Free Worth Waiting For by Vanessa Devereaux Page B

the center.
    She smiled when he
pulled out a wooden chair for her. Kate sat and Brock brought two bowls of soup
over to the table.
    He sat down after reaching
for a basket of bread behind him.
    “How’s the leak in
the boat?” asked Kate.
    “Patched up for the
time being, so don’t worry that you’ll sink while you’re dining at Chez
Brock’s.”
    She laughed again.
Brock made her do that a lot. “So can you afford both the boat repairs and
taking a lady out for a meal on the town?”
    “Of
course. Henri gave me his cut-rate price.”
    “As long as Chez
Brock’s doesn’t try and steal him from me.”
    “No, I think he’s
very loyal to you.”
    “And his seafood
chowder is top of the line,” said Kate. She dipped some bread into the bowl and
wiped up the last of the soup with it before popping it into her mouth. “ Ummm , delicious.”
    “Wait till you try
his grilled vegetable and salmon lasagna,” said Brock. He cleared away the soup
dishes and placed two plates on the table.
    “Um, that’s strange. Chez
Brock’s has exactly the same specials tonight as my
restaurant.”
    “What can I say? I’m
guilty of copyright infringement.” He cut into the lasagna and placed a hefty
slice on Kate’s plate.
    “Wow, that’s a bit
too much. I won’t be able to move after all this food.”
    “Don’t worry, because
dessert is very light, and sexy I might add.”
    “Sexy?”
    “Yeah, Henri’s French
so he gave me some suggestions on what to prepare, and how to serve it.”
    “I think he’s leading
you astray.”
    “Hey, don’t you fire him,
because if you do, I’ll steal him for my restaurant like that.” Brock snapped
his fingers.
    “Copyright
infringement and also trying to poach my chef.”
    “What can I say? It’s
a cutthroat business.”
    Kate laughed, kicked
off her shoes and flexed her toes before running the big toe of her left foot
under the hem of Brock’s pants.
    “The Frenchman’s food
is already working its magic. The lady is getting romantic and perhaps a little
frisky,” said Brock.
    Kate couldn’t eat
another mouthful of the delicious lasagna. Anyone in town who was missing out
on this culinary delight was the biggest fool, even if she was biased about her
own chef. She put the fork down and leaned back, rubbing her belly. “I might
have to take a rain check on dessert,” she said.
    “No you won’t. In
fact, by the time we get to that you might have burned off a lot of calories.”
    “Are you going to
make me run around the harbor or something?”
    Brock stood and
offered his hand to her and pulled her up so her face was mere inches from his.
“You think you can run in bare feet or even those sandals you were wearing?”
    At first she thought
he really was serious about an after dinner jog, but when she saw him grinning,
she caught on and slapped his chest.
    “I have a better and
more fun way of working off calories,” he said. He nibbled on her earlobe.
    “Oh yeah, and what
would that be?”
    “You really want to
know?”
    He pulled her in
close, put his hands on her ass, and playfully kissed and bit her bottom lip.
    “Does it involve us
getting naked?” asked Kate.
    “It might.”
    He grinned again and
for the first time she realized tiny dimples appeared in his cheeks when he
did. She put her finger on the left one. “This is all very nice of you,” she
said.
    “It’s my way of
thanking you for giving me a job.” He kissed her, and then led her over to the
bed and indicated for her to sit. He brought over the two candles and set them on
the built-in nightstand. The lights from the harbor reflected on the water, and
inside the dim glow of the candles set a dreamy mood.
    An irresistible combination for any woman.
    “You ever made love
on a boat before?” he asked.
    “Can’t
say that I have.”
    He got onto the bed
beside her. “Me neither.”
    Brock rubbed his hand
along her face before leaning in and kissing her.
    She rolled back on
the bed while he set