Taste the Heat (9 page)

Breathless and panting, Colby tilted her head as he trailed his mouth along the column
of her neck. “I’ve always wondered,” she admitted with a shiver, “what it would be
like to kiss you.”

He arched an eyebrow in surprise and grinned against her skin. “If memory serves me
right, this is our
second
kiss.”

A shocked gasp of air escaped her throat. “You remember Kiss and Catch?”

He looked at her and nodded, remembering every stolen moment of that childhood kiss.

She gazed back with dazed eyes, and chewing the corner of a slightly swollen lip,
admitted, “That was my first kiss.” Her tone was almost bashful, the flush of her
skin darkening to rose before a hint of the vixen came back and she said, “Okay, so
I’ve been curious how the
adult
Jason would compare.”

He chuckled as he dipped his tongue into the hollow where her pulse fluttered. “And
the verdict?”

“Meh.”

At her laugh, which he noted sounded like music again, Jason nipped the delicate skin
and then licked it. Inclining his head, he confessed, “You were my first kiss, too.”

Colby went motionless in his arms and he leaned back, not surprised to see disbelief
in her eyes. He shrugged. “I hadn’t come out of my shell yet.”

She grinned in delight.

Jason shifted her so she was out of the shadow and firelight warmed her face, then
he said, “I have an idea.”

“Hmm, sounds dangerous,” she teased. “Any chance it involves burrs in delicate places
and unexplainable mosquito bites?”

“No,” he said with a laugh. “But I like where your mind is.” Colby sighed with mock
disappointment, and he added, “And you’re not too far off.”

That got her attention. Placing her hands on his thighs, she propped herself up and
tilted her head, waiting for him to continue.

“Tonight I realized that we’re not that different,” Jason began. “We’ve both been
burned by love, and neither of us have any interest in going back in for a round two.
But we’re human. We have needs. And crazy chemistry.” Colby’s grin stretched into
a wicked smile. “What would you say to an arrangement?” he asked. “One where it’s
understood that feelings are off the table. Just fun, companionship, and a whole lot
more of this.” He grasped her hips and tugged her closer so there was no mistaking
what he meant.

She shook her head with a smile but locked her ankles around his back. “You had me
at crazy chemistry,” she teased. Then her smile faltered a shade and she reminded
him, “I’m leaving at the end of the summer.”

“I know.” He lifted his shoulder in a show of indifference. “It’ll be a summer fling.”

Colby’s eyes lit up at the word
fling.
“That, sir, may just be the best idea I’ve ever heard.” Smashing her mouth against
his, she sealed their agreement with a kiss.

Victory tasted like citrus. He did it. He bought himself an entire summer with Colby,
and maybe, just maybe, it would convince her to stay. He could be very persuasive
when he needed to be.

And if his best friend ever found out what he just did, Jason would have his ass kicked.

Chapter Eight

Jason slid into his usual booth at Grits & Stuff,
his gut a knot of twisted energy. The
clink
and
clatter
of cutlery all around him didn’t help. Cane had called this afternoon, asking to
meet. After the look in his best friend’s eyes when Jason had suggested that very
thing earlier in the week, he was justifiably cautious, and with the summer agreement
he’d struck with Colby still fresh in his ears, more than a little concerned. Thankfully,
he and Colby had agreed to delay their official kickoff for a time when his preteen
daughter
wasn’t
within listening distance, or his concern with meeting her brother tonight would be
in full-out panic mode.

At the table along the far wall sat the teacher Jason had met doing a safety presentation
at the elementary school last week. Across the scuffed tile floor, one of his students
from the gym lifted his hand in greeting. He knew or recognized most of the patrons
in the cramped café, and the majority of the remaining tables were filled—not that
surprising, even despite the after dinner hour, when it was a Sunday night and the
only other restaurant in town closed at eight.

The manager of
that
establishment plopped a few quarters into the retro-style jukebox in the corner of
the room and then slipped into the bench seat across from him, nodding to the server
who dropped off two waters and menus. Admittedly, the all-night café wasn’t the best
place to have a discussion. It was loud, chaotic, and smelled faintly of a dirty dishcloth.
But it would have to do. Jason was about to go on a twenty-four-hour shift and he
couldn’t wait that long to find out what was on Cane’s mind. Or to see if the town’s
rumor mill had worked against him.

“How’s my favorite godchild doing?” Cane asked, picking up one of the peeling menus.

Why he bothered reading it was anybody’s guess because Cane always ordered the same
thing—a tall stack of pancakes, a glass of sweet tea, and Hank Williams on the jukebox.
The man liked his structure, for everything to stay the same. He’d been that way even
in the days at Little Lambs Preschool where they first met. It was one of the reasons
Jason was sweating Cane’s finding out about his summer relationship with Colby so
much, and it was just one of many quirks that went against his friend’s rebellious
appearance.

Where Jason was lean, he was broad and bulky. Cane’s uniform was an array of black
T-shirts, dark wash jeans, and a battered black leather jacket. With his strong jawline,
hair that defied grooming, and collection of tattoos, an outsider wouldn’t expect
that the man was turned on by numbers. Or that he balanced budgets for kicks. The
fact that Cane would one day manage Robicheaux’s had never been a question when they
were growing up. And, after graduating with a double major in business and accounting,
that’s exactly what he began doing.

Under Cane’s management, the restaurant thrived; well, at least it did until they
unexpectedly lost their head chef. Their father had an apparent issue with delegation,
and the kitchen staff Cane had been left with included a bunch of clueless line cooks,
and a sous-chef who’d bailed the first week after promotion. But with Colby back where
she belonged, everything would be better. For the restaurant, for the Robicheaux family,
and
for him, Jason thought, shredding the wrapper on his straw.

“Emma’s good,” Jason answered, straightening the matching set of salt and pepper shakers
and lining them up with the ketchup. “She’s ready for school to be over. Just another
week and a half to go. I dropped her off at my parents’ house before coming here.”

Cane nodded and pursed his lips at the appetizers list. Jason drummed a beat on the
Formica tabletop. Damn, he was nervous. His friend wanted to catch up—that shouldn’t
be cause for alarm. The chance Cane had any clue about his plans with Colby were highly
unlikely. Jason was being ridiculous.

Cane craned an eyebrow, his focus shifting to shoot his friend’s musical hands a pointed
look, and Jason busied himself with the water-spotted silverware instead.

He couldn’t remember the last time he let anxiety get to him like this. Actually,
that was a lie. He knew exactly when—the day he had to tell Ashleigh’s parents that
she was pregnant and ask their permission to marry her. That had been some seriously
scary shit. But even though her father hadn’t been a chump by any means, the older
man had nothing on the kind of beat down his best friend could give him if he wanted.
Jason should know; he trained Cane himself at the gym.

Maybe talk of his goddaughter would soften his buddy up. “She’s looking forward to
her movie date with Uncle Cane,” Jason said, and when Cane’s mouth lifted into a smile,
he couldn’t help adding, “I can’t believe you’re taking her to see that crap.”

Flipping a page in the menu, Cane shrugged his massive shoulders. “It’s our birthday
tradition.”

“That’s just your cover,” he said, swiping his sweaty palms along the sides of his
jeans. “The real reason you go is because you secretly read all that teen book shit.”

His friend lifted the third finger on his right hand, still without looking up from
his menu. Jason laughed, feeling a small part of his apprehension fade. They both
knew that he was only busting Cane’s balls. Over the years, especially during the
last four, Jason had tried and ultimately failed to express exactly what it meant
to him that his friend cared so much about Emma. That he was willing to sit through
two plus hours of hormonal teen angst just to make his daughter happy.

Cane was a good honorary uncle, a great friend, and an even better brother. But it
was that last one that had the muscles in Jason’s legs tensed, on high alert.

Flipping the menu to the back page, Cane raised his glass of ice water. He lifted
it to his lips, but before taking a sip he asked, “You about ready to man up yet?”

He asked it so casually that Jason almost missed it. But when he caught the questioning
slant of his friend’s eyebrows he flinched, and his knee whacked the underside of
the table. Water from his own glass sloshed along the surface. “Excuse me?”

Cane swallowed the sip he’d taken and slowly lowered the unnecessary menu with a chuckle.
“You do know we live in Magnolia Springs, right?” he asked. “And that I work at Robicheaux’s?”

Shit.
He knew. Or at least had his suspicions. Jason shouldn’t be surprised. Before he
knew who Colby was, he’d flirted with her in front of the whole damn town. And Sherry
was his other sister; if Cane
had
avoided the rumors from that day, he still would have heard her romanticized theories.
Jason cleared his throat, trying to think of the best way to begin, and how much to
reveal, but Cane continued before he could.

“I thought I’d made my stance on this clear the other day, but I guess not. I’m in
charge of payroll, Jase. I know when people trade shifts. And when that person happens
to be my workaholic sister, I’m gonna look into it.” He folded his thick arms on the
table, flexing the ink on his bicep. “So I repeat, are you ready to man up?”

Jason felt his heart rate kick into overdrive.

Cane’s question was meant to be provoking. And if the man hadn’t been his best friend,
it would’ve been an entirely different story. But Cane had every right to be on edge.
Jason considered explaining that Emma had been the one to invite Colby, and that she’d
only agreed because it was for his daughter’s birthday, but that wouldn’t exactly
be the truth. Emma may’ve been the one to ask, but Jason had wanted Colby there just
as badly. And from the way Colby had responded to their kiss last night, it was possible
she’d had additional motives of her own.

“All right,” Jason said, cracking his knuckles. “I admit it.” He scooted to the edge
of the bench, on the off chance the tables around them weren’t already eavesdropping
on their entire conversation. “I’m attracted to Colby.”

Their server approached the table and Jason sat back in his seat. A muscle twitched
in his friend’s jaw. He could’ve waved the woman away, but he needed a moment to figure
out where in the hell to go from there. Did he give Cane the full truth, or only part?
Did he say it was just a summer fling, or would that just make him angrier?

Which option was the least likely to get his ass kicked?

Jason glanced up at the newly hired waitress and just managed to avoid rolling his
eyes. For all the woman knew, he might as well have not even been there—her suggestive
smile was solely fixated on Cane. Not that Jason was surprised. It was like this wherever
they went. Women were attracted to the bad boy image his friend naturally exuded.
Little did the women know that a math nerd lay hidden behind the rough exterior.

But the waitress—Mandi with an I and unsubtle innuendos—was out of luck, because all
of her seductive glances were wasted. Cane never took his attention away from Jason,
rattling off his usual order and handing back the menu without even breaking eye contact.
With a small huff, Mandi sashayed toward the kitchen, grumbling under her breath.

The moment she was out of earshot, Jason leaned forward again. “Look, man, here’s
the deal. I don’t
need
your permission to date Colby. We’re both adults, and if we want to spend time together,
there’s nothing standing in our way. Not as long as Emma adores her, which you should
know that she does. It was her idea for Colby to come with us on the trip.”

Cane didn’t so much as blink at the mention of his goddaughter. Evoking Emma’s name
wasn’t softening the big guy as much as he’d hoped. Jason exhaled a breath. Putting
it all out there, he lowered his voice and raised his chin. “Man to man, you’re my
best friend. You’re Emma’s godfather and Colby’s brother. I know I don’t need your
blessing…” He looked at his friend of more than thirty years dead in the eyes. “But
I sure as hell would like it.”

The jukebox shuffled and David Allan Coe’s “You Never Even Called Me by My Name” poured
through the speakers. Around them, diners and friends sang along to the played-out
country tune. But he and Cane remained silent, although they both knew the words—it
was basic Mardi Gras karaoke.

Cane narrowed his eyes but gave no other visible reaction to Jason’s announcement.
And for the first time in the history of their friendship, Jason realized he had no
clue what the man was thinking.

Would he actually say no? Refuse to give Jason his support? And if he did, what would
Jason do then? He didn’t really have a contingency plan here. Everything pretty much
hinged on this conversation going the way he’d hoped.

Cane cracked his neck. Taking his elbows off the table he said, “I don’t get to play
the big brother card often. Colby split years ago, and Sherry goes through guys so
quickly that half the time I don’t hear about one until she’s onto the next. But I
love my sisters. And I’ll come after
anyone
who hurts them.”

Jason nodded, in total agreement. Sherry wasn’t his biological sister but if he got
wind of a guy breaking her heart, he’d take enjoyment in inflicting some pain of his
own. And as for Colby, well, the heat coursing through his body at the mere thought
of the sexy chef was anything but brotherly, but he did feel protective of her. Just
twenty-four hours ago, he’d held her in his arms, consoling her as she’d relived her
most painful memories. If Jason were ever the cause of Colby feeling like that, Cane
wouldn’t even have to look for him. He’d gladly offer his ass up for a smack down.
He’d deserve it. “You have my word that I will never hurt her.”

Cane looked at him and rubbed his hand over his face. “All right, here’s the deal.
You’re a good guy. I couldn’t ask for a better friend, and you’re a great dad. You’ve
been through hell and back but you never gave up. I admire the shit out of you. But,
man, let’s just be real. You’re not ready to move on. You’ve barely looked at a chick
since Ashleigh died. With Emma, you’re all heart, but with women—hell even with your
friends to some degree—you protect yourself. And I get it. No one should have to go
through what you did. It changes you. But Jase, Colby is my sister. And friend or
not, if things go bad and her heart gets broken, we
will
have a problem.”

Jason had never seen that particular look in his friend’s eyes before. At least not
directed at him. And of course, he was right about everything. Cane wasn’t known for
heartfelt speeches, but when it was important, if it was something he felt strongly
about, the man didn’t pull any punches.

After Ashleigh died, Jason
had
changed. And if he hadn’t learned that Colby was just as cautious as he was, they
wouldn’t even be having this conversation. He wouldn’t pursue her. But that’s what
made them perfect for each other. Neither of them was looking for love. They’d both
been there and gotten the battle scars to show for it.

“I hear what you’re saying, man,” Jason told him. “And you’re right. But Colby told
me her plans to leave at the end of the summer. We’re keeping it casual, just two
friends hanging out.”

He picked up his water glass and drained half its contents in one gulp. He conveniently
left out that if she changed her mind, and stayed in Magnolia Springs permanently,
all the better. Odd that a summer of hooking up was better than the truth.

“Good.” Cane shifted in his seat, stiff vinyl cracking under his weight. His thick
eyebrows drew together. “Colby’s trust level with men has been shot to hell. I have
my suspicions as to why, but let’s just say my sister doesn’t believe in white picket
fences anymore. I’d hate to see you or my godchild hurt expecting more.”

Jason schooled his features, giving nothing away. But could he know about, or at least
suspect, their father’s infidelity? If not, it would do his friend no good to learn
of it now. As curious as he was, Jason left the words unsaid and simply told Cane,
“I know what I’m doing.”