Free Soufflés at Sunrise by M.J. O'Shea and Anna Martin Page A

and Al and Breon and Jenna. Chase thought the others were really nice so far, but he wouldn’t go as far as to say he trusted any of them. Or thought of them as his friends. It was too early, and the rules against romantic involvement were clear in the contract. Chase had to say he understood. So in front of the others? Nothing.
    Jenna was a bit intense, that was for sure. She had her northwest laid-back vibe on camera, all fleeces and organic nuts and fruits, but she was in it to win it just like any of the rest of them. And if she could get two of them booted off the show on a technicality, he wasn’t sure she wouldn’t take the chance.
    Al seemed like a nice guy; he was genius with cakes so far and his pie had been really well received. Chase was wary of him. He was lucky the producers hadn’t given him much of a role to play. He was just Al. He was a nice guy with a sweet tooth. Chase envied that.
    “What do you think the challenge is going to be tomorrow?” Kai asked. He was obviously driven too. Probably a lot more than Jenna, though not as intense as Clarissa. Kai was a person to him, not just a competitor. A soft, sexy, good-smelling person who was an amazing kisser in those rare moments they got to be alone. Chase tried to concentrate on what everyone was saying. Staring at Kai like a moron wasn’t in his best interests.
    “I don’t know. They’ve been throwing New York hints at us right and left, haven’t they?”
    “There’s a ton of things that go with New York, though.” Polly said. “I mean, they’re famous for cheesecake, I suppose, but there are others.”
    Kai groaned next to him. “I hate cheesecake.”
    “How can you hate cheesecake? That’s like saying you hate existing.” Al chuckled. He clearly liked his cheesecake. And quite a few other things. Chase didn’t hate or love it. But he wasn’t an expert on making it. He knew they weren’t supposed to do research unless it was specifically allowed, so he figured he’d be winging it if that was what they were going to be making.
    “I really hope it’s not that.” Jenna rolled her eyes. “What am I supposed to do with that and still show my point of view as a pastry chef?”
    “You’ll figure something out. Maybe they’ll surprise us. It’s awfully obvious to go the cheesecake route. Maybe they won’t.” Polly seemed awfully laid-back about the whole thing. He supposed her plan was just to be as prepared as possible for any outcome.
    Kai sighed. “I can only hope.”
    He reached up and ran his hand down Chase’s back. Chase leaned into the touch for a few moments, then froze. Shit. Kai’s not supposed to be doing that. Kai froze as well, but Jenna simply smiled.
    “Hey. It’s not like you two were a big secret. The way you fake bickered on camera last week when you were supposed to be enemies? It was like watching foreplay.” A round of nods followed Jenna’s statement.
    Kai looked seriously embarrassed. “Really?”
    “Uh. Yeah.” Polly grinned. “None of us care. We’d have to be huge assholes to get you kicked off for something like that. I mean, if one of us wins because you two have a thing for each other, well, it’s not really winning, is it?”
    She had a point. “Thanks, guys,” Chase said.
    Kai’s hand stayed on Chase’s back after that, gentle and rubbing, calming. So far Chase hadn’t liked the main competition day, but at least something like his attraction to Kai wasn’t going to get in his way.
    “I think we’ll all be fine, anyway,” Breon said.
    “Who do you think is in trouble?”
    “Dreya. Maybe Louis. He’s a little full of himself, but he’s not backing it up with anything mind-blowing. I don’t know who else. Carson?”
    Chase didn’t know everyone yet, but he recognized those names. Of course Carson was in their bedroom, so he knew him, the big deal chef from New York, so he’d maybe have an advantage in the next round. And everyone knew Dreya. “Aaron?” he added. He felt a