One Sweet Taste Read online

  “Oh good, you’re here.” Ethan smiled at her. “Linzee, I’d like you to meet my brother, Foster Price.”

  His brother. Oh dear lord, what had she done?

  Chapter Four

  For a moment, Foster wished he could take the kiss back. Linzee looked mortified. He should never ever have come on that strong. What had possessed him to grab her and kiss her when he hadn’t even told her his name? He ran a hand through his hair. Great. He’d sexually harassed his brother’s new employee. This should go over well.

  He watched as Ethan took a long look at the redhead before he turned, his eyes narrowing at Foster. Uh-oh. Foster knew his brother well enough to have a conversation without having to say a word.

  Ethan’s look said, What did you do to her? If you fuck around and make me lose my head chef, I swear to God, I will rip your dick off.

  Foster rolled his eyes. Even though he liked to flirt, he didn’t date nearly as many women as his siblings seemed to think he did. But he was a guy. If his brothers wanted to believe he had a different woman in his bed every week, he wasn’t going to argue. He certainly wasn’t going to admit the truth, which was that it had been nearly a year since he’d been interested enough to go after anyone.

  Say something, Foster. They’re both looking at you.

  “Uh, I just got here. I didn’t even have a chance to get your name.” He looked at the redhead. “Linzee, is it?”

  She nodded and held out a hand. It really fucking pleased him that her hand was shaking. When he looked into her face, he had to bite back a groan. Her cheeks were flushed, and her lips were a little swollen from his kiss. Fuck, he wanted her.

  “Yes,” she finally said. “Linzee Felton. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Price.”

  She tried to quickly remove her hand from his, but Foster held onto it in his snug grip, waiting until she raised her eyes to meet his before he let her go. The look in her eyes wasn’t what he wanted to see. There was still a hint of desire, but it was overcome by confusion and wariness. Dammit, that wasn’t what he wanted at all.

  “I apologize, Ms. Felton.” He turned to Ethan. “I came in and started taking pictures without checking to see if anyone was here. Ms. Felton was about ready to call the police and have me arrested for trespassing, and I wouldn’t blame her.” He gave Linzee a long look. “I was out of line, and I’m sorry.”

  Her blush deepened. She obviously knew exactly what he was talking about. “That’s okay. I, uh, I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.”

  Ethan looked back and forth between the two of them, confusion etched in his features as he tried to grasp the awkward situation. Before he could say anything, the front door opened again, and their brother Luke entered, followed by two men from his construction crew.

  Luke had taken over their family’s construction business when their dad died a few years back, and he was leading the charge in getting Ethan’s bar ready in time for the Valentine’s Day opening.

  “Hey, Linz, come meet my brother.” Ethan put a hand on Linzee’s back and led her away as she shot a final glance at Foster.

  “Uh, how many siblings do you have exactly?” she asked.

  “There are five of us,” Luke answered, holding out a hand to shake hers. “And I’m the oldest and wisest.”

  Foster snorted as he walked over to Luke. “And the most humble.”

  Luke shot him the finger on instinct before drawing his hand into a fist, his face growing red. “Uh, sorry, ma’am.”

  Ethan leaned over and smacked his oldest brother on the shoulder. “Christ, between the two of you, she’s going to walk out on her first week in town.”

  Linzee smiled and let out a little laugh. And damned if her laugh didn’t sound like music.

  “Come on, let’s go in the kitchen, and you can show me what you have planned for finger food.” Ethan shot both his brothers annoyed glares as he led Linzee out of the room.

  When Foster turned back to Luke, his oldest brother held his hands up, feigning innocence. “What? I did nothing. This has to be on you.”

  When Foster scowled, Luke grinned, his dark eyes lighting with mirth. “Well, I’ll be damned. She’s been in town what? A day?”

  “Screw you, Luke.”

  “What, I’m not judging. She’s cute.” Luke’s eyes trailed to the kitchen where Linzee and Ethan had gone. “She’s really cute.”

  Foster’s eyes shot to his brother’s face. “Hands off,” he snapped before thinking.

  Luke winked at him. “Yep, that’s what I thought.”

  Bastard.

  Foster sighed, turning away from his brother as Luke went to help his crew carry in equipment. He began snapping pictures and told himself that it would be a bad idea to go after his brother’s employee. A very bad idea.

  Chapter Five

  Two days later, Linzee walked into Price B&G and marveled at the difference in the place in just the last two days. The new oak bar was the centerpiece of the room. The ornate carving on the edges of the bar was breathtaking. Luke really had done an amazing job. She set a box on top of the counter and trailed her fingers along the bar, marveling at the detail of the work.

  “Hey, Linz,” Becca said, walking out of the kitchen with Ethan’s girlfriend, Tori. “Just the woman we were looking for.”

  Linzee had pegged both women to be in their mid-twenties even though Tori seemed insanely mature for her age. Becca on the other hand was very obviously the baby of the Price family. Even though Becca seemed a bit spoiled at times, it was hard to hold it against her when she was one of the sweetest people Linzee had ever met.

  “Me?” Linzee shrugged out of her coat. “Why were you looking for me?” She noticed Becca was holding something behind her back, but couldn’t tell what it was.

  “I remembered you said you were looking for something to hang on the wall over your couch.” Becca held up the large monogram wall hanging. The loopy L seemed to be made of an ornate metal entwined with floral vines.

  “Wow,” she breathed, reaching out to run her fingers lightly over the metal carving. “Becca, this is beautiful.”

  “You like it?” The brunette seemed to bounce with enthusiasm. “I ordered some of these for the boutique, and I just thought they were stunning.” She handed it to Linzee.

  “You have to let me pay you for this,” she said, still wondering over the beautiful decoration. Not only was it beautiful, but Linzee was overcome with emotion at the fact that the younger woman had thought of her.

  Becca gave her a dramatic eye-roll. “Whatever. You’re not paying me. It’s a gift.”

  Setting the wall hanging on the bar, she turned to give Becca a hug. “Thank you.”

  “Yeah, Becca can be pretty sweet when she wants to be.” Tori smiled as Becca disengaged herself from Linzee and stuck her tongue out at her friend.

  “Linz, we’re having a big girls’s night Friday night over at Becca’s,” Tori began.

  “You have to come!” Becca gave a little bounce. “It will be so fun. And it will give you a chance to meet some more people in town.”

  “I’ll try,” Linzee said with a smile. “I really will. We’ve been so busy getting the place ready—” she gestured around at the restaurant, “—but I’ll try to come.”

  Tori looked around. “I can’t believe how far the place has come so quickly. Luke’s done such an amazing job on the new construction.”

  “It really does look amazing, doesn’t it?” she asked, spinning around in a slow circle.

  “Yeah,” Tori answered. “Those Price boys are pretty darn talented,” she said with a wink.

  “Ew!” Rebecca said. “You better not be referring to your sex life.” She reached up to cover her ears as Tori laughed.

  “Bec, drag your mind out of the gutter. And you used to beg me to tell you about my sex life before I was dating your brother.”

  “Exactly,” Becca exclaimed. “My brother! That is a big-time ew, right, Linzee?” she asked, turning to Linzee for agreeme
nt.

  She laughed. “Hey, I’m an only child, so I can’t comment on the gross-out factor of siblings.”

  “Speaking of siblings, Ethan mentioned that you met Foster the other day.” Tori raised a strawberry-blonde eyebrow as Becca leaned to peer in the box Linzee had set on the bar.

  “I did.” She tried to sound nonchalant as she reached in to grab one of the containers she’d brought. Opening it, she held it out to Tori and Becca. “Candied cherries. I’m going to see how they taste on the shortbread.”

  Becca popped one in her mouth, her eyes widening. “Mmmm,” she said, reaching for two more.

  “So,” Tori said, drawing it out, “what did you think of Foster?” She reached for a cherry. Dang it, she just wasn’t going to let it go.

  Linzee tried to think of an appropriate response. “He seemed...” Gorgeous. Sexy. Mouth-watering. “Nice.”

  “Nice, huh?” said a male voice from behind her.

  A short gasp escaped her as she spun around. Aw hell, she hadn’t noticed Foster behind her. He must have been in the kitchen. Before she could respond, the phone in her pocket chirped. Thank goodness. Saved by the bell.

  “Excuse me,” she said, glancing at the display. “It’s my daughter.”

  She handed the bowl of cherries to Becca and shuffled past Foster, trying not to notice the heat radiating off of him, or the smell of his aftershave that somehow combined with his own personal scent to create the intoxicating drug of piney, woodsy, sinewy god of a man.

  When she entered the kitchen, she hit the answer button. “Georgia, baby, where are you? You shouldn’t be calling from the road.”

  Her daughter was planning to spend Christmas with her, and Linzee was excited to show Georgia around Oakville. She knew her daughter would truly love the art scene.

  “Mom, I’m not on the road. Haven’t you seen the weather? We got five inches of snow dumped on us in two hours.”

  Linzee’s heart sank.

  “As soon as it lets up, I’m totally heading out,” said Georgia.

  “No! Baby, you are not driving down here in the snow.” As much as she wanted to be with her only child on Christmas, it wasn’t worth the risk.

  There was a pause on the other end, and Linzee heard a sniffle. “But Mom, I’ve never been away from you on Christmas. I have to get down there. Besides, I’ve been saving my calories for the Christmas cookies we always make.”

  Every year on Christmas Eve, Linzee and her daughter had a cookie party and made a variety of cookies. Linzee had already bought the ingredients and was planning to test some new recipes.

  But the cookies weren’t her biggest concern right now. No, right now, her heart ached in her chest at the thought of not being with her daughter on Christmas.

  “Georgia, it will be okay. Classes don’t start back up until mid-January. You’ll come in a few days when the roads are clear, and we’ll have plenty of time together.”

  “But Mom, it’s not the same,” her daughter whined.

  “Now, Georgia Grace, you listen to me. You’re not going to put your safety at risk. Do you understand? We will be together next week. We’ll celebrate Christmas then. It doesn’t have to be on the exact day.”

  When her daughter didn’t say anything, Linzee continued. “And if you get in that car during a snowstorm, I will take you over my knee and beat your ass. Don’t think you’re too old for that.”

  A bubble of laughter erupted over the line, and Linzee smiled.

  She and Georgia ended the call with plans to check in the next day. Linzee sank down onto a stool near the butcher-block island. She didn’t want her daughter on the road, but the thought of being alone on Christmas was not a pleasant one. Tears blurred her vision, and she made a miserable attempt to swipe at them. Dammit.

  Covering her face with her hands, she let herself cry.

  Chapter Six

  Foster turned the lock on the front door after Becca and Tori headed out. He’d taken some close-up photos of Luke’s elaborate carving details on the bar, and he’d promised Ethan he’d lock up. Packing up his camera, he couldn’t stop his eyes from straying to the kitchen door.

  Walk out, Price. You should leave. But no matter how many times he told himself to leave her alone, nothing diminished the fact that he wanted Linzee. She was all he’d thought about in the last forty-eight hours. His former misery of not winning the prestigious Donovan Award had taken a backseat to his need for her.

  He’d played the kiss with Linzee over and over in his head. It had been perfect. The sounds she made at the back of her throat, the way she moaned into his mouth. It made him speculate more about what kind of sounds she made when she came. And he wanted to make her come. He’d thought of her in his bed so much in the last two days, he would swear he was almost insane with the need to have her. Never in his life had he craved a woman like this.

  With a deep breath, he dropped his bag on the bar. He’d just go talk to her. It couldn’t hurt to talk to her, right?

  When he pushed the door open, he heard her soft sobbing. He stopped dead at the sight of Linzee sitting at the island, her hands covering her face as she wept. His heart immediately ached. He wanted to hold her, protect that vulnerability. Who had hurt her? Whoever it was, he would fucking kill them.

  She didn’t hear him when he walked around the island, or she would have looked up.

  Not wanting to scare her, Foster stayed a few feet away when he spoke.

  “Linzee? Sugar, what’s wrong?”

  Her head shot up, and the pain in her eyes felt like a dagger to his chest. How could he care so much about this woman he’d only just met?

  “I … uh … nothing,” she said in a wobbly voice as she wiped tears away.

  He couldn’t take it. Foster stepped closer to her and gathered her into his arms. She immediately stiffened, and for a moment, he thought she was going to fight him, pull away. But then she relaxed and her shoulders shook as the sobs began again. Her arms went around his waist and held onto him like a lifeline as she cried.

  And he just held her, rocking her gently as he stroked her curls. He kissed the top of her head, loving the smell of her hair. He’d never look at strawberries the same way again. His other hand stroked up and down her back as he held her, lending her his strength.

  After a few minutes, her crying eased, and she pulled away. Her eyes wouldn’t meet his. She was obviously embarrassed. Foster walked over to the desk in the corner of the kitchen and grabbed a box of Kleenex, then set it down in front of her. She plucked a couple and dried her eyes before he spoke.

  “Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”

  After several moments of silence, Foster thought she wasn’t going to answer, but then she spoke in a quiet voice. “My daughter.”

  Fear threaded through him. “Your daughter? Is she okay? Is she hurt?”

  Linzee shook her head. “She’s okay. She’s at college. Northwestern. She was going to drive down for Christmas, but there’s a huge storm.”

  He nodded, beginning to understand. “Yeah, I heard Chicago was getting dumped on.”

  “Yeah, she, uh, she can’t make it.” She cast him a quick glance. “It’s silly, right? I’m sitting here blubbering. It’s just that I’ve never been away from her at Christmas.”

  “Why is that silly? I’ve been with my family every Christmas. If I were away from them, I would be terribly upset. I know it’s not the same as having a child, but I do understand. I’m sorry, Linz. I really am.”

  “Thank you,” she said, looking relieved. Why was she relieved? Why would she be nervous to tell him she missed her child? Why on earth would she think he would view that as silly? Then a thought hit him: someone had really done a number on her. Linzee was a strong woman, but she had scars. Foster was overcome with the urge to protect her.

  Another tear leaked out of the corner of her eye, and he reached up to wipe it away with his thumb. Linzee closed her eyes and leaned into his hand as he continued to stroke his thum
b over the soft porcelain skin of her cheek.

  “You’re so beautiful, Linzee,” he breathed. She opened her eyes to look up at him, and he felt as though the bright emerald green of her gaze could see through to his very soul.

  Foster realized how close they were. She was still perched on the high bar stool, her legs spread, allowing him to stand between them. His left arm was wrapped around her waist, holding her tight to him, and his right hand stroked over her face, her hair, as her arms encircled his waist.

  Foster swallowed. He could feel himself growing hard against her, but couldn’t bring himself to back away and let her go. Leaning down to press his forehead against hers, he enjoyed the way her arms tightened around him, her legs spreading wider so the thickness of his cock nestled against her denim-clad pussy. When her breath caught in her throat, he knew she could feel him against her.

  “Linz, what are you doing to me?” he whispered against her mouth.

  Her hand came up to his chest, and he was afraid for a moment that she might push him away. But instead, her hand traveled further up until it was around his neck, urging him to her.

  Foster descended, his lips taking hers. This wasn’t a sweet, soft kiss. This was a blistering possession of her mouth.

  She wasn’t hesitant like she’d been the first time he’d kissed her. She let her guard down, holding him firmly to her as her tongue played alongside his. A groan tore from his throat as his tongue surged deeper. He slid his hands to her ass and cupped those gorgeous round cheeks, holding her close as he pressed himself firmly to her. He wanted her to feel what she did to him.

  “Foster,” she said on a half-moan, letting her head drop back. “We shouldn’t.”

  But she leaned her head to the side, exposing her graceful neck. He couldn’t resist. He traced his tongue down her chin, nibbling at the smooth skin of her neck. “You’re so fucking sweet.”

  When his teeth nipped, he felt Linzee’s hands clench against his shoulders as she moaned and ground her body to his as if she couldn’t get close enough.