The Player | SPORTS ROMANCE | 18+

Chapter 28

TITUS REYES

I had really outdone myself with dinner, even if I did say so myself. I was a good cook when I wanted to be, but with my personal chef back in New York who cooked all my meals for me, there was just no need for me to cook for myself.

But things were different now. I wasn't single and living in New York.

I was a dad now. A family man.

"You've pleasantly surprised me." Salvadora chuckled as she joined me in the kitchen, helping put all the dishes in the dish washer.

Somehow, between the three of us, we had managed to eat everything, leaving no leftovers.

"You're a better cook than I thought." She praised.

"What? Did you think I was going to give you both food poisoning or something?"

Salvadora grinned in that cheeky, knowing way that had my cock stirring in my jeans again.

"What?"

"I got some chicken nuggets in my purse." She admitted, not the least bit ashamed or embarrassed to admit that.

"Are you being serious right now?" I chuckled, turning to face her as I dried my hands on a dishtowel.

"I wasn't sure about your cooking skills and thought that if things went wrong, I'd be able to sneak them to Arty so at least he wouldn't starve. I even bought some ketchup because he doesn't like the expensive kind."

"I can't believe you have such little faith in me." I shook my head in disbelief, but my grin only widened as I held her eyes. "And for the record, I don't like the expensive ketchup either."

Salvadora held my eyes as we laughed, and she continued to hold them as the laughter died down. In the dim lighting of the kitchen, she looked absolutely radiant. But then again, this woman looked radiant in every lighting, everywhere.

She had arrived with her hair slicked back in a neat bun but over the course of the evening, a few strands had escaped to frame her face in the most perfect of ways. Her eyes seemed darker in the lighting, almost as dark as mine, and I found myself getting lost in them. Salvadora must have felt it as well because her head slowly leaned toward mine, her eyes not once leaving me.

It was her idea in the first place to keep things platonic between us, yet she was certainly initiating this – whatever this was.

Not that I was complaining. Not in the least.

A quiet grumble sounded from deep within my chest as I surged forward to close the distance between us. The moment my lips brushed against hers in the most featherlight of touches, some loud shuffling sounded before a pair of little feet came running into the kitchen.

The kid sure had perfect timing.

Salvadora cleared her throat and pulled away abruptly and as if that wasn't enough, she took several steps back to put distance between us.

"What did I say about running in the house, baby?" Salvadora groaned, catching the little boy moments before he landed face first into the kitchen island.

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Or be in awe of how much he was actually like me.

"Sorry, mama." Arturo apologised with a cheeky grin; his hands fisted into the thick wool of her dress. "I just wanted some water."

"I got you, kid." I said, moving eagerly to grab a glass and fill it up with water.

"Only halfway." Salvadora urged me and I paused for a moment before tipping out some of it. "If you fill it all the way to the top, he's going to spill it."