Sins of the Past (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

kitchen.
    “It’s not so much as they don’t get me as it is that I don’t do what they expect of me.”
    “And what is it that they expect?”
    “They want me to stand there quietly while they insult or whisper about me and that’s just not me. I’m not someone who runs crying into my pillow at the first sign of confrontation.”
    She watched Jacob stir something in a pot before turning toward her again. Her stomach chose that moment to growl again and Lorna felt the blush creeping up her cheeks as her face heated. Jacob’s question distracted her.
    “Why is it that this town seems so fascinated with you?”
    Lorna snorted. Fascinated wasn’t the word she would have chosen. She knew this particular conversation was coming, but she was hoping to hold off on it for a little while longer. She sighed before answering, “You’ll find out about it eventually, so it might as well come from me. At least that way you’ll get the truth rather than the embellished, over-the-top version.” She smiled before continuing, “I’m not talking until I get fed, though.”
    Jacob laughed and motioned for her to sit at the table he had already set. Lorna watched as he strained pasta and placed it in a bowl. He then poured the sauce he had been stirring over the pasta before setting it on the table. Lastly, Jacob pulled a pan of garlic bread out of the oven and dumped the rolls in a basket.
    Lorna watched the way Jacob moved around the kitchen. For such a large guy, he moved gracefully and silently even though he was on crutches. She found her mouth watering and it wasn’t because of the delicious-smelling food. It was all because of her neighbor. The man was too sexy for words. Lorna envied the apron he was wearing. She wondered what it would feel like if it were her wrapped that closely around him. She wanted to be the end of the apron string that brushed up against his perfect ass with each step he took.
    Lorna felt her face heat at the thought and turned away from Jacob before she did something really embarrassing like throw herself at his large feet and beg him to strip her naked right there on the kitchen floor.
    “Lorna, are you okay? You look a little flushed.”
    If you only knew. Jacob’s concerned voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she resisted the urge to fan herself. “I’m fine.” Lorna cleared her throat and hoped she didn’t sound as desperate as she was feeling at the moment. She didn’t know what had gotten into her. Never in her life had she even lusted for a man like she was doing with Jacob. Until recently, all she needed was her rechargeable batteries, her toys, and her fantasies of George Clooney rubbing her down with flavored massage oils. Now, it seemed she turned into a drooling idiot whenever Jacob was around.
    “Everything smells great,” she told Jacob, trying to get the conversation back to normal as she watched him ease himself down to his chair.
    “Dig in.”
    Lorna didn’t hesitate. She loaded her plate with pasta and grabbed a roll. She moaned when she took her first bite of the pasta. The tangy flavor of the tomato sauce filled her mouth and she instantly knew Jacob had made it from scratch. There was no way store-bought sauce tasted like that.
    “This is great. Where did you learn to cook like this?”
    Jacob blushed and smiled before answering. “I’m glad you like it because it’s the only thing I know how to cook. It was my mom’s recipe.”
    “Was?” Lorna noticed as Jacob’s smile slipped off his face and instantly regretted her impulsive question. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer that.”
    “No. It’s okay. She died about six years ago. I was out on a mission when she was in a car accident. By the time I made it back to the states, it was already too late. She was gone. I never knew my father and it had always just me and my mom until I left for boot camp. She knew the pasta sauce was my favorite so she would make it for me on special occasions. When she died, the recipe was the only thing of hers I kept. It was the only thing I needed.”
    “I’m honored you would share it with me.” Lorna didn’t know what else to say. It hadn’t been her intention to bring the mood down and she had no idea how to get back to the light teasing they had shared before her stupid question. “You were lucky. It sounds like your mom really loved you and you loved her.”
    “Yeah,” Jacob smiled again. “She was great. She was a single parent, but I