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“This is one of our slower seasons, so we do more catering.”

“Last week was slow?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, yes.” He chuckled. “When the summer hits, it’s a madhouse from dusk until dawn. You? How’s that software bug?” He went down a row of produce, and I finished off my donut.

“Still there. I swear it appears overnight.” I let out a huff. Alejandro did indeed appear to be going through their pantry and counting things.

“Isn’t there a way to digitize this?” I scanned the rows and rows of cabbages, lettuce, tomatoes, and other fresh produce.

“It’s never accurate.” He frowned like the fruits and veggies had personally offended them. “And we have to place our orders regularly, or we won’t get the delivery.”

“Makes sense.” He smelled so good; the urge to snuggle up against him was almost impossible to resist. He was working, I reminded myself. Around food. It wouldn’t be sanitary to get my cooties all over the stainless steel counter. I’d have to ask Sunshine how she managed not to jump Logan’s bones at work.

Alejandro wasn’t wearing his hat, just a bandanna around his head. The chef jacket showed off his broad shoulders but left too much to the imagination. I wanted to pout.

I followed him around as he went through the food and then the dry goods. His chef pants showed off his butt, firm and rounded, and I pictured him pushing me against the wall, grinding against me like I loved.

His tropical beach scent went straight to my head, and I almost asked him to make me a smoothie using those exact notes. My mouth watered for a taste of him, and heat seeped between my legs.

Alejandro looked up, giving me a look that was all alpha. My breath caught in my throat. His scent grew stronger, and my own lemon vanilla scent was drowning out the dry aroma of towels and napkins.

“You make it very hard to behave,” he said, his voice almost a purr.

Everything was sweating, the small of my back, even behind my knees. I swallowed hard. “Your scent makes it hard not tothink dirty thoughts.” I licked my lips on reflex, not trying to seduce him, but he froze like I’d flashed him.

I sucked in a breath. “We can’t…I mean…” I looked around the kitchen. The fantasy of being pushed against the wall was strong, but I didn’t want to be the reason they didn’t pass their health inspection.

“Of course, mi reina.” He let out a breath and took a step back. “What would you like for lunch today?”

He was putting space between us because he thought I was telling him no to touching.

Something inside me unraveled. I knew he was waiting for me to give him signals, but seeing his desire—and then his restraint—scrambled my omega brain. I wanted him, badly, partially because he easily set aside his lust in favor of my comfort.

“You.” I raked my gaze over his body. “What I meant is if we fool around here—” I touched the countertop. “—Logan’s going to be mad if we perfume out his kitchen.”

He took another sharp breath in. “Not in the supply closet he won’t.”

I took a step toward Alejandro. “You’re doing inventory anyway, right?”

“I am,” he said, his voice husky. “Shall I inventory you?”

“Oh, yes, yes.” Molten fire raced in my veins, enough that my pussy clenched around nothing.

Alejandro opened a door off to the side of the kitchen. It was small, with wall-to-wall paper supplies.

Heat pulsed through me, my attention narrowing on his sweet citrus scent, so potent, and the immediate need to have him touching me. He shut the door behind us, and I opened my arms. Alejandro closed the distance between us, pressing me up against the wall. I whimpered, bringing one of my legs up to rub against his thigh. He was a mind reader, a brilliant mind reader.

He closed his mouth over mine, swallowing all my sounds. His mouth was soft, his lips against mine setting me on fire. He moved his hands down my sides, almost frantically, like he wasn’t sure what to touch first.

I understood his dilemma. I ran my hands up his chest, happy to finally feel his firm muscles move under my hands, and then down to his butt. I wrapped my legs around him, climbing him, and he slid his hips against mine. My core pulsed when his pelvis fit against mine and I felt the rock-hard bulge.

I was so hot, so wet, it felt like I was gushing. “Oh, yes, please.”

“Whatever you want, mi vida.” He rubbed his nose into my neck, sucking in deep breaths and nipping with his teeth.

I arched into him, waves of desire running through me, inexorable like the ocean. He dragged his mouth over my neck, nipping the sensitive spot behind my ear.

I arched up into him rhythmically, trying to get the friction I needed. His scent was everywhere. I buried my face in his neck, huffing him in until I felt high. Rational thought went away. There was only the rasp of his teeth on my neck, the pulse of my pussy, the intense craving for him.