Page 32 of Snapdragon

Warmth spreads through my cheeks. “Let’s go get some privacy, then.”

We make it up to my apartment with only two brief kissing breaks. Which I think is quite the accomplishment, personally. Nervously, I open the door to my apartment, curious to what he will think of it. I’m also worried that I didn’t clean up this morning before I left.

The coast seems clear, everything neatly put away. I turn to look at Sebastian, but he quietly clicks the door shut before moving past me. He has a little wander, looking at my fake plants, my fresh flowers. He pauses a moment to have a closer look at my vinyl collection.

“Do you mind?” He asks as he pulls one out, moving towards the record player.

“No, go ahead.” I’m still standing by the door, observing him. I twirl my key around my finger, “what do you think of my place?”

“I like it. It’s cozy but also nice and airy. Does it get a lot of sunlight?”

I nod, hearing the opening phrase of my favorite Clarissa Raye album playing. I regain a brief memory of telling him it was my favorite after the club, when we were talking about music the first time.

Sebastian wanders into the kitchen area, opening the fridge.

“What are you doing?” I ask, tossing my keys in their dish and following him in.

“Cooking,” he says, simply.

“Oh! I thought we would get takeout.” He is going to be disappointed with whatever he finds in my fridge. Even I don’t know what’s in there right now.

“I want to cook for you.” He reaches in, moving a few things around. “Where’s your pantry?”

I open the correct cupboard for him, gesturing for him to go ahead. “You see, the thing is, I really don’t cook. So I’m not sure if there even is anything you could make a meal out of.”

“I can see that,” he chuckles. “Lucky for you, Sunshine. I’m pretty creative.”

He picks through my cupboard, and I leave him to it. My kitchen space is pretty small, and there’s not much space in there normally. Never mind with a fully grown Dragon Shifter.

I slip around to the other side of the island and sit on one of the bar stools. Sebastian really is too big for my kitchen. He pulls a selection of things out of my cupboard before opening my freezer.

“How long have these been frozen?” He holds up a zip lock bag with freezer burnt chicken breasts in it. I shrug, I really have no idea, I did not remember that they were in there. “You’re really testing me, Flora.”

“Well, I didn’t know that you were planning on cooking in here!” We both giggle at our predicament. “Don’t worry about it. I have very good Chinese food on speed dial.”

“No,” he sighs, trying to place his hands on his hips and banging his elbow on the fridge door. He pulls a unopened bag of battered chicken chunks from the freezer. “Huh, these aren’t expired. Listen, it’s not going to be the best meal I ever cook you.”

He pushes up his sleeves, and all I can think about is when did forearms become so sexy? Sebastian leans across the island, “but it’s important for me to cook for you right now. It’s a Shifter thing, so just let me look after you.” He kisses my forehead softly, slowly pulling away. Turning, he shows me his back as he sorts through the ingredients he’s chosen.

“Besides, next time I’ll have you around to my place and I will cook you something really great.”

He’s talking about me coming around to his place? I wonder what it’s like. Where does a Dragon Shifter even live? I think about what I know, feeling like Sebastian would have a very sophisticated apartment. Maybe some sort of bachelor pad. I guess I’m going to find out soon.

I flip the vinyl when needed, and then I chill on the couch, my feet tucked under me as I scroll on my phone. I only hear a few bangs and swear words coming from the kitchen.

“Dinner is served,” Sebastian calls. I make my way over to him as he places two plates on my tiny dining table. “Hang on, I poured us wine too.”

I look at my plate as I sit cross-legged on my chair. It looks like he’s made some sort of mushroom risotto, with the chicken chunks on the side. Did I even have mushrooms?!

“I can see your confusion,” he chuckles as he sets a glass of white wine down next to my plate. “I found a small jar of dried porcinis in the very back of your cupboard. They looked pretty fancy, so they were definitely a gift.”

An astute assumption.

“You also had rice. The grain is a little long for risotto but it should be passable. I used some of your wine to cook that too. The chicken chunks are a little left field, I’ll admit that. But you literally had nothing else to use as a protein.”

I take a bite. He’s so cute, watching for my reaction. It’s actually pretty good, considering. “You did well. I’m surprised this managed to come out of my kitchen in its current state.”

The wine pairs pretty well too, I decide, as I take a sip.