Page 49 of Chosen By Swift

“I will.” He noisily kissed her cheek. “Show me how this is done.”

“Wash your hands!” she chided, pushing his hands away from the bowl.

“Yes, ma’am,” he grumbled. After drying his hands, he returned to her side and pointed at the bowl where the yeast had gone foamy. “Why is it doing that?”

“The yeast is activated by the warm water and sugar. It starts to bubble up which tells me that it will make my bread rise.”

He leaned closer to inspect it. “It smells odd.”

“I like the way it smells. It makes me think of quiet mornings with my mother and hot, fresh bread slathered with butter.”

“It looks like something that belongs in a laboratory, like a sample from a new planet being studied for signs of life.”

Amused by his mistrust of the yeast, she said, “Wait until I have a jar of starter on the counter.”

“I don’t think I even want to know what that is.”

“Here.” She handed him a spoon. “Use those strong hands of yours to stir all this flour into the wet ingredients.”

Together, they finished the bread dough and then she turned it out onto the floured counter. As she kneaded, she explained the process. “So, you work the dough like this, folding and stretching and squishing until it becomes more pliable and softer.”

“Why?”

“It makes the bread light and airy. But,” she glanced up at him, “if you knead too long, the bread gets chewy and dense.”

“How do you know when you’ve reached that sweet spot?”

“You learn to feel the difference.” She grasped his hand and brought it to the dough. “Use the heel of your hand. Yes. Like that.”

Swift was a quick study and picked up the technique easily. He was so serious as he kneaded the dough, and she couldn’t help but smile at his dedication to learning this new skill.

“What?” he asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

“You look so serious.”

“Watching you work has taught me that bread is serious business.”

The mention of serious business brought her back to his revelation about trying to take Ella. She didn’t want to wake back into those hurtful feelings, but putting it off would only make the inevitable discussion worse.

“Why did you want to take Ella from her man?”

Swift’s smooth movements stuttered. He recovered quickly and kept kneading the dough. “I’ve wanted a mate for a long time. I had the points for a Grab but there weren’t many slots available. I was asked to go on a mission to retrieve Ella from The City. When she came onto the ship, I figured that was my chance to get what I wanted.”

“But?”

“But Ella and Raze were already in a relationship.”

“They were courting?”

“Basically,” he confirmed. “They met through Venom and Dizzy. Venom is Raze’s best friend, and Dizzy is Ella’s best friend. I guess it was love at first sight.”

“I’m sure Raze didn’t take it well when you stole his intended bride,” she said, thinking how angry her brother Jack would have been if a stranger had tried to steal Polly.

“He knocked me on the ground with a single punch,” Swift admitted sheepishly. “I was a sore loser about it.”

She sensed there was more to the story. He had the same look on his face that her brothers had when they were embarrassed to tell the truth. Gently, she prodded, “What does that mean?”

Swift stopped kneading, but kept his hands on the dough, squeezing it in his fingers. He finally met her curious gaze and seemed embarrassed as he reluctantly said, “I let the admiral chase Raze and Ella down and didn’t stop him when he demanded that Raze give her back to me. Ella informed us that she couldn’t have children and I….”

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