Free BURN (The HEAT Series Book 1) by Deborah Bladon Page B

until three."
    "I'd never turn down free food. You know me better than that."
     
    ***
     
    "Why are you here?" My gaze zeroes in on the plate in front of him. It's my dish. It's the halibut that I was so proud of but now seeing it touching his lips, it feels tainted.
    "I heard your dish made the lunch menu, babe." His chin lifts as his eyes lock on mine. "I had to come down and try it out for myself."
    He hasn't changed at all since I walked out of his life. His blonde hair is still cut short, his blue eyes as mesmerizing as they were the first time I saw them.
    That feels like a lifetime ago now. I was at a deli, ordering a sandwich and he was next in line. He suggested I add avocado to it, I scoffed at the idea. By the next night, we were tangled together in the bed in his apartment.
    "I don't want you here, Brendon."
    He smirks, the way he always did when my opinion or feelings didn't align with his. "I can eat lunch wherever I want. Today I'm doing it here."
    "I want you to leave." I step closer to the table. "You shouldn't be here."
    "Why not?" He chuckles. "I thought you'd be happy to see me. I know you've missed me, Den. I've missed you."
    I pinch the bridge of my nose. I bite back the temptation to scream at him to leave. I want nothing more but we're in the middle of Nova. The lunch crowd is dispersing but there are still dozens of people enjoying a leisurely meal. My co-workers are here too and even though Tyler left before I arrived, I know he'll be back soon. Darrell told me as much.
    "I don't miss you," I say tightly. "I've moved on. My life is different now."
    He straightens in his seat, his fingers pulling on the edge of the linen napkin covering his lap. He's wearing jeans and a blue dress shirt, open at the collar. He's tanned, relaxed and as women stream out of the restaurant, they do a double take to soak in a second look at him. I can't blame them. It's what drew me to him in the first place. What they can't see is the selfish heart that beats within him.
    "You should come back to Axel." His jaw tenses. "I'm offering you a senior chef position right now."
    It's nothing more than bait. He knows that's what I want. He also knows that despite the fact that I only graduated from culinary school a few months ago, that I'm just as skilled as he is. I proved that in spades to him when we were working side-by-side.
    "I'm happy here." I tap my foot on the floor as I stand in place. "I'll never work with you again."
    "You sound so sure of yourself." His voice is raspy. He turns to look toward the kitchen. "What's keeping you here? Is it Monroe?"
    I won't go there with him. I refuse to. We may have shared something for a brief moment of time but that's dead now. If I had any doubt of that, I don't anymore. I feel nothing for him. Any residual longing or regret is gone. "I like it here, Brendon. This is where I belong now."
    He rises from his chair, his eyes level with mine. "You don't belong here. You're better than this place."
    "No." I shake my head. "You've got it wrong. They appreciate me here."
    "If they appreciated you, they would have told you this halibut is over-seasoned." He tosses his napkin onto his virtually untouched plate. "I'll give you carte blanche at Axel. You can choose the menu, cook what you want. I'll see to it that you get what you deserve if you come back to work for me."
    "She's not coming back to work for you." A deep voice interrupts from behind me. "You had your chance. You fucked it up."
    I turn toward Tyler. His expression is full of challenge, his eyes angry and focused.
    "Don't speak for her," Brendon seethes under his breath. "You don't realize who she really is. You've only seen one part of her."
    Tyler steps forward but I still him with a hand to his chest. "Don't bother, Chef. He's not worth it."
    Brendon ignores Tyler as he brushes past me. "I'll be waiting for you, Den. You give me the word and the job is yours."
     
     

CHAPTER 22
     
    "We should talk about the job offer,