LITMIR.BIZ

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denial. “I’ve been told I can be difficult to work with.”

      She took a deep breath and let it out, releasing some of the tension. “You’ve been murder to work with, but I think the restaurant’s going to be worth every name I’ve called you.”

      Her bluntness made the corners of his mouth twitch. “You’ve called me names?”

      “Never where anyone could hear me.”

      “Of course.”

      “Meaning?”

      “Just that you’re too much of a lady to ever let loose.”

      “And there’s something wrong with being a lady?”

      In the back of his mind a rational voice warned that he was baiting her. At the beginning of their association he’d often lobbed provocative statements her way. But she’d been far too professional to react and eventually he’d stopped aggravating her. This conversation felt different. As if she’d let the mask slide and was giving him a taste of her true self.

      “Only that you never seem to have any fun.”

      She wasn’t the only one who’d done her homework. He knew about the contest she was waging against her half sisters to one day take over as CEO of the family business. She’d had a phenomenal amount of success in her career, but Harper wasn’t one to rest on her past achievements. In that way, they were alike. No one could put as much pressure on Harper as she put on herself.

      “I have a great deal riding on the success of my hotel.” She wouldn’t stop until she had everything exactly the way she wanted it. “And you aren’t one to talk. You barely take any time off between filming The Culinary Wanderer, promoting the series and managing your other restaurants.”

      “I won’t deny that I’m busy, but I also take time to enjoy what I’m doing.” He cocked his head. “Do you?”

      “I enjoy my work. I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t.” But beneath her vehemence was a grain of doubt.

      She’d tried to hide her weariness with a careful application of concealer and blush, but he’d watched her long hours bite deeper into her energy each time he came to check on the restaurant’s progress.

      “But there must be something for you besides work,” he said. “What’s something you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t gotten around to yet?”

      “You make it sound like I’m sacrificing everything for my career.”

      In fact, he hadn’t been saying that at all, but that she chose to interpret his question this way told him more than she’d intended.

      “Everyone has dreams of something carefree and fun they’d like to do someday.”

      “I agree.”

      “Tell me one of yours.”

      “I don’t get the point.”

      Was she stalling? Trying to come up with something safe? “Humor me. What’s the first thing that pops into your mind?”

      With her brows drawn together in exasperation, she blurted out, “I’d like to ride a camel across the desert and sleep in a tent.”

      Ashton wasn’t sure which of them was more surprised by her outburst. “Seriously?” He laughed. “That’s not at all what I expected you to say. I thought you’d tell me you wanted to...” He trailed off. They’d worked together for nine months and he knew so little about her.

      “Wanted to what?” she prompted, wary curiosity in her warm brown eyes.

      “I’m not sure. You aren’t the sort of woman I imagine wanting to run off to Paris on a shopping spree or lounge on a yacht.” She was too driven by timetables to enjoy such frivolous pursuits. “Maybe something more serious-minded. A visit to a museum, perhaps?”

      His suggestion didn’t meet with her approval. “You know, I’m a little tired of everyone criticizing me for being too serious.”

      Whoa, he’d definitely touched a nerve there. “Who is everyone?”

      “My family. My classmates when I was in school. Friends. Life isn’t all about play, you know.” She glanced down at her smartphone and frowned.

      “It’s also not all about work.”

      Sharp irritation sliced through her voice. “Says the man who rarely does any.”

      “Well, well, well.” He flashed her a big grin. “That’s some hellcat you keep bottled up.”

      She stared at him in consternation before sputtering, “That’s ridiculous. There’s no hellcat here.”

      “You didn’t see the bloodlust in your eyes just now.”

      Her jaw worked as if she was grinding something particularly nasty between her teeth. “I’ll admit to being a little on edge. You are not the easiest man to work with.”

      “Maybe not work with,” he agreed. “But when you’re ready to have some fun, give me a call.”

      In the quiet of the restaurant, Harper stared at Ashton with raised brows and lips softly parted. His offer wasn’t sexual in nature, but when he spied the hope that flickered in her melted-chocolate eyes, his perception of her shifted dramatically.

      “I don’t have time—”

      “For fun.” He scrutinized her expression. “Yes, so you’ve said.”

      As a teenager, he’d fallen in with some dangerous criminals. Learning to read micro expressions had helped him survive. That he’d not picked up on the passionate woman concealed beneath Harper’s professional exterior pointed out just how complacent he’d become.

      Time to wake up and start paying attention.

      She cleared her throat. “Getting back to Chef Cole...”

      “I’ll hire him if you spend an evening with me.” This time he was deliberately hitting on her.

      She set her hands on her hips and scowled at him. “Five minutes ago you were ready to pass on him.”

      “Five minutes ago I didn’t realize just how starved for adventure you were.”

      “I’m very happy right where I am.”

      “When the first thing on your bucket list is riding a camel in the desert and sleeping in a tent, forgive me if I don’t believe your life is as satisfying as you’d have people believe.”

      “I don’t have a bucket list,” she retorted. “And if I did, that wouldn’t be the first thing on it. It was just something that popped into my head. I remember you doing that in an episode of The Culinary Wanderer.”

      “You’re a fan?”

      “Before I get into business with someone I do my research.”

      Sensible. But he hoped that hadn’t been her only motivation. Swept by the urge to see her let her hair down, literally and figuratively, he decided to ignore her verbal cues and concentrate on what she was saying with her body.

      “And your research involved watching my shows? I would have thought you’d be more interested in hard facts such as the financials of my four other restaurants and the uptick in advertising revenue my show brings to the network.”

      “All those things paint a very positive picture of you. I also spoke with a number of your employees and several of the crew who worked with you on your shows. As I said, I do my research.”

      Obviously she knew much more about him than he knew about her. The imbalance bothered him. “Then you know the sort of businessman I am, and when I say I’m willing to hire a chef you favor, it’s not done lightly.”

      With her gaze firmly attached to his left shoulder, she murmured, “In exchange

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