Page 35 of My Fake Lover

»Sure, as far as I can judge, that sounds reasonable.«

»Yes, everything must sound reasonable to you,« I replied, amused, and stroked the base of his neck. His hands found my rear, and again I forgot space and time. »But it should also be fun, have you forgotten that?« I whispered.

»Right now, only one thing is particularly fun for me.« His fingers kneaded my rear, and I sighed softly. At that very moment, there was a knock outside the door.

»Damn,« Max sighed.

»We should make up for this later,« I said with a grin, detaching myself from him.

»Oh, we will,« he replied, and we rinsed the soap off our bodies.

***

In the evening, I was more nervous than I had anticipated. Instead of wearing a fancy evening dress, I donned jeans and a loose shirt. Around my waist, I tied a cooking apron and chopped carrots at breakneck speed. Although Max understood that I needed this opportunity to advance my business and finally quit my waitressing job, which was only intended as a temporary measure, I could tell that he wasn’t entirely comfortable with me working in the kitchen tonight. He wanted me by his side, and I couldn’t help but grin foolishly when I thought about how much I wanted to be with him.

»Hey!« Christian appeared at the entrance of the cooking tent. I gave him a genuine smile, turned to a waitress, and kindly informed her that she and her team could soon start serving the appetizers. »I thought maybe you could use some help.« Christian positioned himself at the edge of the table where I was preparing part of the main course: braised veal hip in cognac cream sauce with young vegetables and king oyster mushrooms. The aroma filled the entire tent, making my mouth water. »I am at your service!«

»Yeah, sure, why not. Have you ever cooked before?« I teased him a little. He laughed and stood next to me. I could feel him seeking my proximity and wasn’t quite sure how to put an end to it without being rude.

So I slid my cutting board and knife towards him. »Sure, once or twice.« He winked at me, took the knife, and completely surprised me by cutting the carrot into perfect, equally sized slices almost as quickly as I did.

»Okay, now I’m speechless,« I said, folding my arms across my chest. »You could have warned me!«

»And spoil the surprise? No way.« He placed the finished slices in the bowl with the others.

»Spill it; are you a chef?« Why hadn’t Ian and Lizzy asked him to take over instead?

»No, I’m definitely not as good as you.« He picked up another carrot and glanced at me for a split second. Max was overreacting about Christian. He was a nice, harmless guy. »I’ve taken some cooking classes and worked in a kitchen for a year, but quickly realized it wasn’t for me. I prefer taking pictures and have specialized in food photography.«

»Oh wow, that sounds really exciting! So you could design a new menu for Betsy?«

»Betsy?« He laughed, amused. »Who’s Betsy?«

»My food truck,« I replied, grabbing a new cutting board and a sack of potatoes.

»Don’t tell anyone, but I also give objects names. My camera’s called Henry,« he whispered conspiratorially.

I had to laugh. »I didn’t think there was anyone else who did that.«

Christian’s gaze became more intense. Too intense. »Oh yes, I have a feeling we’re more similar than you think.«

I cleared my throat and focused on the potatoes again. For a while, we worked side by side in silence. Cooking provided a sense of relaxation, and I was utterly content at that moment. »You and Max, is it something really serious?« he suddenly asked. I wasn’t quite sure how to answer, so I opted for a middle ground without lying to him.

»To be honest, I don’t know yet. We’re just at the beginning.«

»Maybe you should know a few things about him before you fall in love with him.«

Love? Wait a minute! I was nowhere near that point. Or was I? »What do you mean by that?«

»I’ve heard some things about him, what he’s supposed to have done.«

»Christian, listen, I don’t think it’s a good idea to talk about him when he’s not here.«

»No, you’re probably right. But you’re so good and he’s so...«

»Just as much!« I defended him. I knew he was known for being cold and heartless, but I had seen a different Max. A fun, emotional, considerate man whose eyes held infinite emotion and the sole desire to be loved. I couldn’t have imagined that.

»You know him better than I do,« Christian replied quickly. »It’s just rumors. I’m sorry for bringing it up.« He shrugged and smiled cautiously.

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