“I was chasing a dream that wasn’t meant to last.” After I scooped up my orange peels, I glanced around. “Where’s the trash?”
He pulled out a long drawer from the cabinet. I walked around, but before I could drop them in, Atticus collected the scraps from my hand and did it for me. “You missed breakfast and lunch. What can I make you?”
I backed up against the counter, wondering if he knew how to cook or if I’d be better off making something myself. In my old life, I would’ve made a cheese sandwich and called it a day, butwith the baby, I needed a nutritious meal. “The pack says I need more meat in my diet.”
Atticus lifted a pan from a hanging display and set it on the gas burner. “I have steak and pork chops in the refrigerator. You’ll need to make me a list of your favorite foods.”
“Do you know how to cook a steak?”
“As it so happens, my steaks are legendary.” He offered a charming smile. “I’ve cooked many meals in my lifetime, my lady. I once allied with a Mage who hated cooking but had a voracious appetite.”
“Since I only lived in hotels, I would either eat out or have something delivered.” I tapped my fingernails against the lower cabinet. “Don’t Vampires hate eating?”
“I don’t hate eating—I just never get hungry, so it’s not something I do regularly. That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the art of cooking.”
“Can I watch?”
Atticus stepped closer, and a marvelous fragrance of sandalwood and spices wafted off him. He gently put his hands beneath my arms. “May I?”
When I didn’t object, he lifted me onto the counter as if I were weightless.
“I like this style on you,” I remarked. “You’re always wearing that black coat.”
“It helps to have an identifying look in my business so people can easily recognize me even if they haven’t met me.”
I found myself lost in his eyes. The irises were unnaturally black, and there was a quality to them that drew me in. I’d never spent much time thinking how handsome Atticus was, mostly because I could never get around his being a Vampire. His eyebrows were a medium shade of brown that didn’t match his pale hair, and he had the most sensual lips. When he stood verystill, he almost didn’t look real. Strangely, he seemed to enjoy my looking at him and made no attempt to move.
“Youshouldfear Vampires,” he began, as if reading my mind. “But you have no reason to fear me.”
I wanted to trace my finger over his Adam’s apple and down to his collarbones.
Atticus stood intimately close, and unbidden desire pulsed between my legs. Lately I’d been struggling with these amorous feelings, which could only be attributed to fluctuating hormones.
I averted my eyes, embarrassed that he might have picked up on it.
Atticus retreated and pulled out the ingredients for my lunch. After washing his hands, he cubed the potatoes into small pieces, drizzled olive oil on them, and shoved them into the hot oven.
He was mesmerizing to watch—like a chef on television. Atticus retrieved one item at a time, then washed the vegetables thoroughly before chopping them. He didn’t have the chopping technique that Bear possessed, but I could tell he wanted to make an impression. Atticus assembled a salad made with corn, black beans, peppers, scallions, cilantro, olive oil, tomatoes, lime juice, and cracked pepper.
“I can’t add salt,” he said while stirring the mixture. “We have to keep your blood pressure down.” Then he wiped clean his cutting boards and discarded the leftover waste.
“Do you ever cook for yourself?” I crossed my ankles.
He turned on the faucet and washed his hands. “Occasionally. The joy of eating is diminished when you don’t experience hunger. But I like cooking for others.”
Enough time had elapsed that I could smell the potatoes were almost done.
When my butt started hurting, I scooted to the edge of the counter to get down.
Atticus dropped his spoon and swooped in, wrapping his arms around me. Our bodies rubbed together sensually before my feet touched the ground. Atticus was surprisingly warm, his muscles taut.
“You should be careful,” he said softly against my ear.
Though my feet were on the ground, I remained in his embrace. Holding him was astonishingly comforting, as if we had known each other for a lifetime.
“I never thought a Vampire could make me feel safe.”
Atticus tenderly stroked my hair. “You said you would call me by my first name when you trusted me.”
