resent it?”
He scraped the diced onions into a skillet, added a dollop of olive oil and turned on the heat under the pan. He handed her a wooden spoon. “Stir.”
He washed and cored a crisp-looking red pepper and started slicing it into thin strips. “I won’t lie. I did at first. But after a while I realized that I liked knowing how to fend for myself. And I like it even more now. I never starve and cooking has become a hobby of mine.”
The onions started to sizzle and she dutifully stirred. “I only cook when I have to. I know the basics but my cooking would never wow anyone.” And boy did she know that one for a certainty. Davis had put her down often enough for not trying harder, complaining about her lack of domestic skills.
“Sounds like you haven’t put any effort into it.”
For a moment she was taken aback by his bluntness but then shrugged. Marcus wasn’t putting her down for it, just stating the obvious.
“You’re right. I haven’t. None of the women in my family have been into cooking. Not even my grandmother.”
Marcus grinned. “That doesn’t surprise me. Your grandmother is the complete antithesis of the grandmotherly type. It’s one of the things I like best about her.”
She grinned with fondness, picturing Gram’s many eccentricities. “Me too.”
The water started to boil and he grabbed a couple handfuls of linguine and tossed them in, giving it a quick stir before turning back to the pepper. “You two seem very close.”
“We are. She raised me on her own after my mother died.”
He stopped slicing and looked up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know about your mother.”
“It’s okay. It was a long time ago and I never lacked for love. I did okay.”
He didn’t look at her. “That’s the same thing I tell people when they find out about my dad. He died when I was twelve.”
The urge to hug him and place a soothing kiss on his neck was overwhelming, but she didn’t know how he’d take it, so she held back. Instead, she reached out and briefly touched his shoulder. “That had to be hard.”
“It was, but we survived it and grew closer as a family.”
Knowing what it was like to lose a parent, Asia nodded. Marcus was downplaying it, but she understood just how hard it must have been. “It’s a wonder your mother and sisters didn’t spoil you rotten after that.”
He grinned. “It was of supreme importance to my sisters and my mother that I not grow up to be one of those guys who thinks women are put on this earth to serve them.”
Remembering how Davis was exactly like that, Asia shuddered. “Heaven forbid.”
He laughed. “That’s how they all felt about it too. I think they’d still slap me upside my head if they ever thought I wasn’t treating a woman right.”
Asia wished all mothers would train their sons to be that way.
He gave the linguine another stir, grabbed a colander from the cupboard and placed it in the sink. Then he grabbed plates and cutlery and set them on the other side of the island where the barstools were. “Do you feel like some wine?”
“I’d love some.”
Wine glasses were placed on the counter. Next, he grabbed a bottle of Riesling out of the under-counter wine cooler. Uncorking it with efficiency, he poured some into each glass.
Turning back, he took the wooden spoon from her. “Have a seat. I can take it from here.”
She relinquished the stirring duties to him, sat on a counter barstool and took a sip of the dry white wine with relish. “Mmm, this is good.”
She watched as he turned off the heat under the onions and peppers, checked the linguine for doneness and dumped it into the colander. Every movement he made was sure and efficient.
There was something truly sexy about a man who knew his way around a kitchen. Especially when his jeans hugged his outstanding ass like that.
He took the drained linguine and dumped it into the onions and peppers and tossed the whole thing around. “It’s ready.”
Oh yeah, she
He scraped the diced onions into a skillet, added a dollop of olive oil and turned on the heat under the pan. He handed her a wooden spoon. “Stir.”
He washed and cored a crisp-looking red pepper and started slicing it into thin strips. “I won’t lie. I did at first. But after a while I realized that I liked knowing how to fend for myself. And I like it even more now. I never starve and cooking has become a hobby of mine.”
The onions started to sizzle and she dutifully stirred. “I only cook when I have to. I know the basics but my cooking would never wow anyone.” And boy did she know that one for a certainty. Davis had put her down often enough for not trying harder, complaining about her lack of domestic skills.
“Sounds like you haven’t put any effort into it.”
For a moment she was taken aback by his bluntness but then shrugged. Marcus wasn’t putting her down for it, just stating the obvious.
“You’re right. I haven’t. None of the women in my family have been into cooking. Not even my grandmother.”
Marcus grinned. “That doesn’t surprise me. Your grandmother is the complete antithesis of the grandmotherly type. It’s one of the things I like best about her.”
She grinned with fondness, picturing Gram’s many eccentricities. “Me too.”
The water started to boil and he grabbed a couple handfuls of linguine and tossed them in, giving it a quick stir before turning back to the pepper. “You two seem very close.”
“We are. She raised me on her own after my mother died.”
He stopped slicing and looked up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know about your mother.”
“It’s okay. It was a long time ago and I never lacked for love. I did okay.”
He didn’t look at her. “That’s the same thing I tell people when they find out about my dad. He died when I was twelve.”
The urge to hug him and place a soothing kiss on his neck was overwhelming, but she didn’t know how he’d take it, so she held back. Instead, she reached out and briefly touched his shoulder. “That had to be hard.”
“It was, but we survived it and grew closer as a family.”
Knowing what it was like to lose a parent, Asia nodded. Marcus was downplaying it, but she understood just how hard it must have been. “It’s a wonder your mother and sisters didn’t spoil you rotten after that.”
He grinned. “It was of supreme importance to my sisters and my mother that I not grow up to be one of those guys who thinks women are put on this earth to serve them.”
Remembering how Davis was exactly like that, Asia shuddered. “Heaven forbid.”
He laughed. “That’s how they all felt about it too. I think they’d still slap me upside my head if they ever thought I wasn’t treating a woman right.”
Asia wished all mothers would train their sons to be that way.
He gave the linguine another stir, grabbed a colander from the cupboard and placed it in the sink. Then he grabbed plates and cutlery and set them on the other side of the island where the barstools were. “Do you feel like some wine?”
“I’d love some.”
Wine glasses were placed on the counter. Next, he grabbed a bottle of Riesling out of the under-counter wine cooler. Uncorking it with efficiency, he poured some into each glass.
Turning back, he took the wooden spoon from her. “Have a seat. I can take it from here.”
She relinquished the stirring duties to him, sat on a counter barstool and took a sip of the dry white wine with relish. “Mmm, this is good.”
She watched as he turned off the heat under the onions and peppers, checked the linguine for doneness and dumped it into the colander. Every movement he made was sure and efficient.
There was something truly sexy about a man who knew his way around a kitchen. Especially when his jeans hugged his outstanding ass like that.
He took the drained linguine and dumped it into the onions and peppers and tossed the whole thing around. “It’s ready.”
Oh yeah, she
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