There’s a naked man in my kitchen.
The thought registered
just as the terse, “Who the hell are you?” had Jolie
Gardener spinning around faster than a figure skater on
speed.
He had the nerve to ask this? He of the broad
shoulders, six-pack abs, and other, nice, um, parts...
Really. A naked man. In her kitchen.
Well,
technically, she was in a naked man’s kitchen. Even more
technically, she was in a naked Todd Best’s kitchen—and
there wasn’t one hint of self-consciousness or
embarrassment on his part.
Of course with that body,
there shouldn’t be. The guy should flaunt his nudity for
the world to see. Which, at present, consisted of one
single, solitary person: Jolie Gardener, aspiring writer
and personal chef extraordinaire.
“Well?” His hands
slammed to his hips.
“You’re naked,” she squeaked, which,
really, was the only way to state that kind of
obvious.
“I’m what?” Mr. Six-Pack Abs glanced
down.
Jolie tried not to—so unsuccessfully it was
pitiful.
“Shit,” he muttered. “I am. I, uh, fell asleep
last night…”
As butter sizzled in the new super-slick
omelet pan on the top-of-the-line range, Jolie’s gaze
alternated between some rock-hard abs and a scruffy eight
a.m. shadow while her fingers danced along the speckled
granite countertop in search of a napkin, placemat, oven
mitt… something.
Mercifully, they scooped up a thick
dishtowel that, in her world, would constitute a very
plush, very luxurious hand towel from The Ritz or The Four
Seasons, but which, here, apparently, was used to soak up
water from designer flatware. She dangled it in the
direction of Mr. Au Naturel. “Here.”
He placed an empty
bottle of Jim Beam on the island countertop with a clink,
then took the towel with a grunt. “So, who are you, what
are you doing in my kitchen, and would you mind turning
around?”
She turned. “I’m the new girl the agency sent
over.”
“Hell. There better be some aspirin left,” he
muttered beside her, his bare (of course) feet making no
sound on the limestone floor.
She peeked over at him.
His eyebrow soared skyward.
Right.