Page 22 of Perfect Pairing
My sisters and I doubled over in laughter, a highly unattractive snort leaving my lips the harder I laughed. I was bent at the waist and tilted to the side, and when I straightened, I found my gaze inexplicably drawn across the room, my attention locked on the man who had just appeared.
Somehow, the six months since I’d last seen him had done Ezra Wendtgood. I’d found him attractive before, but now? The man was sex on a stick, like a piece of really good chocolate I wanted to unwrap and savor.
There was something different about him, and it only took me a moment to realize his eyes were brighter, less haunted than they had been the first time I’d met him.
I hated that I’d been paying close enough attention to recognize it now. My infatuation with the man was a recipe for disaster.
“Delatou family,” Ezra greeted us when he reached our table, his voice like a glass of ice water on a hot day the way it rolled over my body. “It’s good to see you all, though I believe there’s one of you I haven’t met?”
Amara stood and leaned over the table, extending her hand. “Amara,” she said, tone practically a purr. “Second oldest.”
“The one who lives in Europe, right?”
“That’s right,” Amara preened. “You’ve been paying attention.”
“Your parents are so proud of all five of you,” he said noncommittally. “Naturally, they talk about you a lot.”
Then, his eyes met mine. Something passed between us, and I suddenly wished to be anywhere but in front of my family for this little reunion.
“Brie,” Ezra said. “Good to see you again.”
“Wait,” Delia hissed. “You two have met?”
Ignoring her, I said to Ezra, “You as well.”
“You ready to bake for me?”
“Not wasting any time, huh?”
Ezra shook his head, neither his stare nor his words wavering as he said, “I’ve been waiting for months.”
A shiver raced across my skin at the promise in that statement, and I found myself ready to clear my entire schedule to make time for him.
“How long are you in town?”
“Until the end of the week.”
“Can you come back tomorrow?”
Tomorrow was the day before New Year’s Eve, and I didn’t see any reason why I couldn’t spend the afternoon here, holed up in the kitchen with this gorgeous, insanely talented man.
“Tell you what,” I said, “I’ll come by tomorrow and bake for you if you promise to make me your signature dish.”
“Deal,” Ezra said quickly, and we grinned stupidly at each other for several beats too long before my father pulled him away with a question about a menu item.
Yeah, a menu question, even though the winery was about to close for the next three months. Dad couldn’t have been more obvious in wanting to get him away from me.
When I dropped into my seat again, I found all five sets of eyes belonging to Delatou women on me. Chloe leaned over and said, “What the hell just happened?”
Still mesmerized by the turn the evening had taken, I said quietly to my sister, “I have no idea, but I’m really looking forward to finding out.”
“And just where doyou think you’re off to, missy?”
I cursed under my breath before turning around. I’d almost made it out the door, but leave it to one of my sisters—Amara, in this case—to halt my progress and make it into a thing.
“Just heading to the winery. Wanted to get some baking done.”
“What’s wrong with Mom and Dad’s kitchen?” she asked.
