“Be for real, you’re pretty much a no nuts ever type of girl,” Hunter said with a wicked grin and a playful wink.
Allegra whacked his arm.“I’m a sometimes nuts in the right circumstances, but those circumstances are getting real specific these days kind of girl.”
Maddie snorted out a laugh.“I’m a nuts only in my dessert kind of girl.”
The group dissolved quickly into everyone giggling and sharing their hot take on nuts. Brooke’s cheeks hurt from laughter.
Anna shook her head.“I can’t believe my hot Monday table is here, on a Friday, making nut jokes. I genuinely would have bet a hundred dollars that I’d never see the day.”
Christine held up her glass.“But I, for one, am so glad we’re here. To new traditions,” she toasted, as the group happily clinked all their glasses together in turn, repeating her words as they did so.
“Here, put these on,” Anna suggested, holding out two oversized, hot pink rubber gloves for Brooke to wear.
Brooke took the gloves and slipped her hands into them, flexing her fingers a few times. Admittedly, she felt a bit like a mad scientist in her apron and latex gloves. In reality, she was just helping Anna clean up La Fourchette’s kitchen after their friends had all headed out for the evening. Maddie had volunteered to stay and help, but Brooke wasn’t having it. She was perfectly capable of doing dishes, even if she had never used an industrial dish washing machine.
Normally, whenever Brooke used a new piece of machinery, be it a blender, or a laptop, she read the whole operator’s manual from cover to cover, but Anna was moving at breakneck speed, clearly hurrying to get them out of there at a semi-reasonable hour. So, Brooke did her best to hustle, too. She rinsed everything in the massive metal sink and stacked their mixing bowls, pans, plates, glasses, and silverware into the machine in an order that seemed reasonable. This didn’t exactly feel like something she should button mash with, however, so she paused, turning to wave Anna over.
She hadn’t expected Anna to already be watching her.Intently. It had taken her more than a few weeks to really and truly accept the fact that Anna did, in fact, want her. But Brooke was to the point that she could tell from the look in Anna’s eyes exactlywhenAnna wanted her, too. And much to her surprise, that happened to be right this very second.
She felt heat creep across her cheeks.“I’m not sure what setting I should put this on,” she said, her British accent breaking the silence of the restaurant.
“Turn the dial three times clockwise and then press start,” Anna said, her honey brown eyes decidedly fixed on Brooke’s mouth.
Brooke did as instructed and spun back around, watching as Anna leaned the broom she had been using against one of the refrigerator doors. While Anna moved closer, crossing her open kitchen concept in a breeze, Brooke tugged her ridiculous gloves off, one finger at a time.
“People aren’t supposed to look so fucking good in hot pink dish gloves,” Anna murmured into the nearly non-existent space between them.
“Oh?” Brooke asked, laying the aforementioned gloves over the edge of the large metal sink.“My apologies?” She asked, lifting an eyebrow.
Anna shook her head.“You’re unfairly hot.”
“No, Darling, that’s you. That’s always been you.” Brooke said, leaning down to kiss her girlfriend. Brooke knew they couldn’t get too carried away, but she’d be lying if she said that she had never fantasized about taking Anna right here in this very kitchen.
Their kiss deepened when Anna licked into Brooke’s mouth, eliciting a moan from the back of Brooke’s throat. Brooke’s long fingers buried themselves in Anna’s hair, pulling her in even tighter. She would never get enough of this. Of the feeling of Anna pressing her entire body into Brooke, like somehow their clothes would suddenly not be in their way.
Only this time, they were even more encumbered by these ridiculous aprons. Brooke untangled her fingers from Anna’s hair to reach for the tied tails of Anna’s chef apron.
“Wait,” Anna rasped, breaking their kiss.
Brooke sobered immediately.“You’re right, sorry. We’re at your place of work, I”—
—“No,” Anna grinned, her smile mischievous, as was the glint in her eyes.“I just want you to leave our aprons on.” Her voice was rough. She sounded positively ravished already.
Brooke’s mouth fell open. Despite knowing they were alone, and knowing that the doors were all locked and the blinds to the building were drawn on every window—due to Anna’s closed party protocol—Brooke quickly glanced around the restaurant. Her heart was beating so hard she thought it might beat through her chest.“Could we?” She didn’t even know how to finish that sentence.
Anna’s tongue flicked out over her kiss-swollen lips. Her eyebrows drew together, deep in thought.“Well, we absolutely shouldn’t.”
Brooke nodded, doing her best to not look disappointed. They could continue this at her place. Maybe Anna would be fine with them washing these two aprons at her apartment and not in the staff washing machine in the back.“Okay, yeah. No, I totally get that.”
“That doesn’t mean that I don’t want to,” Anna continued, her gaze, hot and needy, zeroing in on Brooke’s lips.
“Oh, well, absolutely. I’ve only thought about it a million times,” Brooke admitted with a self-deprecating laugh.
“Have you really?” Anna asked, groaning at the thought. She still hadn’t backed up at all, in fact if it was somehow possible, she’d managed to get closer to Brooke.
Brooke nodded.“Yeah, I mean I did have a crush on you for like a year, you know.”
“I’ve thought about it, too. I’ve even had a few dirty dreams about it.” Anna bit her bottom lip as if to stop herself from saying more.
