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“Fine. I might have something I can whip up.” The coy smile on her lips was in direct contradiction with the annoyance she tried to show.
“Nah, chill out. I got this.”
She scooted into a sitting position and unfortunately tucked the sheet around her blocking her tits from view. “You can cook?”
I ran my hands through my hair, moving the stray curls from my face. “You know, I don’t think I’ve met anyone that could offend me with their skepticism as much as you do. It’s a skill you have. Is it just me, or do you think all men are incapable of caring for their basic needs?”
Ma tapped a finger to her chin and looked thoughtful. “It might be just you. And I’m sorry. I shouldn’t assume…”
“Yeah, you shouldn’t. With all the familial women in my life, I’ve been yelled at plenty of times to ‘get my scrawny butt in here and learn something.’ None of them were about to let me sit around thinking I was going to be catered to being the only male besides my pops. From pernil to country fried steak, I got you covered. And, I’m willing to bet I have a better stocked kitchen than you do.”
She drew her brows together and downturned her lips. “Now you’re pushing it.”
“Wanna put a friendly wager on it?” I smiled big at the possibilities of what I’d want my prize to be.
She put her hand out toward me. “You’re on.”
I grabbed it and gave it a firm shake.
“When I win, you’re going to look mighty manly in a bright pink tank top with a sequined Chihuahua on it while you proudly take Yoda on a walk around the complex.”
Her eyes were wide and sparkled with amusement. She seemed to be extremely proud of what she thought was an embarrassing win, but I grew up with sisters. That was nothing compared to what they’d put me through.
I rubbed my hands together. “A’ight. I can go with that, but I’m not worried. I’m gonna win this. And when I do, you’ll have to go out with me.” She started to speak, but I cut her off. “And...for each snarky remark that you make, it adds an extra date.” I thought for a minute. “Better yet…”
“Better yet what?”
“Nope, that’s for me to know and you to find out after I win.”
“I call foul. How can I enter into an agreement if I don’t know all the terms?”
I shrugged. “Too late, Ma. We already shook on it. Now, as much as I hate to say it, get your sexy ass dressed. I have a bet to win.”
“In your dreams. In fact, if we’re adding secret additions, I just came up with one of my own.” She gave me a smug look as she twisted her hair into a messy bun. When we got downstairs, Ren looked up, sniffed the air, then proceeded to move so he turned his back to us. Lana just shook her head and headed into the kitchen.
Winning this bet was going to be the perfect cover for getting her on a date. Being fuck buddies was great and all, but I wanted to get to know her more with our clothes on. And with the way she ran hot and cold with me, she probably would have shut me down if I’d asked directly.
This could be a risky move if things turned sour. She wasn’t the friendliest before and if she went all “woman scorned” after we split ways there could be hell to pay. However, I already knew I was more than willing to take that chance. I liked her, thorns and all. Ma kept me on my toes. And I was ready to ride this out for as long as it lasted.
“How are we determining? How much we have? How healthy the options are? Or a combo of both?” She leaned against her counter, crossed her arms and waited for an answer.
“We’ll go with both,” I replied walking over to her fridge. Soon as I opened it I started laughing. “You’ve already lost.”
She stormed over and knocked me out of the way with her hip. “What in the hell are you talking about? I have plenty of food in there for one person. Shopping weekly I get what I need based on my meal plans and I have less waste.” She slammed the door shut and glared at me.
“So, you’re eating a bell pepper, a package of kale, and drinking almond milk all week?”
Her frown deepened. “You know damned well I had more than that. Plus my meats and stuff are in the freezer you haven’t even checked.”
I shrugged and smiled. She was so easily annoyed, it was hard not to push those hair-trigger buttons to get her riled up. “Maybe, but I still got this on lock. Anyway, let’s go. I have steaks marinating.”
She crossed her arms and cocked her head to the side. “Steaks. As in more than one. Mighty presumptuous to assume I’d have dinner with you.”
I licked my lips and stepped closer to her. “I like to eat, Ma.” I dropped my gaze to her crotch. When I looked back up, her face had turned slightly pink. “But, being the gentleman I am, I’m more than willing to share my...meat with you.”
She swallowed and closed her eyes for a brief second. When she lifted her gaze back to meet mine, a slight grin pulled at her lips. “Just...meat isn’t a full...dinner.”
“Aww, Ma. You know me better than that. You get nothing less than three courses, and if you’re good, a midnight snack, too,” I added with a wink.
