Scorch Read online

  Table of Contents

  Legal Page

  Title Page

  Book Description

  Dedication

  Trademarks Acknowledgment

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Epilogue

  New Excerpt

  About the Author

  Publisher Page

  Scorch

  ISBN # 978-1-78430-800-1

  ©Copyright Kait Gamble 2015

  Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright September 2015

  Edited by Faith Bicknell-Brown

  Totally Bound Publishing

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Totally Bound Publishing.

  Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Totally Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

  The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

  Published in 2015 by Totally Bound Publishing, Newland House, The Point, Weaver Road, Lincoln, LN6 3QN

  Totally Bound Publishing is a subsidiary of Totally Entwined Group Limited.

  Warning:

  This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a heat rating of Totally Burning and a Sexometer of 1.

  The Long Way Round

  SCORCH

  Kait Gamble

  Book three in The Long Way Round series

  Even good girls can learn to break the rules.

  Chelsea had a plan for her life. She worked for it. Played by all the rules, did what was expected of her—only to be left starting her life over from scratch.

  Luckily, she has great friends who help her out, which leads to her becoming the hostess of one of the hottest restaurants in the city—one with an even hotter head chef.

  Aloof and mysterious, Daniel is as disciplined as they come. But when he sees Chelsea’s growing interest in him, he directs his full focus on her. He knows it will take time and patience to crack the walls she’s erected around herself, but when he finally does, it will be worth the effort. Then maybe he can let her know the real him.

  But can Chelsea break her rules and let Daniel in?

  Dedication

  For NY

  Trademarks Acknowledgment

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Batman: DC Comics

  SmartGlass: David D. Chitayat

  Chapter One

  It was supposed to feel different—being on her own. Having her own space. But rather than the freedom Chelsea had expected and wanted, rattling around the place left her feeling as hollow as her apartment.

  It’d been a few months—well, more than a few. It’d been almost a year since she’d been unceremoniously dumped by Richard ‘The Rat Bastard’ the night before their wedding—by text—and her apartment was still nearly as bare as the day she’d moved in.

  It was her own fault she was left with nothing. In hindsight, she knew she’d been the one to make the conscious choice to drop everything and move across the world with Rich. She’d left family, something her mother still relished reminding her about, friends… Her entire life. And for what? In the end, she’d returned with nothing but embarrassment and more than a hint of shame.

  It had been devastating, but Chelsea knew that she could—and would—pull herself out of it. Her world wasn’t going to fall apart simply because he wasn’t man enough to take the leap into matrimony.

  Amazingly enough, as if no time had passed at all, she’d managed to pick up her friendships right where they’d left off. Cara and Natalie had been amazing. Jason and Sebastian also. Together they’d gotten her re-employed, found her a place to live and even offered to hunt Rich down and pull out his toenails. Chelsea was glad to accept help in all but the last.

  She just wanted to forget Rich and everything associated with him.

  She shoved him out of her mind. It was time she got to work. She wasn’t going to let Cara down after she’d given her a job as hostess at her incredible restaurant.

  Chelsea liked to get in early and help out wherever she could. She knew Cara didn’t expect it, but she wanted to be there for her friend, especially now that things were really picking up for her.

  The thought brought a smile to her lips. A few months back, Jason had come to Chelsea with a couple of monumental plans for Cara and himself. It was her job to keep Cara distracted, keep the restaurant running while he did his thing, and help out with the planning of the gift he had in mind for Cara. And a new restaurant needed a lot of work.

  Jason was up for an epic struggle against her friend’s legendary stubbornness, but hopefully the two would be happily engaged soon. And she was thrilled for them. She just wished that they didn’t feel they had to tiptoe around her to spare her feelings. No amount of reassurance from her that she was fine convinced them that she was anything but miserable.

  She was glad for all the distractions. Chelsea knew that Jason had come to her because, as Cara’s best friend, she knew her plans, dreams and exact vision for the expansion of her brand. But she also suspected that he wanted to help keep her busy, though he never mentioned Richard.

  She was blessed to have such good friends.

  Chelsea straightened her pristine white blouse and brushed her sharply ironed black silk trousers as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her makeup was impeccable, as was her hair, but she couldn’t disguise the look in her eyes.

  Sighing, she grabbed her bag and strode out of the door. There wasn’t anything she could do about how she looked right now.

  * * * *

  Chelsea arrived to find that head chef Daniel was already there, as usual, as were some of the wait staff. His tall, lean form disappeared into the kitchen just as she walked in the door.

  “Morning.”

  She was greeted by a chorus of greetings from those in the room, but none from him. For a long moment, she wasn’t sure if he’d heard her or not. But he re-emerged and nodded in greeting before disappearing again.

  She was used to his aloofness. When she’d started working at the restaurant, she’d been sure the man hated her. He’d barely said two words to her the first week she’d been there. But over time, she’d began to realize that he was quiet, intense. It made him quite the enigma, though she was pretty sure it wasn’t by design. It was just who he was.

  Chelsea let him do his thing while she did hers. Reservations. Check. Tables arranged accordingly… She made her way through the mental checklist one by one, making sure everything was in order. Cara trusted her with her baby and Chelsea wasn’t about to let one of her best friends down.

  With everything in the dining room in order, she wandered into the kitchen to see what Daniel was up to.

  He was nowhere in sight, but she could see that he was working on something. And whatever it was smelled delicious.

  Chelsea snuck a spoonful of frosting from an abandoned
bowl and regretted it the moment it touched her tongue. Not that it wasn’t the creamiest, most decadent thing she’d had her tongue on for far too long—but because he caught her.

  “Want me to make something to put that on, Miss Tate?”

  Did the man miss nothing? Chelsea slipped the spoon into the sink and shook her head. The only thing she wanted slathered with the frosting was him. “No thanks, Mr. Rossetti.” Her attempt at mimicking his tone and usage of her last name made her sound like a school marm.

  The head chef wandered out of the walk-in fridge with his arms full of ingredients.

  “Need any help?”

  “Nope.” He deftly kicked the door closed. Daniel’s long legs carried him quickly to the station where he deposited his burden.

  “What ambrosia are you making tonight?” When he didn’t answer, she stepped a little closer to get a peek and divine what might be on the menu. “Daniel?”

  “Cara wanted this today.” He handed Chelsea a list written in the owner’s infamous scrawl. “But I’m not sure if I’m translating that correctly.”

  Chelsea took it and read it over. She was used to Cara’s handwriting, but this was truly incomprehensible. “She must have been in a hurry when she wrote this one.”

  “I’m sure.” Daniel took the note back, his fingers grazing hers as he did.

  Slowly. Deliciously.

  She shook it off. It was just a touch. The problem was that she was imagining it elsewhere like grazing her throat, skimming over her thigh… Chelsea ruthlessly shoved the thoughts aside. She was at work. Now wasn’t the time for lurid fantasies.

  She cleared her throat. “I’ll call her and find out what that says.”

  “You think you should bother them?” He held her gaze with his dark eyes.

  Probably not a great idea. Chelsea knew how important this visit was. Shaking her head, she huffed a breath. “You’re right. We can handle this without her. She has faith in our judgment.”

  Daniel smirked. “I don’t think she would go that far, but I guess you’re right. It couldn’t hurt.”

  “She’s only got herself to blame.”

  Chelsea laughed, enjoying the sound of Daniel’s chuckles as he joined in as well. Cara wouldn’t have left the place for five seconds if she didn’t believe her restaurant was in capable hands. Just like Cara knew neither one of them would do anything to hurt her or the restaurant.

  Chelsea looked around for more of the icing. “So what are you making?”

  “I was just trying something out. Did you like it?”

  “It was divine. I definitely need more.” She pointedly looked around before meeting his gaze again.

  “Well. Never let it be said that I never helped out a lady.” He arched an eyebrow and revealed that he had been hiding the bowl of frosting behind his back.

  Chelsea reached for it, and again their hands brushed. This time she could actually feel a blush creep into her cheeks. “Thanks.”

  “Don’t thank me just yet.” He held out another bowl, one of prepared strawberries. “You can’t eat that by itself.”

  She took the other bowl with glee. “I would have done so easily but this is much better.” It wasn’t until she tried to eat one that she realized she didn’t have any free hands to do so.

  Chelsea tried to get around Daniel but he stayed in her path. “Allow me.”

  He took a strawberry, dipped it then held it out for her. He smirked when she hesitated. “I thought you were desperate for a bite?”

  Did she want it enough to take it right out of his hand? Maybe. But it was too tempting for many other reasons.

  Chelsea tried to get around him. He just stepped in front of her again.

  “Look, I—”

  But Daniel cut her off. He pressed the plump, cream-covered strawberry between her lips.

  It was just too good to get angry. She chewed, swallowed then smiled wryly at him. “Never do that again.”

  He held up his hands. “I was just trying to help you out.”

  “I don’t need your help.” She circled around him and placed the bowls on the counter.

  Chelsea had to stop herself from fanning her face. What the hell was that? They’d been working together for months and now all of a sudden it was as though someone had pushed the ‘holy shit Daniel is hot’ button—and he was. Obviously of Mediterranean descent, he was tall, broad-shouldered, olive-skinned with dark brown, almost black, hair and piercing eyes. Under a patrician nose, his lips were full, begging to be kissed. All in all a very delectable package.

  Shaking it off, Chelsea sighed. She was just frustrated. That was it. She hadn’t felt a man’s touch in so long that the tiniest hint of flirtation made her head spin.

  Chelsea took a moment to straighten her clothing—though it was her mind that needed straightening more than anything—and marched into the dining room. She did her usual sweep, making sure that everything was pristine and ready for diners when they started pouring in. Not that she ever had much to do when it came to that part of her job. All of Cara’s staff were exceptional at what they did.

  There was nothing left to do but wait for opening time. Curious about what might be going on in the other room, she strolled in, just in time to see Daniel enter the pantry. She followed.

  Like everything else Cara had a hand in, the room was hyper-organized. Daniel had moved a few things around, and she wondered if it was out of spite or if he just felt things needed to be in another spot.

  “Grab that there.” He pointed at a small box of mushrooms that had been delivered earlier.

  Chelsea did as she’d been asked. As she stood back up, she nearly dropped it when her back met with a hard stomach and chest. He grasped the box before it slipped from her suddenly nerveless fingers.

  “Careful.” His voice was soft against her ear as he bent and took it from her.

  Chelsea’s mind blanked just from the feel of his body against hers. The combination of it and the husky timbre of his voice made her knees weak. She pulled herself together and turned around to see him busy looking for other ingredients. Did that just happen?

  He looked completely composed while she felt as though she had been tossed around like a leaf in a hurricane.

  The rest of the night went by as it usually would, except for the fact that Chelsea couldn’t stop looking at Daniel. He didn’t seem at all fazed by the contact in the pantry. His demeanor hadn’t changed. He didn’t look at her other than the occasional casual meeting of the eyes. Whenever they connected, his gaze zapped something deep in her belly, but he seemed as cool and unflappable as ever.

  Each time they were close, Chelsea felt the heat emanating from him. Could smell the scent of his aftershave. Of his skin. She was slowly descending into lust-filled madness on her own.

  It wasn’t until the end of dinner service that they came into contact again. Chelsea wasn’t even sure what happened, only that their hands grazed and fireworks exploded on her skin. Daniel brushed his hand up hers, prolonging the contact. When their gazes collided, his eyes burned with an intense new light.

  What was she supposed to do with this? They worked together. How would they be able to concentrate if things really did happen? He barely touched her today and she could hardly focus. If anything were to go wrong…

  His fingers touched hers again, this time lingering a little longer than necessary.

  Conversely, Chelsea wanted to know what he was like when that control slipped. A conversation she and Cara once had regarding Daniel’s quiet and always-in-control disposition popped into her head. Over a glass of wine late one night, they had somehow started talking about Daniel. Neither knew very much about his life outside the kitchen. What they did know was that the man was sex on legs, not that he seemed to realize it.

  In all their time working together, about seven or eight months for Chelsea and four years for Cara, he’d never mentioned a relationship. He had talked about his dog once. Chelsea distinctly recalled the look on his face wh
en he’d talked about his beloved mutt. The harsh angles had softened as much she’d ever seen on his face. A man who loved his dog that much couldn’t be all bad.

  By the end of the night, they were the last two in the restaurant. Chelsea made it a habit to be there until she could lock the doors every night Cara wasn’t around. But tonight it sounded like a lame excuse to hang around with Daniel, even to her own ears.

  Not that she had anywhere to go or anything to do.

  She straightened the stacks of plates needlessly for the eighth time. What was she still doing there anyway? What did she think was going to happen? That he’d throw her up against the wall and ravish her right then and there?

  Actually. That wouldn’t be so bad. Well, it would, but it’d be so good.

  A hot flush crept into her cheeks. Just imagining the scenario made her tingle.

  “Are you okay?”

  Daniel stood barely an inch away. Close enough for the scent of him to make her mouth water. Chelsea cleared her throat and backed up half a step. “I’m fine.”

  “You look as though you have something on your mind.” He reached around her…for some reason. Chelsea’s mind short-circuited when his solid chest brushed against her shoulder. All that she could focus on was the heat emanating from him. The feel of him.

  When he stepped back, he looked completely unperturbed.

  It had to be all in her head. She’d just been alone for so long that her body was playing tricks on her. That was it.

  “I’m going to go. I thought there was something I needed to do, but I guess I was wrong.” She wound her hair behind her ears and looked at him, hoping that he bought the story. “You’re okay to lock up, right?”

  Daniel’s face didn’t reveal a thing. “Why don’t I walk you out?”

  She couldn’t see why not. At the very least, she was going to be around to make certain everything was secure. “Sure.”