Dark Heat: Simmer Trilogy, #1

By Liv Honeywell

Ash Dixon is a talented chef who works for Jake Rousseau, the grumpiest restaurant owner and head chef this side of creation. She'd love a promotion but, having just had one of "those" dreams about her boss, she's struggling even more with what to say to the man.

 

One late night after work, Ash and Jake find out how well they get along without the day-to-day pressures of running a fast-moving professional kitchen.

 

But, with someone trying to sabotage the restaurant and close it down, Can Ash and Jake find out who it is, save the restaurant, and keep their budding relationship alive?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Honeywell Press
• Release date: Jan 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215218495

Liv Honeywell

I'm an erotic romance writer from the UK, writing hot, and often humourous, BDSM romance about deliciously sexy male dominants and the women who love them. I also write sci-fi BDSM romance as Livia Darke. When I'm not writing, I'm usually doing something craft-like, reading, or baking and trying to decide which of my many other book ideas to work on next. Follow me: Website: https://liv-honeywell.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LivHoneywellErotica BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/liv-honeywell Follow Livia: Website: https://liviadarke.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LiviaDarkeErotica/ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/livia-darke Newsletter for both pen names: https://livhoneywell.ck.page/newsletter

Book preview

Prologue

Three Months Earlier

Ash lay on her back, her blond hair spread out across her pillow.

Oh, Jake. Yes, right there. She writhed against his teasing fingers, close to orgasm already.

Jake kissed her deeply, circling her clit lightly, and then lifting his hand to spank her hard on her bare pussy. Again and again, he spanked her, the stinging sensation only adding to her need to come.

Please, I need more.

Patience is a virtue, Ash, Jake growled close to her ear. I like it when you beg me for permission. How about you start there and I'll see if I'm feeling generous?

Ash squirmed again. She was sure she couldn't take much more of this. She was so close. She just needed a little more friction, the slightest touch and she was sure she would go off like a rocket.

Jake, Sir, I'm begging you. Please touch me. Please can I come?

Jake grinned. Oh, not yet. Try again, Ash. Though, I'm pretty sure I'm enjoying making you squirm too much to let you just yet.

Please, oh please.

Jake moved between her legs and flicked her clit with his tongue, just once.

Ash screamed out, sure she was finally about to come.

And then just as the first tremors of her orgasm started, she woke up.

She lay in bed, panting and frustrated. What a time to wake up. And almost worse than that, she’d been dreaming about Jake. Jake of all people. Her grumpy head chef boss. Who she now had to go in and face after a dream like that.

Well, today was going to be...interesting.

She caught sight of the alarm and leapt out of bed. No time to do anything about it now, or to dwell on it. If she didn’t hurry, she was going to be late.

***

Jake was already there when she arrived at the restaurant. He was leaning over a pan of something and scowling into it, his dark hair tousled and his beard not as closely trimmed as usual. Clearly, he wasn’t quite himself this morning.

Perfect. Could this day get any better? She’d been hoping he might have gone to the wholesalers to stock up and just left her with a list for the morning, but no so luck.

Dean, the sous chef, winked at her and gave her a subtle thumbs down, indicating that Jake wasn’t in the best of moods. Ash rolled her eyes in return and grinned, before setting up her cutting board and working her way through a pile of veg prep, followed by making a variety of different sauces.

Unfortunately, neither of those tasks needed her full attention and her mind soon wandered back to the dream she’d had.

Why Jake? Why him, of all people?

When she’d first met him, she’d thought he might be dominant, simply because of how in control he was in the kitchen, but she hadn’t thought about that in months. Why now?

She could still feel the ache between her legs and the frustration of not having orgasmed when she was so close. Just another few minutes in the dream... What she wouldn’t give. She swallowed, realising she’d give quite a lot to find out what it would be like to be with Jake in reality.

Ash was so deep in thought that she hadn’t realised Jake had been calling her until he stood behind her and tapped her on the shoulder.

She jumped and almost dropped her balloon whisk, blushing bright red. I’m sorry, Sir... Her eyes widened and her blush deepened even more. Chef. I meant ‘Chef’. Oh God.

Jake’s lips twitched with amusement, but his eyes heated with an intensity she hadn’t seen before. Sir, is it? I could get used to that.