[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

shown her.
Too bad she d turned his triumph into a hollow victory by flat-out disintegrating during
the end of the competition. She d barely plated on time and her rib dish, although
inspired, was obviously rushed. And what the hell had happened with her sauce? Curious
enough to ignore his pride and look for her after the awards ceremony, he found she d
simply vanished. She hadn t even shown up at graduation. She had disappeared, cut and
run, and her friends had refused to tell him where she d gone. He would have insisted if
he d known how much it was going to eat at him. But he d finally found her, and now she
was going to give him some answers.
He made his way across the room to the back hallway where Lila had disappeared,
heading toward the kitchen, he assumed. He peered through the window on a swinging
door and saw ovens and a dishwasher. Bingo. He pushed through and found Lila standing
to his right, spooning tapenade onto small rounds of shortbread.
He walked up to the table.  Those look good. He reached for one.
She scowled.  They re not finished.
He ate it anyway. It was rosemary shortbread, and it melted in his mouth.  You haven t
lost your touch. Your recipes?
 Why? Do you want to steal them?
Definitely still holding a grudge.
He didn t blame her. After all, he hadn t exactly beaten her fair and square, but she
deserved it for lying to him. Only one of them could win the competition, and winning had
brought him a double victory. His restaurant would open in two weeks. The prize money
hadn t meant much to him. It was a drop in the bucket compared to his trust fund, but
the restaurant meant& everything.
He decided to just get it out there.  Why did you tell me you were making duck for the
competition? Considering what happened between us, I think I deserved the truth.
Her hand jerked and slopped tapenade all over the tray.  Damn it. She cleaned up the
mess and began again, her motions focused and precise, a fascinating contrast to the
hectic flush that spread over her cheeks and chest. His fingers itched to trace the path of
heat flowing across her skin, so he clenched his hands into fists.
 That s all you have to say? he asked.
She continued to dollop tapenade on shortbread, making him want to snatch the spoon
and container from her hands, fling them to the tile, and force her to pay attention to
him. Finally, she raised her head. Her gaze was defiant and color blazed in her cheeks.
 Why do you think, Jack? It was a competition, and I needed that prize money. All is fair
in love and war, right?
Disappointment punched a hole in his gut as he realized he d been hoping she would
say something else, something that would give him an opening, maybe even an excuse
to touch her. Instead, it was just as he d thought. She hadn t trusted him to play fair.
Clearly, the connection between them had been one-sided.
He crossed his arms.  Money, huh? So does that mean your father really did lose his
job? Do you really have loans? I assumed those were lies, too, he scoffed.
She put her hands on her hips.  Why don t we talk about how you cheated and used my
ideas to win? Let s focus on the fact I was right to not trust you.
She looked astonished and furious just as she had when he announced his dish at the
competition. Privately, he had to admit she was correct. No matter what had inspired his
actions, he had won using her ideas. He owed her something for that.  Why don t you let
me give you some money 
 Hell, no, she interrupted, closing her fist over the handle of a paring knife.
He raised his eyebrows.  Are you planning to use that knife on me, Delilah? I don t
remember meat fabrication as being your strong suit, but I suppose I could give you
some tips& up to a certain point, of course.
Her eyes narrowed.  I won t serve you up for dinner unless you do something that
makes you too stupid to live like offer me cash to assuage your guilty conscience.
 Exactly how broke are you, Delilah?
 None of your goddamn business, and stop calling me Delilah. She glared at him and
fingered the knife in her hand.
 But it s your name, isn t it? And it fits so well. She was a seductress, just like her
namesake from the Bible, stealing his strength, ruining his concentration.  You aren t
planning on giving me a haircut with that that tiny thing, are you? [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]