Touch Me Not (Manwhore Series #1)

Chapter Seventeen

Lily thanked Mike for dropping her off at Nikoli's. He hadn't been thrilled, but it was either bring her or let her break down and call an Uber. She wanted to surprise the manwhore. Luther let her in and left, but only after she promised to save him some food. There'd be plenty left. She unpacked the groceries she'd brought with her and set about making dinner. She wanted to do something nice for him after all he'd done for her.

The one thing she could make really well was lasagna. It was something her dad had taught her, even going so far as to make sure she knew how to make his secret sauce. There was no jar sauce when it came to anything Italian. He'd prided himself on being a good cook. Something he'd learned from his grandmother.

She put the noodles on to boil, checked the hamburger browning, and then put together the garlic spread for the loaf of French bread she'd picked up. That done, she sliced the bread and applied the garlic spread. It would sit and soak into the bread until she was ready to put it into the oven.

Taking out her phone, she pulled up her favorite Spotify playlist and set it up so she'd have music while she worked. It made the time pass a little quicker. She hummed while she drained the hamburger of grease and added it back into the pan, this time adding the chopped onions. She wanted them to keep their crunch. She poured in the tomato sauce and her freshly chopped herbs and garlic. Letting it simmer, she set about mixing up her cottage cheese mixture. Lots of people used ricotta, but she hated the taste of ricotta. Plus, her dad always used cottage cheese.

The key turned in the lock, and she looked up to see Nikoli come in, toss his keys in the dish on the small table by the front door, and kick off his shoes.

"Smells good in here, Luther. Did you get take..." He stopped when he saw her standing there with a knife in one hand and a dish towel in the other.

"Hi." Lily gave him a small smile. She hadn't expected him back this soon. He'd told her he had some business to take care of in downtown Boston.

"Lily?" He looked from her to all the pots and pans. "You're cooking?"

"I wanted to do something nice for you to say thank you for everything you've done for me. I hope you don't mind me showing up unannounced. It was supposed to be a surprise, but you're early."

"My meeting wrapped up sooner than expected." He came over and hopped up on the small kitchen island. "And no, I don't mind you showing up, Lily Bells. It's kind of nice."

"You sound surprised by that."

"I am surprised by that."

He looked as confused as she felt most of the time. Maybe she wasn't the only one dealing with feelings she didn't expect.

"Do you like lasagna?" She swallowed nervously and glanced down, unsure of herself.

"Love it," he murmured. "I didn't know you could cook."

"I can't, really. This is one of the few things I know how to make. It's my dad's secret recipe, and he taught me and Laney how to make it. Everything else is iffy. I once set a frying pan on fire trying to make eggs."

"Really?" He scooted closer, and she let out a loud exhale.

"Yeah. Scared my mom to death. I was banned from the kitchen after that."

"How old were you?"

"Fourteen."

"Are you sure we don't need to get the fire extinguisher out?" he teased, enjoying seeing her nervous.

"I already did." She pointed next to her, and he leaned down to see it was sitting on the floor.

He laughed. "Well, at least you're prepared. Do you need any help?"