Page 13 of Forbidden Kisses
Once we were back in the loft, I brought the groceries to the kitchen.
"Dad always lets me take stuff out of the bag. Can I do it?" Jeremy asked me.
"Sure."
I watched him in awe as he brought a little stool from a corner and put it next to me, then climbed onto it and expertly removed the items, separating them by meat and veggies.
"Do you often cook with your dad?"
He nodded. "Yes, always."
My heart did a little flip. I could just imagine that hunk of a man?—
Damn it, Riley. Take out the hunk part. He's Jeremy's dad, that's it. That's all he's going to be.
I chopped everything professionally and made sure Jeremy was far enough from the stove so oil didn't accidentally land on him while I fried the meat.
I'd given him the task of assembling the tacos. He was surprisingly good at it for a ten-year-old. I kept an eye on him and gently nudged him when he filled them too much.
"They could burst while you eat them if they’re too full," I said.
"Okay," he said quickly. He finished filling the last taco while I started prepping the pico de gallo.
"What's going on?" Duncan's voice boomed through the condo.
I straightened up, heat coursing through me. I’d been so involved with the food that I hadn’t heard him come in.
"We made dinner!" Jeremy exclaimed. "I told Riley that we sometimes go for tacos on Thursday. Then she asked what our favorites were, and then shecookedthem! She's magic! She knows stuff, and she's so young, and she can sit on the floor with me." He said all of this without even taking a breath.
I smiled before focusing on my pico de gallo and finished slicing the last few tomatoes. After I put them in the bowl, Duncan came up to me.
"Hey."
"Hi!" My voice sounded a bit strange. He was far closer than he'd been at the coffee shop. His presence was even more overpowering now.
"Riley, it's your first day. You didn't have to cook."
"I know, but Jeremy and I had some time, so we decided to cook dinner. I like making tacos. They’re my favorite. And he’s an excellent chef."
Jeremy beamed. "Did you hear that, Dad? She called me a chef!"
Duncan looked at me with warm eyes.
"All right," I said, "everything’s ready. Unless there's anything else, I'm going to leave the two of you to enjoy your dinner."
"Why don't you have dinner with us?" Duncan asked, rolling his shoulders slightly backward.
"What? No, I couldn't."
"You did say tacos are your favorite."
I smiled sheepishly. "I wasn't trying to get you to invite me."
"I know. But it would be good for us to catch up about your day. Then we'll finalize a few more things. I've got the keys to the car. I had it brought to the garage. It was ready earlier than I anticipated. I can show it to you after dinner. Unless, of course, you have other plans."
I shook my head. "I have zero plans.”
“Then you’re our guest tonight.”
