With me emerging victorious, Marcus stood with a pot full of disgusting, horrifically burned popcorn.
Once that was sorted, the alpha grabbed a couple of saucepans and started them on the burners. I watched with interest as he went to the fridge and the pantry, coming back with butter and sugar, respectively.
"What's that for?" I asked.
"Butter for the popcorn and sugar to make caramel corn. You like sweet things, right?"
I swallowed heavily, the sensation that I was watching my victory slip through my fingers pounding my smugness into dust. "Right."
He nodded with a little hum, working away at the stove. It didn’t take long before I was totally lost, since he was doing like three things at once, and I was a novice at best when it came to anything to do with the kitchen. Still, I figured I would’ve been a little better at keeping track.
The popping started, and Marcus started shaking the pot instantly, careful to keep it over the heat.
"That's not what the directions said,” I complained.
He glanced up, and damn, the intensity of his gaze always got to me. Those mossy green eyes were the kind of thing that made painters go crazy trying to mix the right shade. "The directions made you burn it, didn’t they?"
I tried to keep my face neutral, but could feel what Indi liked to call my ‘bitchy-whiny-pouting-omega face’ coming on. “Well, yeah…”
Marcus shook the pot way more often than I ever did, and somehow managed to keep stirring the butter and the caramel in precise intervals.
Soon, he was dumping a perfect batch of popcorn into two large bowls. In the first, he dumped the melted butter directly over and shook it vigorously without so much as letting even a single piece fall. Then, he did the same with the caramel corn, flipping the pieces in the bowl until they were perfectly coated in sticky, warm caramel. Once he was satisfied, he pulled the salt cellar closer to add a healthy pinch to each with a final shake.
“Done,” he said, giving the bowl of caramel corn a little push in my direction over the white stone of the island.
I was equal parts mesmerized and confused. I'd burnt three different pans and made a huge mess without producing anything, yet he had made two big batches without spilling a drop.
"Should we bring these downstairs?" he asked, turning off the burners and setting the pots into the sink to soak.
"Uh, yeah. Thanks."
He nodded, giving his hands a quick wipe with a towel before grabbing the salted butter bowl.
I grabbed the other, and we headed downstairs together, with me leading the way. Suddenly, I was feeling nervous.
Sure, it was just another pack movie night, but I’d tried to plan it all by myself with everyone in mind,especiallyhim.
And I was sort of hoping that I could use tonight as a step in that direction. Now that we were looking at having a baby… I felt like I needed to get more serious about my connections with theentirepack. Not just Indi.
I pointed out where there was space left for the bowls on the coffee table, and we each set them down.
"Did you do all of this?" Marcus asked, examining the table with a little smile that I’d never seen from the alpha before.
"Yeah, but it was nothing, really," I lied, like it hadn’t taken me all day to run around town for supplies before I’d even started setting up.
"It's nice,” he praised. “The charcuterie board looks almost professional."
Sure that I would cling to the rush that little compliment gave me for years to come, I rolled my eyes, trying to play off my pleasure as no big deal.
"You're just being nice."
“Me?” Marcus chuckled, picking up a piece of cheese to examine it before popping the little cube into his mouth. "Doubtful. Your knife skills could use some work."
“You’re so annoying,” I complained, giving his shoulder a playful shove. “They’re fine.”
"They're passable," the alpha chuckled, gaze warm where it landed on my face.
This felt like the first time Marcus looked at me without a shred of contempt, and I had to admit… It felt pretty fucking good.
