“You made this…for me?” Daphne didn’t know what else to say.
No one had ever done anything so nice for her. Not since she’d lived with her parents, at the very least, and her mother had never been a great cook.
She picked up her fork, all too aware that she would be the only one eating. She glanced at Ford, who leaned against the back counter with his arms over his chest.
“Do you do this for all the ladies in your life?” She’d meant it to be teasing, but his lips flatted as his jaw clenched, and she knew she’d hit a sore spot. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be insensitive. It’s just that I’m not used to being treated like this.”
“Someone should be treating you right. You can’t put forth as much energy and care as you do and not get anything back for it,” Ford said.
“Ah, but I’m expected to do it because I care. I’m expected to be fulfilled by the enriched lives of those I’ve helped. Women are natural caretakers, after all.” When her tone became bitter, she shoved a twisted noodle into her mouth.
The layers of flavor unfolded on her tongue, first with savory smoked meat and then with sharp lemon. The first bite begged her to take another. Her hunger overwhelmed her until the plate held nothing but smears of oil.
She covered her mouth with her hand while she licked the last bit from her lips. “I meant to share but…”
She caught Ford watching her. He wore a small smile, like he’d won a victory. That whole plate had tasted like victory, so she could kind of understand.
“Where did you learn how to cook like that? I’ve always wanted to learn. Living on my own, I eat out of the microwave more often than not.” Daphne hated to confess that she couldn’t cook for herself.
“I doubt you have a whole lot of free time on your hands,” Ford said.
“Believe it or not, this is my vacation.” She stared forlornly at her plate.
If only every day could be like this. She yearned to be waited on, to have someone pay attention to her needs. She would have happily settled for a week like this, though deep inside she yearned to be cared for like that for the rest of her life.
Daphne had to shake herself before she gave in to delusions that would lead her nowhere. Ford didn’t want a lover, let alone a mate. He had been kind to her, but that wasn’t an invitation for her to fall for him.
***
Ford watched her stare into space and wondered where her mind had gone. The look of pure bliss that she’d worn while eating had given him more pleasure than he’d felt in a long time. Perhaps that was a weird side-effect of being alone for as long as he’d been.
Maybe Daphne reminded him of his wife.
That wasn’t fair of him. He couldn’t put the ghost of his past on Daphne’s shoulders. She already carried too much. To ask her to take the life of her brother’s mate into her hands was unforgivable. Ford wanted to march up to that cabin and knock down the door so he could give that man a piece of his mind.
Ford had sworn off involving himself in that clan’s lives ever again. He’d helped with the recent shifter problem, largely because he’d been pulled into it by chance. Never again, though. The clan could do whatever they wanted as long as they left Ford alone.
If Ford didn’t keep his distance, they would inevitably find out about what he’d done. Then Daphne would, too. He didn’t know if she would be able to forgive him if she knew he’d killed his clan leader.
For now, he would make sure Daphne survived this vacation of hers. He would feed her and listen to her and keep his beast from trying to lay claim to her. Daphne deserved that much, at the very least. He couldn’t do much more without crossing into territory better left alone, both with the clan on the mountain and with his heart.
“Glad to see that you liked the pasta,” Ford said. “I’ve been working on that recipe for a bit. If you say it’s ready, I’ll have them put it on the menu.”
“That was the best thing I’ve ever tasted.” Her eyes rolled back for dramatic effect.
A warm pulse shot from Ford’s chest to his groin, making blood pool in his lower regions. His beast laughed at him as he moved to hide his growing erection behind the bar. The beast told him he could make her eyes roll back in other ways too. It filled his mind with images of Daphne, in every compromising position, the hem of her summer dress pushed up, her feet spread apart, his name on her lips.
He couldn’t spend another minute with her. Not tonight. Ford had hit his limit. Any longer, and he would betray the boundaries he’d set for himself. He watched her lips meet the delicate rim of her wineglass, and his heart stuttered again.
When she set the glass down, she asked, “How much do I owe you for the private dinner?”
“Serving you is payment enough. It was my pleasure,” he said, meeting her eyes.
He could have sworn electricity darted between them when their gazes connected. Daphne shuddered and the scent of desire floated in the air around her. His beast lashed out, greedy and prepared to throw away every rule Ford kept.
Her eyes flashed from brown to a buttery shade of gold as she leaned toward him. Only the wooden counter separated them.
“What’s for dessert then?” Her gaze travelled down his neck, down his chest, and lingered low like she could see his erection even though he knew the counter covered him. “I prefer my desserts savory.”
He’d never met a more forward or daring woman in his life. Daphne was a wrecking ball, crashing through every carefully constructed barrier he put up. Just when he thought he had a sufficient wall, she batted her lashes at him, and it crumbled.
She wouldn’t stick around if she knew. Ford didn’t want to ruin the little time he had with her, so he kept his history to himself. She would leave. Her life would go on, and he would be able to look back on this time with fondness. He would hold onto the memory of Daphne and the knowledge that she still lived like it was his own treasure hoard.
“No dessert tonight, sunshine. You should be getting home before your brother brings his pack of fools down here to rescue you.” Ford took her empty plate and wineglass.
Doing some dishes would help him bank the flames burning in his soul. There was nothing like mundane chores to bore a horny beast to death.
“Casey isn’t going to take one step away from his mate tonight. Dillon and Erik have mates now, too. The only one who doesn’t seem bothered that his mate is across the country is Gavin, and I’ve seen about as much of him as I’d like. And that’s to say that I saw him for five minutes the other day, and that was enough.” She rested her elbow on the bar and let her chin fall into her palm.
Ford paused. He should have vanished behind the stainless-steel door to wash those damn dishes, but her misery seemed to almost darken the air around her.
“Is home any better?”
Her lips parted, but after hanging open for a moment, she sighed and closed them. “It’s me. I’m the reason why everything sucks.”
Ford set the dishes down on the end of the bar and stepped around it to go to her. He gently took her by the chin and made her look at him. “You aren’t the problem. You just can’t work and work and work all the time. It will start to taint the other parts of your life if you let it.”