“Please, call me Maureen.” She came into the room, Jasper-free. “I hope we have everything you need.”
And then some. This was truly a chef’s kitchen, one she couldn’t wait to test out. “It’s perfect.”
“Then we’ll let you get started.” She ushered her son out of the kitchen, leaving Lia alone to unpack the cooler.
Adam Kelly drummed his fingers on the steering wheel while he waited for Bates to answer his phone. As soon as he heard the click, he asked, “Any news yet on the Schlittler deal?”
“It’s Sunday, Mr. Kelly,” Bates replied in his ever-so-polite British accent. “Not much happens in the business world over the weekend.”
“For me, it does.” His Volvo C70 hit a pothole, earning a string of muttered curses about how his mother should have had that fixed years ago. “I have investors waiting for news, and I want to wrap this up as soon as possible.”
“I double-checked your downtown properties. You have a lease expiring in a few months at the top of your Michigan Avenue building, but—”
“Perfect.” The Magnificent Mile location would give Amadeus Schlittler the exposure he demanded. “We’ll deliver the notice to the tenant tomorrow morning.” The car dipped into another pothole, and he released another string of curses.
“On your way to your mother’s lake house, Mr. Kelly?” Bates asked, even though he clearly already knew the answer.
“Yes. She’s there with Caleb and guilt-tripped me into coming up tonight for some special dinner she won in a charity auction.”
“Your mother has always been such the philanthropist.” And thankfully, her donations helped lower the company’s annual tax bill. “In that case, I’ll leave you to enjoy her company.” Bates hung up before Adam had a chance to ask him anything else.
He pulled up to his parents’ lake house and checked his e-mail once more, hoping to see a message from the acclaimed Austrian chef accepting his proposal for a Chicago restaurant. Until he knew the deal was settled, he’d be popping Tums like M&Ms. Unfortunately, his 4G coverage ended about twenty miles down the road. He threw his phone down in the passenger seat and got out of the car. Dinner couldn’t be over quickly enough for his liking.
A deep bark greeted him from the front porch. Jasper, his mother’s Great Pyrenees, lifted his head and thumped his tail in welcome. Adam paused to ruffle the dog’s thick fur. “Been staying out of trouble, boy?”
Jasper woofed in reply and jumped to his feet, darting through the door as soon as Adam opened it. He tried to catch the dog, but his fingers barely grasped the collar before Jasper jerked free. Jasper went straight for the kitchen, his paws skidding out from under him when he rounded the corner. Adam chased after him. A metal pan clanged in the kitchen, followed by a sharp cry.
He tripled his pace, his lungs tightening, his jaw clenched. The damn dog is going to kill someone one day. He drew to a stop when he came to the kitchen, his fear evaporating into laughter.
Jasper was standing on his hind legs, his front paws on the shoulders of a petite woman who was pinned against the center island, his tongue lapping as fast as his wagging tail.
She tried to push the hundred-pound-plus dog away. “Enough, Jasper.”
He managed to wedge his arm in between them. “Sorry about that. I—” His voice cracked when he got a glimpse of her face.
Eyes that green couldn’t be natural.
“It’s okay,” she said with a laugh. “Apparently, Jasper seems to be overly fond of me.”
Adam couldn’t blame him. The woman had lips that would make Angelina Jolie jealous. They parted, the good-natured mirth in her smile changing into a sultry invitation that he would be a fool to refuse. He leaned in closer.
That’s when Jasper decided to pounce. The dog’s paws connected with his back, the full force of his weight shoving Adam forward against the woman. He braced his arms against the counter to protect her, but the soft “umph” that rose from her chest told him he wasn’t as successful as he’d hoped. “Sorry again.”
“No, it’s quite all right. I—” Now it was her turn to suffer a vocal cord failure. Her body grew still under his. The dark centers of her eyes grew larger, intensifying the green ring around them.
Jasper’s hot, panting breath bathed the back of his neck, but Adam couldn’t care less. Right now his attention remained focused on the stranger in his mother’s kitchen. Her soft curves pressed against him, sending all the blood toward his cock in a painfully pleasant rush. It had been months since any woman had aroused him like this, and none had ever done it as quickly as this damsel in distress. If they’d been alone at his place, he’d be picking her up right now and carrying her to the bedroom where he could savor every inch of her luscious beauty in privacy.
Instead, he was at his mother’s lake house, slowly getting soaked by her drooling dog while his family watched this embarrassing situation from the doorway of the kitchen.
“Jasper, bad boy!” his mother said in the same tone she’d used on Adam and his brothers when they were children. It had the same effect on the dog as it did him, and they both backed away.
Adam grabbed Jasper’s collar before he could assault the poor woman again. “Now I know why you were on the front porch,” he said to the dog.
“How many times have I told you not to jump on people?” his mother chided, the anger fading from her words with each wag of her finger. Of course, Adam had been the one a little too eager to jump on his mother’s houseguest just seconds before. Maybe the dog had the right idea, after all. “Adam, please take him out before he does any more harm to poor Lia.”
Lia. So that was the woman’s name. She straightened, a slight tremble lingering in her hands as she smoothed back the golden brown curls that had fallen around her face during the ordeal. The pink flush of her cheeks deepened. “I’m fine, Mrs. Kelly. I was more startled than anything else.”
She looked at him once again, the heat in her gaze confirming his suspicion that she’d been just as affected from their close contact as he’d been. Then she turned around and began cleaning up the chopped vegetables that’d been scattered across the island.
“Come on, you overgrown lap dog.” It took several tugs before Jasper obeyed and left the kitchen with his tail between his legs.
After he’d safely deposited the dog outside, two of his younger brothers ambushed him in the hallway. “Not too shabby, eh?” Dan asked.
“Yeah, Mom might have actually struck the jackpot this time,” Caleb added.
Adam shoved past them. “What are you two talking about?”
“As if it wasn’t obvious.” Laughter laced Caleb’s words. “I’m sorry, Adam, but I don’t think Lia’s on the menu.”
“Now be fair.” Dan crossed his arms in an attempt to look serious, but the twinkle in his eyes was anything but. “I don’t think Adam stands a chance, what with Jasper ready to hump Lia the second he gets near her.”
“True. Adam’s a bit out of practice with the ladies.”
“Let me check what the magic die has to say. You need at least a seven to compete against Jasper.” Dan pulled out the twenty-sided piece of red plastic he’d kept in his pocket since they were kids and rolled it across the floor. “Ouch. A five. Not much hope for you to get lucky tonight.”
“Yeah, yeah, boys. Have a laugh at my expense.” He peered into the living room where his mother chatted away with another woman with the same full lips as the woman in the kitchen. “Let me guess—Lia is the daughter of one of Mom’s friends.”
“Bingo,” Caleb replied. “I’m trying hard to figure out how they were able to cook this one up, though. Somehow Mom won her at an auction.”