Free Spicy (Palate #1) by Octavia Wildwood

watched him in the moonlight and listened to him speak, that urge returned.  The urge to kiss him was strong…so strong I couldn’t resist it.  I couldn’t shake the feeling I was being dropped off after a fantastic fir st date.  A kiss goodnight seemed fitting.
    It was hard to tell who made the first move.  Maybe he kissed me.  Maybe I kissed him.  All I knew was our lips brushed in a sweet, brief, unassuming kiss goodnight.  It wasn’t particularly steamy or passionate, though I could feel the longing bubbling hotly beneath the surface.  It was just an innocent display of mutual affection…with the lingering, whispered promise of more.
    The kiss ended far too soon, leaving me on edge and wholly unsatisfied.  I could tell by the way Gavin was looking at me that he felt the same way.  I swiped the back of my hand across my mouth and nodded toward my sleeping son.  “I should get him inside.”
    Gavin reached down to unbuckle his seatbelt.  “I’ll get him.”
    My hand found his in the darkness and closed around it, silently telling him to stop.  “I’ve got it,” I told him firmly, leaving no room for negotiation.  “Goodnight.”
    Why is it that a child seems so much heavier when asleep than when awake?  The muscles in my back screamed in protest as I lifted Joel from the backseat, his head nestled into the crook of my neck as I hoisted him onto my hip and made my way in side.  I knew I’d be sore in the morning.
    It would have been easy to let Gavin help me.  He was bigger and stronger than me.  He carried Joel with such ease whereas it was becoming an increasingly difficult task for me.  He’d wanted to help.  But I couldn’t allow him to come into my apartment.
    I didn’t trust myself.
    My desire for Gavin burned so hotly that it frightened me.  I didn’t know how much longer I could be in his presence and maintain self-control.  In fact, my defenses were already down – our chaste yet desperate kiss proved that.  It had felt like we were two people looking to get lost in one another, but I couldn’t allow that.
    If I let Gavin in, there was no telling what might happen.
     

Chapter 08
    I’d climbed the ranks in the competition.
    The following day found me back on the stage under the hot, blinding lights.  This round’s challenge was to plan, cook and present a five course meal within an allotted time period using specific ingredients.  It was a daunting task and at the end of it the contestants would be graded on a number of different categories including presentation, creativity and flavor. 
    T he competition was stiff.
    There were only four of us left standing and today one of us would be cut.
    All of us were tense and exhausted by the time Gavin made his appearance to evaluate our efforts.  In a way, it was art that we were creating…edible art.  To be harshly critiqued on it was an intimidating thought for even the most stoic among us.
    But when Gavin stepped out onto the stage, I immediately felt reassured.
    He looked as good as ever, clean shaven and wearing a neatly pressed suit. 
    I, on the other hand, was a wreck.  Sure, I’d been done up for television by the makeup artists, but that had been hours ago.  I knew the producers of the show were trying to play up the suspense, so I guess they wanted us contestants to look haggard and slightly pathetic.  Mission accomplished, I thought to myself wryly as I felt a bead of sweat trickle down my forehead.
    But when Gavin’s eyes briefly met mine, I didn’t feel hag gard or pathetic.  In fact his momentary attention seemed to reinvigorate me, breathing new energy into my aching body.  I stood up straighter and brushed the flour off my apron as the host of the show talked into the camera in his absurdly cheerful Announcer Voice.
    I tuned it out.
    As the lights dimmed and the announcer threw to a pre-recorded interview, Gavin walked over to my work station and leaned in close.  “I’d hoped to deliver your car