CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Shannon was just heating the garlic bread, when Crash, Jake and Shane trooped in. She pulled the oven mitts off and lifted her wine glass to her lips as she turned to look at them. God bless Angel for including the bottle of wine with her bag of dinner ingredients. Beer was okay, but she’d missed her wine. It was something Crash didn’t have in his loft. She had a feeling he wasn’t really a wine connoisseur.
“Damn, something sure smells good,” Shane commented, sniffing the aromas coming from the oven.
Crash approached her. She couldn’t help but let her eyes sweep the length of his tall, muscular body. His broad shoulders never failed to kick-start her pulse. He stopped in front of her. “You cook, babe?”
She nodded, a small smile on her face. He tried to reach around her to pull the oven door open and see inside, but she took a quick side-step blocking him. “It’s not ready yet.”
His arm dropped, and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. His eyes dropped to the wine glass in her hand, and he frowned. “Did you go out?”
She shook her head. “Nope.”
“Where’d the wine come from?”
“Angel brought it over.”
“Angel, huh?” He lifted his chin as if he’d figured it all out. “She cooked.”
“No, I cooked.”
“Is that her stuffed shells I smell?” Now he really wanted in that oven.
She pushed him back. “Quit. You’ll eat when it’s ready.”
“When’s that gonna be?” He acted like a kid wanting his ice cream. She smiled.
“Go wash up. It’ll be ready in a minute.”
Taking the wine glass from her hand, he took a sip. It surprised her when he didn’t grimace or make a face. He just licked his lips and handed the glass back to her. A grin pulled at the corner of his mouth, almost as if he could read her mind and knew she’d expected him to be unable to appreciate a fine bottle of wine. Instead he asked, “I got time for a quick shower?”
“I suppose. A quick one.” She lifted her brows.
“Yes, ma’am.” He headed off, but stopped two steps into the living area. She watched as his eyes took in the place as he noticed for the first time since walking in that she’d cleaned up. He turned back to her, and his brow lifted. “Babe? You do this?”
She nodded.
He walked back to her, slid his hand to the back of her neck and pulled her to him. A second later, she felt his lips press against her forehead in a quick kiss. Pulling back he looked in her eyes. “Thank you.”
She stood there in a daze as he turned and walked away.
“Mind if I wash up in the kitchen sink?” Jake asked, breaking th
e spell she’d fallen under.
She whirled, her cheeks flaming. “Of course not. Go right ahead.”
He stepped forward. Squirting a bit of dish-soap into his palm, he began lathering his hands and forearms up to his elbows. Shane nudged him to the side and did the same. Jake finished up rinsing off the soap and stood there with his arms up like a surgeon ready to operate.
Shannon grinned and tossed him a dishtowel.
He caught it and laughed. “Thanks.” When he was done, he tossed it in Shane’s face.
“Hey, asshole.”
“Watch your mouth,” Jake snapped.
“It’s all right. It’s nothing I haven’t heard in spades around these guys,” Shannon insisted.