Jaylyn flipped through the cooking magazine, jotting down notes on the post-its in her lap and sticking them to certain pages. The hospital chair made her ass go numb, but her mom was asleep on the small cot by the window and she didn’t want to leave Darien’s side. For three weeks, she’d been in and out of the hospital, taking shifts with Mariah and forcing her to go home at least for a few hours every now and then.

Darien was stable again but the doctors weren’t willing to release him, so for three weeks, this had been Jaylyn’s home. She missed the dogs greeting her in the morning. She missed the massive kitchen she got to cook in, but worst of all, she missed hearing Walker’s laugh. She missed talking to him in the kitchen. She missed their casual dinners together and she missed having him in her life. He texted her and she texted back, but neither seemed to have the guts to call the other.

“You’re thinking too hard,” Darien rasped from the bed.

Jaylyn lowered her magazine and smiled. “Nice to see you too, Dad.”

He tried to sit up but was weak. She stood to help prop him up. “You spend too much time here, just like your mother.”

“We’re keeping you company. Do you not want us to keep you company? Save you from endless hours of boredom stuck in this white-walled room?”

A nurse came in to check on Darien and smiled at Jaylyn. She asked Darien a few questions about how he was feeling while she checked his IV and the monitors. Jaylyn was fine with waiting until she left, but clearly her father was not and picked up the conversation where they left off.

“I’m not going anywhere in the next few days, kiddo.”

“So?”

“So, get your ass out of this hospital and get back to your life,” he argued firmly.

Jaylyn crossed her arms. “You are part of my life.”

“You know damn well what I mean. That Walker man. Your mother told me all about him, and I can tell by the way you’re fidgeting you want to be with him. So go be with him.”

“It’s not that simple.” The last time she saw her dad this heated over anything, it was when they’d lost the restaurant. “And I don’t think it would work out anyway.”

“Why the fuck not?’

“Dad!”

“What? Gertie has been my nurse every day. She knows I have a mouth.”

Gertie laughed as she made some marks on his chart. “Oh, don’t I know it, Mr. Wilson.”

“See? So then tell your old man why you aren’t willing to give him a chance. You like him, don’t you?”

Jaylyn turned away from him. “Maybe, but we’re friends. We’re good friends. I don’t want to ruin that, and he has duties and the restaurant is on the line.”

“Your life is far more important than a restaurant. Your happiness is more important.”

Confused, she turned back to stare at him. “But Jaybird’s is your dream. It’s what you and Mom worked so hard for. If I don’t get it back, what kind of daughter does that make me? I can’t let you lose your dream.”

He held out his hand. “Lyn, come here.”

She sagged but moved to his side and held his hand. “What?”

He chuckled and dragged her to sit on the edge of his bed. “I’m going to be very honest with you, hon. I’m sick and I’m only getting sicker.”

“Dad, you’re supposed to stay positive.”

“Listen to me,” he said sternly. “What matters most is not restaurants, or businesses, or anything else. It’s about the people you want in your life, and I do not want you throwing away your chance to be happy for a damn building.”

Tears pricked her eyes, but she couldn’t wipe them away. He was telling her to give up the restaurant so she could be with Walker, but it couldn’t happen like that. Without the restaurant, she had nothing, and if he didn’t marry floozy one, two, or three, he would lose everything he had to his name. How could she drag him down like that?

“I want you out of this hospital and back at Walker’s by the end of the day.”

“I can’t walk away from you.”

He hugged her and kissed her forehead. “You’re not walking away from me. You’re fighting for a life of your own, and there is nothing wrong with that. I love you, kiddo, but you can’t hang around all day waiting for me to die.”

Jaylyn bristled at his blunt tone, but he was right. She hugged him hard, fearing if she let go he would vanish, but he pulled his arms back and gave her a gentle shove off the bed.

“Get your ass out of here.”

She brushed the tears from her eyes, picked up her tote filled with a spare change of clothes and several magazines, and did as her dad said. She looked a mess, but she wanted to see Walker face to face. She could freshen up when she got back to the house. She called for a cab and debated on the whole drive whether he was still interested in her as she was in him. What if she walked in and he was making out with Georgette? Or in bed with Helena? Her thumbnail dug so hard into her palm, she winced and tried to rub away the crescent-shaped dent in her skin. If he moved on, she would, too, and she would focus on the restaurant.

And if not…if not, she would take back her words of it only being a fling. She didn’t want a fling. She wanted Walker. The cab parked at the end of the long drive. She paid and headed up to the house. She was more nervous than she’d been on the day of her interview, but the second she stepped into the kitchen and the jingling sound of dog collars exploded through the house, she was home. She crouched down and let the dogs knock her to the floor, smothering her with kisses and wagging tails. Laughing felt so good after the tension of the last three weeks sitting on pins and needles about her dad’s health.

“Jaylyn?”

She managed to see Walker through the furry bodies. “Hey, I hoped you were home.”

“How’s your dad doing?” he asked and offered her a hand to pull her to her feet. He didn’t let go and neither did she.

“Better. He…uh, in no uncertain words, told me to get my ass out of the hospital.”

“He’s still there?”

“Still there, but stable, so I’m trying to stay positive.” She glanced around the kitchen, but everything appeared to be in good shape. “How have things been here?”

“Quiet but not terrible. The kitchen hasn’t caught fire yet.”

“With you or Douglas cooking?”

“Both, actually.”

“You cooked?” she asked, surprised, as he reached down and picked up her tote.

“I did.” He offered her his arm and they made their way upstairs to her room. “You would be very proud of me.”

“I’m sure I would be.”

The tension between them grew, but all her plans of tackling him the second she saw him disappeared as her nerves took over. He said nothing about the other women, but he did have her hand tucked in his arm.

“We’re glad to have you back,” he said firmly when they stepped into her room. “It’s been quiet without you around.”

“It’s nice being back. I’ll get right back into the swing of things.”

“Take your time. I haven’t had too many dates these past few weeks.”

She frowned. “I hope it’s not because of me.”

The smoldering gaze he gave her left her breathless as she realized it was definitely because of her. “Get yourself settled back in and I’ll cook for us tonight.”

“I look forward to it.”

He backed out of her room, leaving her to unpack her bag and take a long, hot shower to wash away her unstable emotions over being back in the same house with Walker. For three weeks, she pictured him spending all his time with the three women, but none of them were there tonight with him. She was, and she would find the courage to say something.

* * *

Days passed with Jaylyn back in the house, but every time they were together, he was tongue-tied and couldn’t bring himself to say the words he’d spent three weeks figuring out. He wanted to kiss her even more, but for reasons he couldn’t fathom, he froze each time he considered making a move. She seemed as uncertain as he was, and they played a game of avoiding each other from the time they met in the kitchen over coffee to the time they turned in for the night.

Douglas sighed every time he saw Jaylyn leave a room without Walker saying anything besides a normal conversation. “You’re letting her slip away,” he whispered.

“Aren’t you the one who told me I shouldn’t do this? That it might be too much for her? What if it doesn’t work out?” he argued.

“Then it doesn’t work out, but I will admit I think I was wrong.”

“You’re saying I should try to be with her?”

“If you fail, then you fail, but at least you’ll never regret not trying.”

Douglas’ words stuck with him for the next few days as June passed by and July drew closer. He was planning the end of summer family get together—at his home this year—when Douglas said he was taking off early. Walker frowned but didn’t argue and watched the man leave out the back door.

“Where’s he going?” Jaylyn asked as she exited the pantry with a basket of spices in her hands.

“Had to get home for something,” Walker said, and she nodded absently.

The house was empty and would be the rest of the day. This was his chance to talk to her and explain that he wanted more than a damn fling and knew she did to.

“So this party you’re having in a month,” she asked, her back towards him, “you going to call Frankie and ask him to cater it? I think it’d be good business for him.”

Walker stood and walked towards her slowly. “I was planning on it, unless you want to call him for me, get the ball rolling so to speak. I think he likes you better than me anyway.”

“Hmm, he’s just a good friend.”

“We all need those sometimes, and sometimes…” He hesitated when he was only a few feet from her. So close, he could reach out and pull her in his arms. “Sometimes, we find someone we want to be more than just friends with.”

The hand sorting the spices froze and he heard her sharp intake of breath. “Walker.”

“I wasn’t sure if you’d come back,” he whispered. “I was worried I’d lost my chance.”

“What chance? We don’t have a chance and you know it,” she argued, not facing him.

“You don’t know that, and don’t you dare stand there and lie to me saying you don’t want to see where this could lead.” She didn’t respond, but he took it as a good sign. “Jaylyn, please. I know that night you felt something more.”

“How could you know that? You can’t know that.” Her voice was quiet, but he heard the pleading in her words, wanting it to be true. Wanting them to be together. “This is stupid. We’ll have to what, date in secret, and then what?”

He shrugged. “Then we figure it out. We worry about it when the time comes.”

She sagged against the counter, but he wasn’t giving up yet. He turned her around, forcing her to look him in the eye as she decided whether she wanted to take this chance. Their gazes met and he decided words were pointless. He kissed her passionately, crushing her to his chest as his lips moved with a hunger he could no longer control. He waited for her to pull away, shove him back, slap him even, but she melted into him. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she stood on her toes to kiss him better. He picked her up, needing to feel her, needing to have her after so many days apart. He wanted this to be romantic, to carry her off to his room and make love to her the proper way, but their desires were too great. Her body thrummed in his arms with pent up energy, and he laid her out on the closest thing he could find: the kitchen table.

Jaylyn voiced no complain as he set her on it and they fumbled for each other’s pants. He tore at her chef’s jacket and pushed it over her arms, tugged up her tank, and struggled to undo her bra as she made quick work of his pants. Her hands closed around his hardened shaft, and he groaned as she pumped him hard and fast. He pulled himself free so he could suckle her breasts and she whimpered, wanting to hold him, but pressed his head closer at the same time. Pants… he needed to get her pants off. Their limbs were a flurry of movement as he lifted her enough to drag her jeans down along with her thong that shouldn’t even count as underwear. He grabbed himself and laid her back, spreading her legs wide so he’d fit.

She was dripping, waiting for him to pierce her slick folds. The moment he thrust home, they gasped in unison. He grabbed her hips and thrust again. She held onto the edge of the table as each powerful thrust moved her entire body. He shifted his hold so his thumb massaged her clit, and her back arched off the table as a moan escaped her lips, those lips he’d waited too long to kiss again. This moment, this was what he wanted with a woman. Every move and sound was raw and real. There was no faking. Jaylyn and he, in that moment, this was real.

The intensity grew and he lost himself in the sound of her cries, thrusting faster, filling her with more than simply his cock. He gave himself over to her freely, trying to explain with every caress that he wanted her to take him, all of him, body and soul.

Her body thrashed against his as she squeezed every drop from him, her orgasm igniting his. He threw his head back with abandon, bellowing his release as she cried out with him. They came together as one being, their bodies quivering until they were both sated and collapsed to the table. Except he didn’t want to let her go, and she clung to his body as if he was the only thing in her life that mattered. He kissed her as he slipped free, making them both shiver from the loss. He scooped her up into his arms and carried her to the stairs. Neither said anything. He reached his bedroom and laid her down, falling beside her as their touches became less frantic and more exploratory and loving. He stripped out of his jeans completely and removed his t-shirt so she could see every inch of his body. It belonged to her anyway. He knew it in his heart. No other woman would ever make him feel like this again. Only Jaylyn.

She kissed down his chest and lower still. He was about to tell her he was far from ready to go again, but the moment she licked his shaft, it jerked and perked up as if they hadn’t had a quickie on the kitchen table.

While her hands massaged his thighs, her tongue lathered his cock until it was hard and standing again, ready to be buried in her burning hot sheath. But she didn’t move to straddle him. One hand pumped down him followed by her mouth and those perfect lips. Her tongue licked his tip each time she moved back up, and he grunted, digging his fingers into the sheets as curses fell from his lips.

“That shouldn’t be legal,” he muttered then drew in a breath as she sucked hard on him. When he managed to glance down, he saw her lips curled in a mischievous grin before she took almost all of him into her mouth. He felt himself bump against the back of her throat and nearly came. His eyes rolled back as her mouth moved faster and he finally had to beg for mercy.

“Don’t you want me to keep going?” she whispered seductively.

“Not until I hear you scream again first.” He rolled over, pulling himself from her gasp, and spread her legs wide. His fingers spread her swollen lips and filled her a moment later. He twisted and turned them as his mouth sucked on her clit until her hips bucked and she tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let her go. He moved up her body and captured her lips hotly in his, his hand fucking her hard and fast. He took a nipple between his teeth, nibbling and sucking as she rode his hand without a care. But it was too much for Walker to simply watch. He couldn’t take it any longer.

Removing his hand and grinning at her annoyed whimper, he rolled her to her stomach, grabbed her hips, and spread her legs easily with his knee. He rubbed his cock against her lips and she shivered, pressing her ass back into the cradle of his hips. Guiding himself in, he took her from behind. She twisted her hands in the sheet, her cries turning into one long scream. Walker closed his eyes, losing track of his body as he thrust until he finally filled her completely and was overcome with ecstasy. He remained deep within her until he couldn’t hold himself up anymore. They tumbled to the bed in a mess of limbs and sheets. His hand rested on her thigh and hers on his, their panting the only sound in the room.

“I, uh, I missed you,” he said finally, and she laughed.

“I’d be an idiot not to say the same.” Her laughter died away, and he propped himself up to see the worry gathering in her eyes again. “We’re going to wing this and see what happens?”

“We’ll keep it low key,” he promised. “But I can’t keep my hands off you. And I don’t want to.” He brought her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles.

“I don’t want you to,” she whispered, even though her brow furrowed with confusion.

“What’s wrong?’

“Besides what’s going on with my dad, nothing feels wrong about this,” she said sincerely, entwining their fingers. “It’s better than the first time we fell into bed together.”

He found his way to her and kissed her sweetly. “I’m yours. Don’t think I can picture myself with anyone else.”

“Good.” She kissed him back, and they hugged until her stomach growled and his echoed it a second later. “I think a trip back to the kitchen might be in order.” She hopped off the bed and scooped up his t-shirt.

He leaned back, admiring her legs as his shirt covered the rest of her body, but barely. She dug her thumbnail into her palm and he grabbed her hands. “What are you so nervous about?”

“Nothing, I just…I’ve never been very confident about certain parts of my body. Too much extra fluff in certain areas.” She glanced down and frowned.

“There is nothing wrong with any part of your body, and later, after we’ve eaten, I’ll prove it to you,” he said with a wink as his stomach growled again. “But you realize I haven’t eaten all day.”

“I made breakfast.”

“If I recall, you didn’t eat it either.”

“I have a lot on my mind—well, had. Now it’s dropped quite a bit.”

He tugged on his jeans, and slipping his hand into hers, they left the bedroom. “Glad I could be of some help.”

Tomorrow, maybe they would find time to come up with a better game plan for what they were getting themselves into, but for now, all he wanted was Jaylyn, smiling and happy by his side.