“I am. I’d like that.”
I felt safe in his arms and like I could be myself. There weren’t hidden agendas or false undertones in what he told me from what I could see.
Gael shifted uncomfortable. “This couldn’t be worse timing.” Scrubbing a hand down his face, my heart beat wildly as I held my breath. He continued, “I’m leaving tomorrow on a trip and I don’t want to lose what we started tonight.”
That was the story of my life—when things were too good to be true, they normally were.
Imperceptibly, I let out the breath I held and pushed back slightly so I could see Gael’s face. “How long? Where are you going?” There was no hiding the sadness in my voice. Truth be told, I didn’t want to lose what we had started either.
“I’m headed to a culinary school in France for two weeks.”
Two weeks. I tried to remain outwardly unaffected as I let it sink in. My mind was a blur as I tried to process how much I didn’t want him to leave.
“Ashlin, what are you thinking? You’ve slipped behind a mask and I can’t make out what you’re feeling. When your guard’s down, you let me see everything. When it’s not, you disappear on me.” Gael’s brown eyes were searching mine as his eyebrows furrowed.
Feeling as if he could penetrate my inner being with the depth of his stare, I looked down. “I—umm—I—It’s just that—” I stopped and took a deep breath as I gathered my thoughts. “I guess I’m unsure where that leaves us while you’re in France. Will you date while you’re away?”
Turning to face me completely, Gael took my face in his hands. It was a gesture he seemed to do when he wanted my complete attention. “I won’t be dating anyone else. Let’s see where this takes us and go at a pace that works for us. We’ll talk on the phone and keep getting to know each other better. Ashlin, you’re fresh out of a relationship and I don’t want to rush you. You can get your breakup with Harris public, get settled and we’ll see where this goes. We have the beginning of something, Ashlin, and I don’t want to do anything to risk the possibilities.”
“I like that plan—”
Whatever I was going to say was interrupted as Gael’s lips touched mine. He cherished me with his kiss and the feeling melted me. I was wanted for who I was and nothing more. Before our need for each other ignited into an inferno, I’m not sure either of us could stop this time, Gael disengaged. “Thank you for giving me a chance.”
“Thank you for taking a chance on me.”
“You’re worth everything, Ashlin.”
I didn’t know what to say. Swallowing hard, I pushed the lump in my throat back down. Giving him a tender kiss, I said, “You’re already spoiling me. What time does your plane leave?”
Gael’s hands came down to mine. “I have to leave here tomorrow at three thirty in the morning for a six o’clock flight.”
Glancing at the clock on the mantel, I saw it was close to dinner time. “That’s really early. I’d have to say no thank you to culinary school if the flight was that early. You’ll learn I’m not a morning person. I should probably get going so you can get packed.”
Squeezing my hands, Gael stood and I followed. “I have some things to take care of at the restaurant. We could grab a quick bite to eat in my office before I take you home. It’ll give us some more time together. I know it’s not the most romantic, but—”
I put my fingers to his lips. “It’s perfect. I don’t need overdone.”
Something passed over Gael’s face that I wasn’t able to place. His thumbs made small erotic circles on the inside of my wrist. The brown eyes staring at me were dancing with desire. The points of my nipples hardened while want curled in my stomach. My sex felt warm and ached for relief.
“Fuck, I want you, Ashlin.”
The raw sensuality of his voice spurred my hands to his lower abdomen. Beneath his shirt, I could feel his muscles quake.
“I want you, too.”
We were magnets drawn to each other as we spoke in lowered voices. His breath teased the skin on my face as he drew closer. Tingles erupted over my flesh.
Our lips touched. “I’m going to pull away now. But know, every fiber in my being is screaming to take you upstairs, strip you down, and bury myself inside you as I make love to you like no one else has ever done.”
Gael stepped back while he worked on getting his breathing under control. “We need to go before I lose what little control I have. These two weeks are going to be pure torture.”
Excitement surged within me, knowing I affected him so. I took a deep breath. The need for him did not wane, but only grew as the air seemed to crackle between us. “I hope these two weeks fly by, Gael.”
“You have no idea. I think, at this point, it’s a good thing I’m going to have an ocean separating us.”
Inside of the office of Gael’s restaurant, we sat at a small table for two that was off to the right in the room. On the way there, Gael had made a call to have everything setup by the time we arrived. It was fairly obvious Gael didn’t date often with the looks of intrigue I received as we came in. Everyone was warm and friendly as we smiled and made brief introductions.
The old brick walls were decorated with different achievements Gael’s Place had won over the years. On the back wall, behind the dark wooden desk, were two huge plaques from when Gael had won Georgia’s Chef of the Year two different times. It was impressive t