Page 67 of Enchanting the Elf
“Very,” Adelbert answers solemnly.
“We can’t have that now, can we?” I step out of his hold. Spreading my arms, I add brightly, “Show me where you want me.”
“How about right next to me at the counter? I want to teach you how to makeKaiserschmarrn.”
“I have no idea what that is, but it sounds great to me. Every single thing you’ve made so far has been absolutely delicious.”
“I’m glad you like my cooking. It’s the one way I can show you that I care when my words fail me.” In a softer voice, he adds, “If you haven’t noticed, I’m not very good at expressing my feelings.”
“You don’t have to worry about being perfect around me or saying the right words. I can see your heart and it’s beautiful. That’s enough for me.”
“I want to be more for you.”
“You’re enough. You’re perfect.”
“I’m—”
I cut Adelbert off with a kiss, not wanting him to argue any further, hoping my words will seep into his brain and marinate until he believes them as much as I do.
Before the kiss can deepen and we end up in the bedroom again, or perhaps the kitchen floor, I take a step backward and beam at Adelbert.
“I can get used to kissing you.”
“I hope so.”
My legs turn to jelly and I make a conscious effort to lock my knees before I fall on my butt.
Am I swooning? I think I might be.
“You can’t just go saying things like that,” I scold lightly. “You’ve got to warn a girl.”
“My apologies,” Adelbert says but the dimples in his cheeks give his amusement away. “Do you know how to divide eggs?”
Tilting my head to the side, I give that some thought then ask, “Divide? Won’t they break if I divide them?”
Those delectable dimples deepen as Adelbert’s smile stretches.
“I see we’re going to be spending a lot of time going through some basics.”
I prop my hands on my hips and tilt my head to the other side.
“Basics?”
“Dividing also means separating, as in removing the yolks and setting them aside so we can work with the egg whites first.”
“If that is a basic cooking thing, then yeah, assume I know nothing.”
Adelbert walks over to me and tips my chin up with a finger until I meet his sincere gaze.
“I like taking care of you, so there’s no need for you to learn to do any of this. If you want to, I’ll be happy to show you but there’s no pressure.”
“I want to learn. A little. With you,” I say meekly.
“Only if you promise to teach me how to sew cornflowers,” Adelbert barters. “I owe you for the dress I ruined.”
“Deal.” Sighing dreamily, I add, “It was worth it, though.”
“I’d like to think so.” Adelbert’s gaze heats for a second before he shakes his head and replaces the look with a focused one. “Let’s learn together.”
