“The others are too afraid of you.”
I kiss him. Hunter picks me up and dances with me over my sources. He sets me just outside the door. “I will read your paper.”
“Hunt.”
“Please. I can manage that and I might spot something you don’t. Now go help Lief before he throws his apron down and refuses to wear it again.” Hunter leans towards me. “He even stuck to your stipulations for cooking today.”
I gasp, kiss Hunter again, then run downstairs. I wipe at my worn sweater and let my hair down before putting it back up since it’s a tangled mess. Lief stands in the kitchen wearing boxers and his apron and nothing else.
Fuck. My mouth waters from the view as I catch my breath. There’s a light pink tinge to Lief’s cheeks giving away that he’s frustrated, but his cold blue eyes are focused on the food in front of him. He stabs the pumpkin and cuts it apart artfully, reminding me exactly how lethal he is.
But damn, those muscles rippling in his arms, all of him on display, I think I might be okay with that missing piece in my paper if I get to keep watching my boyfriend in the kitchen.
“Stop staring,” Lief grumbles.
I take a few steps toward him. “Am I allowed in the kitchen?”
He shows me the pumpkin. “Depends on if you’re going to be helping or not.”
“I can do desserts or sides, anything to help, Lief. Or just stare at you ... take some pictures, put them into a calendar for myself.”
He turns and points at me with the knife. I arch an eyebrow. I try to disarm him, just to prove I still can, but he manages to twist me against his hard body with the knife against my neck. His lips brush my ear. “You’re losing your touch.”
“Hunter made it clear that I’m M.I.A. in plenty of ways,” I whisper.
Lief sighs. “We’re baking the pumpkin seeds. Please pull them out, rinse them, then we need to season them and get them in the oven.”
I do exactly that. I wash the dishes in the sink as well, so that way Lief doesn’t have to deal with it. I get through making homemade mac and cheese as well while Lief moves around the kitchen. After almost forty minutes of silence other than Lief telling me what I can do, I feel my shoulders sag.
I hate thinking that I’ve upset my men or that they feel taken advantage of. I grab Lief’s fork, predict how he’s going to try and move me, duck, steal the fork and hook my leg around his, the threat obvious.
“If you’re pissed at me, say it. Don’t ignore me.”
Lief pauses, calms, and watches as I let him go. I toss the fork into the empty sink. “I know that I’ve been busy and focused on school and work. I’m sorry for that. I’m sorry for not thinking more of you three. I’m so close to being done and things will be different. I’ll have a job and that’s it. No homework, no other issues or surprises.”
He keeps watching me.
“Work will stay at work. I might be on an on-call line, but that will only be once a week and I’ll know in advance. I’ll have weekends off too. You’ll get tired of me in a week, I promise.” I insist.
Lief takes off his apron, hangs it carefully, then jerks me against him. “I’m not angry with you.”
“You seem angry.”
“I am ... stressed. There are many steps for tomorrow.”
I blink at him stupidly. “What?”
“I know that you are dedicated to school and work. I knew that when I fell for you, Valerie. I admire it.” He kisses me softly. “But I knew the second you came down here that if I didn’t focus, I’d want to fuck you in the kitchen rather than cook.”
“I thought you were mad.”
The corner of his mouth turns up and he lifts my chin to kiss me hungrily. Lief backs me against the counter and feeds me kiss after kiss until my whole body is humming with need. First Hunter and now him? They’re spoiling me.
Lief continues kissing across my jaw. “You snapped at me last week and I only barely managed to keep myself from crawling under your desk to show how much you turned me on.”
I tremble. “Such a distraction.”
“You should take regular breaks.” He nips my earlobe. “For your brain, of course.”