“I did warn you,” I pointed out grumpily. I wasn’t a big fan of how I’d embarrassed myself in front of him earlier. When he’d asked me to check the pot of water to see if it was boiling, I’d been holding one of the kitchen towels. I’d turned too quickly and somehow the edge slipped under the pot, too close to the flame, and caught on fire. Instead of being my usual quick-thinking self, I’d frozen in shock and horror. If Owen hadn’t yanked the towel from my hand and shoved it under the faucet in the sink, I really might have burned his house down while boiling water.
“That you did.”
Seeing the laughter in those green eyes of his had me narrowing my own at him before I stomped over to the sink and rinsed my plate off, then shoved it into the dishwasher.
“Hey, now,” he murmured, wrapping his arms around me. “It’s nothing to be upset about.”
Being cradled against his chest took some of the sting out of my embarrassment since it didn’t seem to matter to him that I’d nearly set fire to his house.
“Give me a Bunsen burner in the lab, and I can do miraculous things with it. But a kitchen stove? Not so much.”
“We’ve got all the time in the world for me to teach you how to cook now that I’ve got you moved in.”
“About that.” I swiveled in his arms to look up into his gorgeous face. “You still haven’t explained what prompted you to box up all my things while I was in class. That was a little presumptive of you, don’t you think?”
His whole body stilled. “Maybe I just wanted to save you the hassle.”
I felt like there was some secret I wasn’t being let in on, and I didn’t like it. Not even a little bit. “You don’t think I’m really going to buy that excuse, do you?”
“Apparently not,” he sighed. “I guess that’s the downside to you being so damn smart. I’m not going to be able to keep anything from you, not even when it’s for your own good.”
“Damn straight you’re not going to be able to keep stuff from me,” I snapped. “I refuse to be left in the dark about anything important.” His lips parted, and I hurried to add, “Or anything. Period. If I’m going to work by your side, live in your house, then you’re going to be stuck sharing everything with me. Got it?”
“You drive a hard bargain, but I’ll take it.” He grinned widely as he lifted me off my feet and set me on the island countertop. “But since you insisted, I’ll share every last thing with you, including my bed.” His head dipped and he claimed my lips in a passionate kiss that almost had me forgetting what we were talking about. “My body.” Another drugging kiss followed.
“I’m screwed,” I groaned when he lifted his head.
“Not yet, but you will be.” His green eyes gleamed with sensual promise, and I shivered. “But first, I owe you an explanation. And some dessert.”
“Explanation first. Dessert second,” I insisted.
“Your landlord’s son,” he started, his fist clenching tightly at his sides. My stomach fell, and I was suddenly glad that we’d had a light dinner since we’d enjoyed a late lunch at the restaurant. “He’s not a good guy.”
“Okay,” I whispered, trembling slightly.
“That good enough? It’d kill me to do it, but I’ll give you more if you need it.”
I didn’t need him to tell me the rest, not with the way my instincts had warned me to stay away from the guy the minute I’d met him. “It’s enough.”
This time, it was my lips claiming his. Softly at first, since I didn’t have a whole lot of experience at being the initiator when it came to stuff like this. Or really any experience when it came to accepting kisses like the ones Owen had given me. But when he groaned, my tongue swept inside his mouth and tangled with his until we were both panting.
“You’re so damn sweet,” he murmured against my lips. “I could eat you up for dessert.”
My thighs clenched together as my panties grew damp. “But then what would I have for my dessert?”
“I have a couple of ideas.” He yanked me to the edge of the counter and his hips surged forward, leaving me no doubt about what he had in mind. I felt my cheeks fill with heat, and he stroked them lightly with his thumbs before stepping away from me. He flung open the refrigerator door and pulled out a bowl of strawberries and a carton of heavy whipping cream. Then he set them on the counter next to me, along with sugar and an uber-expensive looking standing mixer. “But we’ll save them for a little later since you’ve had a long day and this is something you can help me with.”