He lifted a finger and pointed. “I didn’t cook. You did. Your taco-making skills are top-notch now.”
Her lips curved. “That’s because you’re a great teacher.” She lifted a brow. “You know how I get when I talk about horror movies and books? How I get all fast-talking and excited?”
He gave her an affectionate look. “Hard to miss.”
“Well, that’s how you are when you’re talking about food,” she said. “You’re a complete cooking geek. It’s kind of adorable.”
“Nah,” he said dismissively. “Horror’s your passion. Cooking’s just something I learned how to do.”
“Bullshit.” She poked his shoulder. “You waxed poetic about tomatoes and flank steak. You don’t just like cooking. You nerd out about it. And you like teaching other people about it.”
He grabbed the finger she’d poked him with and kissed the tip of it. “Maybe I just like teaching you. You’re pretty and a very good student.”
She put her hand to her chest. “Well, obviously I am an absolute joy to teach, but I think this has much less to do with my charming ability to start fires in the kitchen and more with your natural ability to teach.” She nodded toward him. “You should do more of that. You could do online videos or something.”
A wrinkle appeared between his brows. “Of me cooking?”
“Yeah, teaching people to cook. Lord knows a lot of people are in need of it.” She gave him an up-and-down look. “Plus, you’d look damn good in an apron. People would watch you.”
He scoffed. “No, they wouldn’t. I’m not a chef. The TV and internet are full of professionals showing people how to cook. I’m just some dude who used to cook for his fellow firefighters.”
“But that’s what makes you perfect. You’re self-taught. You break it down for people like me because you used to be someone like me. And you make down-to-earth food.”
He gave her a skeptical look. “Thanks for the suggestion. But how about I stick to teaching you for now?”
She narrowed her eyes, an idea coming to her, but she tucked it away in the For Later Consideration folder in her brain. “Fine. I will accept my own private chef lessons for now.” She tucked her knees beneath her. “But give it some thought. Life’s too short not to do the things that make us happy. If cooking makes you happy, you should do that.”
He propped his elbow on the back of the couch, leaning his head against his fist and looking at her. “How about right now I teach you how to make the perfect hot fudge sundae?”
“An orgasm and ice cream? This night keeps getting better.” She climbed off the couch and put her hand out to him. “Hell yes. You are definitely the best research buddy ever.”
He put his hand in hers and let her pull him to a stand. “I try.”
A rush of warmth went through her. Hill did more than try. He listened. He hadn’t pushed or rushed her. He hadn’t cajoled. But more than that, he hadn’t made her feel wrong or broken for being the way she was. He’d simply been with her in that moment, meeting her where she was and seeming to enjoy what they were doing as much as she did.
That didn’t feel like trying. That felt special.
And dangerous.
This was a guy getting over a bad breakup and a catastrophic injury. He wasn’t here for anything more than a friendship and some physical connection. He’d told her as much. She needed to remember that.
She needed to be careful with this one.
More than that, she needed to be careful with herself.
Chapter Fifteen
Hill set his giant salad bowl on the table and took the spot across from Ramsey, who was already grinding pepper over his salad concoction. On their weekly lunch rotation, they tried to alternate the junk-food places with restaurants that were conceivably healthy like this build-your-own-salad joint. Ramsey’s dad, who’d also been a firefighter, had died of a heart attack two years ago, and it’d spooked Ramsey about his own health. It hadn’t made him stop eating french fries, but now he at least inserted some greenery in between.
Ramsey handed the pepper grinder to Hill and then started splashing hot sauce on his salad. The guy put Tabasco on everything. “So,” Ramsey said when he was done with his salad doctoring, “how’s the cookbook coming?”
Hill gave him a look as he swallowed a bite of his salad. “It’s not. I never agreed to write one.”
“Right,” Ramsey said with a sage nod. “Because you’re so busy and all, you just can’t find the time.”
“I’m not…not busy,” Hill said grumpily. “I’m rehabbing. Jogging. Strength training. Doctors’ appointments.”
“Uh-huh.” Ramsey shoveled more salad in his mouth, looking wholly unimpressed.
“I’ve been giving my neighbor cooking lessons,” he added. “And she’s teaching me about horror movies.”
Ramsey’s brows went up, and he swiped at his mouth with a napkin. “No shit? You’re still hanging out with your hot neighbor?”
Hill shrugged, aiming for nonchalant. “Yeah. Some. We got together for a movie night last week.”
Ramsey grinned wide and leaned back in his chair. “Well, goddamn, you should’ve led with that. I’m impressed—you know—with myself. My inertia pep talk totally worked. I should definitely get into motivational speaking. How to Win Friends and Occasionally Get Laid.”
Hill snorted and went back to his salad, spearing a chunk of avocado. “I said I was hanging out with her. I didn’t say I was sleeping with her.”
And even if he had been, he wouldn’t be blabbing about it. Not anyone’s business.
“Hey, man, baby steps,” Ramsey said, forking a piece of kale and eyeing it like he wasn’t sure why he was eating such a thing. “Are you into her? Or is it strictly a friends thing?”
“We’re friends,” Hill said, not meeting Ramsey’s gaze.
“Friends.” Ramsey leaned forward on his elbows, obviously trying to get more out of him. “Which doesn’t mean you’re not into her.”
Most of the time Hill appreciated that Ramsey could read him so well. It saved him having to explain himself and had been indispensable when they were fighting fires together. But times like these, he wished his friend wasn’t so damn observant. Hill took a big bite of salad.
Ramsey laughed. “Yeah, you’re into her. But, let me guess, feel too out of practice to ask her out?”
Hill swallowed his bite and took a swig of his iced tea. “More complicated than that.”