Recipe For Seduction (A Madewood Brothers Novel) (Entangled Brazen) (14 page)

She pumped tokens in to the machine and the wheel lit up.

“These games only give you three tickets if you win.” He strode over to another version of a wheel, one that had random numbers along the outside edge that ranged from ten to one thousand. In order to win, the token had to line up with the number on the wheel to win the corresponding number of tickets. The odds sucked. But he was feeling lucky. Everything about this weekend so far had him feeling lucky. “I’m going to try my hand at this one.”

“Those games are a rip-off. You’ll never win.”

“Such a skeptic.” He dropped a token into the slot, then another, then one more. He wasn’t leaving until he’d won something. Anything.

Just as Veronica yelled out an answer to the puzzle, a loud bell sounded on his game. Had he…? He looked for his token on the wheel and finally spotted it sitting perfectly aligned with the number one thousand. Holy crap! He’d hit the jackpot. One thousand tickets.

Veronica squealed and rushed up to him. “I can’t believe it! You won.” She grabbed his shoulders and squeezed, a bright smile lighting up her face, which already glowed from the red light flashing on top of his game. “No one
ever
wins.”

“I told you. All you have to do is believe.”

If only it were that simple with Veronica. If only all he had to do was believe they could have their happily ever after and it would come true. But real life didn’t work that way. Real life wasn’t as easy as a game. It was even more random, even more tricky, and even more unpredictable.

She grabbed a bucket from the closest token machine and began to fold up the tickets, dropping them into the bucket in piles of fifty. When the tickets were tucked away, she grabbed his arm and led him to the prize counter.

“What are you going to get?” she asked, her eyes darting from one shelf to the next.

“I won those tickets for you. Choose anything you want.”

She squeaked and handed the bucket over to the young girl manning the counter, who immediately fed the tickets into the counting machine.

“How about a couple of shot glasses?” he asked.

“No, if I needed shot glasses that badly, I could steal them from your restaurant.” She winked and nudged him with her shoulder.

“But my glasses don’t have a picture of the Falls and they aren’t frosted.”

She giggled.

“How about a jewelry box?”

She shook her head.

“A glow-in-the-dark pen? A diary?”

A thousand tickets would get you a lot of little novelties—mugs, pens, and notepads. It was really geared for children.

“Over there. In the corner,” she said.

Finn focused his attention on the far side of the booth and noticed a stuffed cat.

Her face grew serious and she planted her palms on the glass counter. “That’s what I want.”

For only nine hundred and fifty tickets, that little cat was all hers.

“And so the lady shall have it.”

He motioned to the young girl who watched the counter and when she was satisfied the ticket number was over nine hundred and fifty, she reached for the tiny black cat on the shelf and handed it to Veronica.

“I’ve always wanted a kitten.” She brought it up to her face and caressed the soft fur against her cheek. “My foster parents were allergic, so a pet was out of the question.”

“There’s nothing stopping you from getting a real cat now.”

She shrugged. “Haven’t thought about it in ages.”

He smiled. “What do you say to that Ferris wheel ride?”

She tucked the cat under her arm and they walked hand in hand to the ride. Traffic and screaming children, not to mention the roar of the arcade, filled the autumn air. Despite the hour, the Hill was busy.

There were three couples ahead of them in line, and Finn took the opportunity to maximize their downtime and corner Veronica for information.

He stepped behind her and placed his hand on her rib cage. A shiver ran through her—he felt it when he deliberately blew across her neck.

“Are you going to tell me what happened on that boat?” She stilled but didn’t turn around to face him.

“Besides me being scared to death, you mean?”

Even though they had quickly changed out of their wet clothing, her hair was still damp. The brown strands blew in the light breeze and her orange scent surrounded him.

“No.” He let his other hand glide up her thigh and over her hip. Without stopping, he continued upward, caressing her rib cage until he came to her shoulder. With a long swipe of his finger, he followed the line of her arm down to her wrist and gripped it, bringing her hand up to kiss her knuckles. “I think you made some kind of decision. And I’m hoping that decision wasn’t anything hasty.”

The ride attendant motioned for them to enter the climate-controlled gondola. Luckily, they didn’t have to share the car with anyone else.

Once they were locked in, the ride moved up two spots to let on another set of passengers. It did that one more time before the wheel spun and they were whisked to the top.

The view was spectacular. The Niagara skyline sparkled in every direction.

She cuddled up against him, resting her head on his shoulder with the little stuffed animal in her lap.

“You were wrong.” She squeezed his hand and sighed. “I didn’t make a decision. But I did realize something.”

His stomach clenched. Hopefully, she wasn’t ready to give up on them, on this relationship they were building, out of an overactive sense of responsibility to her family.

“I think this is the best weekend I’ve ever had, and I’ve realized—”

His heart pounded against his chest and he had to stop his hand from fisting since it was wrapped around her forearm.

“I’ve realized that you make me a stronger person. Not because you come to my rescue, but because you force me to rescue myself, to break out of my shell.” She looked up from studying the stuffed animal. “Does that make sense?”

He nodded. “Yeah. It does.”

“Thank you, Finn.”

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head as they traveled around the Ferris wheel in silence for a few moments. She played with the cat on his lap, her finger gently stroking the top of its head.

“Are you going to name it?”

She craned her neck and looked up at him. “I think I’ll name him Lucky.”

“Why Lucky?”

“Because I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be with you here tonight. All weekend. And this will let me remember forever.”

His heart swelled in his chest. He couldn’t have put it better himself.

His feelings for Veronica were real—terrifying and life-altering, and very, very real.

He just hoped the time they had left together would be enough to fill his lonely days with memories, once they eventually went their separate ways.

Chapter Nine

Veronica pulled up to her townhouse and her mouth fell open.

Beer cans and bottles littered her pristine front lawn. Newspaper and—was that toilet paper?—swagged along the bush that sat to the left of the stairs under the bay window.

She cursed under her breath. “What happened to my house?”

A nauseous feeling churned in her stomach. Cal. Cal had struck again.

She’d dropped Finn off at his house earlier that morning and then had spent the rest of the day ironing out some last-minute details for a wedding scheduled for next weekend. But in reality she had just been killing time. She hadn’t wanted to return home yet. Had tried to keep alive the memory of her weekend with Finn. Had pretended, for just a little longer, her brothers weren’t waiting for her, expecting her home.

But maybe she should have spent another night in Niagara. Maybe then her house would have been restored without her even knowing it had been trashed.

She got out of her car just as Mark walked out onto the porch landing.

She sidestepped her way to the front door doing her best to avoid a brown, chunky splotch on the interlocking brick path.

“What happened to the house?” she demanded as Cal came out to join them.

Mark shot Cal a raging glare. “That little asshole decided to have a party. I got a call in the middle of the night from Mrs. Green down the street telling me if I didn’t come and break it up she’d call the cops.”

Veronica’s jaw tightened. “You were supposed to be here last night. Where were you?”

Mark shrugged. “I had a few things to take care of.”

And here she’d thought with Mark back in the picture she’d be able to enjoy a weekend away without guilt, without having to worry about Cal and his poor decisions. She couldn’t have been more wrong.

“No one said I couldn’t have a party.”

She turned to glare at Cal. He was being a real asshole.

“What happened here last night was not a party, it was a disaster,” Mark cut in before she could explode. “How could you do this to your sister’s house? To your home?”

“This is your home, too,” Veronica reminded Mark sharply.

A pang of regret flittered across Cal’s eyes but only for a second. “Who cares anyway? It’s just a matter of time before V makes me leave. She’s too preoccupied with work and—”

He didn’t finish his sentence. Judging by his expression, he had dearly wanted to announce her relationship with Finn. But even in the heat of the moment the kid knew where to draw the line, and she was grateful for small favors.

But what the hell did he mean, she’d make him leave?

“No one has ever said you have to leave. And I am
not
preoccupied. In case you’ve forgotten, for the last eight years I’ve taken care of you, made sure you have a roof over your head, an education, a future. And this is the thanks I get?”

“Well, I’m so sorry I’ve gotten in the way of you having a life of your own. I guess that’s why Mom gave us all away. She was too busy focusing on her own life, too, to give a crap about any of us.”

“That is so not fair.” Tears welled in Veronica’s eyes and a sharp pain stabbed at her chest. “I’ve done everything I possibly could for you and Ali.”

When Cal and Ali had shown up on her doorstep, her heart had broken. She’d known every worry line on their faces, every thought and fear that ran through their minds, because she had felt and thought the same things. She had vowed on that day she’d never let another worry or fear take over their lives. And today, she realized she had done a shitty job of it when it came to Cal.

He remained quiet. Just as he always was. Never giving away one scrap of true emotion. He was just like Mark in that regard. Except Cal masked it with bitterness rather than the casual shrug of a shoulder.

“Are you going to tell us what’s going on?” Mark asked Cal.

“What do you care?” Cal lips pressed tight together. “I’m out of here.” He pushed past Mark and in a final move of defiance walked across the littered lawn rather than the stone path, kicking at an empty beer can but not bothering to pick it up.

“Aren’t you going to apologize to your sister? Or clean up this mess?” Mark yelled, but Cal had already disappeared behind the tall hedges of her neighbors’ front yard.

Veronica wanted to let her stinging tears fall. She couldn’t take much more of his attitude. Or his insolence. But she was at a loss as to what to do about it.

A car drove down the quiet street. It was the only sound heard above the birds that chirped from the treetops. She looked over at Mark, who stared silently at the spot where Cal had walked away. He looked just as upset as she felt.

Her phone buzzed in her purse. She pulled it out and read a text message from Sterling.
Food tasting at carmel @ 5 p.m. See you there
.

One aggravation was quickly replaced by another. Who the hell had scheduled a food tasting without her?
She
was the wedding planner, for crying out loud! She glanced at her watch. It was almost half past three.

Less than five minutes ago she had pulled up to her home with stars in her eyes. Despite knowing she had to break off her affair with Finn, and soon, it hadn’t stopped her from floating on a euphoric cloud. Their weekend had been spectacular. World-shattering. But now, anger bubbled under the surface and she was one more annoyance away from exploding.

She looked over at her brother. “Clean this up,” she ordered. It served him right. This had happened on his watch, after he’d promised to stick around for the few days she was gone.

Apparently, she had a tasting to go to. She stalked into the house and headed for her closet. She definitely wasn’t going to show up in jeans and a T-shirt.

…

“Finn.” Sterling moaned while she savored the chocolate mousse he had set out for the afternoon’s tasting. “This is absolute perfection.”

It was the third chocolate dessert she had sampled—the first course Finn had prepared for her and Jack to taste in order to choose their wedding menu. For some reason, she had insisted on tasting the desserts before the rest of the courses.

He stood at the opening of one of the booths at the back of his restaurant, his hands clasped in front of his body, watching them scrutinize his masterpieces. For the very first time ever, he was nervous about his food. His stomach churned with a feeling he’d never felt before.

Maybe he was missing Veronica. She should be here. He wanted her here. Not just because she was the wedding planner. Because he missed her. Not her determination to seduce him, or her perfectly pliable body—although her sexual obedience was icing on the cake. He missed
her.
And their quick trip to Niagara had just reinforced how much he enjoyed spending time with her, how perfectly they got along, in and out of the bedroom, and how deep his feelings for her had grown.

A noise in the kitchen jerked him out of his thoughts. Saved by the
bang
. Sterling had called that morning, just after Veronica dropped him off, and asked if she and Jack could swing by for a tasting. He’d immediately gotten on the phone with his staff and had them hustling all morning, ensuring the food options were prepared to absolute perfection. The guys deserved to make some noise after working so hard.

In the middle of the table a long platter rested with four desserts, all chocolate. A flourless chocolate cake with raspberry coulis, fresh raspberries, and a sprig of mint. A three-chocolate mousse in a miniature martini glass with a biscotti wafer. A chocolate cheesecake. And a selection of chocolate truffles—champagne, hazelnut, and dark chocolate.

Sterling continued to moan her approval.

He laughed. “Jack, I think you’ve been replaced.”

“Complimented, dude. But never replaced.” He winked at his fiancée.

“Definitely the flourless cake.” Sterling pointed at the small piece that remained on her fork. “Yes. I pick this.”

“Are you sure you don’t want the mousse, babe?” Jack leaned in closer across the table. The sleeves of his shirt pulled away, revealing his tattoos—a full sleeve on one forearm and a panther on the other. “I know how much you love mousse.”

Sterling turned bright red and hid her face.
Too much information
. Finn did
not
need to know what Jack and Sterling did with mousse other than eat it.

His brother grinned and leaned back, resting his palms on the leather bench seat just as Chris wheeled a trolley to the table with the main course options.

Finn reached out to clear the platter of dessert, but Sterling grabbed his hand. “You can leave that here.” She smiled and pushed the platter toward the opposite end of the table.

“As you wish.”

“Brother, you’ve outdone yourself.” Jack’s eyes lit up at the selection of food brought to the table, and he rubbed his palms together in excitement.

Finn regularly cooked for hundreds of customers every week, but when the people he loved most enjoyed his food, it was always the most flattering.

“I created a few different things. If you want to have a pasta course, I’ve made up a fettuccini Alfredo in its own bowl of Parmesan cheese, and a potato gnocchi with classic tomato sauce. For the main course, option one is Black Angus tenderloin with potato au gratin. Option two is pan-seared sea bass with basil pesto grits. Option three is grilled lamb with rosemary stuffing. And of course, a chicken supreme stuffed with prosciutto and mozzarella and cheese risotto. All will be served with seasonal vegetables.”

Sterling moved quickly on the steak, slicing off a small piece.

“Will someone please tell me what is going on here?”

Veronica stormed over to their table, her wet hair whipping around her face. Her lips were tight with tension. She was dressed in her usual professional attire—a black skirt and jacket. Despite her hair, she appeared fairly put-together. But really angry.

“We’re having a tasting,” he responded.

“I know you’re having a tasting. My bride informed me about it an hour and a half ago.” When Veronica finally reached the table, he recognized the look. It was the same one she had gotten when he, her brother, and Cole used to leave her out of their fun and adventures.

She straightened and smoothed down the front of her blazer. “Hi, Sterling. Jack.”

They both nodded but continued to eat.

She glared at Finn. “I’d like to know why the wedding planner wasn’t invited to the tasting.”

He couldn’t help the strained laugh that escaped. “Sorry, Veronica, but there’s really no need for you to be here. Food is my domain. You can discuss color swatches and candies and everything else with the happy couple.”

He really didn’t need any help. Nor did he need her input. Not about food, anyway. Other things, maybe. Like—

“
Excuse
me?” Her neck strained and he saw her pulse thump under her skin. “Food is one of the most important parts of a wedding, and I’ll be damned if I’m not involved.”

“You don’t need to worry your pretty head about it. I’ve got things under control.”

He didn’t know why he was being an asshole. And he really was acting like an asshole. Maybe this was his own way of distancing himself, protecting himself from the inevitable fallout bound to happen once they decided to end their affair. But despite being the wedding planner, she had no business telling him what to cook. He didn’t take orders in the bedroom, or in the kitchen.

She recoiled with a gasp. Then poked her finger into his chest. “You are not in charge here, Finn.” She pointed at herself. “
I’m
in charge.”

Her worry vein throbbed at the side of her temple…although this afternoon it looked more enraged than worried. The sight of her fists bunching at her sides, that pulsing vein, and the hostility in her eyes wasn’t remotely sexy.

Or maybe it was. Damn if he didn’t want to bend her over the table and paddle her with a spatula. To show her once and for all who was really in charge.

Come to think of it, there were many rooms in this restaurant they could sneak off to, and he could—

“Technically, aren’t
we
in charge?” Jack grumbled from the table. Sterling shook her head at him with a worried glance.

Oh, shit
.

Cal emerged from the kitchen at the perfect time, diffusing what could have been a rant to rival any unhappy bride. Except this time, the only -zilla in the room was the wedding planner.

“Good, you’re here.” Cal’s white chef’s coat was smeared with tomato sauce. “V, I’m going to need to borrow the car this weekend.”

Finn held his breath when Veronica closed her eyes and took a deep breath. He could all but see her counting to ten in her head and grinding her teeth. There was something going on between these two. He was just waiting for the confrontation.

Luckily, her shoulders dropped and her body relaxed just a little before she turned and addressed her brother. “You can’t, Cal. I have meetings Friday, a wedding on Saturday, and the bachelorette and rehearsal dinner”—she pointed at him—“
which you are attending
, on Sunday.”

“What?” Cal went rigid at the news. “Why do I have to go to—”

She interrupted and pointed to Jack and Sterling. “The lovely people who have invited you to their rehearsal dinner are sitting right here, Cal.”

“But, V—”

The tension returned as she shot a motherly glare in Cal’s direction. “I said no.”

Finn was impressed. He’d never seen her so stern with her sibling before. Maybe she’d finally figured out why Cal was acting up.

There was so much more the kid wanted to say. Finn could see it in his eyes, in the way he moved his lips. But no words came out.

“Have an accident back there, Cal?” Jack asked, gesturing to his soiled white coat.

He shrugged distractedly. “Tomato sauce.”

“Get a new jacket,” Finn ordered. Being a chef was a messy job, but you still needed to be presentable. “I won’t have you working in my kitchen like that.”

Cal cast a last resentful look at Veronica, then turned his attention to Finn. “Yes, Chef.”