One thing that Lina learned today was that in the one thousand years that had passed, Kaden's cooking had improved. He went from burning fishes caught from the river to serving her a full-course meal.

  Lina enjoyed every moment of his performance and meal. From the way his long fingers curled around the hilt of the knife to the way he rubbed them together to sprinkle seasoning. Within thirty minutes, he had prepared the perfect meal for her. ??

  Lina's mouth watered at the sight of the perfectly seared steak cooked with butter, garlic, and rosemary, sliced on top of a bed of creamy mashed potato with a hint of thyme, served with a side of refreshing salad and vegetables.

  "Good?" Kaden teased, cleaning the countertop as her eyes rolled back at the meal. The corner of his mouth curled upwards as she nodded her head, but proceeded to lie.

  "No, it tastes burnt," Lina stated, whilst placing another piece of meat into her mouth, moaning at the taste.

  Kaden's gaze grew hot. He watched her lips glisten from the meat juices, her tongue darting out to lick it from her mouth. His grip tightened on the countertop as she happily chewed, letting out a small squeal of delight.

  At this point, Kaden wasn't sure if she wanted to fuck him or the food.

  "You make those noises in front of your family?" Kaden asked.

  "Huh?" Lina returned, placing the mashed potato into her mouth, her eyes widening at the burst of savory flavor. God, she could marry this plate of food and be happy for the rest of her life.

  "Nothing." Kaden noted she didn't realize she was making those sounds. She was just enjoying a meal. What was wrong with him?

  Everything. Everything was wrong with him.

  Whilst she was enjoying her meal, his groin was tightening from the thought of enjoying a meal given by her.

  Kaden felt like he'd rather go through torture than listen to her enjoy his food. He was growing harder by the second. If she moaned one more fucking time, he was going to spread her legs on this damn table.

  "So much for saying the meat was burnt," Kaden said through clenched teeth, his jaw tightening when Lina let out a wistful sigh after finishing the meal. This woman. She was going to be the death of him.

  "Dessert?" Lina asked, innocently batting her eyelashes at him.

  Kaden paused. "Me."

  "What?"

  Kaden cleared his throat. "I have ice cream."

  "Then where is it?" Lina questioned, blinking up at him, like an eager pet for treats.

  Kaden narrowed his eyes. Without another word, he turned to his fridge and pulled out a coconut.

  "That's not ice cream," Lina deadpanned.

  "Wow, you have eyes. Impressive," Kaden growled.

  Lina didn't respond. He was going to feed her, thus, she decided to be amicable. Instead of sitting around and doing nothing, she picked up her finished plate and bowl of salad, placed the dirty dishes in the sink, and grabbed the utensil.

  THUD!

  Lina jumped at the sound, turning to see he had cracked the coconut open, and clear liquid was seeping out of it. She returned her attention to the sink and began to look through the cupboards under it, in search of soap and sponge.

  THUD!

  Kaden furiously cracked the coconut, hoping it'd distract him from the sound of her digging through his damn stuff. He needed to let out his frustrations after her damn tease show. Just then, he felt something bump his legs.

  "For fuck's sake," Kaden breathed out.

  Lina was probing through his cupboards, her cute little butt wiggling in the air like a bunny before taking its leap. He was glued to the sight of her bent over and eager.

  It took everything within Kaden to not smack her butt, as inviting as it was. His muscles flexed as he restrained every single cell inside of him.

  "What are you looking for?" Kaden asked.

  "Sponge and dish soap…" Lina's voice sounded faint as she dug through everything. "Why do you have so many knives down here? You're not secretly plotting my murder right?"

  "Oh great, you found out my secret," Kaden stated in a monotone voice.

  "Ha. Ha. You comedian," Lina responded in the same robotic voice.

  Kaden's lips twitched in amusement. Not many dared to talk to him in that tone. But she was always fearless. Back then, and now.

  "It's right here," Kaden said, nudging her aside and grabbing the items from the drawers.

  "Thank you," Lina stated, taking it and beginning to work on the dishes, including the dirty pans.

  Kaden tried to not envision their damn future together when all she was doing was washing the plates and pans. But she looked good. Too good for his taste. He began to wonder what she'd be like as a wife.

  Would she wait for him in nothing but an apron, eager to see her husband after such a long day? Would she have the meal ready for him whilst he walked through the doors, wanting to eat nothing but her?

  "Stop looking at me like that, I'm not going to rack up your water bills," Lina said without taking her eyes off the dishes. "And get back to making my ice cream."

  Kaden raised a sharp brow. Not many people had the guts to speak to him like that. The last person that did so… Well, let's just say, their name no longer existed in the government system.

  Kaden was almost tempted to see what else that little mouth of hers did, besides backtalk him. But the longer he thought about it, the more the tent in his pants grew, straining against the fabric.

  "What flavor do you like?" Kaden eventually asked, through clenched teeth.

  "Vanilla."

  Of course, she'd like vanilla.

  "What about you?" Lina curiously asked.

  "Missionary."

  CLANK!

  The plates clattered and Lina shot him a glare, her face burning with the realization.

  Kaden's lips curled and he turned back to the coconut. He could hear her grumbling profanities under her breath, and that caused him to laugh.

  Kaden began to scrap the white part of the coconut and then scoop the ice cream into it, so that there was a perfect balance of vanilla and coconut.

  "Oh, where did you learn this from?" Lina asked, suddenly appearing from behind him.

  Kaden's spine stiffened at how close she was. Her sweet scent filled his nose and his grip tightened on the ice cream scooper. She was peering around his arm, reminding him of how small she was.

  "A trip to the southeast a few months ago," Kaden responded, grabbing the dessert spoon and digging it into the ice cream.

  Lina's eyes shimmered at the sight of dessert. Instinctively, she opened her mouth, thinking he was going to feed her.

  Kaden took one good look at her, thought of something else that could barely fit into those pretty little lips, and then, ate the ice cream.

  "Rude," Lina muttered, going back to washing the dishes.

  Just then, Kaden grabbed her shoulders, turned her around, and shoved the ice cream into her mouth. Her eyes widened and she instantly relaxed, savoring the sweetness of the dessert.

  Kaden's gaze grew more heated by the second. She didn't even realize it was an indirect kiss.

  "It's good!" Lina chirped, wiping the corner of her mouth with her thumb and licking at it, smirking on the side. She knew he was watching her, and she knew he wanted to be the one to lick it off her fingers.

  "Can I have more?" Lina asked.

  "Depends on how much you beg for it," Kaden responded.

  Lina glared. He smirked.

  Kaden grabbed the freshly split coconut and handed it to her. Immediately, Lina leaned against the counter and dug in.

  Kaden watched her enjoy the dessert he made specifically for her. How long has it last been since he cared enough to cook for someone? Oh right. Never.

  "Eat properly," Kaden demanded when she naughtily licked the spoon clean.

  "What do you mean?" Lina asked, taking another spoonful of the sweet and creamy dessert.

  Kaden stalked towards her, like a predator towards their prey. He stopped in front of her and grabbed her wrist, forcing her to look up at him.

  "Eat properly," Kaden slowly repeated, his voice tense and tight. "If you keep doing that, I'll give you something else white and sweet to lick off of."

  Lina wondered if this man could go one second without sending her stomach knotting with desire. She felt a strange pulse in between her legs and realized she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

  Well, this certainly wasn't good for either of them… right? But who cares? Certainly not Kaden.