Love's Paradox

Epilogue: Forever my Anomaly

Parker's intense eyes are steady on mine as he approaches me, my hand cradled beneath a sauce-laden spoon in preparation. "Are you ready to have your world rocked?" I ask.

"And rolled," he says.

"Lame. So ridiculously lame."

"Shut up and feed me, woman." He opens his mouth, pointing.

I spoon-feed him my newest pasta sauce creation, then watch carefully for his reaction. Over the past two months, I've made some ungodly mistakes in my cooking class, leaving me shaking my head and muttering, "I deeply regret cooking you." to many of my creations.

Parker's eyes close, and he moans. "Damn, that's heavenly."

"Isn't it?" I hold the spoon close to my chest and sigh. "Even Master Chef Marcelle said it was brilliantly engineered." Because you're not just a chef when you're in Paris; you're an architect, an engineer, an inventor of rich cuisine. Cue the dramatic lip smacking.

"What's in it?" he asks.

"A chef never reveals her secrets." I wave the spoon at him.

"Oh yeah?" He snatches the spoon and presses me against the counter.

Oh, fuck. He's aroused. "Yeah," I rasp. "Top secret."

When he spoons more sauce into his mouth and sensually licks the surface clean, I start panting. "How about now?" he asks with a wicked twinkle in his eyes.

"For a price, I just might tell you." I'm not the least bit embarrassed of my breathy voice, racing heart, or flushed cheeks. I've come to terms that he'll always have this effect on me.

"Hmm." He dips the spoon into the sauce again, then feeds it to me. An explosion of flavors and spices melt on my tongue, but before I can swallow, Parker plants a toe-curling kiss on me. His tongue nudges past my lips to taste the inside of my mouth. He doesn't release me until I'm shamelessly grinding against him. "Let's see," he says after a moment. "Salt, pepper, garlic."

"Uh-huh." I don't even bother to pretend I'm not enamored with him. Because I am.

He feeds me more sauce, then seizes my lips with his. I groan as his tongue ravishes mine. Wow, that phenomenal tongue of his never ceases to rouse me. A whimper escapes me when he backs away. "Rae, you naughty, naughty seductress. You added heavy cream, didn't you?"

"Yes," I breathe.

"And sun-dried tomatoes?"

"Yes."

He seductively licks the corner of my mouth. "And portabella mushrooms."

"Oh yeah." Who knew food could be so erotic?

Another spoonful of sauce, and this time I rise up on tiptoes to meet his mouth. The spoon plops into the saucepan, then he grips my hips and hauls me onto the counter. Food and kitchen utensils topple to the floor, but I don't give a damn.

"Mmm." Parker moans into my mouth before drawing back. "You even added just a dash of fresh mozzarella."

"Yes."

"It's my favorite."

"I know." My legs wrap around his waist to yank him closer. "Even mozzarella sounds sexual when you breathe it in my ear."

He laughs softly. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Now list the ingredients again, but this time in French."

"Oui mademoiselle." He scoops me up and carries me around the kitchen island over to the couch, making me giggle as my shirt rides up. After gently setting me down, he brushes hair from my face and kisses the scar on my chin that's faded considerably in the months since I jumped from Ian's car.