The Sheikh's Virgin Bride(125)
“Fortunately for us, I had the presence of mind this morning to get the turkey cooking, so that should be done in about an hour. Until then, we’re going to need to boil and mash these potatoes, cook up some veggies, and bake a loaf of bread. It couldn’t hurt to finish everything off with a pie, either, could it?”
“You’re the expert. I’m afraid I must defer to you in this situation.”
She nodded, handing him a knife and piling up green beans and carrots in front of him on a cutting board.
“You get to be on chopping duty, then. Can’t be giving my new sous chef any big responsibilities since he’s so inexperienced with the menu.” She winked at him teasingly. “I’m going to baste this turkey so that it doesn’t turn into jerky.”
“You’re quite the poet, Yvonne.”
She smirked up at him as she knelt to spread liquid on the bird in the oven.
“You didn’t know I was a poet?”
“Really?” he asked, actually sounding convinced.
Yvonne laughed, closing the oven.
“No.”
“You’re much funnier when we’re not at work,” he observed.
Yvonne felt pleased at that comment, smiling at him as she picked up a knife and helped him chop. Together, they made quick work of the preparations, and as Yvonne placed the potatoes into boiling water, she grinned.
“Ready for the real fun?” she asked, and Zadid lifted an eyebrow.
“I’m always ready,” he said, crossing his arms as he looked at her with a smug expression.
She nodded in the direction of the Christmas tree, still barren with the ornament box sitting beside it.
“Well then, let’s do some tree decorating! You’re getting the whole run of the Christmas experience, today.”
She picked up the champagne bottle, pouring them two fresh glasses as she led the way to the Christmas tree. Zadid looked at her fireplace.
“Does that work?” he asked.
“Sure does. Feeling in the mood for a cozy fire?” she asked.
He nodded toward the balcony.
“Have you been outside today? It’s freezing!”
“Believe it or not, I haven’t. The firewood is on the porch, anyway. Would you like a small tour of my view?”
Zadid nodded, following close behind her as she opened the balcony door and shivered.
“You weren’t kidding,” she said, her breath steaming as she spoke.
Tiny snowflakes were falling, leaving little frozen dots on their faces.
Zadid insisted on carrying in the few pieces of firewood she had for just such an occasion. Having never had a man there for a quiet Christmas dinner, there was a reason the wood had gone wholly unused. Zadid rolled up his sweater sleeves and knelt down by the fire, stacking the logs like an expert.
“I take it you have your own fireplace?” she asked with her hands on her hips as she watched him at work. To say the view was sexy was a gross understatement. He was positively gorgeous and it took everything in her not to jump on him and kiss him until he kissed her back.
“I do. My home country is extremely hot compared to here, so I made sure to have a nice fireplace in my apartment to stay warm during the winter months. Now, I need some kindling and a lighter. Where do you keep those?”
“Uh…” Yvonne said, rustling through the bottom kitchen drawer and pulling out a fire-starter block and a box of matches. “Will these work?”
He reached up for them, his fingers brushing against hers as he took the supplies. Her fingertips felt as though the nerve endings were on the outside, his touch affecting her in the best, intense way.
“That will work fine, thank you. Okay, here we go,” he said, deftly starting the fire, poking it until it grew to a comfortable crackle.
“Ah, that’s better, don’t you think?” he asked, wiping his hands on his jeans as he stood, standing next to Yvonne as they admired the dancing flames.
Yvonne hummed her agreement, very aware of and distracted by his arm brushing against hers. Then, he stepped to the side, to her disappointment, and knelt down by the box of decorations.
“Now we can decorate your tree. Let’s see what we have here.”
He pulled out red, gold, and sparkly white bulbs, handing them to Yvonne to hang where she wanted on the tree. There were some small glass candy canes that they placed next, and a little string of white lights. They passed the string between them as they wrapped it around the little tree together, standing back to admire their handiwork when they’d finished.
The walls around them danced with the flames, complemented perfectly by the glow of the tree’s lights. It was the most pleasant feeling in the world to have Zadid sharing that moment with her.
“I think it looks great,” Yvonne declared, picking her glass up off the coffee table and lifting it to salute Zadid.
He grabbed his own and returned her salutation. They headed into the kitchen to quickly prep an apple pie while finishing their second round of drinks. When they’d finished, a playful flour-flicking fight ensued for a few moments until the oven went off, indicating that it was time to take the turkey out and put the pie in.
Yvonne was thankful for the interruption, as it had been taking everything in her to resist kissing the dusting of flour off Zadid’s nose.
Together, Yvonne and Zadid prepared a delicious meal, Yvonne setting the table as Zadid did the honor of cutting the small turkey into slices. They loaded their plates and sat together at her kitchen table, a warm glow cast over them by the firelight.