’t hurt a fly, really. Besides, I’ve got him tied up on the front porch, so you have nothing to worry about.”