Soul Sweet (6 page)

Her brain registered the deep male voice behind her even as she whirled around to visually confirm. “Chef Banner.”

“Misha.”

He’d changed out of the tuxedo, but neither the suit nor his uniform wreaked as much havoc on her pulse as the worn jeans and light blue T-shirt he wore now. His hair was damp and spiky and the clean, masculine scent of his cologne or aftershave tempted her senses.

“What unspoken rule?” Misha was surprised her voice didn’t warble as she dragged her eyes down to meet his gaze. She briefly turned away from Cameron’s million-dollar grin to thank the bartender who had placed her opened bottle of Chardonnay on the bar.

Cameron grinned. “Well, I’m pretty sure you must have a drink with the person you’ve run into twice the same day, especially when the last place is a bar.”

“Is that so?”

His green eyes seemed to stand out even more with the few damp, dark strands of hair brushing against his forehead.

“Absolutely.” Cameron pointed at her wine. “Besides, Chardonnay is much more enjoyable when shared.”

“Hmm… I’m not sure I agree with that statement, but I’m not going to enjoy this wine alone.”

“No?” Cameron frowned then nodded in understanding. “Ahh. You are sharing it with your boyfriend who came along for moral support.”

“Not my boyfriend. My sister.”

“You two must be close.” Cameron moved next to her to lean against the counter.

Misha smiled. “We are. My entire family is, really. I have my parents’ and my older brother’s full support too.”

“It must be nice to have your entire family standing behind you.” Cameron slid onto a bar stool and Misha’s gaze was momentarily drawn to the denim pulled taut on his hard thigh.

“It is. Serene’s the reason I’m here. She’s the one who encouraged me to try out for
Celeb Chef
.”

“Smart lady. Does she cook too?”

Misha giggled. “No. She owns a spa that caters to clientele interested in a more holistic approach to beauty.”

“Very, very cool.” Cameron tapped his fingers on top of the bar counter. “Talent and beauty obviously run in the family.”

“Th-thank you.” Misha tried not to fidget while he ordered a Martini, a little ruffled by his compliment, but even more flustered by the intensity of his gaze.

“You’re welcome. Just don’t tell your brother I called him beautiful.”

Misha chuckled. “No worries.”

The sharp clink of rattling glasses pulled their attention away from each other and to the bartender, who’d managed to save an entire tray of glassware from falling to the floor.

Misha tapped the bottle of wine with her finger when Cameron fixed his gaze back on her. “Well, I should take this Chardonnay back up to my sister, who I’m sure is waiting with her glass in hand.”

“Aww.” Cameron gave her the ultimate look of regret. “Well then, I suppose you shouldn’t keep her waiting any longer.”

Misha laughed. “If I run into you again tonight, I promise I’ll share a drink with you, no questions asked.”

“I’m going to hold you to that.”

“Fair enough.” Misha took hold of the wine. “Goodnight.”

Cameron lifted his Martini up to her. “Goodnight, Misha.”

She pivoted, walked away from the bar and Cameron’s deadly charm, conscious of every step in her heeled boots. Was he watching her leave? She refused to turn around and satisfy her curiosity. Misha made her way to the elevator, pushed the button to bring the lift down to the lobby then reached into her back pocket and cursed.

My phone!

Misha turned around, took a step and yelped when she ran right into Cameron. She instinctively brought her hand to his chest, disorientated less by the unexpected contact and more by the feel of his hard body pressed close to hers.

“Whoa.” Cameron took hold of her arm, steadying her with one hand.

“You startled me.” Misha hurriedly moved her hand off him. Her breath hitched in her throat as his fingers pressed into her flesh. Disturbed by her atypical physical reaction to a man touching her, Misha fought back the urge to wrench her arm from his grasp. She deliberately kept her eyes on his face, an outward show that she was nonplussed by his touch.

“I’m sorry. I wanted to catch you before you got on the elevator.” He released her and held up her cell. “Looking for this?”

“Yes.” Misha took the device from Cameron, glad that he’d stepped somewhat out of her personal space. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” Cameron grinned. “You do realise what this means?”

She did, but frowned as if she had no clue what he was talking about. “I have no idea.”

Cameron lifted an eyebrow as the elevator dinged behind them. “You are a terrible little liar. I
know
you remember your promise and you literally ran right into me.”

Misha shook her head with an amused smile. “Do you always take things so literally?”

“Whenever I can. It’s the best way to cut down on confusion.”

“I was half joking when I said I’d have a drink with you if I ran into you again tonight.” Misha briefly averted her eyes from Cameron as the elevator doors closed behind her.

“I wasn’t.” Cameron cocked his head to the side. “Are you seriously getting ready to break your promise to me, Misha?”

A curl of heat wound around her body as she stared up into his dreamy eyes, momentarily at a loss for words.

Electric.

His gaze upon her was electric.

Cameron took a step closer to her. “What is it about having one drink with me that makes you so skittish?”

Misha tightened her grip on the bottle of wine as a million unconventional reasons to be skittish popped into her mind. “You’re a judge for
Celeb Chef
. I’m sure having a drink with a contestant breaks some competition bylaw.”

“No law that I’m aware of… And besides, who’s going to tell?”

Misha ran her fingertip over the wine label. “Someone from the show might see us.”

“I’ve got a solution to that.”

Misha’s eyes widened as Cameron held up his hand.

“I wasn’t implying you coming up to my room either.” There was a seductive quality to his voice that hadn’t been there before. “That
is
what you were thinking, wasn’t it?”

Misha cleared her throat, deciding to bypass his question with one of her own. “Are you one hundred per cent positive we wouldn’t be breaking a rule?”

Cameron chuckled. “Do you always follow the rules, Misha?”

“I don’t intentionally break them.”

“So do you battle inner demons if a recipe calls for one ingredient and you substitute another?”

“Really? You’re going to compare sharing a drink with you to me taking liberty as a chef and modifying a recipe?”

“So you’ve done it?” Cameron stepped closer to her as a group of noisy party-goers passed by them to board the elevator.

“Altered a recipe?” Misha scoffed indignantly. “Of course.”

“Disastrous?”

“Try divinely delicious.”

“
Divinely
delicious?”

She lifted her chin, ignoring the sexy twinkle of amusement in Cameron’s eyes. “Every single time. What does that have to do with what we’re talking about?”

“We’re talking about different scenarios yielding the same results.”

All the noise and distractions around them faded into the background as Cameron winked at her. She tore her gaze from his, troubled by how easy it was to imagine just how divinely delicious and dangerous it could be. “I don’t like breaking promises or rules, but I can live with a broken promise to keep from breaking a rule.”

Cameron nodded. “Understood. I’m going to check the competition bylaws and see what’s what. If I find out there is no rule against a judge and contender sharing a drink—”

“I’ll make the first toast,” Misha finished as her cell vibrated. She lifted it and saw that her sister had sent her a text. “I really have to go now. Serene is probably wondering if I went all the way to Italy for another bottle of vino.”

“Okay.” Cameron pushed his hands into his jeans pockets and Misha’s gaze dipped to the bulge beneath the dark denim. “I’ll let you go.”

Heat licked her cheeks when she met his eyes. “For the third time tonight, goodnight, Cameron.”

“Finally.”

Misha frowned. “Finally?”

“Finally, you said my first name.” He gave her a smile that instantly inspired the need to bake decadent desserts. “Goodnight, Misha.”

Flustered, she turned away from him, gratefully getting into the lift that opened at the exact moment she stopped in front of it. God, had he noticed her looking at his cock imprint?

Classy, Misha, real classy.

Peeking had been a totally involuntary action. Misha sighed as she read her sister’s text.

Did you get into some kinda trouble down there?

She most definitely had.

Chapter Four

Cameron walked into the restaurant, waving and smiling in a sea of faces, some of which he recognised. Tonight’s glitzy dinner was all about guaranteeing continued support from the sponsors of
Celeb Chef
. He easily spotted the other judges and Misha taking promotional pictures with Vivian, Pier and Jackson, the other remaining contenders for the show.

As usual, Misha stood out next to Vivian, who appeared awkward in her dark gown. Misha was the picture of elegance and beauty, stunning in a strapless black evening dress. Cameron envied the soft fabric moulding to her curves. He wanted to run his hands up her sexy legs, on display thanks to her shorter hemline. Her hair was pulled up and twisted ebony strands framed her face. Cameron’s attention was drawn to her lips when she laughed at something Pier had said.

“I can’t believe I had to wear another suit.”

Cameron glanced at Don who’d come to stand next to him. “That suit suits you, stop your bitchin’.”

Don laughed. “They want all of the judges front and centre for promo shots with the photographer. Gus wants us ready to say cheese in two minutes.”

“That gives me just enough time for a drink.”

Don clapped him on the shoulder just as a production assistant asked the judges to join the
Celeb Chef
contenders. “Smile now, drink later.”

“Damn. Let’s go.”

Cameron led the way and was quickly instructed to stand between Misha and Vivian. He complied, giving Vivian a quick smile before glancing at Misha. His blood pumped a little faster the instant he looked into the honeyed brown depths of her eyes. He wanted to make her smile over and over again just to watch those full lips—so lush and pretty in a glossy shade of pink—curve for him. He wondered how she’d react if he grabbed her hand, yanked her away from everyone else and spent the rest of the night showing her how much he desired her. Now wasn’t the time or the place for anything other than perfect smiles and absolute professionalism.

Too bad his cock didn’t give a damn.

“All right, everybody. I’m Gus. Give me what I want and this will be over in just a few shots,” the photographer said. “Here we go.”

Cameron plastered a good-natured grin on his face and focused on not blinking in the flurry of bright flashes that ensued.

“Anybody know where Shannon is?” Gus asked a few minutes later.

“I’m right here.”

Everyone turned in the direction of Shannon’s voice. She looked like a long-legged Barbie, dressed to impress, wearing a short, sequined, hunter-green dress that shimmered in the light with every step she took in impossibly high silver stilettos.

“I thought we were all supposed to wear black,” Vivian whispered, and a few soft chuckles could be heard as Gus whistled in appreciation.

“I think you should stand right by our new judge.” Gus brought Shannon in front of the group. “You know what?” The photographer snapped his fingers and pointed to Cameron. “I need you to pick her up into your arms. Cool?”

“Not a problem.”

Gus looked at Shannon. “You okay with that?”

Shannon giggled. “I am totally okay with that.” The redhead moved over to Cameron. “Ready when you are, Chef Banner.” She wagged her finger at him. “Don’t you drop me.”

“Don’t you wiggle.”

Everyone chuckled as he picked her up and Shannon laced one arm around his neck. “I could get used to this.”

Cameron grinned as Gus handed Shannon a replica of the stainless steel knife the winner of
Celeb Chef
would receive. He just wanted to get the photo op over and done with so he could talk to Misha.

“Okay. I’m lovin’ it.” Gus brought up his camera. “Shannon, lift that kitchen utensil high and give me that sultry smile we all love.”

Another flurry of camera flashes went off before the photographer announced he was done and Cameron gently put Shannon down. “See, you were worried for nothing.”

“Oh, I wasn’t worried. Thank you, Cameron.”

“Any time.”

Shannon placed her hand on his sleeve. “You’re an excellent addition to the show, by the way.”

“Thank you.”

Cameron leant down when the redhead beckoned him closer. “You’re fast becoming my favourite. Promise not to tell?”

“Your secret is safe with me.” Cameron gave a conspiratorial wink.

“I bet I can guess who your favourite is too.”

“Oh?”

Shannon nodded. “I wasn’t sure until after today’s result show. You do a great job of keeping your praise and criticism equal for them all, but I still think you’re partial to a certain chef.”

“Which one?”

Shannon smiled. “Misha.”

Oh, hell.
Was his interest in Misha obvious to millions of viewers watching the show?

“And how did you come up with that conclusion?”

“Am I right?” Shannon asked, tucking an auburn strand back.

Cameron shrugged. “I don’t think it would be fair to either confirm or deny your conjecture.”

Shannon laughed. “Fine, but I know I’m right. She’s your personal pick to win.”

“I think any of the remaining four could take the title. They’re all talented,” Cameron said enigmatically as Gus walked over to them.

“The pictures look awesome.” The popular photographer lifted both hands and pointed at them. “You two look amazing together. I’ll let send you both copies of the selected photo, if you both promise to sign one for me.”