Page 30 of The Winning Ticket

“Are you kidding? I want to watch the cooking show,” she says.

I look up to see her settling herself on a stool on the other side of the bench. I momentarily wonder at my slight disappointment when I notice she’s thrown a dress over her bikini.

“Looking for tips, are you?”

“You’ve talked a big game, JJ. I need to see the master at work.”

“Be prepared to be amazed, Little B.”

Half an hour later, Bri is inhaling her dinner and making all the right sounds that prove I can, in fact, cook.

“Holy shit, Jake. This is amazing. It’s like eating at an Italian restaurant.” Her eyes are closed while she breathes in deeply, and I can’t help but stare at her.

She opens her eyes and smiles at me.

My heart skips a little, and I look down at my plate. “No, it’s like eating a traditional Italian meal cooked by an Italian.”

“You’re really leaning into those Italian roots tonight, aren’t you?”

I look up and wink at her, smiling when I notice the sauce on her chin. Without thinking, I reach over and wipe it away with my thumb, and her eyes widen slightly.

“Sorry, I probably could have just told you that was there,” I say, surprised at my actions.

She studies me for a moment. “All good. I know you’re just looking out for me.” Her voice has taken on that slightly husky tone, and her eyes dart to my lips before returning to meet my gaze again.

“Yep, gotta keep you from getting food all over your face.”

We continue eating, and once we’re done, Bri gets up and starts clearing the dishes away.

“You don’t need to clean up,” I protest, pulling my plate out of her reach, but she bats my hand away.

“The cook does not clean in this house. Now, get out of the kitchen.” She shoos me away, and I go into my new room.

When Bri agreed to move in, I’d asked Chris to pack up the things I’d left and put them in the second biggest room, so I busy myself getting it all sorted.

An hour later, I find her sitting on the couch in her pyjamas, her nose buried in her book again. The apartment is spotless once more, and I notice that the groceries I left on the bench have disappeared.

“Whatcha reading?” I ask as I flop down beside her and start scrolling through my phone.

“Um… a romance book.” She looks a little sheepish when I look over, and I catch a glimpse of the bare male torso on the cover before she can hide it from me.

I snort a little. “I have no idea why, but I didn’t picture you as a reader of those types of books.”

She arches an eyebrow at me over the top of her glasses. I haven’t noticed her wearing them before, and I doubt she realises just how hot she looks in them. Well, she always looks hot, but the glasses definitely do something to my insides right now.

“And what kind of books would those be, Jake?”

I ignore the warning in her tone, knowing how easy it is to wind her up. “You know, porn for women.”

“Jake Boyd! How dare you. I’ll have you know, there is more to them than that.” She digs her toe into my thigh, and I clamp my hand over her foot while I laugh.

“Oh yeah, like what?”

“Well, I’m just getting up to the part where she’s recovering from the traumatic break-up with her asshole ex, and the love interest is telling her how she could do so much better than him.” Her face drops a little, and I tighten my grip on her foot, squeezing it gently.

I watch her closely for a minute while a range of emotions flit across her face. “He’s right, you know,” I say quietly.

“Who?”

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