Page 90 of Ruthless Oath

“I’ll leave you two alone.” Ricardo hurried out of the kitchen. Was his heart beating as fast as mine was?

“You scared him away.” I ducked under Marchello’s arm. “He was going to help me figure out how to make the brownies.”

“You don’t know how to make boxed brownies?”

“No, I’ve never done it before. We have people for that.”

“So do I, but I can make brownies from a box.”

“That’s because you can do anything.” I showed him the box. “Since you scared off Ricardo, you can help me.”

“A woman who got her degree in three years can certainly make these.” He took the box from me and then glanced at the counter. “You already preheated the oven. And you have the ingredients ready to go.”

“I read the directions.”

“That’s half the battle.” He smirked. “Let’s tackle this together.”

“You want to bake with me?”

“Is that so shocking?”

“You don’t seem like a man who bakes.” I ripped open the top of the box and pulled out the bag of chocolate mix. It already smelled delicious.

“I’m full of surprises.” He shoved the bowl in my direction. “Pour the mix in there.”

I carefully dumped the powdery chocolate into the bowl, trying not to spill any on the immaculate white counter.

He went to the sink and washed and dried his hands before opening a cupboard and selecting a pan. I had forgotten that we would need one of those.

How does he know his way around a kitchen?

He greased the bottom of the brownie pan with such ease. He’d done this before. As he faced the stove, I took in his broad, muscular back and shoulders. The sheer strength of him overwhelmed me, especially when we were intimate.

I wanted him to overpower me and take control. When he released his beast, I needed to submit to his every whim.

“Crack the eggs.”

“What?” I gazed into his eyes as confusion clouded my mind.

“You can crack the eggs into the bowl.”

“How do I do that?”

“Are you kidding me?” He came over to the center island where I had been working. “You’ve never cracked an egg before?”

“I told you we have people who do that for me.”

“Oh, princess, you constantly prove my point about you.” He joined me by the bowl and handed me an egg out of the carton. “But I suppose it isn’t all your fault. It looks like getting your cherry popped wasn’t your only first in this safe house.”

I’ve experienced many firsts here. Falling in love is the biggest.

“I’m an expert shopper.” I eyed the egg, trying to determine the best way to crack it. “I know how to spend money.”

“I’m not going to argue that.” He glanced at the egg. “What are you waiting for?”

“Won’t the shells get in the bowl?”

“It’s a possibility.” He moved behind me and took my hand. “Let me help you.”

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