HEAT Vol. 2 (Master Chefs: HEAT Series #2) (5 page)

“You’ve
said your
piece, now listen to mine.”

“No.”

“Your
work at the institute would have come to an abrupt stop and I never would have
had the chance to go on with my studies.  Don’t you see?  I did all that for
us.  I did all that to ensure we didn’t get kicked out of the institute for
good.”

I
eyed him and grimaced at the very thought of what he’d done.  “You're telling
me that you dated all those girls to protect me?  Really, Bobby.  You couldn’t
come up with anything better than that?  I mean, all you had to do was tell me
this secret plan of yours and we would have kept our distances… simple as
that.”

“Really?
 Simple as that?  No, what would have been simple was for us to bump into one
another, get all heated up, and before you know it, we’re all hot and heavy
together.  My way, whenever we bumped into one another, you hated me so much,
there was no chance we’d hook up, you know what I’m saying?”

He
had a point, but it hardly mattered.  He could have taken a hundred other
routes to ensure we didn’t get kicked out of the institute.  “Admit it.  You
chose to do this because you could have fun with it.  I mean, how many of those
girls did you fu…  How many did you sleep with?  Huh?”

“None
of them.  I told you.  It was all for show.  In fact, the reason I dated a
string of girls was so that none of them would get emotionally attached to me. 
You know, it was all light… just a movie here, a ride home there, maybe a
little dinner once in a while.”

“I
don’t believe you.”

“Remember
when we met at the market?”

“Perfect. 
I’m glad you brought it up.  We were far, far away from the institute and you
still brushed me off.”

“Exactly. 
Guess who was coming up behind you at that moment.”

I
drew a blank.

“Your
replacement for the basic science class, Gaetan.  Even there, I didn’t want to
risk him going back to the institute to tell Monsieur Franchines that we’d been
together.  But believe me, it was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do.  I
wanted so badly to be with you.”

I
stared at him, wanting to believe him.

He
cupped my cheeks and pulled me to him.  “Believe me, Lilly.” His eyes turned
dark and he kissed me, not with the passion of a few moments ago, but
tenderness, so much tenderness, it blew me away.  I melted.

Still
drunk on his kiss, I leaned into him when he pulled back. “Bobby, I’m about to
take my vows.  This is very serious.  I’ve already ruined the whole chastity
thing.  I don’t want to…”

“Don’t
you see, Lilly?  Now that your work at the institute is complete, we can be
together, openly.  You haven’t taken your vows yet.  I made it here just in
time.  Don’t you think that means something?”

I
looked away from him.  He looked so good, so enticing, it was impossible to
think straight while looking at him.

“Tell
me you don’t love me,” he whispered into my ear.  “Tell me you don’t want to be
with me.”

“What
I want and my life calling are two different things.”

He
stepped back and pulled in a long, deep breath.  My heart raced for an eternal
minute as he just stood there.  “I love you, Lilly, and I want to be with you. 
I’ve thought of you constantly these past months, and I thought I was doing the
right thing by ensuring both our futures were secured, at least where the
institute was concerned.  I don’t know what more I can tell you, but…”

The
wind was knocked out of me as he took another step away from me.

“If
you really believe that we’re not meant to be together…”  He looked around the
dimly lit, quiet room.  “I don’t want to be the one responsible for stealing
you away from what you want.”

A
dense lump of hurt collected in my throat and heavy, burning tears filled me
eyes.  What was he saying?

He
said nothing more for a long moment before nodding and turning away.

“Bobby! 
Wait.”

Chapter 5

T
he Reverend Mother looked at me from behind
her large but simple oak desk.  She had the same sage and solemn grin on her
face that she’d had when I first arrived.  “I’ve always known you were a good
child, Lilly, and I have no doubt life will lead you in a good and fulfilling
direction.  If that direction is to be taken with a young man instead of God,
our Savior, then that is the way it is to be.”

“But
I feel I’m letting you down.”  I glanced sidelong at Bobby.  I wanted so
desperately for her to approve of him.

“Bring
God with you, keep Jesus Christ in your heart and live your life with honor and
integrity and you will not let me down.”  She turned to Bobby.  “God, in all
his glory, has bestowed this child with a special light.”

“I’ll
make sure that light shines brighter and brighter every day.”

“Good.” 
She stood and smiled.  “Go with my blessings, child, but please be sure to send
word every now and again.”

“I
will.”

“Now,
if you will excuse me, I must return to our postulants who are prepared to take
their vows.”

I
smiled at Bobby as she left us.

“You're
sure about this?” he said.

“Positive.”

He
led me out of the convent and we got into the car he’d rented; a square and
compact faded red car.  At first when he took the car out onto one of the
winding country roads, I thought we were heading back to Paris, but then I
realized he was heading north… maybe even a little towards the west.

“Where
are you taking me?”

His
smile was broad and happy.  He beamed with pride and I immediately knew he was
up to something.  “You’ll see.”

Content
with that response, I sat back and enjoyed the passing countryside.   The
rolling hills were alive with spring blossoms, and the pastures green and ready
to feed herds of sheep, goats and cattle.

After
a little more than an hour, Bobby slowed the car and turned onto a bumpy dirt
road. 

“Do
you even know where we’re going?” I asked with a laugh.

“Of
course.”  But his frown said different.  He drove on for about a mile and his
frown finally lifted as a pale yellow country house trimmed in white came into
view.  Surrounded by vividly colored wild flowers, the large home was charming
and welcoming.

“Do
you know who lives here?” I said.

“You
could say that.”

He
pulled up in front of the country house that popped with life even though no
one was there.  The curtains were drawn, and every window had flower boxes
filled with orange and pink blossoms.

“I
love it,” I said.

“I
thought you might.”  He got out of the car, pulled out a house key and bounded
up the wide porch to open the front door.  “Your chateau for the next seven
days,

I
met him on the porch, but he stopped me before I could walk in.

“Hold
on.”  He swept me up into his arms and carried me inside, but he didn’t give me
much of a chance to take a look around.  He immediately headed up the stairs,
turned into the large master room and deposited me on the wide queen sized bed.

He
looked down at me in my layers of postulant robes.  “I’ll admit this is a
little intimidating.  I mean… is God going to…?”

I
laughed and got off the bed.  “Why don’t you give me a minute?”

“Sounds
good.”

He
walked out and I took off my robes, my heavy shoes and called for him once I
was sprawled out on the bed in my underwear and bra.

“That’s
better,” he said when he came in.  He hopped onto the bed and straddled me.

I
met his gaze; eager, befuddled, and still, a little intimidated.

“I’m
still the Lilly Cooke you knew, Bobby.  God won’t strike you dead if you…”

He
licked his lips and dropped his gaze to my breasts.  His crooked smile was so
boyishly charming, I wanted to pull him into my arms and kiss him.  Instead, I
let him find his own way.  With the back of his hand, he brushed his fingers
along the line of my bra, down deep into the valley of my breasts then back up
to my opposite shoulder.

My
mouth watered as his slow and soft hands then went down each side of my waist. 
It was as if he were tracing me, outlining the curves of my body.  I watched
the workings of his mouth as his hands continued down, squeezing between my
legs and parting them.  His mouth was partially opened and his tongue played
just inside his lips, as if controlling his mouth was beyond him.

“I’ve
missed you, Lilly.  It’s incredible how much I’ve missed you.”

Bending
over me, he kissed my navel while his hand slipped under my panties and found
the heat and moisture that awaited him.

I
thought that part of my body had died.  I thought it had dried up, never to
enjoy another passionate moment, never to feel such pleasure.  When he brought
his finger inside me, my body shook with delight and I knew my orgasm would be
quick to come.  I was too hungry, too eager, and I’d deprived myself for far
too long.

He
only had to bring the slightest pressure over my clitoris that I was screaming
his name.  “Don’t stop,” I shouted.  “Oh, Bobby!  Don’t stop.”

While
my body still shook from my orgasm, Bobby pulled down my panties and mounted
me.  Like an animal, wild and ferocious, he came in, pounded his cock deeper
and deeper and reminded me what it was like to be with a man.

My
man.

I
clung to him when he came up to kiss me, his hips still pumping his cock in and
out of me with such force, like his life depended on every pulsating move he
made.

“I
love you, Bobby.  I love you.”

Pulling
out of me, he got off the bed, pulled me off and turned me around.  Filling his
fists with my breasts, he kneaded them hard and quickly stirred up a whole new
orgasm. I leaned over the bed, my butt facing him and inviting him to return to
the warmth that promised more and more pleasure.

He
nudged inside me again and let out a loud moan that filled every inch of me. 
It was a moan filled with longing, filled with satisfaction, and even filled
with relief.

I
joined him, releasing in a long moan all the tension I’d felt these past
months, releasing the fear and the pain.  All that remained with the joy and
the need to have him close to me.

Bobby
accelerated the pace, heightening our pleasure and bringing us both to the
brink.  He growled, he groaned and finally, he yelled, like a madman who’d
finally found peace of mind after an eternity of madness.  His raging orgasm
elevated mine, making it more acute and while I tuned in to every sensation
that raced through me, I heard him sigh.

“I
was so afraid I’d lost you forever,” he said on the tail end of that sigh.

I
even thought I heard him choke up.

With
him still inside me, I looked over my shoulder at him and reached back to brush
his cheek with my fingers.  “I was sure I’d lost you.”

“Then
let’s make sure we never lose sight of one another again.”

I
nodded and couldn’t believe how happy I felt.  I looked at Bobby, this young
brash man who’d bordered on offensive when we first met, and knew for the first
time the true meaning of romantic love.

I
loved him.

“How
‘bout I feed you and then we can explore the property.  I hear it has a few
surprises.”

After
bringing up my small and conservatively packed suitcase, I changed into a
simple and modest black dress and headed down to the kitchen to feast on the
elaborate lunch he’d made.

Our
bellies full, we ventured out.  At first we simply followed the edge of the
meadow which was lined with tall, dense bushes.  When we reached a path cut
through the bushes we turned onto it, curious to see where it led.

“What
is that we hear?” I said.

The
swooshing sound had followed us as we’d crossed the meadow, but the sound
became increasingly louder as we continued on the path.  It occasionally peaked
only to recede and start again.

“Let’s
find out.”

The
boyish smile on his face told me he already knew what the source of the noise
was, but after a few more steps, I began to suspect…

“Is
that…?”

The
bushes on either side of us grew shorter and more sparse until the vastness of
the English Channel was upon us. 

“I’ve
been in France for so long.  I’ve been at the convent almost all my life, and
in Paris for the past year, but I’d never...  I’ve never seen this.”

“I
thought you might like it.”

The
wind came to us, bringing with it the moisture and saltiness of the sea.  It
whipped through our hair and brought a chill to my heated skin.

“It’s
beautiful, Bobby.”  I turned to him.  “You’ve brought me from one place where I
felt safe and protected, where I knew the love of God and you’ve brought me to
a place of beauty and proximity to God that I never would have imagined.”

We
reached the beach and Bobby took my hand and guided me down to where the ocean
swept the sand.  I kicked off my heavy shoes – the only ones I had brought –
peeled off my socks and shoved them inside my shoes.  Bobby copied me then
followed me out to the water as I chased the outgoing waves.

The
sand was cold, chilled by the frigid spring waters that had yet to be warmed by
the sun, but that didn’t stop us from wading through waves.

“This
is perfect, Bobby,” I said as walked at his side.  I reached for his hand and
leaned heavily into him, comforted by his strength and aroused by the hardness
of his body.  “These past months… they’ve been horrible.”

“Tell
me about it.  When I heard you’d left the institute, I panicked.  Some people
said you’d been gone only a few days while others swore they’d seen you leave
weeks ago.  I was sure I’d never make it out here in time.”