HEAT Vol. 2 (Master Chefs: HEAT Series #2) Read online

  “Perfect. I’m glad you brought it up. We were far, far away from the institute and you still brushed me off.”

  “Exactly. Guess who was coming up behind you at that moment.”

  I drew a blank.

  “Your replacement for the basic science class, Gaetan. Even there, I didn’t want to risk him going back to the institute to tell Monsieur Franchines that we’d been together. But believe me, it was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do. I wanted so badly to be with you.”

  I stared at him, wanting to believe him.

  He cupped my cheeks and pulled me to him. “Believe me, Lilly.” His eyes turned dark and he kissed me, not with the passion of a few moments ago, but tenderness, so much tenderness, it blew me away. I melted.

  Still drunk on his kiss, I leaned into him when he pulled back. “Bobby, I’m about to take my vows. This is very serious. I’ve already ruined the whole chastity thing. I don’t want to…”

  “Don’t you see, Lilly? Now that your work at the institute is complete, we can be together, openly. You haven’t taken your vows yet. I made it here just in time. Don’t you think that means something?”

  I looked away from him. He looked so good, so enticing, it was impossible to think straight while looking at him.

  “Tell me you don’t love me,” he whispered into my ear. “Tell me you don’t want to be with me.”

  “What I want and my life calling are two different things.”

  He stepped back and pulled in a long, deep breath. My heart raced for an eternal minute as he just stood there. “I love you, Lilly, and I want to be with you. I’ve thought of you constantly these past months, and I thought I was doing the right thing by ensuring both our futures were secured, at least where the institute was concerned. I don’t know what more I can tell you, but…”

  The wind was knocked out of me as he took another step away from me.

  “If you really believe that we’re not meant to be together…” He looked around the dimly lit, quiet room. “I don’t want to be the one responsible for stealing you away from what you want.”

  A dense lump of hurt collected in my throat and heavy, burning tears filled me eyes. What was he saying?

  He said nothing more for a long moment before nodding and turning away.

  “Bobby! Wait.”

  Chapter 5

  The Reverend Mother looked at me from behind her large but simple oak desk. She had the same sage and solemn grin on her face that she’d had when I first arrived. “I’ve always known you were a good child, Lilly, and I have no doubt life will lead you in a good and fulfilling direction. If that direction is to be taken with a young man instead of God, our Savior, then that is the way it is to be.”

  “But I feel I’m letting you down.” I glanced sidelong at Bobby. I wanted so desperately for her to approve of him.

  “Bring God with you, keep Jesus Christ in your heart and live your life with honor and integrity and you will not let me down.” She turned to Bobby. “God, in all his glory, has bestowed this child with a special light.”

  “I’ll make sure that light shines brighter and brighter every day.”

  “Good.” She stood and smiled. “Go with my blessings, child, but please be sure to send word every now and again.”

  “I will.”

  “Now, if you will excuse me, I must return to our postulants who are prepared to take their vows.”

  I smiled at Bobby as she left us.

  “You're sure about this?” he said.

  “Positive.”

  He led me out of the convent and we got into the car he’d rented; a square and compact faded red car. At first when he took the car out onto one of the winding country roads, I thought we were heading back to Paris, but then I realized he was heading north… maybe even a little towards the west.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  His smile was broad and happy. He beamed with pride and I immediately knew he was up to something. “You’ll see.”

  Content with that response, I sat back and enjoyed the passing countryside. The rolling hills were alive with spring blossoms, and the pastures green and ready to feed herds of sheep, goats and cattle.

  After a little more than an hour, Bobby slowed the car and turned onto a bumpy dirt road.

  “Do you even know where we’re going?” I asked with a laugh.

  “Of course.” But his frown said different. He drove on for about a mile and his frown finally lifted as a pale yellow country house trimmed in white came into view. Surrounded by vividly colored wild flowers, the large home was charming and welcoming.

  “Do you know who lives here?” I said.

  “You could say that.”

  He pulled up in front of the country house that popped with life even though no one was there. The curtains were drawn, and every window had flower boxes filled with orange and pink blossoms.

  “I love it,” I said.

  “I thought you might.” He got out of the car, pulled out a house key and bounded up the wide porch to open the front door. “Your chateau for the next seven days,

  I met him on the porch, but he stopped me before I could walk in.

  “Hold on.” He swept me up into his arms and carried me inside, but he didn’t give me much of a chance to take a look around. He immediately headed up the stairs, turned into the large master room and deposited me on the wide queen sized bed.

  He looked down at me in my layers of postulant robes. “I’ll admit this is a little intimidating. I mean… is God going to…?”

  I laughed and got off the bed. “Why don’t you give me a minute?”

  “Sounds good.”

  He walked out and I took off my robes, my heavy shoes and called for him once I was sprawled out on the bed in my underwear and bra.

  “That’s better,” he said when he came in. He hopped onto the bed and straddled me.

  I met his gaze; eager, befuddled, and still, a little intimidated.

  “I’m still the Lilly Cooke you knew, Bobby. God won’t strike you dead if you…”

  He licked his lips and dropped his gaze to my breasts. His crooked smile was so boyishly charming, I wanted to pull him into my arms and kiss him. Instead, I let him find his own way. With the back of his hand, he brushed his fingers along the line of my bra, down deep into the valley of my breasts then back up to my opposite shoulder.

  My mouth watered as his slow and soft hands then went down each side of my waist. It was as if he were tracing me, outlining the curves of my body. I watched the workings of his mouth as his hands continued down, squeezing between my legs and parting them. His mouth was partially opened and his tongue played just inside his lips, as if controlling his mouth was beyond him.

  “I’ve missed you, Lilly. It’s incredible how much I’ve missed you.”

  Bending over me, he kissed my navel while his hand slipped under my panties and found the heat and moisture that awaited him.

  I thought that part of my body had died. I thought it had dried up, never to enjoy another passionate moment, never to feel such pleasure. When he brought his finger inside me, my body shook with delight and I knew my orgasm would be quick to come. I was too hungry, too eager, and I’d deprived myself for far too long.

  He only had to bring the slightest pressure over my clitoris that I was screaming his name. “Don’t stop,” I shouted. “Oh, Bobby! Don’t stop.”

  While my body still shook from my orgasm, Bobby pulled down my panties and mounted me. Like an animal, wild and ferocious, he came in, pounded his cock deeper and deeper and reminded me what it was like to be with a man.

  My man.

  I clung to him when he came up to kiss me, his hips still pumping his cock in and out of me with such force, like his life depended on every pulsating move he made.

  “I love you, Bobby. I love you.”

  Pulling out of me, he got off the bed, pulled me off and turned me around. Filling his fists with my breasts, he kneaded them hard and quickly stirr
ed up a whole new orgasm. I leaned over the bed, my butt facing him and inviting him to return to the warmth that promised more and more pleasure.

  He nudged inside me again and let out a loud moan that filled every inch of me. It was a moan filled with longing, filled with satisfaction, and even filled with relief.

  I joined him, releasing in a long moan all the tension I’d felt these past months, releasing the fear and the pain. All that remained with the joy and the need to have him close to me.

  Bobby accelerated the pace, heightening our pleasure and bringing us both to the brink. He growled, he groaned and finally, he yelled, like a madman who’d finally found peace of mind after an eternity of madness. His raging orgasm elevated mine, making it more acute and while I tuned in to every sensation that raced through me, I heard him sigh.

  “I was so afraid I’d lost you forever,” he said on the tail end of that sigh.

  I even thought I heard him choke up.

  With him still inside me, I looked over my shoulder at him and reached back to brush his cheek with my fingers. “I was sure I’d lost you.”

  “Then let’s make sure we never lose sight of one another again.”

  I nodded and couldn’t believe how happy I felt. I looked at Bobby, this young brash man who’d bordered on offensive when we first met, and knew for the first time the true meaning of romantic love.

  I loved him.

  “How ‘bout I feed you and then we can explore the property. I hear it has a few surprises.”

  After bringing up my small and conservatively packed suitcase, I changed into a simple and modest black dress and headed down to the kitchen to feast on the elaborate lunch he’d made.

  Our bellies full, we ventured out. At first we simply followed the edge of the meadow which was lined with tall, dense bushes. When we reached a path cut through the bushes we turned onto it, curious to see where it led.

  “What is that we hear?” I said.

  The swooshing sound had followed us as we’d crossed the meadow, but the sound became increasingly louder as we continued on the path. It occasionally peaked only to recede and start again.

  “Let’s find out.”

  The boyish smile on his face told me he already knew what the source of the noise was, but after a few more steps, I began to suspect…

  “Is that…?”

  The bushes on either side of us grew shorter and more sparse until the vastness of the English Channel was upon us.

  “I’ve been in France for so long. I’ve been at the convent almost all my life, and in Paris for the past year, but I’d never... I’ve never seen this.”

  “I thought you might like it.”

  The wind came to us, bringing with it the moisture and saltiness of the sea. It whipped through our hair and brought a chill to my heated skin.

  “It’s beautiful, Bobby.” I turned to him. “You’ve brought me from one place where I felt safe and protected, where I knew the love of God and you’ve brought me to a place of beauty and proximity to God that I never would have imagined.”

  We reached the beach and Bobby took my hand and guided me down to where the ocean swept the sand. I kicked off my heavy shoes – the only ones I had brought – peeled off my socks and shoved them inside my shoes. Bobby copied me then followed me out to the water as I chased the outgoing waves.

  The sand was cold, chilled by the frigid spring waters that had yet to be warmed by the sun, but that didn’t stop us from wading through waves.

  “This is perfect, Bobby,” I said as walked at his side. I reached for his hand and leaned heavily into him, comforted by his strength and aroused by the hardness of his body. “These past months… they’ve been horrible.”

  “Tell me about it. When I heard you’d left the institute, I panicked. Some people said you’d been gone only a few days while others swore they’d seen you leave weeks ago. I was sure I’d never make it out here in time.”

  We walked on, lost in our thoughts, but fiercely together as the cliffs bordering the beach grew taller and taller. There was almost something magical in the majesty of it all.

  “It’s funny, but I feel closer to God here than I would have thought possible. When you took me away from the convent… I don’t know… I thought I’d feel an emptiness or some guilt, like I’d turned my back on someone who counted on me, but this….”

  We reached a strange rock formation that stood on the beach. “Isn’t that the strangest thing,” I said. “It’s almost like a statue that’s been sculpted by the hand of God.”

  He smiled. “I guess you could say that. It’s the falaises aux vaches noires. Look back there at the cliffs.”

  Eroded into large and sharp black teeth that jutted down to the water, the formations were strange, but beautiful.

  Impressed, I looked up at Bobby. The breeze blew back his hair and I was charmed by him all over again. “For an American who’s spent all his time studying the culinary arts and…” I stopped myself before mentioning the girls he’d dated. I didn’t want to go down that road again. “You certainly seem to know quite a bit about the area.”

  “It’s payback time. You guided me around Paris and taught me so much. You know, I still go to that market you brought me to, at least once a week. I love the fresh produce and it certainly adds to the dishes I make, but the truth is that I always see you when I go there. I can almost feel you. I guess it was my way of being with you without being with you.”

  At the base of the towering rock sculptures, I stopped and turned to him. “You know, I almost don’t recognize the young hot-headed guy who first ran into me. It’s as if you’ve aged five years in the past months.”

  He shrugged. “I guess I was a bit childish when I first came out here. I’d like to blame my mother for that… she did coddle me a bit too much, but, well, I guess I just needed to grow up. The time I spent hiking across Europe gave me plenty of time to think. It also pushed me to be far more resourceful than I’d ever had to be.”

  “Well…” I put my hand to his shoulder. “I like this new resourceful man. I like him a lot.” I leaned in and kissed him.

  At first he let me lay soft and light kisses over his lips and across his cheek, but then he let out a hungry groan and leaned heavily into me. His weight pulled me down and brought me to my knees on cool sand. With quick and jerking motions, he pulled up the short narrow skirt of my dress, and tugged down my panties, exposing my buttocks.

  Kneeling in front of me, he shifted closer as he pulled his hard-on out of his shorts. I shot a quick glance across the bare sands of the shoreline. Were we really going to make love here, out in the open, where anyone could come around the bend and find us?

  It was a thrilling prospect and I eagerly gave into the game.

  Bobby slipped his cock between my legs and after a few moistening glides along my lips, he thrusted inside. Our grunts and groans were drowned out by the crashing waves that seemed to pound the sand with increasing force, just as Bobby pounded into me harder and harder.

  When he’d spent himself, after bringing me to the sweetest orgasm ever, he remained pressed against me, kissing my face, my eyelids, and lips over and over again.

  “I love you Lilly,” Bobby said, “If I hurt you, I’ll make it up to you for the rest of my life.

  Chapter 6

  It was our last day in the country, our last day of strolling along the beach, eating picnics in the vast meadow and making love in the kitchen, living room or even screened-in back porch of the lovely country home we’d quickly grown fond of.

  After putting our suitcases in Bobby’s small rental, we leaned back on the hood and looked out at the sun drenched countryside.

  I sighed. “I’m going to miss this place.”

  “Don’t worry,” Bobby said. “I’m sure we’ll come back soon.”

  I smiled at him, more in love with him than I could have ever imagined. The months apart had done wonders to our relationship. I guess we’d both needed to grow up and mature; to
realize what was important to us both. I saw in his eyes how the boyish charmer had been transformed into responsible man, a strong man.

  “What are you smiling at?” he said.

  “You. Sometimes I look at you and can’t believe you're with me. I can’t believe how lucky I am. To tell you the truth, I didn’t think you had it in you to become such a man. I would have bet anything you’d be the perennial playboy, always on the make, always looking for a good time and the next party. ”

  He took my hand and kissed my fingers before trailing his lips up my arm until he nuzzled my neck. In an instant we were on fire, burning to get closer, eager to have that connection once again. Leaning me back onto the hood, he let his hand travel up my leg and under the skirt of my dress. I was already wet, already waiting.

  “This is all the good time I need,” he murmured as he brought his lips to mine and devoured me. With his free hand he tugged his shorts down, pushed my panties to the side and rammed his hardened shaft inside me.

  I let out a husky growl and raised my legs in the air to allow him better entry. He pressed in deeper and pumped harder while his hands held onto my breasts, squeezing them. As he approached his orgasm, he slowed down to a deliberate pace that left me gasping. Pulling his shaft almost all the way out, he paused for a moment and looked at me.

  “Do you have any idea what you do to me?” he whispered.

  In response, I pulled the straps of my dress off my shoulder and he took in a deep breath as he waited for me to go on.

  “How long can you hold on like that?” I challenged.

  He looked down at his exposed shaft, his soft cap still nestled inside me.

  With delicate fingers, I traced the neckline of my dress, pushing it and his hands aside until my nipples were exposed.

  Again, he pulled in a deep, sharp breath as his hands, seeking something to hold onto, grasped by ass.

  “Hold on,” I said.

  His lips parted, and he fixed his gaze to my breasts as I pinched my nipples, bringing them to a full erection.

  “I can’t,” he muttered.

  “Hold on.” I grabbed my breasts and greedily kneaded them while still stimulating my nipples.