Page 8 of Perfect Strangers

A deep snicker escapes his lips as he steps into the center of the restaurant. He raises his arms up and spreads them wide. “Welcome to Major’s.”

My breath escapes as I whisper in awe. “Wow.”

He reaches out to me, “Let me grab your jacket.”

I smile, unraveling out of my jacket and his pink scarf. I hand them to him and he puts them on a coat hook.

“So, that’s your name? Major?”

He laughs. “Yeah, I know it’s a weird name. My parents were both in the military so it kinda suited me, in a sense.”

I reach my hand out to him with a genuine smile. “Nice to meet you. I’m Dylan.”

His brow arches as he shakes my hand. “Dylan, huh? Interesting name for a girl.”

A low chuckle escapes my lips. “My parents’ doing. Everyone thought I was going to be a boy and when I popped out, they decided to keep the name.”

He nods with a smile. “Hmm…well, I like it.”

I smile and follow him towards the kitchen and grab a seat by the counter. “So, I’m guessing they wanted you to follow in their footsteps.”

“Ha! Yeah! I can still remember their faces when I said I wasn’t going to join the Army and instead, wanted to be a chef. That didn’t go well at all.”

“But, I’m sure they must be very proud of now. I mean, you own your own restaurant! That’s definitely something to be proud of.”

His eyes darken for a split second before he turns on the stove. “I wouldn’t know. They haven’t been here to see it.”

My eyes grow wide with shock. “What?”

Major shrugs. “It is what it is. Now, sit back and let the master work.”

3

Alfredo & Snowballs

I watch Major in silence as he conquers the kitchen, glamorously making a delicious meal for me. His body is tight and hard. I knew it from the first moment I crashed into him at the train station. Even underneath his pea coat, I knew he was a strong build. I could just sense that about him. And now, his sleeves are rolled up as he handles the hot stove, sweating over it as he stirs the pot.

Sex appeal oozes from him as he cooks before me, exposing another side of him I never knew existed. Watching him, I imagine what it would be like to feel his body against mine. Heat builds inside as I fantasize about the man before me. Light stubble covers his face and dark wavy hair styled just right matches his eyes. I find myself starting and force myself to look away.

My eyes peer at him again as he tastes the sauce. He licks his lips and god, I practically melt. All of a sudden, my cheeks fill with heat. Heated

to the point, I just want to rip off all my clothes and jump on top of him. The heat in this kitchen has risen exponentially and it’s not because of the cooking. It’s all Major.

He peeks up at me, catching my stare and winks. “Come, try this.”

I step around the counter and inch over to him, watching as he slowly moves the spoon over to my lips. I glance at him just as I lower my head toward the spoon and take a sip, soaking in the delicious taste of Alfredo sauce.

I lick my lips and wipe away the excess sauce with my finger. “Mmmm, that’s good.”

His eyes beam with excitement. “Yeah? You like?”

I nod with pleasure. “How did you learn how to cook?”

He sighs as he returns to cooking. “Well, I actually have my folks to thank for that. They shipped me off to military school because well, frankly, I was turning into a little shit. I rebelled a lot and wanted to be a famous rock star. Ya know, travel the world. Anyways, they shipped me off and I had to learn to fend for myself.”

My brow arches toward him. “But, don’t they have cooks at the school?”

He chuckles. “Yeah, they did. But I got in trouble all the time, so I had kitchen duty almost every night. Eventually I learned how to make a few things and I discovered a hidden passion. By the time I was sixteen, I knew I wanted to be a chef. So, after I graduated, I got my own apartment and got a job as an apprentice and learned the trade.”

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