Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 46143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
“What my daughter isn’t saying is that as wonderful as my sister is, she sucks at cooking.”
“I’m sure it’s not that bad,” I mutter, taking the lid off the portable casserole dish.
“She once made a tuna casserole that landed Diego and Carlos in the hospital for three nights,” Katie says.
“What happened?”
“She thought since she didn’t have to cook the tuna, she’d do fish and make a sushi casserole.”
I look at her. “Well, okay, that doesn’t sound great, but—”
“She used catfish because Skull and Hunter had gone fishing the day before.”
“Oh shit,” I whisper, with a low whistle. I know of all types of fish, and catfish can be very dangerous because of the bacteria and things that they carry.
“Exactly.”
“Can you fix it?” Izzy whispers somewhere near my ear. She’s leaning on the counter next to me, and it takes everything I have to fight the way my cock wants to respond to her soft voice.
“I think so, although after the catfish story, you guys kind of have me scared to try it to see what it needs.”
“Well, if it helps, Aunt Beth refuses to even look at catfish again,” she replies helpfully.
“This one is all chicken. She did add egg noodles and cream of chicken soup,” Katie replies and I nod.
I pull out a couple of drawers, grabbing a spoon when I find the silverware. I take a small taste. It’s not bad. It’s not good. It’s bland. It could be tofu. There’s really no taste, and I’m not even sure how that is possible.
“Is there a spice rack or something here? I need to see what I have to work with,” I mutter.
“Here ya go,” Katie answers, reaching into the cabinet above her head.
I sift through the spices and get to work. It won’t be the perfect fix, but it will be edible. I end up putting the seasoning in, and then after sifting through the cabinets quickly, I find some Better Than Bullion. I microwave it with some water—add a little seasoning to it—and then add a sleeve of crushed Ritz crackers to some butter and spread it over the top of the casserole. Finally, I put it in with the oven on broil just to brown it. When I get it out, I stir it so that the crackers are at the bottom. It should soak up the liquids a little more, plus hide the fact that I added them in the first place. I don’t want Beth to realize I’ve changed her casserole. When it’s done, I can’t say it’s pretty, but it should taste decent. When Beth put the cream of chicken in, I’m thinking she added two cans full of water as well. There was absolutely no taste to it.
“Are you finished?” Izzy asks as I put the casserole dish on the table.
“Yep. Which one of you is going to be brave enough to test it?” I ask.
“I will,” Katie speaks up, and suddenly I’m nervous. It shouldn’t matter, but I’d like Izzy’s mom to like whatever I fix.
Christ, what has become of me? I’m trying to impress my woman’s mother.
“Damn. You’re pretty good,” she says, sounding impressed.
“I try, although chicken casserole isn’t really in my wheelhouse. You should try my Tuscan spareribs with a balsamic glaze.”
“A biker and a chef. You’re very interesting,” Katie murmurs, but her gaze is centered on her daughter before sliding back to me. I get the feeling she sees more than Izzy would like her to, but I don’t back down. I just return her stare.
“I’m a man of many secrets,” I confirm.
“That you are,” she says mysteriously. “Izzy, come help me set the main dining room table and distract your Aunt Beth.”
“Okay, Mom,” Izzy says, giving me a brief glance before following her mother. I resist the urge to grab her hand, pull her to me, and kiss the hell out of her. Tonight needs to hurry and be over so I can get that woman back to my hotel …
Because I have to, I watch her walk away. I can’t take my eyes off her—especially the way her jeans cling to her ass. God, she’s so perfect and the woman has no idea just how deep I am already in when it comes to her. There’s no way to tell her either. It would more than likely scare the hell out of her. Hopefully tonight will be my first step to making sure she has faith in me. That she trusts me.
I just wish I had an idea of how to accomplish that.
13
CALLING OUT CAPTAIN CAVEMAN
IZZY
My first thought when I saw Caleb walk in with Beau and BB was that I was going to kill him. My second thought was that tonight was going to go really badly. I had visions of it completely blowing up in my face. Instead, I watched the man charm my mother—the one woman who supported my need to build a life away from the club. Not only that, but he also fits in so well with my family that it was scary. He was currently talking to my brother, dad, and uncle like they were long-lost friends. It’s like he belongs here. That, in turn, gives me a vision of a future I never let myself think about. A future that a very big part of me wants—yet is afraid of at the same time.