Page 28 of Take the Bait

“Okay, so now what do I do?”

Tucker stood behind her as she finished mixing the coleslaw that would go on the shrimp tacos—an easy recipe he’d made up based on some time he spent in the restaurant scene in New Orleans.

“Perfect,” Tucker said. “Now, just let that sit, and you’re going to cook the shrimp.”

Hanna froze. “Wait, me? As in… me… cooking the shrimp?”

“Now you’re getting it. Come here.”

He’d already unpacked, rinsed, and dried the shrimp, telling her as much so she knew what went into it. He grabbed a fewspices, encouraging her to cover the shrimp in the spices as she saw fit.

“As I see fit? What the fuck does that mean?” She sounded panicked, and he bit back a laugh.

“There’s very little you can do to mess up this recipe, shortcake. Just toss a little pinch of each spice on the shrimp, and maybe do a bit more of the ones you think you’ll like the most.”

She pressed her lips together, then did as he said. “Good girl.”

Her body went a little looser at his praise, and he couldn’t hold back his smile this time. He grabbed the stainless steel pan, tossing a bit of olive oil on it and turning on the burner, explaining to her what he was doing each step of the way.

“Now, toss the shrimp in the pan,” he told her.

Delicately picking up the plate they were on, she did as he said. He handed her a spatula and told her to leave the shrimp alone for a couple minutes before flipping them over, keeping a close eye on the time since they can easily become overcooked. While she tended to the shrimp, he wetted some paper towels and stacked them with corn tortillas, putting them in the microwave.

“Oh God,” Hanna shrieked as she started flipping over the shrimp. “Oh God, they’re burning!”

Tucker looked over his shoulder, certain that Hanna was confused, despite the absolute terror in her voice that she’d ruined their meal. Sure enough, everything was fine—but he struggled not to laugh.

“Shortcake, they’re fine,” he said, calmly. “They’re just blackening.”

“Oh,” Hanna’s body stiffened, then she let out a deep sigh. “You probably think I’m such a drama queen.”

“Not at all,” he said, coming up behind her to tug the hair behind her ear and whisper. “I just think you really want me to eat you later.”

Her body visibly shivered, and he couldn’t help the smug grin that came over his face as her cheeks went pink.

“I do,” she whispered.

“Let’s eat these shrimp first. You can take them off the burner.”

He turned off the stove and grabbed the tortillas from the microwave, dividing them between their two plates.

“Ready, shortcake?”

“For what?” Her nose crinkled.

“To plate your meal.”

She bit her lip, then squared her shoulders. “Okay. I can do this.”

She was tenacious, his girl.

His girl.

Fuck if that didn’t sound nice.

Fuck if he didn’t want her to scream that she was his while his tongue was buried deep inside her.

Hanna grabbed the stainless steel pan, then divided the shrimp among the tortillas. Placing the pan in the sink, she grabbed the slaw and tossed it over the shrimp.

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