Violinist (CENTURIES series: Book #4)

11

"Kyle, this sauce is amazing."

Sitting straight across from me at our little dining table that we hardly ever used, Kyle and of course Dan (who had invited him over for a cozy evening of good food) grinned. "That's what they all say," Kyle replied, giving me a naughty wink over the rim of his wineglass. I laughed.

Both Dan and Kyle shared a passion for food. Dan leaning more towards the baking and brunching, while Kyle served solid meals such as the steak we were currently devouring. He had paired it with his cooked-from-scratch whiskey sauce and green beans I swore were cooked in both butter and margarine. The impending heart attack was definitely worth it.

"Fuck, is this actually what heaven tastes like?" I moaned, eating my steak almost pornographically to Dan's amusement. Kyle chuckled as well and shook his head.

"I'm glad you like it," Kyle sipped the wine again that Dan had bought for this occasion. French, of course. "The trick is in the heat; you gotta slowly simmer the whiskey before you let it cook out. You get that smoked flavor all up in there and then you pour in a bit of the juice from the steak. It's a guaranteed winner."

"Never ever leave us." I groaned as I bit into the steak. "I think I'm finally having an orgasm worth something—a foodgasm."

Dan choked on his wine as he erupted into a laughter. "We're still only on the seventh date, Mel. But hey," He turned to Kyle and leaned in towards him, a small smirk on his lips. "S'not like I'm planning on letting you run off."

Kyle smiled, but I swear I saw him blush. Ah, love. Why couldn't it be that easy for me? Of course I knew it wasn't just magically easy for them. They had problems too, I was sure, problems they didn't show right now. But the ease between them...

"So what's for dessert?" I asked while forking up some green beans, swirling them in the sauce first. "More steak? I swear I won't even complain."

Kyle grinned, but then looked to Dan. "Sorry. I left this one in charge of dessert."

"I made cheesecake," Dan voiced, quickly sipping his wine. "It still needs to chill for another hour, but I'm thinking we need some time to chill after this dinner, too."

"Amen to that," I agreed, cutting through my meat. It was so tender and so perfectly cooked it almost melted in my mouth. Maybe I should just fall in love with this steak if I hadn't already. "It's practically late Thanksgiving up in here."

"Mm!" Kyle said. "In that case, we should light a candle on the table or something. Let's call it Hanukkah."

"You' Jewish?"

"Half."

"In that case, happy Hanukkah."

We all clinked our glasses. After taking a sip, a sudden silence stretched, and not the comfortable kind. I noticed Dan eyeing me out and heard Kyle clear his throat a little, both of them shifting in their seats. I let another moment pass before I finally sighed and put my fork down. "What?"

Dan looked at me, then let out a sigh of his own. "It's probably non of our business, but I feel like it's gotten to a point where I have to ask."

I rose a brow, but waited. "Okay...?" When Dan got serious, it was never good.

"What's your interest in him?" He asked, concern tainting his voice. When I immediately looked down and ran a hand through my hair, he turned towards me and reached out to me. "I'm not gonna police you about it, I just want to know... is it a thank-you to him for saving you that night, or is it like a... charity thing?"