“Yeah. Of course. Do you remember the dinner she invited you to a little while back?”
“Hmm. The one where I had that fundraising event?”
“Either that or a date,” he said, swirling the Riesling in his glass before taking a sip.
“Doubtful,” I scoffed, using the tongs to flip the chicken before turning on the right rear burner and adding butter to the small saucepan. “I’d cancel for a work obligation, not a date. You know how much I love your family, Miller.”
He grimaced, his face smoothing to an impassive smirk, and shrugged. “Do you have any dates coming up?”
“Dates? You mean from the apps?” I parroted, adding capers and lemon to the saucepan. The first pieces of chicken looked mouthwatering, filling the kitchen with the scent of hot olive oil and lemons. My stomach made an uncomfortable gurgle, and I took my time breading three more cutlets before turning to Miller.
“Yes,” he said as if there had not been a several-minute bout of silence. “How many are you going on this week?”
Whoa.The aggravation rolling off Miller was a palpable force within the kitchen, and I laid down the tongs and switched the burner underneath the saucepan to low before I turned and crossed my arms.
“None. Not that it’s any of your business,” I said, arching a brow and waiting for him to contradict me. “Wait. That’s not true.”
“Oh, it’s not?”
“Nope. I have one set up for a work event next weekend, but I wanted to speak with you before confirming things,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
His handsome features were marred with irritation, which solidified any lingering doubts I had about his feelings. Perhaps this needed to happen before dinner—just a little something to diffuse the tension, letting Miller know where things were headed.
Perhaps throwing myself onto his lap and nuzzling his neck before passing him a note asking him to be my boyfriend was out of the question, but a chaste kiss on the cheek that impliedmorecould be exactly what we needed to get this dinner back on track.
“Really? Of course you have a date. Why am I not surprised?”
I picked up the tongs and threw them into the sink, getting a small amount of satisfaction when Miller jumped at the loud noise it made.
“That’s uncalled for, and you know it.”
“You sure about that?” His voice held no malice, and I could see the unspoken question in his eyes as he waited for me to respond. Swallowing the anger that immediately bubbled to the surface, I bit back the insult on my tongue, instead allowing my eyes to follow the sharp edges of his face and then down to his plump, kissable lips. He took an audible breath and scrunched his eyebrows as his eyes darted to my lips and back again before his features settled partway between a smirk and a scowl.
“Am I sure?” I asked, taking a step toward him before throwing my hands in the air and retrieving my wine glass. “You infuriating man!”
I swallowed the rest of the glass before eyeing the bottle on the opposite edge of the kitchen table. Stalking toward it, I refilled my glass and then grudgingly topped off Miller’s as well. He mumbled his thanks as I swirled the wine before setting the glass on the counter beside the stove and pinning him with a glare that I hoped could rival his mother’s.
“I am one hundred percent sure, Miller, hence me saying nothing has been confirmed until the two of us talked. You know, I’m grateful you’ve given me time to sort some things out after you left the other night. I’m not going to point out how shitty that was, leaving me in that state with Court.”
“Oh? What state was that, Em?”
“You know,” I said, stepping forward to pop him on the shoulder before grabbing the tongs from the sink. The oil in the pan still bubbled, and I breaded the last two chicken cutlets and added a bit of flour to the simmering lemon sauce. “That kiss. As if I could have formed a rational thought after that. Ass.”
“Minx,” he said, winking as I flipped the chicken. “That was the entire point of the kiss, you know? To sweep you off your feet. To catch you off guard. Pick your poison, babe.”
“Yes, I figured as much. Good job on that front. The catching me off guard, I mean.”
“Well, I know you’ve always arrived at things in your own time.”
I hummed, turning off the stove after plating the chicken and removing the potatoes from the oven. As I took the melon balls from the fridge and he set the table, I thought maybe jumping into his arms and kissing him stupid wasn’t a half-bad idea.
“I suppose you’re right.”
“Of course, I’m right. The question of the hour is have you come to a pleasing conclusion?”
“I think so, and there is really only one logical answer.”
“Is that right?”
