Where We Belong (A Touch of Fate #1)(19)

"Quinn's on her way." Walking to the stove, I hip-bump Levi and lift the lid to the saucepan. "This smells amazing! What is it?" He hands me a spoon and I stir the creamy white sauce.

"It's a provel mushroom cheese sauce, and it's to-die-for," he tells me. "That's good, don't stir it too much." Replacing the lid, I hop up on the counter next to the stove and grab the glass of wine next to Levi.

"It's okay, I didn't want that glass of wine anyway," he says with a smirk, not taking his eyes off of the vegetables he's chopping. A comfortable silence surrounds us and Levi loses himself in his cooking as I watch.

A loud growl echoes off the kitchen walls, and both Levi and I turn our heads simultaneously.

"No! You—" Quinn says firmly, pointing to Levi, "—turn back around. I wasn't done admiring your derrière." Levi smirks and turns back around before giving his butt a little shake.

"Max didn't let you in, did he? Because he knows better—" Quinn waves her hand, effectively cutting me off.

"No. No. No. Don't get you're panties in a bunch, Mama Bear, I let myself in. I practically live here anyway."

Setting a bottle of wine down on the table, Quinn makes her way over to me and gives me a quick hug. Turning to the stove, she lifts the lid on the saucepan.

"Mmm...what's this?"

"Stay out of there!" Levi says, slapping her hand away. Quinn pouts her full lips at him, but he's completely immune. "Nice try, but the answer is still ‘no.'"

Gripping my waist, Levi lifts me off the counter and guides me to a kitchen chair, pushing me into it. Without a word, he walks over to Quinn and proceeds to do the same thing to her.

Quinn looks at me, raising her eyebrows in question, and I shrug my shoulders. Levi grabs two wine glasses and uncorks Quinn's bottle of wine, pouring each of us a glass. We watch silently as he sets a glass down in front of each of us and then gently removes his wine glass from my hand.

"Uhh..." I start to protest, but Levi quickly raises his finger to my lips and hushes me. My eyes widen and Quinn smiles in amusement.

"This is your space," he says, waving his hands in our direction, "and this is my space." He gestures to the opposite side of the kitchen before continuing. "This is your wine," he says, pointing to the glasses now in front of us, "and this is my wine." Lifting his goblet in the air, he brings the wine glass to his lips before turning and heading back to the stove.

"He's very serious when he's cooking,” I whisper to Quinn while keeping a close eye on Levi. "He says cooking is an art and too many distractions will disrupt the beauty of his final product."

Quinn's head slowly turns in my direction and a mischievous grin creeps across her face. "Let’s see if we can ruffle his feathers a little bit." Quinn begins taunting him before I even have a chance to respond. "When did you get so damn bossy?" she shouts, her arms crossed over her chest, a smile playing at the side of her mouth. "You're acting like someone pissed in your Cheerios this morning." We both watch as Levi continues to stir the sauce, seemingly oblivious to Quinn's antics.

Quinn looks at me and winks. Our heads whip back toward Levi at the sound of the stirring spoon being dropped on the counter. In three long strides, Levi has Quinn pinned in her chair. With a hand on each of her armrests, he leans in toward her, effectively caging her in.

Quinn's eyes widen and she tilts her head back to look up at him. He stares at her intensely, his deep blue eyes boring into hers, commanding her attention. I can't help but smirk because I've been on the receiving end of this side of Levi, and Quinn has no idea what he's about to do to her.

"First," he says, lifting up one finger. "I don't eat cereal. I am a man, Quinn." He grabs her hand and puts it on his chest, running it across from his left pec to his right. "I am a six-foot-one inch, two-hundred-pound man." Quinn's eyes are riveted to their joined hands and a small gasp leaves her mouth as Levi slowly drags her hand down his chest. "And because I am a man, I eat a man’s breakfast, which does not consist of pissed-on cereal. Second," he says, continuing to slide Quinn's hand down his stomach. She whimpers when her hand reaches his rock-hard abs.

I've felt that stomach many times so I know exactly what the fuss is all about. Levi drops her hand and she hesitates before letting it fall limp at her side. Leaning forward, his lips graze the shell of her ear. "I've always been bossy, sweet Quinn. I usually just save my dominating tendencies for the bedroom. And trust me when I tell you...that little scene isn't even a tenth of what I'm capable of." Levi gently nips Quinn's earlobe and then turns back to the stove.

Quinn's head sags back against the chair and she closes her eyes. "I think I need to change my panties," she whispers, squeezing her thighs together. Levi's boisterous laugh rings loudly and I pat Quinn's knee in understanding.

"Yo, Max!" Levi yells. “Dinner's ready!" I drag Quinn out of her chair and we begin setting the table as Levi puts the finishing touches on the food.

"What are we having?" Max sits down and scrunches his nose as Levi puts a helping of chicken and vegetables on his plate.

"It's baked chicken smothered in a provel mushroom cheese sauce," Levi explains proudly.