All Chapters of His Private Chef: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The club doors opened like the gates to another world.The moment we stepped in, the bass slammed into my chest. Deep, pulsing, alive. Everything glittered. From the walls textured in gold to the crystal-beaded chandeliers hanging low and moody over the crowd. VIP booths lined the elevated edges, roped off with sleek velvet. Tables shimmered under soft spotlights, and dancers moved on elevated stages with practiced, hypnotic confidence, every movement sharp, fluid and impossible to look away.In this space, status faded. What mattered was rhythm, confidence, and how well you could keep up with the beat.Everyone here was someone And no one cared.Sophia flashed the bouncer a smile and led me up to the VIP section like she owned it. I hadn’t even settled into the luxe seating and or taken in the glowing tray of champagne when I heard my name.“Emily!”Jay threw his arms open in exaggerated excitement, as if I’d just returned from a decade-long disappearance.“Look at you,” he said, s

He stood there, his gaze trailing slowly from head to toe. His face gave nothing away, but something fierce flickered behind his eyes.“I wasn’t planning on interrupting,” he said finally, “but I couldn’t ignore the live performance.”I cleared my throat, my face flushed. “I was just…cooking.”“Right. Is that what we’re calling it now?”He stepped further into the kitchen, still watching me.I turned back to the stove like nothing happened, even though my heart was doing somersaults.“Do you always put on a show in the kitchen, or am I just lucky? he asked, his tone low and teasing“Only when the lyrics demand it,” I muttered.“Then remind me to add more Cardi B to your work playlist.”I didn’t have to look to know he was smirking.And for some reason, that made it worse. I risked a quick glance in his direction.Liam was clearly amused.He didn't even try to hide his amusement. It was infuriating.His mouth twitched like he was fighting back a grin, and his eyes sparkled in that rare

The tension from dinner still clung to me as I made my way back to the guest room and collapsed onto the bed.The rain still hadn’t let up. It pelted the windows like pebbles, an endless hiss against glass that felt louder in the stillness. But that wasn’t the only reason I was awake.Dinner had left a taste in my mouth that wasn’t from the food. Every wall seemed to hum with silent tension. Sharp, and impossible to ignore.I tossed. I turned. Then I gave up.Midnight, the clock blinked back at me.Hot chocolate. That might help.I wrapped my arms around myself and padded down the hallway, barefoot, quiet. The flickering wall sconces stretched shadows across the corridor like ghostly fingers. I just wanted to pour a drink without making a sound, without waking him.But fate had other plans.Liam was already in the kitchen.Dark slippers. A plain white T-shirt. Grey joggers. His hair was slightly mussed, like he’d just rolled out of bed. His back was to me, but I recognized that broad

Storm fading to a distant murmur, hours passed in restless wakefulness as one memory refused to let go.The kiss.It had started as a dare. A joke between two people trying to survive the weirdest three days of their lives. But it hadn’t felt like a joke when his mouth touched mine. It felt… real.Like something we weren’t supposed to want, but did anyway.And I had been the one to pull back. I said the words I thought I was supposed to say.“Friends don’t kiss.”Liam neither protested nor pulled me in. He just stayed there, as though I’d become a puzzle he couldn’t solve.Eventually, my thoughts blurred, and I must’ve dozed off because the next time I opened my eyes, golden light filtered through the windows.The storm had stopped, and the electricity was back.I blinked as the hum of appliances returned, and my phone buzzed with missed messages and delayed alerts. My signal bar finally lit up.One alert stood out:Roads clearing. Storm cleanup underway. Normal traffic expected by mo

Sophia dropped the bags with a dramatic thud in the middle of the living room and kicked off her heels like she was home.“Liam mentioned he dropped you off at home,” she added, tossing her hair as she made a beeline for the couch.I blinked at her, barefoot, still very much unprepared for the storm of her energy taking over my apartment. “When did you even get back?”“This morning,” she replied, pulling the band from her hair as she made herself comfortable on my couch. “Didn’t even unpack. Dropped my suitcase at the house and headed straight here.”I raised a brow. “Seriously?”“Obviously,” she said, already rummaging through one of the shopping bags like it owed her secrets. A moment later, she pulled out a glossy white pastry box and opened it like it was sacred. “Liam’s marinating in one of those moods. Grumpy. Quiet. Barely speaking. I asked what happened, and he acted like I wasn’t sitting two feet away. So…” She flashed me a bright grin. “I figured I’d get the gist from you.”