Page 109 of Devious Knight

There is grilled chicken and vegetable skewers laid out on a platter, oven baked vegetables and fish, minced lamb and pine nuts garnished with feta cheese on slices of courgettes that look like little boats, and a roast beef salad.

I stare at the food mesmerized at first, then in disbelief as it sinks in that Kade prepared it.

“Are you sure you didn’t buy this in from some restaurant?” I ask as he sits next to me at the head of the table.

He looks back at me with raised brows. “What, you seriously don’t think I cooked this?”

“No. I imagine you making toast and maybe some eggs, but that’s as far as it goes.”

He laughs. The sound grips me. It’s a genuine laugh that I haven’t heard before. I’ve seen him smile. I’ve also seen the mocking smirks and menacing grins that make my insides twist with worry, but this is new to me.

“I’m half Greek. We learn to cook at about the same time we learn to walk. Or if you’re from my mother’s family, you learn to cook and fight at the same time, the Spartan way.”

“The Spartan way?” Strangely, I like that.

“My mother’s people claim to be descendants from Sparta, so everything they do is the Spartan way.”

This is the first time he’s ever spoken to me about his family. “That’s very cool.”

He reaches for a chicken skewer and holds it out to me. “Go ahead, try it and tell me what you think.”

I take it from him and bite off the first piece of chicken. I was expecting it to taste similar to the ones I’ve had before, but it doesn’t. This chicken is succulent with a blast of herbs and spices encased in a smoky flavor.

Shock consumes me, and I snap my gaze back to Kade. “Oh my God. This is really good.”

“Told you. Is it the best chicken you’ve ever tasted?”

I wish I could say no to be spiteful, but I can’t. “Yes. Where did you learn to cook like this?”

“My grandparents in Greece. My grandfather was the master chef of the family, but my grandmother was his second-in-command.”

“They sound like a power couple.”

“They were. My grandfather is dead now, but I still go to Thessaloniki every year to visit my grandmother. She always has something new to teach me.”

“That’s great. Sorry about your grandfather.”

A dull look fills his eyes, but there’s something else. Something that snuck in the moment I offered my condolences. It makes me feel like I shouldn’t have said anything.

“Thank you,” he finally says, and the tension coiling in the pit of my stomach loosens. “Eat, don’t let it get cold.”

I give him a small smile, then I polish off the rest of the chicken on the skewer. Kade watches me eat, his gaze focusing keenly on my lips every time I take a bite.

“This is so good.” The food tastes even better the more I eat.

“Glad you like it. Try the other stuff.” He lifts his chin, gesturing to the other delicious-looking dishes which I’m now sure will taste as good as they look.

We serve ourselves a bit of everything, then I dive in. And I’m right. The food does taste amazing. I eat and enjoy it, then I marvel at the mystery of us.

Of all the things I thought I’d be doing tonight, having dinner with Kade wasn’t one of them. I also never imagined sitting around a dinner table with him and not feeling like I should get away as quickly as possible.

My mind is reminding me that I did a reset of my life only a few days ago, and I need to keep my head screwed on. But secretly, this feels nice, and I can’t completely tell myself I’m sitting here to keep the peace.

So many questions still hang in the air and so many unresolved issues that I shouldn’t touch, but the biggest mystery of all is him—Kade.

No matter how hard I try, I can’t figure him out. He’s supposed to hate me because of this thing I did to him, but he’s not acting like he does. The thing is, he never really acted hateful until he wrecked my sculpture. And even then, that just seemed to fan the flames of this wild attraction between us I’ve tried so hard to resist.

Kade finishes before me and sips on a glass of wine. I was watching him out the corner of my eye, but now I fully look at him, and he looks at me, too.

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