Loving A STRANGER

"If you allowed me to help you," Aiden replied quickly, "I would leave Khloe in a heartbeat. Will you consider my offer? It sounds to me like you will… I will break the news to Khloe immediately. I will comfort her, then I will leave her, and then I will call you back!"

Even though Kylie had not said yes, Aiden a.s.sumed that it had been implied, and he was preparing himself to go off half-c.o.c.ked. 

Kylie hung up the phone and snorted with disdain, wishing that she could be there to see Khloe"s face when Aiden delivered his news. She wanted to see how her wicked little step-sister handled the situation when Aiden informed her of the vicious plan he had. Returning to her friends, she said, "It is settled – I will cook for you, and perhaps even teach Faith a little bit of what I know."

Suddenly Ethan appeared in the living room where they settled. He is still wearing his business suit and gradually approaching Kylie. 

"I will be the one to cook for tonight, instead of Kylie," 

He gave Kylie a loving look and smiled gently, tapping her shoulder and said, "Would you like to follow me in the kitchen?" 

Kylie nodded and followed him immediately. After an hour, the dining table was set for dinner, and several dishes were on it. 

Lucas choked on his own saliva, and he began to cough when he heard Kylie"s offer to not just cook for them but to teach Faith to cook. It sounded insane, but they were now eating food that had been prepared by Ethan… So… Well… anything was possible.

"This is very good," Faith admitted as she brought her fork to her mouth. "It tastes very homey. I didn"t know that Ethan was such a good cook!"

At the mention of Ethan, Kylie"s eyes sparkled, and her cheeks turned red. It was a good look for her. She looked beautiful. "Please, let me have a taste…" Kylie said, "At the very least, after everything, I think you owe me a taste…"

n.o.body had expected that Ethan Parker, a cool handsome expressionless president, could be as perfect as he appeared to be. He was good at making money and good at cooking, and he was a good president to boot. Lucas quickly admired him in silence. 

"It won"t be a problem for him to cook most of the time," Kylie laughed, "but we can"t count on him to cook for us every night, and that is where I come in to tantalize your taste buds."

Hearing this, Lucas and Faith went to their knees. "Kylie, our queen," they begged her. "We"ve worked hard for you. How can you watch us suffer from advanced stomach cancer..."

Before Lucas finished the sentence, his whole body froze. Kylie gave Lucas a sharp look and turned her head around slowly.

Sometimes, while they"d been joking around, Ethan had quietly snuck into the room. His face was angular, and he looked more attractive than ever. His thin lips were pressed into a thin line, and he looked unhappy. Kylie opened her mouth to greet him but, before she could say a single word, a pair of big knotted palms pressed against her shoulder.

"I came to cook for you in person," Ethan said, "to celebrate your first victory. But if I see Kylie cooking, both of you must be punished. That is my job and, if it seems that I am unavailable, it will be up to me to bring in a caterer."  

Oh, my G.o.d! Kylie thought to herself. Is Lord Ethan trying to protect me, or is he jealous?

The people at the table were a little surprised when they saw Ethan rubbing Kylie"s shoulders. They were not used to such indecent displays of public affection. Although they didn"t say anything out loud, they caught each other"s eyes and could read each other"s minds, "What"s this?" they asked each other. "Is there more going on then we"d realized?"

Once Ethan had had his say, he turned back in the direction of the kitchen, and Kylie followed him. Once they were out of sight, Ethan took Kylie into his arms and held her tight. Kylie looked him in the eyes and asked if he was able to do two things at once.

"Are you asking if I can cook and make love to you at the same time?" Ethan queried. "If you are, then you should know that I can!"    

She giggled. "How?!" She was amused, looking at her husband, who appeared perfect in her eyes. She can"t resist his charm, and she"s madly in love with this man. 

"I was just kidding," Ethan laughed. "Obviously, I can"t make love to you while I"m cooking! I probably couldn"t focus on cooking while making love with you,"

"While I have your attention," Kylie said, changing the topic of the conversation, "I have the agreement from Laurence. I"ll read it to you, and then you can check it out."

"Sounds good," Laurence replied. Pointing to the counter, he said, "Put it down there, and I"ll read it for myself. Why don"t you go back to the dining room? There is a lot of soot in here, and your skin will get worse if you stay too long."

Kylie chuckled and asked Ethan, "What should I do with you?" She held his arm and pretended to be a spoiled girl. "You are so very thoughtful and gentle. I am so lucky to have a man like you to take care of me."

Ethan smirked and, in a playful tone of voice, said, "Get out! You are such a rascal!"

Kylie giggled as she dashed out of the kitchen and into the dining room. The way that he looked when he was pretending to be mad amused her. She thought that, in his own way, he was pretty cute.