“Hi.”
When Katherine felt a hand on her back, she turned. Even though he was taller, her face was only inches from Joseph’s. His nearness and the mixture of cologne and masculinity sent jolts of desire straight to her core.
Joseph pulled the door open and welcomed the man inside. “What you got there?” he asked.
“Here are the two bottles of wine I owe you,” the handsome man responded.
“Oh, yeah. Come on in.”
The man stepped inside and passed the wine to Joseph.
“How did your date turn out?” Joseph asked.
“It’s going great,” the man responded with a grin.
Joseph raised a brow. “Goinggreat? You’ve been on a date for two days?”
The man shrugged. “And who is this beauty?”
Joseph wrapped a possessive arm around Katherine’s waist. “My beauty,” he responded, pulling her away from his guest.
His declaration was a shock to Katherine. But, the thought of it had her grinning from ear to ear on the inside.
“Katherine, this is my friend, Jack. He lives across the hall.”
Katherine smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, Jack.”
“It’s nice to meet you too, Katherine.” Jack looked past Joseph. “What you got cooking over there?”
“Got a little spaghetti and fried catfish,” Joseph responded with pride.
Jack grinned. “Like I taught you?”
Joseph shrugged. “For the most part.”
Jack turned to Katherine. “Your guy here is being modest. He’s a great cook. He learned from the best.”
Joseph chuckled. “Jack, here, is a critically acclaimed personal chef. He’s cooked for some very important people.”
“Oh, wow. How wonderful.”
“Will you and your date be joining us?” Joseph asked.
“Nah.” He smirked. “I ain’t ready to let her come up for air yet. Besides, I have a flight to LA tomorrow. I haven’t packed.” He turned to leave. “Enjoy your dinner,” he said after crossing the threshold.
Joseph closed the door and turned around. His expression was concerning.
“What’s wrong?” Katherine asked.
“That ‘my beauty’ comment. I didn’t mean...well, Jack is my best friend, but he can be a bit of a flirt.”
Katherine chuckled and waved off his concerns. “It’s fine. I actually…well, never mind. It’s fine. Can I help you in the kitchen?”
Joseph laughed with a raised brow. “I don’t know.Canyou?”
Katherine narrowed her eyes and snatched the towel from his shoulder. She swiped at him, sending him running to the kitchen. She ran behind him, swinging the cloth weapon until he was cornered. “Just because I don’t know how to cook doesn’t mean I can’t help. I can hand you stuff.”
Joseph covered his head, feigning fear, and laughed. “Okay, okay! You can help!”
