Red Hot Reunion

After all, they’d never really talked about her day to day, so he might have assumed she could take care of things long-distance.

But then, he looked unexpectedly pleased and proud of her for doing such a bold, brave thing. “Great idea,” he said. “You’re right, it really doesn’t make sense to have your main office in Palo Alto anymore.”

“I know it’s a big step…” she began, uncertain of what she was actually trying to say.

“The perfect step,” he murmured, pulling her against the hard planes of his body. “Exactly what I want you to do.”

Emma wondered at his choice of words.Exactly what he wanted her to do. She knew it was unreasonable to feel this way, when he was being nothing but supportive, but she wished he had said something more like,“I just want you to do what’s right for you. Whatever will make you happy.”

But then he tilted her face up to his and kissed her slow and soft, making all of her unfounded doubts flee.

“You’re making me so happy.”

She loved making him happy, making him feel good. Somehow, someway, she’d figure out a way to get over her stupid insecurities and accept the truth of Jason’s affection. Without always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“Looks like we’ve both got work to do. I’ll see you tonight,” he said, closing his office door softly behind him as he left.

Marvin sat at Emma’s feet, staring at her expectantly. She almost felt as if he were saying,Okay then, get on it with it.

She grinned, and feeling braver than she’d ever been, opened her cell phone, logged into her e-mail, and began the process of changing her life for the better.

Jason felt like a complete shit. No matter how he tried to frame his actions, he was being an ass**le.But she deserves it, he told himself, only to have that same self answer,So she dumped you ten years ago. Get over it already!

But that was just the thing. He wasn’t over it. He wasn’t over her. He never would be, and that made him angry. Angry enough that he’d just convinced her to sell her house and, now, restructure her business as well.

But now that the reality of leaving her with nothing to fall back on slammed into his gut, he didn’t know if he could let her go through with it.

Rocco looked up when he walked in. “Wasn’t expecting to see you here, boss.”

Jason threw on an apron and washed his hands, glad to be back in the familiar smells and sounds of his kitchen. It was a place where he didn’t have to think if he didn’t want to, where he could get by with just his hands and his instincts.

He didn’t feel like explaining himself to Rocco, so he simply said, “The trip went faster than I thought it would.”

Rocco grunted. “Everything still going according to your master plan?”

Jason focused on slicing a pile of mushrooms. Really, none of this was Rocco’s business. He should have never discussed his personal life with him in the first place.

“Having second thoughts, boss?”

Jason nearly sliced into his forefinger then. “Just shut up and get to work before I shove this cleaver up your ass,” he growled, feeling like a prick for more reasons than one.

That same familiar voice from earlier in the day rang out with a loud tap-tap-tap on the kitchen door.

“Anyone home?”

Kate’s red curls bounced across her br**sts as she let herself into Jason’s private domain without asking permission. Rocco moved faster than Jason had ever seen a six-four, 280-pound ball of muscles move outside of a basketball court.

“I hope you’re looking for me,” his sous chef said, looking for all the world like he’d just been struck by a lightning bolt. Of true love. Jason wanted to puke.

Kate looked Rocco up and down saucily, her gaze resting on his thick right bicep. She ran one long, blood-red finger tip over a tattoo of a naked, voluptuous woman. Jason was about to drag her by her hair out to the parking lot to ask what the hell she was doing in his restaurant when she finally said, “I wasn’t, but I’m certainly willing to reconsider.”

“Kate,” Jason interrupted in a hard tone.

She turned to him and put her smile away. Evidently, only Rocco deserved kindness today. Jason had an ugly, uncomfortable sense that she could see right through him. He didn’t like it. Not one bit.

“Long time no see,” she said in an equally hard tone.

Respect for the way Emma’s best friend took care of her warred with his sense that all of his plans were about to be thwarted. “Let’s talk privately,” he said, not interested in having another big public scene in his restaurant.

For ten years, his employees had thought he was a nice guy who cooked great food. But now that dozens of skeletons were leaping out of the closet, he was sure they had to be wondering what else he’d been hiding all along.

Kate followed him out to the deserted back alley, the space he was starting to think of as his second office. He ran a hand over the light stubble coating his jaw. In so many ways Emma had been a ray of light—there was no point in denying that—but at the same time, he could feel himself getting burned, and one layer at a time his old skin was peeling away.

Leaving what behind, he wasn’t sure.

“Nice alley,” Kate said, covering her eyes against the bright late afternoon sun.

Not interested in drawing this out any longer than he had to, Jason cut right through the small talk. “I doubt you came here to talk about the view.”

She turned to him, looking sad. “I wish I had. I’ve always liked you, Jason.”

“The feeling is mutual.”

“Okay then, since we’re friends, why don’t you tell me what’s going on.”

He stared at her, a muscle working in his jaw. “With what?”

Her hand fisted in frustration. “Don’t play the dumb guy card with me. You know exactly what I’m talking about. What are you doing with Emma?”

He thought fast. “Rekindling the old flame.”

“Uh-huh. So let me get this straight. You haven’t been in touch with her for ten years and all of a sudden you want to be her boyfriend again? Just like that?”

“Why not?” he said, in lieu of anything better to say, because he certainly couldn’t think of a story Kate would buy.

“One day you woke up and decided to let bygones be bygones?”

It was perfectly clear to Jason that Kate was one hell of a prosecutor. Not only did she see right through him, but she had a way of phrasing things that made him feel like a complete jackass.