A fact she was well aware of.
Inside, I boiled some noodles, tasted the sauce, and grated a huge pile of Asiago cheese. Once the noodles were cooked, I combined them with the sauce and meatballs, piled on the cheese, and put on the lid. Then I headed through the forest and toward Hunter.
Chapter 16
Hunter
I knew she was coming before I saw her. Cash stood at attention, his gaze focused on the tree line, his tail wagging madly. I paused in my task, watching, my anticipation almost as great as his. She appeared between the break in the trees, her hair piled on her head, dressed casually. Her hands were encased in oven mitts, and she carried a large pot. She made me grin with her random appearances and offerings.
She approached me with one of her shier smiles—one I had a feeling few people ever saw. Despite her bravado and snark, she was surprisingly reticent about sex outside the bedroom. She actually blushed after we’d been together, our bodies still hot from our joining, the air around us sizzling with the heat of our efforts. I had made an offhand remark and been fascinated as the color crept into her cheeks and gradually went down her neck, tingeing her breasts pink. I found it endearing. Charming. Somehow it made her even sexier.
“Come bearing gifts, Little Dragon?” I asked, eyeing the pan in her grip.
“Spaghetti.”
“You made spaghetti?” I set aside the nail gun and stood. “Really?”
I freaking loved spaghetti.
“Yeah. I made the sauce a couple of nights ago but hadn’t gotten around to eating it. So, I thought I’d share. I figured, I was hungry, so you must be too.”
“I am.”
She set the pot down on the second step, disappeared inside, and returned with two forks and some water. She sat down and placed the pot on her lap, protecting her skin with the big mitts. She tilted her head, indicating the spot behind her. I didn’t need a second invitation, sliding onto the top step and caging her between my legs. She lifted the lid, and the aroma hit me. Spicy tomato sauce, cheese, oregano, and garlic wafted up, making me groan. She handed me a fork and draped a tea towel over her shoulder.
“Dig in.”
I leaned over her shoulder, twirling the pasta, chewing it slowly. I speared a meatball, humming under my breath at the delicious taste.
“So good,” I mumbled, grateful for the tea towel when some sauce dripped. I caught it with my finger and bent close, kissing the side of her neck, enjoying the shiver.
I knew we could go inside. Get bowls. Eat like normal human beings. Except, I liked this. Her tucked in front of me, sharing a pot of pasta, enjoying the fresh air, the aroma of her meal, and the scent of newly cut cedar.
We ate in silence, aside from my grunts and mutterings of appreciation. She leaned against me, relaxed and at peace. We had a couple of fork fights going after the same meatball, which made me laugh. She threw Cash a meatball, which he gobbled down then waited hopefully for more. Instead, she dug into her pocket and tossed him a dog biscuit she’d obviously brought with her. He happily caught it and lay in the sun, chewing on it.
The sound of a truck in the driveway made us look up, and she groaned and dropped her head.
“Fuck’s sake,” she muttered as Ronan got out of the truck and approached us with a wide, shit-eating grin on his face.
“You take this whole neighbor thing to another level, Ava. Now you’re teaching him to eat pasta? Wow. Just wow.”
Chuckling, he walked up the steps and passed us, going inside. Ava peeked up at me, and I shrugged, twirling more spaghetti. Ronan came outside and sat beside Ava, sticking a fork into the pot and twirling a massive amount of pasta and adding a meatball, then shoving it in his face and chewing.
“Help yourself, please,” I deadpanned.
He nodded, his mouth full. He chewed and swallowed, reaching over for more, batting Ava’s hand out of the way when she tried to stop him. “I’m hungry,” he protested.
“You have Beth. She’ll make you food.”
“She’s out with Evan.” He nudged her. “Unlike some people, she was home at a decent time and not drunk.”
I chuckled as I twirled more pasta. I had a feeling the bastard was going to eat way too much of my meal, and I really didn’t want to share it. I looked around, trying to see where Ava had put the lid to the pot but couldn’t spy it.
Ava sighed. “I did have a little too much last night.”
Ronan stopped eating and looked at her. “I’m only teasing. You needed to relax last night.” He looked up, meeting my eyes. “She tell you what happened yesterday afternoon?”