Page 108 of Bone Deep
“I heard that.”
“I wanted you to.”
He rolls his eyes. God, I love annoying him.
When he finishes putting them away, I nod toward the barstools lined up at the kitchen island. “Sit.”
Spence furrows his brows. “Why? What are we doing?”
I point at him dramatically. “I'm going to make attempt number six hundred and seventy-six at replicating Betty's Polish cream cheese coffee cake.”
I scoot toward the fridge and start pulling things out. “That saucy minx refuses to give me her recipe.” Spence laughs softly as I gather eggs, sour cream, and the sealed containers of butter and cream cheese I set out to soften before we left. Then I balance it all precariously against my chest and scoot back toward the island. “And you”—I set everything down with a flourish—”are going to tell me things.”
His brows lift. “What are you going on about?”
“What am I talking about? Tyler, for starters, Spence.”
“What about him?”
I scoot over to the oven and punch it to three-fifty before glancing back at him. “Are you serious right now? You basically changed his life. You've done all these incredible things for him, and I didn't even know he's part of your life.”
Spence blows out a breath through his nose. “Look, he's really important to me. I'm a little protective of him.” He crosses his arms over his chest. “Also, he's not something to be paraded around as proof that I have a heart.”
My expression softens immediately. “No, I respect that,” I say honestly. “And I get it. Like I told you earlier, same thing with the folks at the retirement village.”
I open the lower cabinet in the island and triumphantly pull out the stand mixer I had delivered here a couple weeks ago. Best purchase ever. I turn my scooter toward the pantry, plant one foot, and shove off dramatically…
“Whee!”
Spence barks out a real laugh. Not the little amused exhale he tries to get away with sometimes. A real laugh. Warm. Rich. Unfiltered. My chest squeezes painfully around it. God. I love getting those out of him.
I grab the sugar container and scoot back to the island. As I measure out sugar, toss in butter, and crack an egg into the mixer bowl, I say casually, “Today just made me realize we don't know enough about each other.” Spence visibly tenses. “And I need to change that if I'm going to make you fall for me.”
He drags a hand down his face. “Ryan—”
“Nope.” I point the measuring cup at him. “I'm not letting you get away with your shit anymore. You're going to open up to me, Perfect.”
He groans quietly and rolls his eyes toward the ceiling before finally dropping onto one of the barstools. “Fine,” he says. “What do you want to know?”
I turn the mixer on low. “We're gonna start easy.” I grin at him. “Favorite dessert?”
“Crème brûlée.”
I nod seriously. “Respect. Favorite movie?”
He doesn't even hesitate. “Silence of the Lambs.”
I gasp dramatically and switch off the mixer. “Holy shit! Seriously?”
One corner of his mouth lifts. “Yes, seriously. Why?”
“Remember I told you Dumb and Dumber was my number two favorite in the car earlier? Well, Silence is my numero uno, Spencester. And my sisters can verify.”
That gets a chuckle. I add sour cream into the bowl and turn the mixer back on. “Okay. Best concert you've ever been to?”
He thinks about it while I scoot back to the pantry for a vanilla bean. When I return, he says, “That's a tough one. Probably Dave Matthews Band at the Gorge.”
I grin immediately. “Solid choice. Crash Into Me does things to my loins.”
