Page 59 of The Backup Bride Proposal

He nodded. “It relaxes me. Plus, I can fix food the way I like it.”

“Same. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love a good restaurant meal, but there’s something about creating something yourself.”

“Exactly. And I like making up my own recipes. Trying new things. Though sometimes I fail.”

He laughed after he said that, and she appreciated that he didn’t take himself too seriously.

Once the oven was at the right temperature, Mae slid the asparagus in and set a timer on her phone. Kane had put a lid on the chicken, so they took a seat in the living area. She sipped her wine, taking in how sexy he looked in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, the sleeves pushed up to his elbows.

The man had very fine forearms. What was it about a man’s muscular forearms that could make a woman swoon? Not that Mae ever swooned, but those forearms made her heart rate tick up. She breathed out a contented sigh.

“How was your day?” he asked.

“It was good. Hectic, but good. Yours?”

“Fine. Finished off a couple of scenes with some of our other actors, so those can actually be finalized since they didn’t require Everly. And before we get any further, Everly was doing her reshoots at the studio and we ran into each other. So we had lunch. That’s all it was. All it could ever be, really. We’re just friends, Mae.”

“Okay.”

He laid his glass down on the table and shifted to face her. “I know you have no reason to believe me—or trust me—but I’ll tell you right now I don’t cheat. I’ve never cheated. When I’m seeing a woman, I’m only seeing that woman. No one else. I’m seeing you. No one else.”

Whoa. That was some declaration, and now she did feel swoony. “I believe you.”

“Good.” He took her glass and set it on the table next to his, then pulled her into his arms and laid one hell of a kiss on her, the kind that made her feel hot and desired, the kind that made her want to slide her hand under his shirt to feel his skin against her palm.

But then her timer went off on her phone, pulling them apart. And then a timer beeped on his, too.

“We’ll continue this after dinner,” he said.

She smoothed her hand across his chest. “Definitely.”

They got everything ready and served from the stove.

“Sorry it’s not fancy,” Kane said. “But I don’t have a big table or a lot of dishes.”

She tilted her head back and smiled at him. “I like that it’s not fancy. This is good for me.”

“You’re good for me,” he said, leaning down to brush his lips across hers.

If he kept doing that, she was going to jump him and then she’d miss out on this great dinner. Plus, she was really hungry.

They took their plates and drinks to the table and dug in. The chicken was flavorful and perfectly cooked. The rice was tender and the asparagus turned out awesome.

“This is so good,” she said, trying not to speak with her mouth full, but she couldn’t help herself. She was hungry and the food was delicious.

“It is. Thanks for helping.”

“I didn’t do much, but I’m happy to help you cook anytime.”

“Hey, if this gets you in my trailer, I’ll do this every night.”

She took a sip of her wine and shot him a look. “Oh, you’re smooth.”

His lips curved. “I try.”

“When did you learn to cook?”

“On the ranch. First, steaks and potatoes, then sides. My aunt’s wife lives there and is an excellent cook, so whenever I wasn’t outside working with the horses or at one of the barns, she put me to work in the kitchen. I learned a lot from her. When I got out on my own I experimented with other foods. I started traveling a lot for work, so I got tired of eating out all the time. I liked being able to cook the foods I wanted to eat.”

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