Page 110 of Wild Blades

I stroll into the kitchen and burst out laughing when I discover Wade is butt naked except for my short kitchen apron which barely covers his cock.

“Welcome to cooking with the naked chef. Don’t come too close though, I still need a shower.” He busies himself pulling pots and pans out of my cupboards, making himself at home.

“You’re the sweaty naked chef.”

“Would not recommend,” he says, opening the fridge and chuckling to himself.

I love relaxed Wade, and I love how much more he’s been laughing recently.

It makes me feel happy.

“Tell me, Kali.” He scours through the shelves of chilled food. “What did I say to upset Lola?”

“Honestly, I don’t know.”

But whatever it is she wants to talk to me about, I think I’m about to find out.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Wade

Shoulders tight, arms and feet crossed, leaning against the front of my truck, I’m standing looking at Gretchen’s beloved home I bought for her.

I’ve been standing in the same spot for ten minutes, desperately trying to summon the courage to walk up the steps onto the wrap around porch and through the back door that leads to the kitchen.

The room where I found Gretchen.

“Take your time,” Kali coaxes. Her throat is still sore from last night and so she was quiet on the way here, napping in the car for over an hour. I’m going to suggest we stay here and have an early night.

If I can make it through the door.

Head on my shoulder, she admires the painted white house with contrasting soft green window shutters. It’s exactly the way Gretchen wanted it. “It’s so quiet here. The house is beautiful, Wade.”

It is. “The boardwalk is around the corner.” I point to it. “Gretchen loved reading there in the summer. We’d often sit out here together for hours. She was happy here.” I watch the fliesskipping across the top of the water and dragonflies dancing through the air, most likely on their way south in search of better weather.

“I bet Gretchen was a fabulous cook.”

“She was. A better baker though.”

Kali snuggles into my side, and I uncross my arms and wrap one around her shoulder. It’s so easy being with Kali. She fits perfectly into my side, my life, everything.

“What was your favorite thing she made for you?” she asks.

“Double chocolate gooey cookies.”

“They sound terrific.”

“More like calorific.”

“Do you have the recipe?”

“It would be in her recipe book.” That orange and pink thing looks like it stepped out of a bad seventies television show and was falling apart the last time I saw it.

“Should we go in and look for it?”

I smile down at Kali when she looks up. “I see what you’re trying to do.”

Innocently, she replies, “I think I need to get my hands on that recipe. Sounds like I might win your heart with it.”

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