Free Dark Awakening by T. A. Grey

and transport her stuff into storage.
    As they drove to her café , Alison couldn't stop the sickening feeling deep in her gut. She felt like she'd eaten something bad, but she hadn't. She didn't know what it was.
    Jealousy? Envy? Hate? What she did know though was that she couldn't trust Rome. At least she'd been right about that all along.
     
    * * *
     
     
    Being back in her café helped to lighten Alison's mood. She flipped on the lights then walked back into the kitchen and cranked up the burners and oven.
    "What are you guys in the mood for?" she hollered through the partition where she'd slide the orders across to be served.
    "Italian!" Sarina said , picking a seat at a table with square wooden chairs. When Teddy and Gerome agreed, Alison smiled and shot back into her kitchen. It felt better than good to be back here.
    She tied on her pink apron and snatched pots and pans from her ceiling hanger. Her mind pushed all the worries, fears, and pain from the last few days aside and focused solely on cutting the potatoes into triangles and slicing the carrots with a fast flick of her wrist.
    Food sizzled in the pot as she added a good portion of white wine to the mixture. She flattened chicken then breaded it and seared it in a skillet as her pot of water came to a boil. When the smell and taste of the creamy sauce wasn't one-hundred percent, she added a dash of parmesan, pepper, and heavy cream.
    "Voila!" She plated the dinners, resting the breaded chicken gently on top then put a sprig of parsley on top and some grated cheese. She grabbed a bottle of wine from the back and set it counter to take out later. She set the plates on the large, black serving trailed, bent down, and shouldered the heavy tray up .              
    She bumped open the swinging kitchen door with her hip and swept into the dining room only to come to a dead stop. The dishes rattled, dangerously close to falling.
    "What are you doing here?" She glared at his handsome face and wanted to throw a plate of pasta at it. He looked taken aback by her harsh words. His eyes narrowed suspiciously, he strolled forward and plucked the heavy tray from her hands as if it was a piece of lint on her clothes. "Give that back," she ordered, holding out her hand. He looked at her little hand, then at the big serving tray filled with four plates of food.
    "I'm here for lunch. I took the rest of the day off when I heard you'd been running around town. You know, you really should be keeping a low profile, not visiting all the places he probably knows you go to."
    "Whatever," she muttered and spun into the kitchen. She plastered herself back against the wall and tried to fight the ache in her chest. How he managed to make her heart race and hurt at the same time was a wonder. He must be a wizard. A devil wizard.
    She uncorked the bottle of merlot to let it breathe and plated another portion of food. She couldn't help herself . The bastard most likely had another woman and slept with her —probably a hundred times — and yet she was going to feed him. She grabbed a twig of parsley and set it gently on top of the chicken, then thought better of it and took it off. The bastard didn't deserve parsley .
    She turned around and screamed. "What do you want?" How did such a big man managed to keep so quiet? She growled, clutching the plate as if she might use it as a weapon.
    One corner of his mou th kicked up. "I wanted to see how you’re doing . You're acting a little odd." He stepped close , invading her personal space and kissed her. Before she could even blink it was over, but the taste of him lingered on her bottom lip. She licked it delicately.
    "I've just had a strange day, I guess. I signed off on my lease today and hired people to move my things to a storage unit." The words came so easily from her. She couldn't believe how comfortable she was talking to him. He cupped her cheek in his hands, it was a warm, reassuring gesture.
    "I should have been there for