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His words came from right beside my ear, and I closed my eyes to ward off the temptation to lean into him. I didn’t open them until his warmth faded and there was distance between us. Antonio’s place was unexpected. There was plush carpeting and comfortable furniture in the living room, a giant plastic bin full of toys and a flat screen TV mounted on the wall. Well, I guess the presence of the toys was not really surprising.
“I’m surprised at how homey your place is.”
His laugh was loud and booming, but most of all good-natured. “Were you expecting calendars with naked women? A pool table in the living room and a keg in the corner?”
“No.” I rolled my eyes and took my time as I looked at all the photos on the wall of him and Rosie, him and his brothers and sister, and of course Cal. It was all family. “I expected leather furniture, hard wood floors and a TV so large it could be viewed from space.” I shook my head and motioned around the room. “There’s more Rosie here than you, at least what I know of you anyway.” Which was, admittedly, not much, so what would I know?
Antonio folded his arms, either to intimidate me or arouse me, I didn’t know so I diverted my gaze from his tattooed biceps back to the family photos. “Yeah? And what is it you think you know about me Augusta?” There was a challenge in is deep brown eyes and it made me curious what he thought I would say.
I held up a hand, speaking directly to Antonio without looking at him, and ticked off what I knew with a finger. “Pro chef who was poised to become the next big thing. Loving father. Good teacher. Confirmed bachelor. Oh, and cocky as hell.”
Antonio stared at me oddly, and I dropped my hand as the odd look turned to surprise.
“Did I miss something? A hidden talent I should know about?” I didn’t listen to gossip in town unless it was unavoidable, and even then I didn’t assume that it was all facts. I just listened.
“I have many hidden talents, and you’ll know about them. Soon.” The man just couldn’t help himself, his flirt button was always on. I didn’t think he had an off button.
“Oh boy.”
He shrugged. “Most people bring up my ex-wife.”
“Ex-wife? I wasn’t aware you were ever married.”
Antonio’s tension faded and his shoulders relaxed. “I was. Now, I’m not.”
“Why do people bring her up?”
“You really don’t know?”
I shook my head. “My interest in you outside the hospital is your videos, Antonio.”
And just like that, his expression was back to sexy. “Ready for lesson number one?”
I nodded eagerly, because if we were talking food, we weren’t flirting. And if we weren’t flirting, then maybe I could pretend he didn’t smell like heaven and sex all rolled into one. I could pretend being this close to him didn’t completely overwhelm my senses.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Good.” He paused for a long minute, raked a hand through his hair, and turned to grab a few things from a cabinet behind him. “You seem so capable at all times, Augusta. Why are you just learning to cook now?”
I tried to shrug off the question, but before I knew it, real details flew from my mouth. “As a kid I took care of myself most of the time and my culinary education was focused on quick and easy, or just plain convenient. Bologna sandwiches. Grilled cheese. Canned ravioli and spaghetti. Frozen dinners. You know, the fancy stuff.”
His lips tugged into a lopsided grin. “I’m familiar with them.”
“Yeah well, now I’m trying to eat healthier, and I’m told that starts with whole foods, which means I need to know what to do with ’em.” I shook my head and mentally checked myself for sharing so much with Antonio. “What’s lesson number one?”
“Salad dressing.” He laughed at the pout I sent him. “You eat salad all the time,” he growled at me. “You women and your diets, I’ll never understand it.”
“Because you’re fit and you’ve probably always been in excellent shape.” Men never understood, and I stopped explaining years ago.
“Excellent shape, huh?” His dark brows rose in surprise, lips twisted into an amused grin.
“Back to the salad dressing, Romeo.”
His deep chuckle echoed in the quiet kitchen. “The reason you don’t like salad is because you can’t eat enough store bought dressing without overloading on calories. I’m going to blow your mind with this basic vinaigrette.”
I ignored the zing of pleasure that tore through me and lifted my chin high in the air. “Challenge accepted.”
“Good. Now, your basic vinaigrette only requires two things, oil and acid, but if you want you can reduce or eliminate the oil altogether.” While he spoke, Antonio’s hands moved gracefully like a pianist, adding a pinch of this and a dash of that to the small glass bowl. “You could also use mustard or miso paste in place of the oil for a thick and flavorful vinaigrette that won’t break the calorie bank.” He flashed a smile while he whisked like crazy, until the mixture was thick and frothy. “Now it’s your turn.”
