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Back to the reason I loved that ocean, even after it tried to kill me, I said, “Depends on what you consider a lot.”
I moved into the kitchen space and began pulling some things from the refrigerator. I was doing a decent job of ignoring the oversized, blue giant in my shared space.
“I need to get out of here.” His tone had changed and when I looked over my shoulder, I realized why. He was staring at my ass!
“You need to be nicer to me.” I pulled out a chunky piece of a plant that only grew here on this island. “This will work.”
He scowled at me as an answer.
“If it doesn’t work… I will… buy you dinner for a month when we return to the academy.” I crossed my arms. I knew this plant would work. It was called the beefsteak and was a result of my mother’s pregnancy when she created multiple plants that tasted like other foods because the developing me inside of her wanted those foods, but alas, she could not eat them. So, she used her magic to create them back home, moved them here when this place was created, and now I would use her magic on him.
“Two.” He held up two fingers. I stared at them for a long moment and then he brushed past me as he said, “I need to rinse off the sand.”
“Your bag is on the floor in the bathroom.” I refused to look at him as he headed to the single bathroom space in the cabin. No one ever visited me here after I hit my later teens. I looked at Case and said, “I hope this works.”
It did a little movement that encouraged me. I pulled my hair up and pinned it. I grabbed the apron and pulled it on. I looked at my reflection in the window then out past myself to the gentle ocean past the pink sands.
I smiled as I ran my hands down the apron. I had plenty of curves that suited my personal style. Sure, I had all the fruits and vegetables around this place because I liked the taste. I was a plant eater if ever there was one. I had them all. Typical, human, magical, intergalactic, and then some. The spice rack was literally out of this world with only the finest of ingredients. I loved to cook. I really loved to bake. So, sure, I would make these beefsteak plant steaks along with a more typical-style side salad, but I was also only here for two more nights and I was definitely making desserts.
If my family had built their name and reputation on culinary arts rather than greed and other shady practices I couldn’t quite figure out, but knew existed, I might have been a better heir to the Mayhem throne of wealth and prosperity. We were, to the magical world, the beaming image of everything anyone could ever want, except me.
I looked at Case who seemed to be reading my mind and admitted, “You’re right. I’m spoiled and I do want the finer things in life. I just don’t approve of how my family has acquired all of them over time.”
I patted the top of the metal and Case headed toward the hallway. I thought Case would stop at the bathroom, still on guard for me, but instead it kept wheeling right on by Thurst as he appeared in a pair of loose gray sweatpants. A garment that did nothing to hide anything on his body since even he had to admit, “I think I grew a bit in that water today.”
“Yeah, you did.” I heard the lust in my whispered response and snapped my eyes up from his bulge to meet his expression. Amused? Flattered? Annoyed? I couldn’t exactly tell. Nice thing about magic, when I needed to skip the formal cooking routine, I could just cast a spell and be done with it. “Dinner is ready.”
The food moved and cooked en route to the table where it landed on two plates. He didn’t seem impressed. Still, he took his seat and I settled in across from him. Anxious to get this meal started so I could be proven right.
“Can’t wait to get back to the pub. I’m going to be eating like a king for the next two months courtesy of Maxine Mayhem’s—” He took a bite and I watched his expression intently. He chewed it slowly and tried to refrain from looking as pleased as he obviously was.
“My what?” I hummed a sound. “Does it taste like eggplant? It looks like it, right, but it tastes like… what is it again? Oh yeah. Steak.”
He refused to respond until he was three more bites in. He grumbled and said, “Fuck it. Okay. It’s… delicious. You win.”
I smiled with deep satisfaction. “Thank you.”
“It’s very confusing.” He cut into it and took another bite. Around that mouthful he said, “But so good.”
I snickered and agreed. “My mother invented it.”
That was a family secret. I just told him something I had never shared with anyone before.
“She did good.” He nodded and took another bite. He then finished that one off and selected another slice from the plate in the center of the table. He didn’t touch the salad, but he ate most of the beefsteak plant as we spent a quiet and peaceful moment just enjoying dinner after such a wild and harried day.
The timer dinged, and I got up as I said, “Hope you have room for dessert.”
“Dessert?” he asked.
“I made chocolate cakes. They need a moment to cool and then I’ll top them off with the berries and the drizzle.” I pulled them out and placed them on the cooling rack.
I looked over my shoulder and again, caught him staring at me. I cleared my throat and he snapped his lustful gaze up to meet mine. I gulped. All the energy in the room was starting to build up, spark into something warm, hot really. Really… hot. I frowned. “Oh shit! Ouch.”
I had reached to close the oven door, but caught in his lust gaze, I grabbed the inside rather than the out.
“What the?” He was up and looking at my injured fingers. “Jeeze woman, how have you managed several trips to this place and remained alive on your own?”
The words hit like a slap. I knew he was unaware of how important it was for me to survive on my own, to be my own woman, forge my own path, all that liberated and I can escape the future my parents have planned for me talk I give myself all the time, but thinking I was incapable and saying it so blatantly just set my teeth on edge.
