“Why don’t you get some rest? Jacob and I are gonna take a nap and then we’ll start making dinner around four. Come hang out whenever you feel like it, but we wanna do the planning part for tomorrow while we eat.”
“Sounds good,” she said as she released Sloane, then added as she reached the door, “Have a nicenap.”
“I bet Eli could also give you a goodnappingif you asked.”
Olivia’s face heated with the strength of a thousand suns. Sloane merely chuckled and then bounded out the door.
Chapter 6
“Sloane, can you hand me the basil please?” Jacob said as he stirred a giant pot of tomato sauce on the stove. He wore a bandana on his head to keep the hair out of his eyes and an apron that said “Nana’s Kitchen” on the front.
“Sure thing, babe.” Sloane handed him a basket with the freshly-washed herbs. Her apron had “Made with Love” embroidered in pastel pink script. “Here you go.”
“Thanks, Hot Stuff.” He kissed her on the cheek, then dropped a few leaves into the pot. “Sauce’ll be ready in fifteen.”
“I’ll get the pasta going then.”
Eli thought the scene was oddly domestic, considering the circumstances and who was cooking. Culinary skills had never been part of the Boston clan’s training and as far as he knew, Sloane had never stepped foot in a kitchen.
“Something the matter, Blake?” Jacob turned to face him, wooden spoon in hand, an eyebrow arched upward. “You gotta problem or something?”
Before he could answer, a voice chirped in from behind.
“Something smells amazing.”
Eli’s head whipped back toward the entryway, his breath catching at the heavenly sight of Olivia. Even with her silvery hair tied back in a neat ponytail and dressed casually in a T-shirt and jeans, she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
It seemed almost impossible that she was not only going to have his baby, but she wanted to be with him. The urge to possess her and make her his again was overwhelming, and his wolf was not making it any easier. It wanted him to take control and claim and mark her as theirs. Being trapped in the backseat with her had been pure torture and if they had been alone …
“Hi,” she greeted shyly, then proceeded to sit next to him at the huge island in the middle of the kitchen. “Did you get some rest?”
“Yeah.” He didn’t know what else to say; he’d never really liked conversation nor did he have experience with women. Fucking, yes. That he knew plenty about. But being in a relationship with a female was a completely alien concept to him.
“Did you have a nicenap?” Sloane asked.
The prettiest blush bloomed on her face. “I got some sleep, thank you very much.”
“Dinner’s almost ready,” Jacob announced. “I’d ask if you were hungry but that’s a rhetorical question.”
Olivia laughed, a sound that sent a warmth through Eli’s chest. “As I live and breathe—Jacob Martin, cooking? I bet the last time were in a kitchen was when you almost burned one down when your powers came in.”
“Ha ha, very funny.” Taking a spoonful of sauce, he tasted the red liquid, wrinkled his nose, then reached for the salt container before adding in a pinch. “We actually learned to cook during our house arrest.”
Sloane snorted. “Don’t get me wrong, it was fun for the first couple of days, binge watching TV shows and ordering takeout.But soon, we were driving each other bonkers being cooped up in that studio. We needed some kind of activity or we were going to kill each other.”
“So we decided to take up cooking,” Jacob finished. “The first couple of times were a disaster, but once we got the hang of it, we found we enjoyed it.”
“And saved us on takeout bills,” Sloane chuckled, rubbing her belly. “Okay, we should be ready to plate up in five minutes. We’re eating family style, so could you guys set the table?”
“I’ll do it, don’t get up,” Eli said to Olivia, waving her away before she could protest. Sliding off the stool, he walked toward the cupboards and searched for the plates and utensils. Setting the table was a good distraction, at least for the next few minutes. When he was done, he sat down and to his surprise, Olivia took the place beside him, smiling up at him shyly.
“Here we go,” Jacob announced as he brought the big serving bowl of spaghetti. He pulled out the chair next to him, and once Sloane sat down, eased it back in.
“Hmmm … smells wonderful,” Olivia said, taking in a deep inhale.
“There’s a lot more, don’t worry.” Sloane nodded to the two big pots on the stove. “Eat up.”
They served themselves the pasta, as well as salad and garlic bread on the side. Eli had to admit, the food was delicious, and he couldn’t remember the last time he had eaten a home cooked meal. Probably back at Sloane’s aunt’s place. And before that … He pushed the memory away, not wanting to think about his life before coming to Boston.
