Page 23 of Hot Zone

“Is it? I thought it was through his dick,” I said, and she chuckled.

“Well, y’all are pretty simple creatures. That’s why I stick to women.”

“Hey, what’s wrong with simple?” I laughed and stood up, kissing her on the cheek. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Once in my car, I turned left toward the grocery store. On the way, I called Steven.

“Hey, Mars, what’s up?”

“I was thinking I’d make dinner for your dad tonight as a thank you for letting me stay.”

“Oh man, that’s really nice of you. But Roxy and I already have plans tonight.”

I grinned and rolled my eyes. Good thing I wasn’t inviting them. Not that I said that to him. “Yeah, that’s a shame. I guess it’ll just be me and your dad then. But I wanted to check if he’s allergic to anything. I was thinking of making that creamy shrimp linguine, but I want to thank him, not send him to the hospital.”

“Nope, the man loves shrimp. If you ever want to see him really put away some food, take him to an all-you-can-eat shrimp night.”

“Good to know. Just wanted to be sure.”

“So, how are things going over there?” he asked.

“Pretty good,” I said, turning into the supermarket parking lot. “I’m at the store, so let me go grab all the ingredients. I want to have it ready before he gets home.”

“Sounds good. Give us a little more notice next time. You know Roxy and I both love that creamy shrimp linguine.”

“I will.” I hung up the phone and headed inside the supermarket.

Samuel

I came home just a few minutes earlier than usual. Mars’s car was in the driveway, but when I went inside and called out his name, there was no response. I walked through the foyer into the kitchen and stopped to take in the view. Mars was wearing a pair of gray pants—the tight, stretchy kind he wore when doing yoga.

I knew I shouldn’t stare, but he had on a pair of headphones and was clearly listening to music with a serious beat. He was chopping and stirring, shaking his booty to the rhythm. It concerned me a little that he hadn’t set the alarm, and because of the headphones, he didn’t hear me come in—but I could chastise him for that later. Right now, I was just enjoying the show.

He put the wooden spoon he was stirring with up in the air, waving it around in a circle, singing the chorus of a popular song. A smile spread across my face. Fuck, he was adorable.

He spun around in a circle, completely lost in the music until he saw me standing there. He yelped and brought his hand up to his chest.

“Samuel, you’re home.”

“I am, and the house smells fabulous,” I told him.

He quickly turned back to face the stove, but not before I saw the blush coloring his cheeks. “Glad you think so. I asked Steven if you were allergic to shrimp, and he assured me that, not only are you not allergic, but you’re quite a fan.”

“That is true. I do love some shrimp.”

I stepped up behind him, peeking over his shoulder to see what he was cooking, and he looked up at me.

“Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes if you want to get cleaned up.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” I told him, heading to the bedroom. I took a quick shower, tossed on a pair of sweats and a comfy shirt, then joined Mars at the table.

“I hope you like it,” he said nervously.

“If it tastes half as good as it smells, I’m sure I will.” He’d prepared a shrimp and pasta dish with some absolutely delicious-looking, crusty garlic bread.

He was watching me nervously, waiting for me to try it, so I wound some pasta around my fork and took the first bite of what might be the best shrimp and pasta dish I’d ever tasted. “Mars, this is absolutely delicious. I had no idea you could cook like this.”

A grin spread across his face.

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