Happily Ever After Collection - Melanie Moreland Page 0,3

“Oh my God,” he muttered.

He stepped closer and thrust out his hand. “Julia, I need you to come with me.”

I stared at his hand. “What?”

He moved his hand impatiently. “I need you to come with me. Now.” His face gentled as he saw my confusion. “Please, I won’t bite. I just want to hold your hand.”

Tentatively, I placed my hand in his, finding an odd sense of comfort as his fingers closed around mine, his large palm encompassing mine easily. Wordlessly, he tugged me beside him, and I followed him into the back door of the restaurant. The kitchen was being cleaned, and Byron continued to lead me through the building, up the stairs, and into a private office.

Gently, he removed the jacket from my shoulders and indicated a chair for me to sit in. He excused himself and told me to make myself comfortable before exiting the room. As I waited, I wandered and looked around, noticing the many diplomas and awards he had scattered on shelves and hanging on the wall. There were various pictures of him in the kitchen, standing outside Creations, smiling, looking totally different from the serious man I had seen this evening. He looked so open and warm; his grin caused my heart to clench a little. His brown hair was slightly curly, shorter in the front, and longer in the back. His shoulders were broad, his suits obviously custom tailored for him. There was a dimple on his left cheek just above his full lips, and his rich blue eyes sparkled with life in the pictures. He was very attractive.

Music played softly from hidden speakers, the dulcet tones of the Beatles making me smile. I thought of how he had said, “I just want to hold your hand.” Had he been quoting a song? Or had he been making sure I didn’t run away from him? Sitting down, I shook my head. What was I doing here? What did he want with me? I stood to leave as he walked back in, carrying a tray.

“Going somewhere?”

“Look, Byron, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you…” I trailed off as he set down the tray and covered my mouth with one finger.

“You didn’t insult me. But I can’t let you go on like this anymore.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m going to teach you to love food.”

I stared at him. “What?”

He grinned, and for the first time since meeting him, I saw the man in the photos. I also realized he had removed his chef’s jacket and was wearing a simple gray T-shirt that clung to his sculpted chest and arms. He held up his hands in supplication.

“All right, maybe saying I will teach you to love food is a rather large goal. But I can teach you to enjoy it, savor it.” He paused and shuddered. “To stay away from McDonald’s.”

I laughed. “I can afford McDonald’s, Byron. I don’t think I can afford to eat here every day.” I shook my head. “I don’t think I can afford to eat here once a year. This is really a wasted effort on your part.”

His face changed and became serious. Lightly, he pushed on my shoulders, so I sat back down in the chair, and he sat across from me. He smiled as he leaned forward and brushed the hair away from my cheek. “If I have my way, you’ll be able to eat here or anywhere I am and not have to worry about the cost. Trust me.”

I stared at him as he busied himself with the tray.

What did he mean by that? And why did I want so badly to please him? To be with him in this room?

Suddenly, I was even more nervous than before.

He turned to me, smiling. “Now, we begin.”

Chapter 2

Byron

The nervous look on her face was priceless. Her strawberry-blond hair shone under the lights, the curls falling over her shoulders. Her green eyes were wide and anxious.

“Relax, Julia, this isn’t going to hurt.”

She eyed the contents of the tray in front of me suspiciously. “What is all that?”

I grinned at her. “Just some tidbits. I want to see if I can find out your reactions to different flavors and textures.”

She made a face.

“What?”

“I don’t like…textures.”

She didn’t like textures, yet she ate the crap they called food at McDonald’s. All that consisted of was texture held together with fat and salt. I chuckled, already enjoying this. “I’ll remember that.”

Leaning forward, I picked up a small piece of Brie cheese and lifted it to her