Free Scream My Name by Kimberly Kaye Terry Page B

she’d make sure it was blazing hot and spicy even by Texas standards after her parting quip.
    He was surprised, pleasantly so, when it had just the right amount of heat and spice, but not too much to singe the fine hairs in his nose.
    “Can I get you anything else?”
    Brandan looked up, surprised that she’d approached him and he hadn’t noticed.
    As he swallowed, his eyes glanced over her tall, voluptuous body, and his instinct was to give a resounding “Hell, yes,” there was something else he wanted.
    He swallowed the response though, along with the mouthful of chili.
    She raised a brow when he shook his head no, instead of responding the way his body dictated. He decided his initial response probably wouldn’t have been the brightest move on his part.
    “Can you have a seat and sit with me for a while?” he asked instead. “There aren’t too many customers left and I’m sure your waitstaff can handle them. Why don’t you sit down and talk to me?”
    She looked around the café, indecision stamped on her expressive face.
    “Isn’t that what you’ve been wanting, the opportunity to talk about your business, to persuade me…my partners and I, to look elsewhere for the project?” he pushed. “Unless you and Mateo have already come to an agreement about the situation?”
    At that, she whipped her head around, and several of her upswept dreads tossed across her face.
    She tucked her hair behind her ear and her red tongue darted out to swipe across the upper swell of her full lips.
    “No, we didn’t exactly get around to that,” she said, and Brandan felt unreasonable jealousy—yes, he knew it was unreasonable, he had no claim on her—sweep over him, wondering what in the hell they had “gone over.”
    “I guess I can sit and talk…for a minute. I’ve got to get ready to close, and I only have one waitress and a busboy left.”
    “Is that your ‘busboy,’” he asked, nodding his head toward the tall guy in the corner who hadn’t taken his eyes off them the entire time they’d been talking.
    She turned toward the counter to see who he was talking about, and he leaned back in his seat, taking a drink of his tea.
    A corner of her wide mouth hitched in a smile and she turned back to him.
    “No.”
    When she said nothing more, not clarifying who the hell he was, Brandan grit his teeth, but let it go.
    Again, he had no claims on her. If she wanted a harem of men to screw, who was he to say anything, he thought in dismissal, ignoring the taunting laugh of his subconscious mocking him.
     
    Leila sat down across from Brandan and was immediately aware of their close proximity. Although he sat across from her and the table comfortably sat four, his overall… largeness seemed to dwarf his surroundings, leading to her feeling extremely irritated and out of sorts.
    After she’d taken his order, she’d busied herself with her regulars, doing her damnedest to try and forget his presence.
    As if.
    He was hell-bent on making it an impossible thing to do.
    She’d felt his eyes burning holes straight through the soft fabric of her blouse. Several times she had flushed in embarrassment when her body had reacted, chagrined that he could make her nipples throb simply from him being in the same vicinity.
    She crossed her arms over her chest and ignored the sexy grin he threw her way at her telling response.
    “This is amazing. Please give my compliments to the chef,” he said, indicating the chili which, from the looks of it, he was close to demolishing.
    “Thank you. It was Aunt Sadie’s trademark recipe, one she made sure I knew how to prepare. It’s always been the most popular thing on the menu, no matter what time or season.”
    “It’s amazing.”
    “Thank you,” she smiled. “Mine is nowhere near as good as Sadie’s. But the customers don’t complain. They seem to enjoy it.”
    “I’m sure she’d be proud. I bet it’s just as good as your aunt’s. Don’t knock yourself.”
    His words