“You’re going to be trouble for me, aren’t you?”
Parker reached for me, turning us over onto our sides.
“The best kind of trouble.” He said before bringing his lips to mine.
“Now you spreadthe peppers over the fish. Make sure you drizzle some of the sauce.”
I directed Parker as I poured the rum into the pitcher. Cooking had taken a bit longer than expected. Parker regretted to mention that he’s never cooked anything beyond pasta, meatloaf, and grilled chicken. He a terrible student. Parker insisted on being rewarded with kisses, of course. After the fifth make-out break, I banished him to the other side of the kitchen.
He made me feel so jovial, I couldn’t help but smile to myself as I stirred the rum punch. Almost like he was reading my mind, Parker came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and pressing a soft kiss to my neck.
I leaned my head back onto his chest. Our bodies began swaying to the music playing lowly from the speaker. He hummed the melody of the song, and the low timbre of his voice in my ear sent a shiver down my spine.
Why was everything this man did sexy? I felt like a cat in heat.
“Everything looks delicious, babe,” he murmured against my neck.
The compliment filled me with pride. It had been a long time since I cooked an authentic Jamaican meal. Feeding people was my love language. Some of my fondest memories involved cooking with or for my family.
Tilting my head up to look at him, I teased, “Thank you, everything looks pretty good despite your attempts at sabotage.”
I saw a flash of his dimples before his attack. Suddenly, I was in Parker’s arms, and he was walking toward his room.
He released me just as the twins walked up to the sliding door entrance in the living room. I waved them through, and they walked through the pool house, appraising the dining table.
“Whoa, girl, this spread looks amazing.” Janae praised while bringing me in for a hug.
“You really outdid yourself, Lo.” Aja agreed.
“Your brother helped me prepare everything tonight, so I can’t take all the credit.”
“Pfft. Yes, you can. We’ve tasted Park’s food before,” Aja chuckled as she walked over to the table and took a seat.
The shocked look on Parker’s face had me fighting back a laugh.
Once everyone was seated, I poured the drinks and told everyone to dig in.
The table was quiet as we all tucked into our food. The silence was broken by the sound of Parker clearing his throat, followed by the echo of him gulping down his rum punch.
“Damn. What kind of pepper did you put in here?” Parker choked out.
The twins and I made eye contact and burst into a fit of laughter at the scene he made.
“Scotch bonnet,” I said matter-of-factly. Parker insisted that he loved spicy food and encouraged me to toss the whole pepper in when I had suggested forgoing it. “I thought you loved spicy food?”
The twins snickered as they watched the exchange.
“I think we have different interpretations of ‘spicy,’” he retorted, already pouring a glass of water for himself.
“Let the record state that Parker thinks Frank’s Red Hot is spicy,” Janae produced with a snort.
“He once chugged a Gatorade after eating a few Hot Tamales. His taste buds are weak as hell,” Aja tacked on.
Parker got up and went to their side of the table, trapping them playfully, mussing up their hair.
I smiled as I watched the twins bat him away until he returned to his seat beside me.
I loved seeing them together like this. Momentarily, I allowed my mind to think of a future where this could be something we did regularly.
