The Chef's Sick Mate (Book 17 of the Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 41

Us. Gen chewed on her lip, wondering if she was going to be able to eat. She was so nervous. What did she say to him?

"So how do you like it here?"

She was thankful that he was carrying the conversation. There was nothing like talking to a complete stranger to make you aware that you never did. Especially one you were highly attracted to. "It's different. I like it though. A lot." She could go on and on about it, but she didn't want him to think all she did was talk.

He nodded, taking another bit of food.

'What do I say to him?' she asked Jules.

Jules rolled her eyes. 'Ask him what he does for work.'

"What do you do for work?" Gen asked. She took a deep breath. She needed to calm down.

"I'm a chef at a restaurant not too far from here," he said.

Her eyes widened at that. He was a chef? "Do you cook here too?"

He smiled. "Some, but usually just at breakfast. Brianna is the head chef here, and she's pretty amazing."

"The food here is so good," she murmured.

"Yeah, it is. She's an excellent chef. I've learned a lot from her," Lincoln said. "You cook at all?"

She bit her lip. "I like to watch cooking shows, and sometimes try things out. I'm not great though. Probably didn't help that my mom would always tell me it was good whether it was or not."

Lincoln laughed at that, a sound which made her heart flutter. "Moms are always our best cheerleader. We might need to do some cooking together then," he said. The smile had barely left his face the entire time she'd been sitting there.

Talking to Lincoln turned out to be fairly easy once she got out of her own head. He was calm and seemed genuinely interested in her and everything she said. She asked him questions in return, which he patiently answered. Once she was finished eating, he asked to take her plate for her. "Would you like to come up to my apartment? I want to talk to you, but not here where others can hear us."

Her heart dropped at his words. Why did he want to talk to her alone? And then it clicked. He was going to reject her. Disappointment and hurt hit her. 

At least it wouldn't be in front of others. That was a relief, but still, she'd enjoyed talking to him quite a bit, and now it was over. She stiffened and nodded, looking down for a second and steeling herself. She could handle this. She's handled cancer and all the bullshit that came with it. She'd been able to cheat death. She could handle a rejection too. She looked back up at him and plastered a fake smile on her face. "Sure."

His eyes narrowed and his smile disappeared briefly. "If you're not comfortable coming up, you don't have to."

She blinked, surprised at his words. "No, I don't mind." And she sort of wanted to get this over with.

"Okay, come on."

Gen stood and followed him out of the dining hall and down to the elevator. They stepped on and he hit the button for the third floor. Her mother and her were up on the second floor.

He turned to look at her. He was tall, she noticed. Tall and incredibly good looking. His hair was brown and sort of messy, his eyes a brilliant blue and fringed by dark lashes. He had a very short beard that was almost more stubble. He was tall, over a foot taller than her, she realized. And freaking beautiful. He was also muscled, and he had tattoos. All over both arms. Her gaze moved over them slowly. Too bad he was getting ready to reject her.