Lexi woke up alone in Raed's bed. She stretched then looked around the room.
She'd been too busy before to notice anything but the king-sized bed. The walls had been painted a deep, royal blue. The rest of the furnishings were solid pieces made out of dark wood, just as the bed's headboard. The floor was also dark hardwood. Very much a man's bedroom; there wasn't anything feminine about it.
She rolled over onto her side and stuck her face in Raed's pillow. She smiled as she drew in his musky scent. Her smile didn't disappear as she thought of what had taken place in his bed. Not that Lexi had that much experience, but Raed had managed to blow her socks off. He'd given her more pleasure than she had ever found in another man's bed. The others she'd slept with just didn't compare.
Lexi ran her hand along the mattress where Raed had lain beside her. Strange.
Pulling back the sheet, she looked at the four straight lines that had been ripped into the fitted sheet. They almost looked like claw marks. She ran her fingers down them. The royal blue sheets didn't appear that old. They didn't have a soft, been-washed-over-and-over-again feel to them. Lexie shrugged and rolled onto her back.
When the minutes ticked by and Raed didn't return, Lexi decided to search for him. She didn't want to lie around naked without Raed being with her. Also there was the off-chance one of his men would walk in looking for Raed. She would rather be fully dressed if that happened.
Dressed once again, Lexi poked her head out the door. She didn't see anyone in the long hallway. Where had Raed gone? She walked down the curved staircase and headed for the living room. She only found Wulfric and Dolf, playing a video game.
They didn't seem to notice her as they took turns cursing at each other.
Lexi moved farther down the hall. Raed had to be inside this large house somewhere. As she neared a closed door at the end of the hall, she sniffed the air. Her nose crinkled at the smell of something burning. She pushed opened the door and stopped short just inside. Lexi had to bite her bottom lip not to laugh.
Raed stood by the sink with a baking sheet held in an oven-mitted hand. Two pieces of something blackened and charred beyond recognition sat smoking on the sheet. Algar, wearing an expression of disgust, waved a tea towel at the open oven door, dispersing the smoke.
"I told you not to set the oven so hot," Algar said as he waved the towel furiously. "Open the kitchen window wider or we'll never get the smoke out of here."
Raed threw the baking sheet into the sink with a clang then pushed the window over the sink. "It's open all the way now. The chicken was frozen. I didn't think the meat would burn so quickly. I just wanted it to thaw out a bit at the higher temperature before I turned it down."
"It may have worked if you had only left it that way for a couple of minutes not for almost a half hour."
Lexi loudly cleared her throat to get Raed and Algar's attention. When they turned to look in her direction, she asked, "Problems?"
"You could say that," Algar said as he threw Raed another disgusted look.
Raed glared at Algar.
Lexi's lips twitched as she fought back a smile. "Let me guess, that was to be supper?"
Raed threw the oven mitt on the counter. "Yes. Part of it anyway."
Lexi crossed to Raed's side and studied the charred remains of the chicken in the sink. "I thought you said you could cook?"
"I can. That's what I get for trying to take shortcuts. At least the stir fry is still good."
"Only because you haven't started cooking it yet," Algar said drolly.
She then noticed the pile of chopped vegetables on a cutting board on the counter. She looked over at Raed. "Would you like me to take over?"
He shook his head. "No. I promised to cook for you, and cook for you I shall."
Raed went over to the freezer and pulled out a package of frozen burgers. "We'll just have to settle for these instead of the chicken. I'll cook them on the barbeque out back."
"I can help if you want."
Raed put the package of burgers on the counter, then led Lexi over to the table.
"Sit." He pushed her down onto one of the chairs. "I can handle this myself. I want to do this for you."
"Okay, if you insist."
Raed picked up the burgers and walked through the double doors that led to an immaculately landscaped back yard.
Algar stopped his towel waving and shut the oven door. He sat next to Lexi.
"Raed does know how to cook. We all do. He just doesn't get his turn very often."
"You guys should make him cook more often if he needs the practice."
"It's not like that. We feel it's beneath . . . it's just that old habits are hard to break."
Lexi wondered what old habits Algar referred to, but she let the subject go. "So you guys always eat together? I would have thought mealtime would be a free-for-all here."
Algar smiled. "It can be at times for the midday meal. Supper is another story.
Long ago, Raed commanded we have the evening meal together. It's a good time to talk and make plans."
Commanded? "I see. If all of you guys can cook, then who is the best?"
"Brand."
Lexi blinked. "Brand?"
"Yes, Brand," Algar said with a laugh. "I know. You would never guess to look at him, but he can cook up a storm. I think it's partly because he likes to eat, and eat well.
It took us a while to learn, but it wasn't as if we had any choice in the matter. We all had flown the coop, so to speak, and we had to fend for ourselves." Algar shuddered dramatically. "Our first attempts make the chicken over there look like a master chef cooked it."
Lexi laughed. "Food Poisoning R Us?
He chuckled. "No, but if we weren't imm—"
"Algar," Raed interrupted in a stern voice as he stepped back into the kitchen.
Algar stood. "I guess I'll leave you two alone." He turned to Raed. "Shall I tell the others we'll get together later as usual?"
Lexi didn't miss the meaningful glance Algar shot her way before he looked back at Raed.
Raed nodded. "It may be a little later than normal, but I'll make the meeting once I take Lexi back to her flat."
"Alright." Algar turned to face Lexi. "I hope to see you again soon. Enjoy your meal."
Once Algar left, Lexi watched Raed move over to one of the cupboards and take out a large frying pan. He put the pan on the stovetop and turned on the burner. She hadn't noticed until now that he only wore a pair of jeans. As he put oil and the cut-up vegetables into the frying pan, her gaze ran over his bare back where the muscles bunched. Lexi flushed slightly at the sight of faint red marks running down the wide expanse. She'd been the one to put them there.
When he finished starting the stir fry, he leaned back against the counter, crossed his arms over his broad chest and gazed at her. The stance caused his large biceps to bulge. Lexi still found it hard to believe she had made love to a man like Raed. Staring at him only half-clothed made her body heat.
"If you don't stop looking as if you'd like to eat me I'll burn the food again."
Lexi licked her lips. Raed groaned.
"You can't expect me not to when you're dressed like that. Or not dressed." She ran her gaze up his left arm to his shoulder. With his arms crossed, she could clearly see his tattoo. In black, the image of two stylized wolves stood on either side of a figure of an equally stylized man. The design seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on where she had seen it before. "Nice tattoo."
"Thanks."
She went to stand before him and ran her hand up his arm to the tattoo, trailing her fingers over the mark. "Is there a story behind why you picked this design?"
Raed pulled her hand away and brought her fingers to his mouth. He swirled his tongue around her index finger before he sucked it into his mouth. By the time he released her finger, Lexi's knees had gone weak while her body had liquefied. "No."