Chapter 9 9
Alana pushed through her front door, glad to be home. Her feet ached, and her head was brewing a whopper of a headache. Mostly because while at work, she'd been plagued with thoughts of Stefan and what happened last night.
After their little weird, sexually charged argument, she'd fallen asleep on him. Literally. And during conversation she should have been paying strict attention to. This morning she'd awoken in her own bed alone, the doors tightly locked and the dinner mess cleaned up. And no sign of Stefan.
Stefan at night was hard to handle. Stefan in the morning would just bring back a ton of memories of waking up in his arms, feeling his strength surround her.
She hadn't set her bag down before the scent of something wonderful cooking hit her full force and made her mouth water. Had Diana, her sitter, cooked? It wasn't unusual since the older woman did more than just care for her daughter.
"Diana, you shouldn't have gone to the trouble." she said.
"I didn't, dear," the woman said before Alana stepped fully inside the kitchen. "It's his show."
Alana went still with anger. "Stefan."
"Yes," he said, his back to her while he stirred something in a saucepan.
"What are you doing here?''
He tisked, keeping his back to her. "And here I was hoping our daughter got her smarts from you." He seasoned whatever was simmering in the saucepan and only glanced back briefly, throwing a beautiful smile in her direction.
It landed on Alana like a blanket, wanning her to her toes. How did he do that? she wondered. She bent to kiss their daughter, her gaze going to Diana. While Juliana made excited noises, her sitter looked uncomfortable and said quickly, "He came over earlier to be with Juliana."
"It's all right, Diana. I'm sure Stefan bullied his way in."
"On the contrary, he didn't want to come in till you came home. You didn't pick up your phone, and we called the office too, but you were out."
"I was at a meeting."
"And he is the child's father." Question laced Diana's voice, and Stefan looked back over his shoulder as if waiting for Alana to deny that.
"Yes, he is. But this is my home, Stefan."
"And my daughter's."
"I didn't invite you here."
"She did. Isn't that right, princess?" he said, turning from the stove to lean down to the baby. Juliana grabbed his face and rubbed his nose with hers.
Alana's heart dissolved in a puddle at her feet. Stefan flashed Alana another smile that lit her insides like Christmas morning, then rushed back to the stove.
Well, this was a news flash, Alana thought, fighting her smile. Stefan was at her stove, with an apron tied around his waist and looking awfully comfortable for a man who was more at ease wielding a gun than a spatula. With a quick glance she noticed the table was set beautifully for two; Diana was enjoying a cup of coffee and Juliana was in her high chair, gurgling at her father and chewing on the end of a wooden spoon.
Diana rose and set her cup in the sink. "I'll see you in the morning," she said, moving to the back door.
"Diana, you don't have to leave so soon." That sounded too much like a plea, even to her own ears. Over at the stove, Stefan chuckled.
"Oh, honey, yes I do," Diana said with a glance at the table setting.
Alana rolled her eyes and waved the sitter off. That grin of Diana's spoke volumes. "Are you trying to seduce me with cooking?" she asked Stefan after Diana was gone.
He looked at her. "No, but if that's what it'll take to get you to relax around me again…"
"I am relaxed."
"Then why are your hands in fists?"
"Because I want to pummel you for coming into my home without asking me. You told me last night. You said you weren't going to try to take over."
"I didn't agree to that exactly, but I tried, Alana. You should answer your phone and return your calls."
"I was busy and didn't get a chance to look." She kicked off her shoes and went over to Juliana, lifting her out of the high chair and cuddling her close.
"I'm on leave, Alana. I had all day to do nothing while my daughter was here with a baby-sitter. I just wanted to get to know Juliana."
She couldn't argue with that. Tipping her head to the side, she watched him. His ease in the culinary department was a bit of a shock. "I didn't know you could cook."
"There's a lot you don't know about me." His tone said he'd planned to change that. He poured steaming pasta into a strainer. “ I don't get the chance to cook for more than myself very often, so grabbing this chance seemed like a good idea."
She rose and moved to the counter, careful to keep the baby away from the stove in case of splatters. Stefan chopped fresh herbs, then lowered the temperature on a roux and stirred. The scents dancing through her kitchen were fantastic.
Alana snatched a sample of the chicken he had cooling while he worked on a sauce, popping the chunk into her mouth. "Oh, man."
"Good?" he asked with a quick glance.
"Incredible."
"Why don't you change and get comfortable? I fed Juliana already." As if he read her mind, he showed her the empty baby-food jar.
She took a step away, then paused to look back at him. He moved in her kitchen as if he'd been there before, and worked with great care, she noticed, dipping to taste, season, stir. But the fact that he was here, inviting himself into her life, her home, said that Stefan wasn't going to be pushed out.
If he was here for Juliana, she'd never deny him, but Alana had a sneaking suspicion he had a plan she'd have a tough time to fight. But right now she was so hungry she'd have gnawed through shoe leather, so if he wanted to cook, let him, she thought.
"Go on, Alana. Have some time with Juliana." He didn't turn to look at her, and his ability to sense her like that was unnerving.
She headed to the bedroom with Juliana and couldn't help but notice how the baby gurgled loudly for Stefan as she went.