Page 77 of The KING Review

My hands are stupid and useless at my sides. I want to grab her, to press her into every surface in this kitchen, but she’s so close and so warm, and I’m terrified I’ll fuck it up, say too much, want too much, and scare her off. Instead, I just stand perfectly still, watching her, waiting for her to move, to make the first call, to show me what she wants, because I want to give it to her—no matter what it is.

“Come on, chef,” she says softly. “What’s next?”

I lean down, the tip of my nose brushing hers. “Onions.”

“Show me.”

She follows me over to the stove, where I pour onions into the pan from a bowl. They sizzle, and I angle the pan to toss them in a perfect arc, showing off a little. Neve steps back with an adorable round of applause, delighted, and I’m so fucking gone for her I almost drop the pan on the floor.

“Do you always cook like this? Or is this a special occasion?” Her voice is soft, but her palm is flat and hot on my lower back as she steps in again.

“It’s special,” I admit, and my face goes hot, but I don’t care. “I wanted to impress you.”

She makes a noise, but there’s no mockery in it. “Mission accomplished.” Then she slides her hand up my spine, slow, like she’s claiming it inch by inch. “I’m impressed, Doctor King.”

“You can try some, if you like?”

She groans, and the sound goes straight to my dick. “God, yes. It smells amazing.”

I can’t hide my smile. “You’re going to love it.”

She grins, slow and bright, like the sun rising. Her copper dress shimmers as she leans in for a better look at the pan where the onions are sizzling. “So, what’s next, Chef King?”

“Patience, angel,” I say, but my voice tips up, too soft to be smug. “The meat goes back in with the onions, then you can try some.” I turn to the island, where the beef waits.

She hesitates half a second, then follows close, bracing her hand on the counter right beside mine. The slit in her dress is criminal, all the way up to one hip, and her skin flashes warm where it opens.

I take the forks out of the bowl, and Neve makes an impressed sound.

“Wow,” she says, not a trace of mockery in her tone. “The meat literally just falls apart.”

“That’s the trick,” I say. “You don’t need expensive meat for this, but you do need to cook it for a while, or it’s like eating leather.”

She snorts an adorable little laugh through her nose, returning to the other counter to retrieve her wine glass, taking a sip as she pads back over to me. I didn’t realize she slipped her flats off at the door, but looking at them, posted up next to my own boots, does things to me. Like they belong there.

“I love beef jerky,” she says with a soft laugh.

I shake my head. “Not for this.”

I pick up the bowl and tick the heat up on the stove until the onions start to sizzle noisily again, then I move them to one side and tip the meat in, careful to spread it in a thin layer. The pan hisses, steam rising up as the beef browns. I turn the meat over after a minute, watching as it darkens.

“It looks so good,” Neve says from beside me, hand on my hip. “Come on, let me try it?”

I sough out a soft laugh. “So impatient.” I slide a glance to her, and she just smirks, knowing I like it. I do like it. I grab one of the forks I used to shred the meat, spearing a small piece from the pan as it sizzles. Neve tilts her chin up as I offer it, and I watch the elegant column of her throat as I feed it to her. Her lips wrap around the fork, and I try not to lose the thread of myself as my mind wanders to far dirtier places than this moment right here.

Neve’s eyes flutter. “Holy shit,” she says, voice low and reverent. “That’s so good.” She grabs my arm, half for balance, half out of pure excitement, and it does something to every nerve in my body.

“Yeah?” I ask, teasing because I need to do something with my hands that isn’t just memorizing her every move. “You sure you’re not just being polite?”

She grins harder. “No, this is divine. Like, last-meal-on-earth level. I mean, I’d want sex too, but this would be the food part.”

I bark a laugh. “High praise.”

She looks up at me through her lashes, wicked and soft at the same time. “You’d be the sex part too, you know.”

I feel my face flush, and it only serves to make her more amused, but I hardly mind it. I don’t know how to respond, so I just keep agitating the pan.

“Was that your plan?” Neve asks, staying close. “Seduce me with fried meat, stun me with the Maillard reaction?”