Just a Taste (17 page)

“I know, but . . .” Her voice trailed off, as lost as he felt at the moment.

He'd missed all the signals from her. He'd been so caught up in his own life for the past year that he didn't pay attention. Looking back now, he never remembered her having a boyfriend or even a date. She usually wanted to hang out at home with him. He'd attributed it to her wanting to learn more about cooking, but now he saw it.

“I should head out,” he said as he stood. “I have to get the truck ready for tomorrow.”

“Okay.” She stood beside him. “I'm sorry. For your shirt, for throwing myself at you.”

“You didn't throw yourself. It was a kiss.” One that did nothing for him, but he couldn't tell her. “No big deal. Friends?”

“Of course.” She smiled, but it wasn't real.

She looked like she wanted to cry, which just made him want to leave faster. He tugged his wet shirt on and threw his coat over it, buttoning up so the wet spot wouldn't turn to ice outside.

“I'll call you later in the week.”

“Sure.”

He walked out of Lily's apartment and wondered if it was possible to be friends with a woman who clearly had feelings for him. If he had continued to be blind to the attraction, of course, but now that she'd made it known? He wasn't sure.

Liam drove to Carmen's house. For a change, lights were on in many rooms, including the kitchen. He parked and grabbed his bag. He'd planned to be there earlier, and knowing Carmen, she probably started the prep without him. From the front porch, he heard the thumping music.

He knocked with his fist, hoping she'd hear him over the radio. The music quieted slightly and the door swung open. Carmen's cousin Rosa smiled up at him with a beer in her hand. “Hey.”

“Hi,” he answered, tucking his bag behind his back a little. He didn't know if Rosa knew he'd be spending the night. Carmen didn't give him the impression she talked a lot, unlike Moira, who told everyone everything.

Rosa stepped away from the door, allowing him entrance. Her eyes stayed on him, but she called over her shoulder, “It's Wo—Liam.”

“Good to see you again, Rosa.” He stepped aside and let her close the door.

Carmen stood in the middle of the living room, where all of the furniture was now located. “Hi,” she said.

“Sorry I'm late. I got caught up.”

“No problem. Mole is on the stove. We got busy here.”

He dropped his bag next to the door and followed Rosa into the room. “Busy doing what?”

Stripes of various colors streaked the walls.

“We were going to paint, but Rosa didn't like the color I picked, so we went back to the store and got some samples.”

He edged closer, wanting to grab her and kiss her, but not sure if she would welcome it in front of her cousin. “What did you decide?”

“We haven't. As usual, Rosa and I can't agree on anything. How was your family thing?” She didn't step closer, so he figured she wanted to play it cool with Rosa in the room.

“It was dinner with my family. We try to do it once a month. Get everyone together.” He took off his coat.

“What happened to your shirt?”

He looked down at the blotch covering most of the front of the shirt. “Long story.”

Carmen came closer. “The stain will probably never come out now. Why didn't you treat it right away? Give me that.”

Before he could say anything, she was stripping it from him, clucking like his mother would. She shot him a look when she saw the undershirt. “That one too.” She held out her hand like she wouldn't take no for an answer.

“I planned to just throw them away. I don't think they can be saved.” But he did as he was told.

Rosa stood on the other side of the room snickering.

He looked at her over Carmen's head. “What's so funny?”

“I don't think I've ever seen such a white boy, unless you count that vampire in the movie.” Carmen glared at her as she left the room. Rosa gulped more beer.

Beer he'd brought to the house.

Rather than continue to stand shirtless in the middle of the room, he went to his bag and pulled out a fresh T-shirt.

“Moving in?” Rosa asked.

“No.” He'd let Carmen address that. He put the shirt on with Rosa still staring. “What have you been up to besides complaining about paint colors?”

“Nothing.” She narrowed her eyes. “Why are you working the truck?”

“Because it's partly mine and Carmen doesn't want to. Gus built a good business and neither of us wants it to go down the drain. Why do you care?”

“I don't. About the truck. I care about her.” She angled her head toward the back of the house. “She doesn't need more heartache.”

“What makes you think I'd hurt her?”

“I don't know you.”

“I doubt you know all of her boyfriends. She knows me. Gus knew me. He trusted me.”

“There's no accounting for his taste.”

Now he was getting pissed, but he wasn't sure why. Rosa's opinion didn't matter. “What's your problem with me?”

“I got no problem as long as she's happy.”

He nodded. That's all he could expect. He'd given Jimmy a similar speech. Of course that came after he'd punched his friend. Liam understood wanting to keep those you loved safe. He wouldn't hurt Carmen.

Carmen came back and pulled up short. “What's going on?”

“Nothing,” he answered.

Rosa smiled. She must've thought he'd rat her out. “I'm going home. Early day tomorrow. Wish me luck.”

“Are you okay to drive?” Carmen asked.

“Yeah. I'm good.”

“Call me when you get home so I know you're safe.”

“Yes, Mom.” She kissed Carmen's cheek and left.

As soon as the door shut behind her, Liam swooped in and pulled Carmen close. He hadn't realized how much he'd wanted to kiss her, but now that he had her in his arms, greed urged him on. Holding her close, his erection grew and his mind blanked.

She pulled away with a laugh. “Hi to you too.”

“I wanted to do that the second I walked through the door, but I didn't know with Rosa . . .”

“She knows about us, yeah, but I don't think I want to make out in front of her.”

“So tearing your clothes off would've been a bad thing.”

She laughed again. “Come to the kitchen. The mole is done. We just have to chop veggies and stuff.” She talked as she moved through the house. “My dad used to get up crazy early to prep to avoid the busyness of the restaurant, but I think we can do most of it now. Unless you prefer morning. The restaurant is closed either way, so we'll have the place to ourselves.”

Although he listened to her, he was distracted by the sight of her ass as she bent over to look into the refrigerator. “Why not just do all the prep work on site when I set up?”

She slammed the lid from her stockpot on the counter. “You didn't read the regulations.”

“I did. Which is how I know you're breaking the rules by making mole in your kitchen.”

“Then you would also know that you can only be in one place for two hours max. The GPS in the truck reports your location. If you wait to make everything until you set up, you'll lose a ton of actual selling time. You need to have everything up and running in under thirty minutes. Sell for less than an hour and a half, do the minimum breakdown and cleanup, and move on.”

“Okay.”

She rubbed her forehead. “I'm glad I called Pete. He can walk you through this.”

“Carmen, I can handle this. I've run whole kitchens with service for a hundred on an average night. I can handle a small line of people brave enough to stand in the cold for some tacos. I told you I don't need Pete.”

“Pete knows the routine. Running the truck should be at least a two-man operation: one for taking the orders and the money and one for cooking.”

“You said Gus worked alone.”

“He did, but that doesn't mean it was smart. On the days Pete worked with him, we consistently saw an increase in business. Two guys can make more happen. And like I said, Pete knows this. If you screw up, we'll get fined. A thousand dollars. There is no ‘whoops, didn't mean to.'”

He tried to smooth his hackles. When it came to cooking he was never incompetent. “I won't screw up. As long as I get the truck moved in under two hours we're good. I'll make it happen.”

Worry splayed across her face. He liked the living room much better than the kitchen right now. At least there, she hadn't thought him incompetent. He stepped closer and ran his hand along her jaw. “I've got this. Trust me.”

“I'm trying.”

He kissed her again, this time without the fervent attack. His tongue coasted over hers. She tasted of beer and something spicy. He briefly wished he'd brought the leftover cheesecake because he really wanted to taste that sweetness on her again. He nibbled on her lip and slid a hand down to her ass. He cupped a cheek and pressed her close.

Her breathing became ragged. She bumped her hips into him. He kissed his way down her throat and she moaned. Yeah, this was much better than arguing about the damn truck and stupid city rules.

“Liam.” Her voice was little more than a breath.

“Hmm-mmm.”

“We need to finish.”

“I'm trying.”

Her hand came down hard on his shoulder. “The prep work, Liam.”

“It can wait.”

“No.” This time, she at least tried for forceful.

“Give me a few minutes. I'll change your mind.” He pressed his thigh between her legs and stroked her.

“We can't.”

“We can. Take a break. You said yourself we could work tonight or tomorrow.”

“But . . .”

He eased his face away from her delectable neck. “But what?”

Her eyes were wide. “Last night, I could barely move when we were done.”

The amount of satisfaction that burst through him was unnatural. “Then you can nap and I'll prep.”

She bit her bottom lip like she was still considering. He squeezed her nipple and her eyes slammed shut. She nodded and before she could change her mind, he grabbed her hand. “Which room has a bed?”

“Around the corner.”

CHAPTER 10

C
armen didn't know what had come over her. Leaving work unfinished was not how her dad had taught her to run a business. But Liam was very convincing. For a guy who normally moved slowly and methodically, he practically ran to her bedroom.

They crashed onto her bed and his hard-on poked her thigh. She loved knowing she had this effect on him. Without warning, his hand shot past the waistband of her pants and he stroked her like he had last night. She was already wet from his kisses.

With a finger inside of her, he paused. “I want to go down on you.”

“Huh?”

“I want to go down on you. Taste you. Make you come with my mouth.”

Oh, God, she had heard him right.

“Carmen?”

“Yeah?” Her mouth was suddenly dry, but her panties were soaked. If his mouth made her wet when he kissed her, what magic would it do down there?

His smiling face filled her vision. “Was that a yeah, go ahead?”

She nodded.

Again, Liam moved fast. He yanked her pants off in one smooth movement, exposing her to the chilly air of the bedroom. She didn't have time to get self-conscious about how she looked half-naked on her bed because Liam didn't stop to look. He disappeared down her body. He nudged her thighs wide and settled his broad shoulders between them. His bare shoulders. When had he taken off his shirt?

His beard bristled softly against her inner thigh, sending tingles through her system. He kissed her thigh and inched upward. She held her body still against all instinct to wiggle and move. Her heart thundered in her ears.

And then he kissed her and licked her. Her entire body began to hum. This was so much better than anything she'd ever experienced. When he sucked on her clit, her hips jumped into the air. She felt his laugh as a vibration against her while he followed her movement.

Liam was relentless. Need clawed at her and she had no idea how to satisfy it. Liam's fingers joined his mouth, but it wasn't enough. Tension coiled and her thighs trembled. She was on the edge of something she couldn't claim.

Then it happened again. Her body went rigid beneath him as she became overwhelmed with the sensations. She struggled for breath.

Liam rose above her with his hips pressing against her. He slid into her and she knew what she'd been missing. This. Him.

He entered her as far as he could, and she automatically wrapped her legs around him. She sighed at the way he filled her.

He lowered his face and she smelled herself on him, in his beard, mixed with a scent that was Liam, and it made her pull him closer. He kissed her and their mingled scent and taste was heady and wonderful.

Beyond that moment, Carmen was lost. Liam could've done anything he wanted and she wouldn't have cared. The haze of lust and pleasure overrode everything.

Carmen had no idea how long she lay there. Her brain was long empty as her lungs filled with oxygen. She was still fully clothed above the waist and Liam had pulled the blanket over their bottom halves. He lay half on top of her, his breath blowing against her hair. As her senses all came back to normal, guilt and worry assaulted her. She knew she'd had a great time, but she had no idea if Liam did. The entire experience had been a bit of a blur.

“You're not supposed to be thinking yet.”

“I can't help thinking.”

He nuzzled her neck. “I must not have done a good enough job if you can think already.”

“You did more than a good enough job. You were amazing.”

“Can I get that in writing? Maybe on a T-shirt.” He kissed her neck and then pushed up to look at her face. “What are you thinking?”

“Was it as good for you as it was for me? I have no idea, and I feel like you keep doing all the work, and I'm not sure what you're getting out of this.”

“Hell, yeah, it was good for me. I told you before, you're not work. Your body is all about pleasure.” He slipped his hand under her shirt, but didn't grope her. His fingers settled against her ribs. “Want to take a shower with me?”

She didn't know how to answer. She still hadn't been completely naked with him, at least not where he could see everything. Under the harsh light of the bathroom, exploiting every imperfection? Not a good idea.

The corner of his mouth lifted and he shook his head a little. “Sooner or later, I'm going to convince you to be stripped bare in front of me and you're not only
not
going to be embarrassed, but you'll enjoy it.”

She snorted. That would likely never happen.

He left the bed and she watched his naked body. It wasn't perfect. She knew that no one had a perfect body. At the door, he turned and winked at her. The playful gesture was so different from the Liam she was used to.

When he was gone, she flipped back the covers and grabbed some sweatpants.

Liam woke while the sun wasn't even a thought in the sky. Carmen scooted closer again and as much as he wanted to stay in bed, he needed to make sure he was ready. He made a pot of coffee and read through Carmen's checklist of items.

She'd written down Gus's routine. Some of Gus's plan didn't make sense. It seemed inefficient. He finished his first cup of coffee and began his own plan of attack. He settled at the kitchen table with Carmen's big binder of information. He had read it. Admittedly, there were parts he skimmed. The food truck was a small kitchen. Kitchens were all the same. Food safety regulations didn't change.

He glanced at his phone. The temperature reading for the day was only supposed to be a high of fifteen degrees, not accounting for wind chill.

His best hope was that with only twelve days until Christmas, people would be out in force to shop. Shopping made people hungry. Or so he'd heard.

The thought of shopping reminded him that he still needed to get his grab bag gift. With a family of six siblings, now growing to include spouses, they'd decided that a grab bag made sense. He'd gotten his sister-in-law, Quinn. He wasn't sure what to get her. He'd have to think fast, though. The idea of shopping a day or two before Christmas made him sick.

He remembered Jimmy wanted him to go shopping for a ring for Moira. He'd get Quinn something then. He pulled out his phone and made a note to call Jimmy and set something up for the weekend.

A sweet thought occurred to him. The taco truck was a Monday through Friday business. His weekends were free. And his holidays. And his nights.

With each passing thought, he was liking the truck more and more. At seven o'clock, Carmen joined him in the kitchen and drank her coffee in silence, but he saw her watching the clock. He needed to be on the road by ten to claim his spot, and they hadn't heard from Pete.

“I'll come with you to the restaurant and help you get ready.” The unease on her face and in the line of her body was unnatural.

“What's wrong?”

“I don't go to the restaurant.”

“Ever?”

“I haven't stepped foot in the place in years. Since before Mom died.”

He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. How could she not be part of the restaurant?

She fisted her hands. “When my dad bought the truck, it was so he would have more time with my mom. He sold most of the business to his brother in order to make that happen. The restaurant is our commissary location. Our official kitchen as far as the city is concerned.”

He had no idea that she had such a problem with the restaurant. “Why?”

“The place brings back too many memories. I wasted my entire adolescence avoiding the kitchen and my mom. I guess it's guilt more than anything.”

“If you're not ready for this, I can go alone. Give me the key.”

“No. It's about time I handled it. Besides, the truck belongs parked over there. I'm surprised my neighbors haven't called and reported me already. You drive the truck and I'll follow in my car. I'll meet you at the end of the day and pick you up.”

At the restaurant, Liam felt like he was sucked into a time warp. It had been about a decade since he'd worked there and not much had changed. The kitchen was tiny compared to the one at Porter's. He stared at the sink that had been his station longer than he'd liked. His fingers almost pruned just thinking about it. He'd come a long way since then. He glanced at Carmen. So had she.

Carmen taught him about all the hookups and necessary details for cleaning the truck after shift. For someone who had no desire to run a kitchen, she sure knew a lot. She'd be amazing running any business.

He kept an eye on her as they prepped the food. They decided to keep it minimal today to see how busy they were. The cold and the weeks away would take a toll, but there was no way to know what he would face.

Carmen masked whatever emotions hit her upon walking in the kitchen. She clipped invoices to a clipboard and showed him the section of the walk-in cooler that was reserved for the truck's inventory.

They worked together to load the truck and secure everything. Pete still hadn't called or shown up. The silence was filled with tension. Liam had little patience when it came to people being irresponsible, especially when it affected him and his performance. Carmen disappeared out the back, and through the open door, he saw her talking on the phone. Her body was rigid while she spoke and when she disconnected, she kicked the tire of the truck.

Looked like she was as pissed at Pete as he was. Well, Liam had neither expected nor wanted Pete's help.

When she walked back into the kitchen, she said, “Pete will meet you on site.” Her words were clipped. She closed her eyes before continuing. “I know you didn't want him to help, but he knows the truck. Use him at least until you have a handle on things.”

“Whatever.” He couldn't hide his irritation anymore.

“I'm trying to make it easier for you, Liam.”

“I'm fine. I need to get going.”

“Call me if you run into problems or have any questions.”

“I will.” He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss.

Carmen watched Liam drive off in the truck. He was pissed about Pete and he had every right to be. She still worried about him on the truck, though. Working alone had played a part in her father's death. It didn't matter that Liam was younger and stronger. Overworked was overworked.

She turned back to the kitchen. Now that Liam was gone, the full force of being back there hit her. Running her hand along the stainless steel counter, the cool metal reminded her of leaning against there, hoping her mom would forget she'd come in the back door. She'd always preferred the back of house, the kitchen to the front with the customers, regardless of what she'd said to Liam.

The noise and pace and smells made her feel at home.

But standing in the silence, only memories flooded her brain. Her dad yelling at the counter, ringing a bell to announce an order up. Memories of her dad reminded her of the letter she still had tucked away. She'd been feeling better, and she knew the letter would make her cry. She was tired of crying.

She looked around the kitchen. Gus's restaurant was a huge source of pride for the family. Her uncle Johnny had kept up the tradition. Business was still good, as evidenced by the books. Sadness weighed on her heart. She felt so disconnected from everything: her family, her business, her life.

She leaned her forearms on the table like she had as a teen. The chill sent a shiver up her arms. It had been so long since she'd thought about her life that she had no clue what she wanted. Getting through each day was all she could handle for so long. She'd forgotten how to stop and have fun, enjoy what was happening around her.

Pushing off the table, she resolved to take the time to do that now. She didn't have to decide her life plan at the moment. She had income and a place to live. Stepping back to enjoy life was an option. She just needed to figure out how.