“You made these?” she asks as she drifts closer to inspect the food.
“Sure did. How about you take a bite and tell me how I did, while I clean up the mess I made?” I offer.
The attitude melts off her face as she takes a seat. It takes everything in me to fight a smug smile. Food always works in my favor.
“I guess it would be rude to skip out on such a delicious-looking meal,” she says begrudgingly, shooting me a warm smile. “Thank you.”
I wave off her gratitude. “No need to thank me, I enjoy cooking.”
She picks up a taco and takes a bite. The loud, seductive moan that comes after she swallows is more appropriate for a pornstar—not a bite of breakfast.
“What did you put in these?” Blair asks. Before I can answer she begins to list the ingredients. “Onions, garlic, peppers… is that a bit of cayenne? There’s cumin, and…”
I glance at her over my shoulder to find her eyeing the taco as if expecting that it will tell her the rest of its ingredients.
“Red pepper flakes and a pinch of brown sugar,” I tell her. “You have a sharp palate."
“Brown sugar?” she repeats, her expression brightening as she looks at me.
“To sweeten it just a bit.”
She hums, the sound thoughtful. “I’ll have to try this next time.”
“Do you cook much?” I ask.
“I try to. There’s nothing like a home-cooked meal to make you feel settled somewhere.”
Her answer surprises me. I put down the dirty dishes and turn back to face her. “What’s that mean?”
She covers her mouth with her hand as she finishes the large bite she’d taken. When she’s done chewing, it falls away, and she answers, “I’m a traveling nurse so I don’t have a home, per se. Ikind of just go wherever the wind takes me. But I don’t mind it as long as I have a good hearty meal every time I make it back to whatever apartment or hotel I’m staying at.”
I smile. “Well, you’ll get a lot of home-cooked meals here if you stick around. You don’t even have to cook it. The kitchen is my domain.”
“Oh yeah? You don’t share the kitchen space?” She raises a brow. “Or you just don’t like the idea of a little friendly cooking competition?”
I laugh at her playfulness. “You think you could out cookme?”
"I didn’t say that.” She counters before finishing her last taco. When she’s done, she stands and brings over her plate. “I just wanted to know if the kitchen was off limits to everyone.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I give her a pointed look. “I’ll need to test your cooking skills before I loosen the reins here.” I pause for a moment, thinking quickly. “How about I grill us all something tonight, and you make a side dish?”
The flash of intuitiveness is bright in Blair’s eyes. She knows what I’m trying to do. Agreeing to cook a side means she’s staying another evening. The playfulness in her expression fades some but her smile doesn’t vanish altogether.
“Alright, I can do that.”
“Great,” I grin. “In the meantime, if you’re up to it, I’d like to give you a tour of the property and properly introduce you to the guys.”
Blair’s eyes narrow on me, her suspicion in full view. She doesn’t trust me, probably because she doesn’t know me. I’m sure she’s also deduced that I’m helping Ledger, who according to Rhett, and judging by her attitude, she’s a little pissed off at.
Rather than answer, she grabs her plate and comes over to the sink. Unlike the others, who left their stuff for me to clean, she turns on the faucet and grabs the sponge.
“I’m going to do the dishes, since you were kind enough to feed me,” she tells me matter-of-factly. “Then you can take me on that tour. Deal?”
I nod as I grab for the dish towel and dry my hands.
“Deal.”
Chapter 9
