Page 29 of My Forbidden Boss

»Did you cook this?« She glanced over the sumptuous spread on the table before her eyes met mine again. Damn. Why did every look from her feel like she could see straight into my thoughts?

»Most of it. The stuffed dates are from my favorite delivery service in Newark,« I said.

»I’m impressed, Mr. Crush,« she retorted. »I can hardly imagine you in the kitchen. Do you have a fancy cooking apron?«

Her grin was wide, infectious, and I found myself mirroring it. »Of course. And I wear nothing but that.«

Desire flared in her eyes, and I mentally noted on my newly created bucket list that I absolutely must cook in this manner with her. »Too bad you already cooked today. Perhaps you’d like to prepare a dessert?« she teased.

»I regret to disappoint you, it’s already waiting in the fridge. Mousse au Chocolat.«

»That you also ordered?«

»No, that I indeed made myself. It was my mom’s favorite dessert.« I was acutely aware of the words leaving my lips. Until now, I had never exposed myself to anyone in this manner, but something had shifted after that night by the lake. For the first time, I wanted to let the walls fall and allow someone to peer behind them. Because I knew she wouldn’t use it against me.

»Your mom had taste,« she responded softly. »I would have loved to meet her again.«

»She often talked about you,« I replied as I unfolded my napkin onto my lap. Strangely, I didn’t feel the old pain I anticipated while speaking about my mother. It was more of a memory that made me smile.

»Really? What did she say?«

»She raved about you. Of course.«

Brianna’s smile broadened. »I liked her a lot too.« Her hand reached across the table, and I met it halfway. Our fingers entwined, and this gentle touch bestowed upon me a comfort I accepted for the first time. I pressed a kiss to her knuckles.

»Let’s eat now.«

»I won’t need telling twice.« I admired her unhesitating reach for the food, seemingly void of any reservations.

»You must have an enormous repertoire of dishes, considering your parents,« I pointed out.

Her smile was immediate, that particular expression on her face when she thought of her family. I liked it very much. »Indeed, they tried teaching Elliot and me how to cook, but neither of us comes even close to them.« She plucked two cream cheese stuffed peppers from a plate.

»Careful, spicy,« I warned in a hushed tone, earning me a smirk.

»I’ll take that as a compliment.« She took a bite, and it took a moment before the heat reached her taste buds. »Right, they’re really fiery! But I do love spicy things.« My grin didn’t fade. I couldn’t articulate how much fun it was to spend time with Brianna. »I even took a cooking class once,« she confessed. I skewered an olive with a toothpick and popped it into my mouth.

»A cooking class? Really?«

»With Isabelle, you know her, she works in marketing.« I nodded, and Bri continued. »The class was called: Shared Pleasure, Cooking Class for Singles.«

I held back a chuckle. »You took a class for singles?«

»Not my idea, Isabelle insisted.«

»How did it end up?«

»Hm, let me think... I was responsible for the roast burning, and Isabelle drank too much Prosecco and flirted with the cooking instructor. In the end, we wound up at Pete’s and devoured a pizza.«

»That sounds like a successful evening.«

»It actually was.«

We carried on a conversation over a hearty red wine and an abundance of tapas, talking about everything under the sun. Speaking with Brianna was so effortlessly easy, joking with her and being able to be who I truly was.

Except for two topics we skillfully skirted around: work and Elliot.

The issue still loomed between us, how we would handle it, but at that moment, I didn’t want it to sour the atmosphere.

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