Professional Restraint

36 Let the Games Begin

Ella

My heart still races from our encounter upstairs. It took everything in me to force my legs to carry me away from Liam and go downstairs, and now he sits across the counter, eyeing me like a lion eyes a steak.

I try not to pay him any attention, but it's impossible not to feel the weight of his gaze on me. Even while he talks with Tim and Declan, I can see him watching from the corner of my eye. There's something empowering about being the object of his desire. It sends a thrill coursing through me.

Through it all, Sophia watches, her smug smile growing to match his hunger and frustration. The moment his workday ended, it's been like a switch flipped. Work was forgotten, and his attention moved squarely on to other things...

"How are those peppers coming, El?" Emilio asks. He takes his cooking very seriously and is hard at work prepping the meat.

Soph, on the other hand, is too busy waging psychological warfare with Liam still as she eviscerates another vegetable while maintaining her stare down with him. Declan is going to need to step up his game soon, or none of us will have the weekend we had in mind.

I pass my plate full of red, yellow, and orange pepper slivers over to Emilio and smile. "Oh and these too," I say adding Sophia's hand full of peppers.

Emilio arches a brow and side eyes her. "Excellent technique, but I'm afraid rather slow... You could learn a thing or two from chef El." He winks at me and tosses the peppers into a big steel bowl.

Sliding over the chopped onions, I look around for anything else to do but come up empty. I'm a victim of my efficiency. Maybe he needs help cooking?

"Any good on a grill?" Emilio asks, looking at Tim.

"If by good you mean setting fire? Then absolutely," Sophia says under her breath, making Tim's face fall.

I elbow her in the ribs, but she just rolls her eyes.

"What? He's nearly burned down your kitchen twice now," she chirps.

Cringing, I have no retort. Tim is hopeless in a kitchen. The first time he set my stove on fire he was making macaroni and cheese... how a man can set water on fire, I will never know. The second time, he turned my oven into a crematorium. That poor roast never stood a chance, and it took weeks to get my place to stop smelling like smoke.

"Maybe I just need a good teacher," Tim replies, having recovered. He wiggles his brows and slips off his seat as he goes to join Emilio at the stove.

The seasoned chef doesn't miss a step, smoothly slipping behind Tim and guiding him to the cooktop. How effortlessly he slips his a hand on Tim's waist while the other wraps around his wrist leaves me blushing and looking away.

In my distracted state, I miss Liam leaving his seat and jump as he appears beside me. He slides a fresh drink in front of me and rests his elbows on the counter.

"Having fun?" he asks. There's a dangerous edge to his voice that makes my heart flutter.

"Mm hmm," I murmur, not trusting my voice.

Liam arches a brow and tilts his head, amusement sparkling in his green gaze. He inches closer, so close I can feel the heat rolling off his body, and leans in. His breath fans across my neck, setting goose bumps off in its wake.

"You know the night ends eventually, right?" he asks, his gaze boring deep into mine.

I'm torn between continuing our game and taking him up on his promise. Digging deep, I bite my lower lip and smile, focusing on the counter. "What ever do you mean, Sir?"