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God she’s so sexy when she talks about this stuff. Stuff that’s important to her. Man, how I wish I was that kitchen counter she was pressing herself up against right now.
The tour of the kitchen takes nearly half an hour, but I don’t mind. Her voice is even more enchanting in person, and I could listen to her talk forever. It wouldn’t matter if she were reading poetry or the phone book, I just want the sweet sound of her washing over me.
“Shoot,” Sabrina murmurs, looking at the empty hook on the wall. “I think I left my apron in the laundry room.”
“I can grab it,” I say when I realize she’s opening a home security app.
She must be afraid of the retaliation her attacker promised in his only public appearance before being thrown in jail without bail. I’ve talked to the bastard, and from what I can tell, he’s a lone wolf. That threat was probably empty, but that can’t be easy for Sabrina to believe.
Seeing her trauma in person fills me with a sense of guilt. Even though I’ve been stalking her for her own safety, she’d probably view this as a violation of her privacy. I can’t stop, though. Especially now that I know how afraid she is in her own home. I’m confident the justice system will deal with him, but that does nothing for Sabrina’s peace of mind.
I have to watch her. She just can’t know.
“You don’t mind?” she asks, looking at me with shining forest green eyes.
“Of course not,” I reply, making a beeline for the laundry room – our apartments have the exact same layout.
“Thanks,” Sabrina says when I return with her pink and cream-colored apron, our hands brushing against one another as I pass it to her. As she puts it on, she says in a quiet voice, “There was a hostage situation at Harvey’s Diner a couple months ago… I was the hostage. Now… I guess I’m just scared of everything.”
“I heard about that at the station,” I say – not exactly a lie, but not exactly the truth. I follow the statement up with a lie, though. “I had no idea it was you.”
“At the station?” she asks, cocking her head to the side curiously. “You’re a cop?”
“I am,” I confirm. “I just transferred here recently.”
“Thank god,” Sabrina says, wrapping her arms around herself protectively “Well, I feel safer knowing you’re in the same building as me. Ok, let’s begin! Sit down, officer,” she says playfully. “I’d like to thank you for your service to the community. I hope you like dumplings.”
“I do,” I confirm, smiling at her flirtatiously as I take a seat at the breakfast bar.
Sabrina gives me one last satisfied look before she begins. While she cooks, she explains every step of the process, taking photos every step of the way. Watching her work is mesmerizing, and even though I don’t understand what she’s saying about the way flavors balance each other, I nod enthusiastically whenever she makes eye contact with me.
“Isn’t that beautiful?” she asks as she takes several photos of the finished product – perfectly shaped dumplings that are garnished with a sweet and spicy sauce topped with chives.
“Yeah,” I say, looking straight at her. “Stunning.”
It takes a few seconds for it to dawn on her that I’m not actually talking about the food, when her cheeks flush furiously.
I flash her a giddy smile, loving the way she squirms under my attention. After a few seconds, she ducks her head and grabs our plates before coming to the other side of the counter to slide onto the barstool beside mine. She watches me with interest as I spear one of the dumplings and bring it to my mouth.
“How is it?” she asks.
“That might be the best dumpling I’ve ever eaten in my life,” I say with conviction, going in for another bite.
“You’re just saying that,” she says, blushing even harder as she turns her attention to her plate.
“I’m not,” I promise when I swallow. “You’re an incredible cook.”
“You’ve only eaten one of my dishes,” she says, sounding pleased with the compliment. “It’s a little early to say that.”
“I guess you’re just going to have to cook for me more often, then,” I say, nudging her playfully with my elbow.
Sabrina giggles, “I guess I am.”
I love the sound of her laughter – the longer I spend with her the stronger my obsession becomes.
Sabrina looks at me with a frown, then takes her napkin and moves closer towards me, “You have a little sauce on your chin. Do you mind…?” The next thing I know, she’s tenderly removing the sauce. I feel a little embarrassed, but that quickly passes. I’m mostly grateful to have this sweet girl as close to me as she is right now. I can feel the warmth of her body as her cheeks flame. The natural scent of her is intoxicating.
I reach out and gently take hold of her wrist. “I should probably get home,” I say, but what I actually want to do is stay and explore where this is going.
