Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 11 - Chapitre 20

CALI step out of my home office to the smell of lemon filling the house. It smells incredible, and I’m not even that close to the kitchen. The faint sound of music travels down the hallway. With each step I take toward the kitchen, the smell of lemon and herbs gets stronger, and the music gets louder.It’s Lucy’s third day on the job, and I’m already wishing she could come back to Manhattan with me after the summer ends to continue working for me. Her cooking is that good. She prepares meals that feel like home-cooked comfort food but with unique flavor combinations and fresh ingredients that make my mouth water. Never have I cared about when I’d be eating my next meal. If we’re being honest, meals were more of a social affair for me most of the time.Now, I find myself counting down the minutes until I get to taste whatever she’s thought up.Today was a busy day. I’d been out all day golfing with seven other guys, and we did all eighteen holes, leading to a long day. It was both a m

CALThe moment I open the back door to the house, I’m met with the sweet aroma of banana and something else.“Good morning,” I call as I enter the kitchen, giving Lucy a genuine smile after not seeing her over the weekend. It was her first weekend off, and the house felt a little empty without her here.She looks up from where she places a waffle on a plate. Her smile is warm and genuine. “Morning.”“Have a good weekend?” I ask, fighting the urge to ask her everything she did.She nods before turning around and grabbing a pan from the stove. “I did. What about you?”I frown, wishing she’d give me more details. What did she do? Did she take time for herself and rest? Do something she enjoyed? Maybe even film some videos of herself cooking? I happened upon her Instagram account and her blog where she posts her recipes, but so far, I haven’t seen any videos from her.Lucy looks up from where she scoops some kind of banana mixture on top of the waffles. Her eyes roam over me, reminding me

CALI can’t help but laugh at the sight in front of me. “You look like hell, Davenport.”Ryker groans before leaning forward and massaging between his eyes. “I was going to just donate double today and nurse this wicked hangover at home, but someone wouldn’t let me do that.” He looks behind him where a group of our friends is standing.Camille, Ryker’s babysitter for the summer, plasters on a smile after hearing Ryker’s words. “Nothing cleans up an image more than a charity event. I’ve told you for a week you were participating. It’s not my fault you drank too much last night.”Ryker tosses a dirty look her way. “Maybe I wouldn’t feel the need to drink if you’d leave me alone.”Camille opens her mouth to respond, but before she can, her eyes land on Lucy. “Hi, again,” she says excitedly, sounding friendlier than I’ve ever heard her.Lucy returns the smile, making me wonder if they know each other through Pembroke. “Hi, good to see you again,” Lucy responds, taking a step closer to Cam

CALSo Lucy wasn’t lying. I stand off to the side as I watch her swing the golf club in a third attempt at hitting the ball.She misses…again.A crease appears on her forehead as she looks at me. “Ugh,” she whines. “I suck at this, and it’s embarrassing.”I uncross my arms from in front of my chest and take a step closer to her. “How about I help?” I offer.“I don’t know if your help will do anything. I’m hopeless.” She looks over her shoulder at the line of golf carts waiting for us to finish our turn. She closes her eyes and lets out a groan. “And everyone’s watching me make a complete fool of myself.”I close the distance between us, trying not to focus on how good she smells. I’m becoming far too fond of her sweet scent.I’m becoming far too fond of her.I reach out and let my fingers trail down her back reassuringly. “All of this is for charity. No one’s judging you, I promise. Everyone in our group is my friend. They’re just here to have fun and raise money. Stop getting in your

CALThis is torture.I’ve already been struggling to fight my attraction to Lucy, and being around her all day in a bikini might be one of the worst ideas I’ve ever had.And I never have bad ideas. I have great judgment. It’s the reason I thrive at my job and the reason I’m able to not only uphold but catapult my family’s legacy with Hastings Inc.But inviting Lucy over was a terrible idea.She wears a baby pink bikini that I can’t stop staring at. I’ve never been a fan of pink before, but it might now be my favorite color.The two little pink ties at her waist.The tiny triangles that hide parts of her I’m suddenly desperate to see.The color her cheeks turn from the little comments I make.I squeeze my eyes shut as she walks in front of me, deep in conversation with Camille about something. I need to look away from her.I need to not be attracted to her.“Are you listening to a word I’m saying?” Ryker asks, breaking me from my thoughts.I jolt, pushing my body up in my chair and tur