Checking It Twice by Jodi Redford Read Free Book Online

furiously brewing inside her. She’d never been any good at hiding her feelings. And frankly, she wanted him to know exactly how low of a blow his defection was.
    “You’re the king of assholes, Kevin Monahan.”
    A warning growl chuffed from Bram. “Jana.”
    Kevin offered Bram a silent shake of his head before sliding his attention toward Sid and Frankie. The pair of cooks immediately averted their interested stares and returned their focus to the mountain of scrubbed potatoes in front of them. Kevin rested the whisk on the lip of the stainless-steel mixing bowl and rolled back the sleeves of his chef’s jacket. The gesture was slow and methodical and made her think of someone preparing to spank a naughty child.
    Ooh yeah, I’ll gladly be his bad little girl. Her clit tingled in agreement, and she smothered a groan. God, I’m so twisted.
    “You’re right. I was planning to return your call after my shift’s over, but I should have done it two days ago.” A heavy note of contrition weighed at Kevin’s voice.
    He thought this was about the other night and his sneaky avoidance tactics. “That isn’t why I’m here. But you’re definitely an asshole for that too.”
    Kevin winced. “Okay, I deserve that. And a lot worse titles.”
    “Damn straight you do.” She put all of her hurt and frustration into her glare. “Do you have any idea how wrong it is that I had to find out from my personal nemesis of all people that you’re moving?”
    Kevin’s Adam’s apple bobbed with his hard swallow. Guilt and remorse settled over his features. “I’m sorry. I never meant for you to find out that way.”
    “Were you going to say anything to me at all? Or did you plan to sneak away without a word to me?” She tried to hide the vulnerable wobble that hung on the tail end of her question but failed miserably.
    “I wouldn’t do that to you.” Kevin gripped the edge of the metal prep table until his knuckles whitened. “But I held off telling you because I thought it would be easier if I didn’t say anything right away.”
    His solemn expression conveyed the unspoken part of his apology. After the other night, he hadn’t known how to let her down easy. As if that would have been remotely possible. Not with the way she felt about him and how much he meant to her. The dull ache cinching her heart attested to that.
    Maybe there was something severely wrong with her.How else did she explain being hopelessly in love with one man who could so easily leave her and insanely attracted to another she hadn’t even met?
    The reminder of her complicated feelings where both Kevin and Nick were concerned increased the heaviness in her chest. A tense silence shrouded the kitchen. She turned her head and found Bram, Sid and Frankie watching her. No doubt they thought she was pathetic too. Dragging in a shaky breath, she returned her focus to Kevin. “When are you leaving?”
    He was quiet for a moment. “Right after New Year’s.”
    She pressed a hand to her stomach, fighting to defeat the painful cramp his words elicited. “I didn’t know it’d be so soon.” Should it surprise her? Just one more thing she’d been clueless of.
    Her breath gave an embarrassing hitch in her throat. She attempted to cover it up by coughing and shooting a glance at her watch. “Fun as this has been, I’ve got to get back and relieve my assistant.” She sent Kevin and Bram a tight smile. “Laters.” A basketball-sized lump of emotion lodged in her windpipe, she pivoted and strode from the kitchen. She kept her head high and her eyes tear free for the entire agonizing walk to her car.
    Once on the road again, she finally hiccupped a sob. That proved to be the opening to the floodgates. Shoulders shaking, she cried big sloppy tears that seemed to have no end and no doubt made her look like a complete moron to the drivers in the neighboring lanes.
    Knuckling her wet cheeks, she pulled in front of Wicked Delights and cut the Mustang’s