Page 8 of Snowed In with the Wrong Cowboy
“Then you can earn your meals.” I nod toward the small kitchen. “I’ve got the ingredients. You make the magic.”
She stares at me like she’s trying to decide if I’m serious. “You want me to cook for you?”
“My cabin. My rules.”
She crosses her arms. “Great. What else do I need toearnfrom you, Callum? What else do you want?”
I step closer, just enough to make her shift her weight. “Who says I want anything else?”
Her expression sharpens. “Youalwayswant something else.”
“Nothing else.” I let my gaze linger on her mouth a little too long. “Unless you’re offering.”
She bristles, then turns toward the kitchen like she’s about to throw a skillet at my head.
I show her where everything is. The pots and pans, the plates, the utensils. Point out what's in the pantry, what's in the freezer. When I hand her a pot, my fingers brush hers. She jerks back likeI've burned her. When I reach past her for the olive oil, my chest grazes her shoulder. She goes absolutely still.
It's incredibly hot.
“You always hover like this?” she mutters, turning her back to me as she lights the burner. “Or is this some alpha male kitchen dominance thing?”
I lean against the counter, just behind her. “Just making sure you don’t burn the place down. Wouldn’t want to lose the only roof I’ve got left.”
She snorts. “Right. Wouldn’t want to piss off the family that already disowned you.”
“You always this sweet to your roommates?”
She spins, wooden spoon in hand like a weapon. “If I had a second pan, I’d throw it at you.”
“You want me to get one?” I reach for the cabinet, brushing her hip slightly as I do.
She steps back with a huff. “Can you just wait somewhere else? You don’t need to lord over me in the kitchen like some Gordon Ramsay wannabe.”
I stay exactly where I am. She can pretend she doesn’t like it.
“Why are you doing this?” she asks.
“Doing what?”
“This. You standing there. Whateverthisis.”
The real answer? Because I'm bored and lonely and she's here. Because messing with my sister’s best friend feels like a fun way to pass time. Because Piper looks at me like I'm dangerous and I want to show her she's right.
But I don't say any of that.
“Maybe I just like getting under your skin,” I say instead.
“Well stop it,” she says, stabbing a spoon into a pot.
“Can't,” I drawl.
“Why not?”
“Because you're so fun when you're flustered.”
“I’m not flustered,” she says, too fast.
I raise a brow, letting a grin pull at the corner of my mouth. “You’re very flustered. It’s cute.”
