He grinned. “So thoughtful and self-sacrificing.”
She nodded sagely. “Yes. You are very lucky I arrived in time.”
The simple words swept through him and filled him up inside. Rebecca had no idea how true that was. Yes, he was lucky to have her here tonight, but it was so much more than that. He thought back to that lonely night walking down the street after the Shirtless Chef party, how empty and angry he’d felt, how lost. He couldn’t predict now where that road would’ve led him if he hadn’t stumbled upon Rebecca that night, but he had a good idea it would’ve been nowhere good.
“You must be hungry. You didn’t even change clothes yet.” Her hair was piled into a messy bun atop her head, something she liked to do after she got home from work where she had to be all buttoned-up and lawyerly, but she hadn’t changed out of her pinstriped suit yet. The whole effect just made her look powerful and hot, which he didn’t realize he had a thing for until he’d started dating Rebecca. He tugged on her jacket lapels and brought her in for a kiss.
“Mmm,” she said, smiling as he released her from the kiss. “I didn’t want to risk missing anything.”
“Well, you’re just in time. I was about to test out Steven’s idea for a Southwestern Croque Monsieur. We tried it in class today, but I want to make sure that if we put it on the menu, we can turn it out for customers quickly with this equipment.”
A look of affectionate warmth crossed her face. “He’s coming up with new ideas a lot lately. I guess he’s settling in with his aunt?”
“Seems to be.” Steven had been cleared of charges, thanks to Rebecca, and Steven’s father had lost custody. But it’d been a transition for Steven to move in with an aunt he barely knew who lived in the Austin hills, far from his old neighborhood. But his aunt and her husband had been welcoming and had done everything they could to ease the transition, even letting Steven continue to attend the after-school program despite it being a half-hour drive from their neighborhood. “I think they’ve worked the growing pains out. He’s not used to having people who actually care where he’s going and what time he’ll be back. But he’s been in a great mood the last two weeks. He also may have developed a crush on Lola. He’s been trying to cook things he knows she’ll like and then getting all red-faced and awkward when she compliments his food.”
“Uh-oh.” Rebecca laughed. “Warning: drama ahead.”
“I don’t know,” he said with a shrug. “I think Lola’s into it. She watches him when he’s not looking with this little smile on her face. It’s really kind of sweet.”
“Aww, you’re such a softie. I bet that one day they’ll make a beautiful restaurant together,” Rebecca said, slipping past him into the truck and shutting the door behind her so Knight didn’t sneak in. She snagged a pinch of shredded Monterey Jack off the cutting board and popped it in her mouth. “So, guess what I got today.”
“Sexier? Because I think that actually happened. That suit is doing things to my imagination that could shame the paint off this bus,” he said, giving her a slow up-and-down look. “You should undo another button on that shirt. It’s hot in here. Wouldn’t want you to faint.”
She smirked and playfully undid her top button, letting her white blouse gape open enough for him to see the edges of her lacy bra. “Better?”
The front of his jeans got a little tighter. “Much.”
“But that’s not what I’m talking about.”
He turned off the flattop griddle, his skin now truly overheated. “What did you get?”
She reached behind her and pulled something from the waistband of her slacks. She held up an envelope and grinned. “Permission for Adele to park her pretty yellow butt at the food-truck park, three spots over from Dev.”
Wes’s mouth fell open. “Really? Like, no more paperwork? No more red tape? They told me—”
“They were giving us the runaround is what they were doing, so I may have called in a small favor from my dad. He knew the guy who was dragging his feet on the permits and did his thing. We can roll Adele out for her debut next month, which should give the class enough time to wrap up all the finishing touches, finalize the menu, and get it out of my backyard.”
“You’re serious,” he said.
“I am.”
Wes crossed the small space, a rush of excitement going through him, and picked her up off her feet. “It’s really happening.”
“It’s so happening!” she announced, laughing as he spun her around and nearly knocked everything off the narrow counters.
He gave her a hard kiss and sat her on top of the bare prep table, parking himself between her knees. “The kids are going to be so excited.”
“Yes. The kids,” she said, tracing her fingertips down his chest and sending hot tendrils of desire curling through his body. “It’s totally about the kids.”
He chuckled. “Okay, maybe I’m a little excited about it.”
She arched a brow and sent a pointed look downward, tucking a finger in his waistband and tugging. “Well, you’re excited about something, chef.”
He braced his hands on either side of her and crowded her against the darkened windows. “Oh, that has nothing to do with the truck. That has everything to do with my very beautiful, very unbuttoned lawyer girl spread out on my prep table. I’m suddenly not so motivated to do recipe testing.”
She looped her arms around his neck, her blue eyes wicked. “Maybe I’m suddenly not so hungry.”
“A shame.” He kissed down the curve of her neck, his hand sliding along her thigh. “Guess we’ll have to find something better to do to work up an appetite.”