From here, I catch a glimpse of the kitchen. It’s filled with wooden cabinetry and natural stone countertops that scream rustic charm. The sleek, stainless-steel appliances positioned throughout keep things modern. It’s a beautiful balance of old and new.
Without warning, a small, gray furball comes bounding toward us from the living room.
“Oh my goodness, you have a kitten!” I exclaim, barely able to contain my surprise as the tiny creature zooms up to our feet, demanding attention.
The kitten flops onto the doormat next to Knox’s boot-clad feet, its tiny body a stark contrast to his towering presence. The sight of him, all rugged masculinity, standing next to this helpless little ball of fluff is almost more than I can take. I take a mental snapshot, locking the moment away in my mind.
“What’s his name?”
“Uile-Bhèist,” he replies. There’s a serious expression on his face that’s far too amusing given the situation. He pauses before attempting to spell it out for me.
“Um, I’m sorry, what?” I ask, sure I didn’t hear him right.
“It’s pronounced like oo-luh-vesht.Uile-Bhèist. Scottish Gaelic for monster.”
I blink at him, then at the kitten, then back again. The tinyfluffball just stares up at me, eyes slowly blinking like I’m the one being ridiculous.
“Right,” I say slowly. “I was thinking something more along the lines of Stormy. Smoky. Maybe even Ash. But…sure. That works?”
He lifts a shoulder, casual, like naming a kitten something ninety percent of the population can’t pronounce is the most normal thing in the world.
The sheer absurdity of it all hits me, and I can’t help it. I burst into laughter. Actual, tears in my eyes, laughter. “You’re something else. We’re going to get along just fine.”
A smile tugs at the corner of his lips, and I’m instantly riveted. It’s that dimple. It’s downright hypnotizing.
“Come on, lass,” he says, his voice all rich and velvety as he nods toward the back of the house. “Let me show you around the kitchen.”
He leads the way, and I follow. At this point, he could’ve said,Come on, lass, let me lead you straight to your demise, and I would’ve trailed after him.
He pulls out a barstool, gesturing for me to sit. I slide onto the seat, feeling oddly at home as he moves to the other side of the island. He rests his hands on the counter, his gaze steady on me.
“You don’t actually need to help if you don’t want to. I’m more than happy to do the cooking as long as I’ve got your company.”
His words come out with indifference, but it’s the way his muscles flex as he turns to pull ingredients from the fridge that steals my attention. The way his shirt stretches across his back is borderline unfair. My eyes have completely abandoned my control, shamelessly locked onto the show he’s putting on.
Am I drooling? No. Definitely not.
I clear my throat, forcing my gaze away before Iembarrass myself. “Honestly, I’d love to learn. I’ll do whatever you decide to trust me with.” I pause, trying to sound like a normal human being and not someone fighting for their life against the distraction that are his glorious muscles. “What are we making?”
“Ever had cullen skink?”
I tilt my head, furrowing my brow and mentally digging through any possible memory of those words. “I’m going to say no, considering I have no idea what that is.”
“I figured,” he says with a smirk. “It’s a soup made with smoked haddock. I hope that’s okay. Rose told me you eat fish.”
If he wasn’t already swimming in brownie points, he just dove straight into the deep end.
“Sounds great. Where do we start?”
He tells me about the recipe as he moves around the kitchen with ease, gathering the rest of the ingredients along with the pots and utensils.
“All right,” he says, his voice steady and inviting, “you want to come over here and help me chop some of this up?”
I hop down from the barstool like it’s nothing, but inside, I’ve got a full-on adrenaline rush happening from such close proximity. My pulse quickens as I move to stand beside him. “Show me what to do, Chef.”
“I’ll dice the potatoes if you can do the onion?”
“You got it. Which knife should I use?”
