Chapter 9

CHAPTERNINE

I never knew the next woman to

cook in this kitchen would be

one that I loved.

Mom, you’d approve.

~ Ethan

THE BIRDS TWITTERING outside the window had Chloé waking the next morning in a bed other than their usual.

She stretched beneath the sheets of the California king in the cabana and smiled to herself as she rolled to her side and saw Ethan on his back, one arm across his chest and the other up under his pillow.

He looked so peaceful when he slept. Dark lashes, ruffled hair, his oh-so-serious mouth relaxed. As she watched him, she reached out and brushed her fingers through the soft strands resting on his forehead.

“Careful.” Zayne’s sleepy voice found her over her shoulder. “You sure you want to wake the beast just yet?”

She grinned. “I wasn’t trying to wake him. I just—”

“Couldn’t resist touching him?”

She bit down into her lip as Zayne shifted and rested his chin on her shoulder.

“I can’t blame you. He’s pretty irresistible.”

“So are you.”

Zayne pressed a kiss to her shoulder, then smoothed a hand down to the curve of her hip, where he gently tugged her to her back and moved in to steal a morning kiss.

Chloé melted into the soft mattress as Zayne’s tongue swept along her lower lip then dipped inside, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and arched up into him. Now this was the way to wake up on her day off—kissing one of her lovers in their pool house after a night of unbelievable passion.

She had a vague recollection of how’d they’d gotten upstairs. It’d been after a relaxing midnight swim and then…round two. But after that she must’ve drifted off, because all she remembered was Ethan wrapping her up in a towel and carrying her up the stairs, apparently blissed out of her mind from the best surprise ever.

“How do you look so good in the morning?” Zayne kissed his way up her jaw, and when Chloé angled her head on the pillow to give him greater access, her eyes collided with Ethan’s.

“Now that’s a good question. How do you look so good in the morning, petite fille?”

A smile slowly curved her lips. “I don’t. I’m a mess. Especially my hair.”

“Not true,” Ethan said as he reached for a strand, and Zayne raised his head.

“He’s right, Red. There’s nothing messy about you.” He pressed another quick kiss to her lips then leaned over her to greet Ethan the same way. “Good morning.”

“Good morning. I’m surprised you can move. Chloé worked you out pretty good last night, if I remember correctly.”

He did, and Chloé’s burning cheeks confirmed it. She still couldn’t believe what she’d done to Zayne last night. What Ethan had let her do. But she had to admit, she’d loved every second of it. Driving Zayne crazy, holding the power, had been as much of a turn-on as following Ethan’s directions.

“I can move, but I’m definitely feeling it.” Zayne smirked at her. “Who knew our girl would be such a…rough rider?”

“Oh my God.” Chloé lowered her eyes, her cheeks scarlet now.

“Aw, that’s nothing to be ashamed of, Red. Being strapped down like that isn’t worth it unless I come out the other side looking like I’ve been ridden hard and put away wet.”

She groaned, and Ethan trailed his fingers down her arm. “Are you embarrassed?”

“No.” When he arched a brow, she rolled her eyes. “Okay, maybe a little.”

“Why? Did you not enjoy what happened last night?”

“No, I did. It’s just…” She shifted her eyes to Zayne, who was watching her with a devilish smirk.

“It’s okay, Red. You can say it.”

“He’s right.” Ethan shifted closer to them. “You can tell us anything. If you don’t like something, we want to know.”

Feeling a little cheeky with how they’d just played with her, Chloé made a show of worrying her lower lip. “I didn’t like it.”

Zayne’s forehead furrowed as he shifted off her to the side.

“Really?” Ethan’s voice relayed both of their shock, but then he nodded. “Okay. We must’ve misread that, but—”

“I didn’t like it,” she interrupted him, then grinned like a fiend. “I loved it.”

Ethan’s eyes narrowed, and the next thing she knew he was grabbing her and hauling her up over his body, sheet and all. Chloé shrieked, then started giggling.

“That was a very mean trick, petite fille.”

Chloé laughed a little harder as he wrapped his arms around her and began to draw the sheet up from their feet. As the soft material floated over the back of her calves, thighs, and finally her bare ass, she gasped, and Ethan looked to Zayne, who was gloriously naked beside them.

“How do you think we should punish her for such a lie, Zayne?”

Zayne eyed her bare behind and scooted in closer. “I can think of a few things.” He smoothed his palm over her right cheek, and Chloé moaned and arched up into it.

Ethan’s lips crooked as he tightened his hold on the bunched-up sheet at her waist, and she couldn’t help but rub herself over the erection pressing against her bare mound.

“This is a punishment, gorgeous. Not time to get yourself off.”

Chloé aimed a mischievous grin down at him. “So should I apologize?”

“You could… But that’s not going to help you.” His eyes shifted past her shoulder. “Zayne?”

A sharp, stinging smack to her behind had Chloé’s breath catching and her head whipping around.

“Ouch.”

Zayne rubbed his hand over her tingling skin. “Aw, that was just a little love tap.”

“Love tap? I’m going to have an imprint of your hand on my—”

Smack.

Chloé’s hips automatically jerked forward, Ethan thrust up, and the delicious friction from his hard-on against her made her moan.

“Again,” Ethan said, and this time Chloé braced her hands on either side of his head just as Zayne’s hand landed.

The quick smack had not only her ass tingling but her clit too, and despite what Ethan had said, she began to rock on top of him. She knew he’d probably tell her to stop at any moment, but she didn’t care. She was in it now, and it felt too good to stop. So when he said nothing, she took that as a sign that she could keep going.

She curled her fingers around the pillow under his head, and a second later—smack.

“Ah.” Her bare cheeks felt hot and tender now as she continued on her quest for climax, and when she felt Zayne move up behind her and grind his cock over the crack of her ass, Ethan smirked.

“Now what are you going to do, gorgeous? I believe you are what they call caught between a rock and a hard place.”

Chloé shoved back, brushing her ass up against Zayne. “Do I have permission to come?”

“If you didn’t”—Ethan removed his hands from her back and pulled her hips closer—“I would’ve stopped you by now.”

Yes, he would’ve.

Chloé’s breasts pressed up against Ethan’s chest as Zayne moved down over her and wrapped his big hands around the gold bracelets surrounding her wrists. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of being trapped between the two of them as Ethan slid his hands over her hips to Zayne’s, holding them both in place.

“Go on, then—make yourself come.”

Not needing any more permission, Chloé began to grind herself between the two hard cocks wedged up against her, and the friction felt amazing. Zayne’s mouth was on her shoulder, kissing and sucking the skin there, as Ethan watched on. His heavy-lidded gaze and the sticky pre-cum coating her clit and thighs mixed with her own arousal as Zayne painted her backside, and right there in the light of the morning they woke each other up in much the same way they’d all said good night.

Tangled up in one another, as they fell over the edge of the cliff and into oblivion.

* * *

“HOW MANY TIMES do I have to tell you, Red? You can’t just leave your clothes all over the property.” Zayne bent down and picked up Chloé’s thong, twirling it around his finger. “You never know who might stop by.”

Chloé grabbed the lace off him and poked her tongue out. She looked absolutely adorable walking across the grounds in nothing but Ethan’s shirt from yesterday.

“You can blame him for that.” She pointed an accusatory finger in Ethan’s direction. “He made me do it.”

“I didn’t make you do anything.” Ethan caught her around the waist and kissed her pouty lips. “I merely asked you to strip, and you did.”

Chloé giggled and shoved him away. “Same thing. Now stop trying to distract me.”

“Is that what I’m doing?”

“You know it is, and I have things to do today before we go into town.”

“Into town?” Zayne strolled over to where her and Ethan stood, the rest of Chloé’s garments in hand. They really were going to have to reenact this for him sometime when he wasn’t…incapacitated.

Not that he was complaining. He’d more than enjoyed what had come after Chloé skipped through the gardens naked. He just wished he could’ve been there to see it.

“Pasta night. Every Wednesday.”

“Oh shit, that’s right. I’ll remember that eventually.”

“It’s okay. It’s been part of my life since I was born—it’s been part of yours for a few weeks.”

Zayne took her hand in his as the three of them headed back toward the main house. “I’m not gonna lie. It’s a damn good part of it.”

“He’s not wrong,” Ethan said. “Having homemade pasta from the Priestley-Thorntons every week is like winning the jackpot.”

“Well, technically it’s from you too. No one gets a free meal on pasta night. You have to work for it.”

“Okay, but getting a cooking lesson from you is just as lucky.”

Chloé bumped into Ethan’s shoulder. “Aw, that’s sweet. But now that you mention it, I was going to spend the day working on some of my menu, if that’s okay.”

“Of course.”

“Aaaand I was hoping you two would be willing to taste-test for me?” She looked between them, and Zayne chuckled.

“Oh, please, twist my arm.”

She clapped her hands together. “Perfect. I’m so nervous and I want to get this right. But I think I’m close to narrowing it down.”

“Then why don’t we get inside so you can get some clothes on and get to work?”

The three of them headed up to the house, where Chloé took a quick shower and then told them she was heading down to get cooking. They were forbidden to sneak a look until she was done, and were told to maybe take a nap instead to rest their weary bodies.

Cheeky girl. But she wasn’t wrong. Maybe it was their age catching up with them, but after last night and this morning, they’d both been feeling the lack of sleep. So Zayne and Ethan did just that, crawled into bed and didn’t resurface until later that afternoon.

Shower complete, Zayne emerged from the en suite to the afternoon sun shining through the doors of their bedroom, and was surprised to see Ethan still up there, standing out on the balcony.

He pulled a hunter-green tee over his head and slicked his hand back through his hair as he walked outside to join Ethan.

“You didn’t have to wait,” Zayne said as he came to a stop at the rail.

Ethan turned and greeted him with a smile. He had his sunglasses on and, like Zayne’s, his hair was still damp from the shower. He leaned back against the balcony and slid his glasses up on top of his head.

“I know. But before we head down, I want to check in with you for a second.”

“Check in with me?” Zayne frowned. “About last night? I told you, I feel fine, and I more than enjoyed—”

“Not about last night. But I am happy to hear you enjoyed yourself.”

“Oh, okay. Then what’s up?”

“I wanted to check in with you about the senator.”

The senator? Jesus, talk about left field.

Zayne hadn’t heard or thought about his father since…well, since he’d publicly disowned him on national television. And since his mother did everything the senator told her to, he knew he wouldn’t hear from her either.

He should probably be more upset, but the truth was that his father had done Zayne a favor that day, and the fact he hadn’t reached out, or called to blackmail him about something, only solidified the fact that his father was well and truly gone from his—their—life. And that was that, as far as he was concerned.

“I’m fine.”

Ethan’s eyes softened. “Are you sure? I know it’s been several weeks now and you haven’t heard anything. I wanted to give you space, but I need to know, are you okay?”

Zayne stepped closer and took one of Ethan’s hands in his. He placed it over his heart and looked Ethan dead in the eye.

“I’m okay.” He nodded. “I promise. You know how my family was. How that house was. It was never a home. It was cold, tomblike. He’d been dead to me for a long time—you know that.”

“I do. But I also know loss can creep up on us when we least expect it.”

“Maybe if there was something to lose. But you know how it was. I existed in that house like a shadow.”

“That’s so unfathomable to me.” Ethan placed a hand to Zayne’s cheek. “When you’re the very thing that lights up my world. You’ll never be alone again, never not have a place to come home to.”

“I know, and that’s why I’m okay.”

Ethan leaned in and brushed a kiss across his lips. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“And so does our girl downstairs. What do you say we head down and see what she’s cooking?”

Zayne nodded but didn’t let go of Ethan’s hand as they headed back inside and over to the elevator. He might’ve been okay with everything that had gone down with the senator, but he wasn’t ready to let go just yet of the one who grounded him.

* * *

THE DELICIOUS SMELL of French cuisine found them before the elevator even reached the ground floor, and Ethan wondered how in the world they were ever supposed to eat anything else again.

They were lucky enough to have eaten at some of the finest restaurants in the world, but something about watching Chloé weave her magic right before their very eyes had made it difficult to want anything else.

She was a master in the kitchen—they’d known that the first time they walked into JULIEN and ate there. But after their trip to Paris, it had been confirmed. So Ethan wasn’t surprised in the slightest that Julien was challenging her now. He wanted to give his daughter every opportunity he could, and what better way than by showcasing her talents?

There was no doubt in Ethan’s mind that her fathers would one day leave the family business in her hands, no matter what the outcome was. But this way she would feel she had earned whatever accolades came her way, rather than getting them handed to her on a silver platter. No matter how much they loved her.

His parents had been the same in that retrospect. They’d left the family business, the estate, all their property to him. But it was contingent on certain matters, like finishing his education and earning a degree.

So while he’d been resentful at first for being sent away to Kings Boarding School after they died, he understood now why they did it. They’d wanted him to succeed. Wanted him to thrive even if they weren’t there to see it. It would’ve been so easy for him to wallow away out here at the estate with all that money. So easy to disappear from society and become a shell of a person.

But they’d made sure that wouldn’t happen. They’d sent him to a place where he would be watched over and guided—no matter what he wanted. A place where he ended up meeting Zayne.

Even in their passing they had been watching over him, and he knew that Chloé’s fathers were the same. He recognized unconditional love when he saw it. The pride in their eyes whenever she was in the room. He saw joy and happiness, a family like he’d once had, and being around them reminded him of just how much he missed his.

He glanced at Zayne as they stepped free of the elevator, and wondered if he really was as okay about the senator as he was trying to represent.

Sure, having that vile man out of their lives was a relief to Ethan, but Zayne? He was a sensitive soul. So kind and caring, which was crazy in itself, considering where he came from. To think he wasn’t feeling the sting of rejection would be naïve on Ethan’s part. But he would respect Zayne’s feelings and keep an eye on him, just as he had since Paris, and if and when Zayne ever needed to talk about it, he and Chloé would be there for him.

“Whatever she’s working on, it smells heavenly in here.”

Zayne grinned. “I know. It’s making my stomach growl.”

Ethan chuckled as they made their way through the living area and down the hall. He could hear the sound of pots and pans moving around. When they stepped into the kitchen, the sight that greeted them had Ethan smiling from ear to ear.

Chloé was by the stove in a flirty pink blouse and denim capris, with her hair tied up in a haphazard bun and an apron secured at her waist.

She had a set of headphones on and was singing badly as she stirred the pot. She swayed on her feet to the beat as though it were a well-choreographed number—and, for all Ethan knew, it might’ve been.

She looked at home in the kitchen, and his mother would’ve loved seeing her there.

Ethan pulled up on that thought, all these memories of his family resurfacing after so many years having buried them. He knew the cause—she was standing right in front of him. It had been the same way when he fell for Zayne. That innate desire to introduce them to his family, the other people he loved.

The only problem was they were no longer here. At least, not in person. So the memories came instead. They snuck up on him, reminding him of how much his mother loved cooking in here or how tall she wanted the magnolias to grow.

“Are you sure we’re allowed in here? She did say we were forbidden.”

Ethan turned at Zayne’s question to see a smile playing at his lips. “True. But that was hours ago.”

“But you know how some chefs are about stepping inside their kitchen while creating.”

“Do I?”

“Yes. You’ve seen those shows on TV. The chefs are always mean.”

Ethan looked over to the beautiful woman in the pink frilly shirt and jeans, then back to Zayne. “Somehow, I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. Plus, we’ve been in the kitchen with her back in France. She wasn’t mean then.”

“Yes, but she wasn’t creating then. She’s thinking right now, ruminating—”

“Ruminating?”

“You know, trying to decide which way to go. She might not appreciate being interrupted.”

Ethan chuckled. “Would it make you feel better if I was to go first?”

Zayne looked back to where Chloé was now using her wooden spoon like a microphone, and nodded.

“Yeah, you go first. That way if she gets mad, it’s at you.”

“Gee, thanks. It’s good to see how comfortable you are at throwing me to the wolves.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Zayne waved him forward, and Ethan crossed the kitchen to where Chloé stood. Once he was behind her, he gently touched her waist first to not give her a fright, and when she glanced over her shoulder, a stunning smile hit her lips.

Ethan reached for one of the headphones and pulled it up, then placed his mouth by her ear.

“How’s it going in here, gorgeous?”

“Good,” she said a little louder than needed, with her music still playing. “I’m just working on some different sauces to see what I like best.”

Ethan nodded and put the headphones back in place, then wrapped his arm fully around her and looked over her shoulder.

From what he could see, she had four pots simmering on the stove in front. She switched off the two final burners that were on, then pulled her headphones free as she turned around and greeted him with a kiss.

“Sorry, I was just finishing up.”

“No problem at all. In fact, this greeting is much better than Zayne thought I would get.” Chloé pulled back to look at Zayne standing in the doorway, and Ethan whispered, “He thought you were going to be mad we interrupted.”

“Mad?” Chloé grinned. “Why would I be mad?”

“I’ve seen those cooking shows,” Zayne finally said, walking over. “Chefs don’t like people in their space.”

She laughed. “You’re not wrong, actually. My père was on one of those shows. He was dubbed ‘the Prick.’”

“See?” Zayne eyed Ethan. “I know what I’m talking about.”

Chloé reached for his cheek and patted it. “Don’t worry, I only use my wooden spoon on you if you want it. So…wanna taste?”

Zayne’s eyes brightened. “Damn right I do.”

“Then go and take a seat,” she said, shooing them out of the kitchen and to the other side of the island.

Once they were seated, she moved about the kitchen preparing several small dishes, then brought them over. Each serving was plated to perfection and looked like a work of art, and considering she’d pulled this off in their kitchen with a last-minute order for the staff, Ethan could only imagine what she could do at the restaurant, where she had everything she could ever need at her disposal.

“Okay, I have four mains I’m oscillating between. So, be honest. I want to know how you feel about them, okay? Nothing you say will hurt my feelings. I need feedback to help me tweak. To make it perfect.”

“Not sure how helpful my ‘I like it’ or ‘I don’t’ will be, Red,” Zayne replied. “But I’m willing to let you use my mouth for whatever purpose you like.”

Chloé arched a sassy brow. “Well, I’m definitely not going to say no to that.”

“Smart girl.” Ethan smirked. “Zayne is very good with his mouth.”

She eyed said mouth and bit down into her lip. “I know. But for now, I’m going to use his tongue to taste some of my…other delights.”

Zayne winked at her as she slid a knife and fork their way.

“First off, I have for you squab with a Swiss chard gnocchi. The gnocchi is made from scratch.”

Jesus, she was impressive.

Ethan leaned over and inhaled the delicious aromas coming from… “What’s the sauce with it?”

“That’s squab jus and summer truffle. The squab is cooked on the bone and roasted—gives it a more flavorful taste.”

Zayne dug in at the same time Ethan did, eager to try the first creation put in front of them. The second the meal hit his taste buds, Ethan closed his eyes and savored the flavors that exploded on his tongue. It wasn’t every day you got to eat like this, and he was not going to rush the experience.

Unusually quiet beside him, Zayne seemed to be having a similar kind of moment. Ethan opened his eyes to see Chloé looking at them both expectantly, and a sense of pride hit him.

This smart, talented woman was theirs, and holy hell was she a genius in the kitchen.

“Well?” she said when neither of them spoke. But Ethan was still trying to come up with the words to tell her it was the best thing he’d ever tasted in his life.

“Red…” Zayne stabbed the last piece of gnocchi and twirled it through the sauce, and Ethan nodded.

“I feel just like Zayne. Words are escaping me. If that’s the first option, I have no idea how we’re going to pick one. That was extraordinary.”

“Really? There’s nothing you’d change? It wasn’t too salty? Too sweet?”

“Chloé?”

“Yes.”

“We’ve eaten in restaurants all over the world, and that was sheer perfection.”

She let out a shuddery breath, her eyes glistening at his praise.

“It’s just… Père’s never trusted me like this before, and it makes me nervous. What if I make a mistake? What if this is a test and I fail?”

Zayne put his utensils down and sat back on his stool. “Trust me, Red. If you cook like this on the night, you ain’t gonna fail.”

“Zayne’s right. And if this is a test, he’s doing it to better you. He knows how talented you are, and if this is you practicing, I can only imagine how phenomenal it’s going to be on the night. You are going to make yourself, them, and us the proudest people on the planet.”

A smile slowly stretched across her lips as she came around to hug and kiss them both.

“Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank us. We’re telling you the truth.”

“But…” Zayne eyed the plates on the other side of the kitchen. “I wouldn’t turn down whatever else you might want us to try for you today.”

“You got it.” Chloé all but floated back into the kitchen. “Coming up next, grilled yellowfin tuna, crème fraîche, and English peas…”

How they were going to have any room for pasta later that night, Ethan had no idea. But he wasn’t going to pass up this meal, not when he could be one the first people to ever taste the first Michelin-star meal created by Chloé Thornton-Priestley.