toes off the cutting board an

zz

he sweet, acidic smell of cooking to

aked against the hardwood floo

lummeted. Her fingers instantly tightene

nst her ribs. She raised the knife slight

she demanded, h

om the darkness. He stepped into

as J

hanging crookedly. The top two buttons of his crisp white s

Her shoulders slumped, and she let out a long, shaky breath.

. He raised an eyebrow. A slow, dark s

our husband on the fi

ed the knife to the far edge of the counter.

ite side of the marble counter. He placed both hands flat on the surfac

cent of expensive whiskey mixed with his signature cedar cologne

er spine pressing again

," she said, her voice

preading down her neck. "The meet

dinner staring at his watch, terrified she was h

ace to the pan sizzling on

sked, his voice dropping into a dangerous growl.

ia said quickly. "I didn'

enly boiled over. The lid rattled violentl

grabbed the lid. A thick cloud of

back through the haze of th

e of the island. He step

ainst her back. Her entire body went rigid. Her ha

ong right arm straig

Kaia's breath hitched. She could feel the heavy

pepper grinder sitting on th

gainst her. He leaned his head down, his

ered. His voice was thick w

n. He twisted it twice. The sharp, spicy

ared blindly at the boiling pasta, too terrified to turn her head.

e let the heavy, suffocating sexual tension

e took a slow step back, putti

breath, walked over to the built-in fridge, and poured himself