PreHeat (Fire & Ice) Read Free Page A

the mother of all understatements.
    “Why would it be weird? We've known each other for years. We've been spending every Monday evening together for three weeks and there hasn't been any awkwardness.”
    “That's not the same as a date. You're Cheryl's brother. That is making things awkward. Plus, I'm too old for you.”
    “You're not too old for me Justine, that's ridiculous. We're not in high school. We're both adults. I really like you.”
    “Carter, don't take this the wrong way, but you're too young for me.” There. I said it, but seeing his expression go from excited to gloomy made me feel like a soul crusher. I don't know what imp on my shoulder made me speak, but I heard myself blurting, “I really like you, too, though.”
    “Alright, let's take age out of the equation for a minute. We like each other and we know we get along. What harm could there be in going out for a friendly date and seeing where things might go from there?”
    “What about Cheryl?” I had to point out the obvious.
    “What about her?”
    I wanted to shout “Duh, she'd flip out,” but instead I tried to be reasonable. “Don't be dense. She would not be cool with it.” Not only that, but I couldn't imagine facing Cheryl's parents, Sharon and Robert, if they ever found out I had gone on a date with their son. They probably wouldn't say anything to my face, but the weirdness would be there forevermore. I busied myself by pulling out the pot pies. It gave me a much needed break of eye contact. “I'm sorry, Carter.”
    His eyes seemed to dull, though they were still a vivid and gorgeous green. Dammit. Why did I have to find him so appealing? He was smart and polite, sweet to Lucy, and freakishly hot.
    “What if we stayed in? I'll even cook for you.”
    It was like a switch flipped in my head. Why the heck not give it an evening? If nothing came of it, so be it, but spending time in his company was certainly no hardship. I had been looking forward to tonight all week, mainly because I knew I'd be seeing him. I could at least admit that to myself.
    “I'll cook.” I felt a blush creeping up.
    “Great.”
    “Okay, next Monday we can have some dinner and take it from there. Now, I have to finish the salad.” I turned away from him and back to my bowl of greens to give myself a chance to calm down. I suddenly felt shy, which was stupid. I was an adult woman, and I had just been asked out by an attractive man. There were only good things that could come out of this. I just needed to keep telling myself that.
     
    ***
     
    I leaned back in my bathtub and let out my breath in a whoosh. Carter had just left after our first kind of official date. I'd had such a good time it was almost criminal. He had helped me make asparagus risotto, which I took copious pictures of during the entire process, and then we had played a truncated game of Monopoly. I had decided to quit when it was obvious that I was going to lose, but luckily, he was a good sport about it and we ended up polishing off a bottle of Chardonnay and kissing on the couch.
    Oh. My. God. That man could pack a wallop with his mouth. I put my fingers to my lips because just thinking about it was causing them to tingle. Even more shiver inducing was the knowledge that he wanted to see me again. I was relieved because the more time I spent with him the more I liked him. I was trying hard not to think of him as Cheryl's brother, but as just a man. But he wasn't just any man, he was Carter. What was I doing? How could this possibly end well? I couldn't even call Cheryl to tell her about my awesome night. That alone should tell me that this wasn't cool, but I didn't care. I had just had a fantastic evening. This was going to have to be something that was between Carter and me, only. It almost felt a little bit dirty, this clandestine meeting tonight and our upcoming date, and it only made things more exciting.
     
    ***
     
    “How’s my favorite chef tonight?” Carter’s voice gave me the