by Calista Fox
“Yeah. Let her teach you Algebra. That could be sexy.”
He shook his head. “You have a very strange sense of…everything.”
“I’m not strange,” she corrected as she sipped her wine. “I’m progressive.”
She decided she liked the term and the concept and would spend more time with Lisette and her books, further defining herself—and her place in this new meshing of humans and demons. She also wanted to continue writing her saga about the intricate coalescing of species and cultures.
After finishing her glass of wine, she left the tavern, made a few more stops and then headed back to the cottage. She’d been attempting more king-worthy meals and had brought with her a rack of lamb Max Kincaid had Frenched for her in his butcher’s shop.
From one of the cookbooks at the library, she’d come up with three different sauces—one with spiced mustard, one with mint and the other with orange marmalade she’d picked up at the bakery. She paired the meat with broccolini a fellow villager had begun to grow and now offered at the farmer’s market, and potatoes au gratin.
Davian arrived as she was setting the table. He sniffed the air and asked, “Did Rafe come down from the castle?”
Whipping off her apron and tossing it at him, she said, “No, Rafe did not come from the castle. I cooked.”
He sniffed again and said, “But nothing’s burning.”
The wood-fire oven Davian’s head chef, Rafe, had provided her sat in her kitchen and had a stone surface where she could also heat dinner accompaniments on the stovetop. The trick, however, was to master the size of the fire beneath the oven in order to keep from torching the contents inside.
“You know,” she said, “not everyone is naturally good the first time around at everything they attempt. Some of us need a learning curve.”
With a wicked grin, he said, “I can name several things you were good at the first time around.”
Her toes curled at his seductive look, but she refused to be sidetracked. “I have our entire meal timed out perfectly this evening, so if you’ll pour the wine, I can stick to my schedule.”
He reached for her hand as she walked by him and he hauled her up against him. “Not so fast.” His head dipped and he kissed her, long and deep. When it ended, she sighed contentedly.
“Maybe, in the future,” she said, “I should wait to prepare dinner until after you’ve arrived. That would give us time for other things…”
“Good thinking.” He kissed her again, but she kept it short and sweet by pushing him away.
“If I burn the rack of lamb because of you,” she said in a feisty tone, “you will never hear the end of it.”
“Ah, married life,” he joked.
She patted him on the cheek. “Shut up and pour the wine.”
He winked sexily. “Yes, my queen.”
Words Jade loved hearing…
ABOUT AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR CALISTA FOX
Calista is a former PR professional, now writing fast-paced, steamy books to set your pulse racing! Her publishing houses include St. Martin’s Press, Grand Central Publishing and Harlequin. She is an Amazon bestseller and has won many Reviewer’s and Reader’s Choice Awards, as well as Best Book Awards and other competitions with publication as first prize. Calista teaches online writing classes and is also a Past President/Advisor of the Phoenix chapter of the Romance Writers of America national organization. Visit her at: www.calistafox.com
ALSO BY CALISTA FOX
St. Martin’s Press
BURNED DEEP
FLASH BURNED
BURNED HEARTS
BURNING OBSESSION
THE BILLIONAIRES
THE BILLIONAIRES: THE BOSSES
THE BILLIONAIRES: THE STEPBROTHERS
POSSESSION (Bayfront Billionaires #1)
SEDUCTION (Bayfront Billionaires #2)
CONFESSION (Bayfront Billionaires #3)
OBSESSION (Bayfront Billionaires #4)
ADDICTION (Bayfront Billionaires #5)
Grand Central Publishing
WHAT LOLA WANTS
WHAT MAXI NEEDS
WHEN STACI TAKES CHARGE
