Page 68 of Nitro

I peek into the container. Shredded pieces of meat sit in a stew of red sauce.

“That looks amazing. What’s in it?”

“I started with a boneless beef chuck roast. Then I added the chili sauce, which has guajillo and ancho chilies. There’s also garlic, onions, and a bunch of other spices. Take a taste and let me know if it needs more salt.” She grabs a wooden spoon and scoops up a piece of meat along with some of the sauce.

I take the spoon from her. The first bite melts in my mouth. An explosion of flavor dances across my tongue. It’s so good I immediately want to eat a whole bowl of it.

“This is incredible.”

“It’s not quite done yet. I still need to make the tacos.” She pulls her phone out of her pocket to show me a photo of the finished product. “I have to drizzle consommé sauce from the Crockpot over the tortillas, then add cheese, meat, cilantro, and onion. Then I fry them on the griddle until the cheese gets slightly browned and crispy.”

“You’re such a good cook. You’re going to have to teach me how to make this.”

“Did you do a lot of cooking when you were married?”

“Technically, I’m not divorced yet.”

“Close enough.”

“I made all the meals at home. Of course, none of it ever met Jeff’s standards. I couldn’t even make grilled cheese properly.”

“According to him,” Daisy scoffs.

“Right?” I say sarcastically.

“Men. Can’t live with them. Can’t kill ’em either.”

“I take it you have a terrible ex too?” I’m curious about her. I don’t know anything about her past or her other relationships. She’s only been with the club for a few months, but she seems nice enough. We’ve never had any issues. I like her, not just because she’s a great cook, but because she’s genuinely sweet.

“Don’t we all have bad exes? That’s why they’re exes.” She smirks.

“True.” I chuckle.

“Anyway, whenever you want to learn a new recipe, let me know. I’m always looking for new meals to cook for the guys.”

“Men only want meat and potatoes. You waste too much time doing all this shit.” Crystal saunters into the room. My body immediately tenses. Unlike Daisy, Crystal’s a complete bitch.

“Last week, I made chicken biryani. I’m trying to add more ethnic food into their diet for variety,” Daisy says to me, ignoring Crystal.

“If you want to do all that extra work, fine. But count me out,” Crystal says.

“I don’t mind,” Daisy says sweetly. “They’re keeping a roof over my head, and they don’t expect anything in return.”

“They expect sex.”

“No, they don’t.” Daisy places the lid back on the slow cooker. She wipes her hands on her apron before turning to glare at Crystal. “You really need to stop with the attitude. I don’t know why you’re so ungrateful, but it’s not a good look.”

“Oh please. If you feel guilty and want to slave away for them, you do you. But I’m not here to be their maid.”

“Then why are you here?” I ask.

“For the sex.” Crystal uses her hands to hoist herself up onto the counter. She crosses one leg over the other, which forces her already short skirt higher. Another inch and I’ll findout if she’s wearing underwear. That’s something I don’t need or want to know.

“Well, that’s not why I’m here.” Daisy pulls a huge knife out of the wooden block on the counter. I’m shocked until she grabs a bunch of cilantro and begins chopping it. Of course she wasn’t going to stab Crystal to death. That was just the fantasy bouncing around in my head.

“Suit yourself, but these guys have huge dicks and know how to use them.” Crystal’s swinging her leg, banging her heel against the cupboards, and it’s driving me nuts. I can’t stand being in her presence.

“Oh, I know all about that,” I say. I can’t help but goad her.

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