The Tycoon's Unexpected Baby (The Abbot Sisters #3) - Elizabeth Lennox Page 0,28

the ambiance was cold and uninviting. She suspected that he agreed, at least concurred subconsciously, which was why he came over to her place most of the time.

Or maybe it was more that he just enjoyed her cooking. Sometimes, he’d bring ingredients to her place and dump them onto the countertop with a challenging glint to his eyes.

“Oh, you don’t think I can figure out what to do with this?” she asked, laughing as he poured them each a glass of wine.

He would shrug and place her glass beside the stove, then lean back and wait.

Pepper embraced cooking just like she embraced every other aspect of life; with gusto! Eggplant? No problem! Eggplant lasagna! Mango? Oh, she’d wanted to make a mango sorbet for a while! Jalapenos? Nachos for dinner! The night he brought home a bag of chia seeds, she only laughed, shaking her head.

“You’re not even trying anymore,” she said as she laughed and grabbed some milk.

“Seriously?” he asked, watching as she pulled out two wine glasses. “Are you going to grow those grass things for dinner?”

“Oh, ye of little faith,” she teased. “A bit of sugar. A dash of cinnamon. A quarter cup of chia seeds and…” she paused to measure out a half cup of milk into each wine glass. “There!” she announced. “Dessert will be ready in about a half hour.”

Both of his eyebrows lifted over the rim of his wine glass when she straightened after putting the wine glasses into the fridge. “I’m not eating whatever that is that you just put into the fridge,” he warned her as she pulled out other ingredients, which were chicken and broccoli. She floured the chicken breasts, added some spices to the mix, then dunked them in an egg wash and placed them in the oven pan.

“You’re going to love chia pudding, Dimitri,” she told him and cut up the broccoli so that she could steam it in the microwave.

“It’s just a bunch of seeds, agape mou,” he said, moving behind her and kissing her neck. “I’m not eating seeds.”

Pepper paused in her chopping and smiled as he nibbled at that spot on her neck. “Oh, you think so?”

“I know it’s seeds. It says so, right there on the package.”

She laughed. “So, why did you bring me chia seeds if you didn’t think that I could make something with them?”

“Because I was running out of odd ingredients. Every night, you amaze me with your creativity, Pepper. But I’ve stumped you with the chia seeds. Admit it.”

She laughed and turned around, wrapping her arms around his lean waist. “Just you wait. That pudding will be delicious in about a half hour and perfect by the time we’re finished with dinner.” She kissed his jaw. “You’re going to love it!”

“Not gonna happen,” he replied, sliding his hands down over her bottom.

An hour later, they were sitting on her purple couch and she handed him one of the pudding filled wine glasses.

“What’s this?” he asked, looking at it with disdain. “I’m not eating it.”

He was working on his laptop and she had been sketching out some new designs. Pepper knew that he was about finished and, in only moments, he was going to take her into his arms and make love to her until they fell asleep tonight. So this was the only moment that she could get him to try her pudding.

“It’s delicious. I’ve had this before and trust me, you’re going to like it.”

He shook his head, his eyes skeptical. “No, you’re just teasing me.”

In response, she scooped out a spoonful of the white, gelatinous substance that had black spots in it. “Oh, this is really good!”

He watched her with a look of horror, but Pepper only beamed at him as she took another bite. “Try it,” she offered, extending the spoon to him. “It’s really good and surprisingly healthy.”

“No, thank you,” he said, pulling away and looking at his laptop. But when she continued to eat the “pudding”, he couldn’t resist. “Fine! If you’re going to try it, then I’m not going to let you be the only one.”

She leaned against his arm and offered him a spoonful. He accepted the gelatinous mix warily, fully prepared to hate it. But as the sweet, cinnamon tastes hit him, his eyes widened. “Wow, that is pretty good!” he said, and plucked the wine glass filled with the chia pudding out of her hands.

“Hey!” she exclaimed, and laughed when he started eating the pudding with enthusiasm. “Fine, and I will