Page 77 of Strictly Against Policy

I grinned. Now was the time to truly show who was the best. Me or Lina. Perhaps in a perfect world, both of us could be the best. But we knew only one of us would come out on top, with the other bitterly at the bottom.

Lina and me watched our instructor closely as she tasted each of our finalized fettucine alfredo. It wasn’t necessary for her to do so, since we were in a class, not a competition. But my determined girlfriend insisted. The instructor did an amazing job of schooling her face to show little emotion, except for the crease between both of her brows, when she ate each of our dishes.

Neither Lina nor I blinked as we waited to see who the victor would be.

“Both are amazing, Jonathan, Lina,” she said, wiping her mouth with a napkin. “But, personally, I’d have to say my favorite is...” We both leaned in eagerly. “Jonathan’s.”

I stood tall and glanced at Lina. She quickly spoke up. “Is there a reason why you prefer his over mine? Is it the pasta? Did I handle the dough too much?”

Our instructor gave her a smile. “The sauce was slightly too salty. Not by much, though. Just a tad.”

Lina didn’t refute it, simply nodding, a soft, understanding curve on her mouth. If it weren’t for the quick twirl of her fork in her pasta, I would’ve assumed she was taking it well. She ate her pasta in silence as I did mine.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked.

I laughed. “You’re such a sore loser.”

A gentle look crossed my girlfriend’s face as the smile plastered on her face fell. “That’s true. I love to win, and so do you.”

I wet my lips with a slow roll of my tongue across my bottom lip. Instinctively, Lina’s eyes flicked to my mouth and took it all in. Despite the calm mask she wore, her breath shook.

“I do,” I grinned, allowing my voice to dip low enough that only she would hear. “I love to claim what’s mine, too.”

She raised a brow at me as she ate another forkful of her handmade pasta. “So do I.”

We shared a knowing smile, the same fire burning behind our eyes. I pushed my cooling alfredo closer to her, and her brows crinkled together. Before she could push the dish back, I tipped my head with a grin.

“You need some carb loading, Lina.”

She raised a sharp brow at me. “For what?”

I shrugged. “To prep you for the very thorough exercise plan I have planned for you tonight.”

“Very thorough exercise plan?” she repeated with a flush across her skin.

“Yes. You might as well taste perfection, too, right?” I nodded toward my pasta. “Then, you’d truly know what’s considered immaculate versus what’s considered too⁠—”

A quick, pointed kick was launched under the table directly into my shin. It almost left me breathless, if not for the chuckle slipping out of me. Lina smiled as she brought my dish closer to her, dipping her fork into my cooking. She purposefully took her time twirling her utensil in my food before bringing it up to her full lips in this slow, drawn-out motion.

When she finally ate it, she shrugged. “There’s no flavor. Our instructor was just biased because you’re a teacher’s pet.”

I laughed. “You’re just jealous I’m a better cook than you.”

She scoffed. “No, I’m not. What else can you cook aside from the perfectly unseasoned alfredo sauce you made?”

“Plenty. I make a pretty good grilled chicken fajita bowl and mac and cheese. How about you? If you’re such a good cook, what can you make that is so much better than mine?”

Lina didn’t even bat an eye as she said, “Sweet pork.”

I groaned, wishing I had a hot bowl of rice with thick slabs of pork belly and a whole boiled egg drenched in that sweet and spicy dark demi-glazed stew. “You’re making me hungry, Lina.”

My girlfriend laughed. “Maybe I should make that for you some time.”

“Why don’t you just make it for me tomorrow?” I suggested easily. “We’re going to need to eat something fulfilling, you know?”

She chewed slowly, watching me closely. Her eyes darted all over my face as we shared another quiet grin. She shrugged, “I’ll think about it.”

CHAPTER 32