Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 60851 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60851 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
“Dev, this is Nadia and Justine.”
“Hello,” Dev said.
Nadia—the one with the long dark hair—studied him with interest. Dev felt rather like a specimen under a microscope. “Oh, are you Ewan’s study partner?”
Dev looked at Ewan, who answered for him. “Yes, nosy. Dev’s the guy who’s been helping me with my statistics. He lives next door.”
“Oh, of course. That’s why I recognise you,” Justine said.
“And now Ewan’s teaching me to cook,” Dev explained. It wasn’t a lie, other than by omission, but Nadia still looked rather too knowing. Ewan had probably been a bit too slow to move away when the girls burst in on them. First Dani, and now these two. Secrets were hard to keep in shared houses.
“What are you cooking?” Justine asked.
“Beef stir-fry.” Ewan got a wok out of one of the low cupboards.
“Nice.”
The girls started clattering around in the kitchen while Dev finished chopping the beef. Nadia put a ready meal in the microwave, and Justine started heating up some soup in a pan.
When Dev had finished, Ewan had the wok on the heat, waiting for him. “We’re going to sear the beef first and then take it out so it won’t get tough. I’ve got this on a high heat, so it’s going to spit a bit. Watch out.”
Dev tipped the meat in, and as predicted it sizzled and splashed hot oil that hit his hands like pinpricks. He pulled them away quickly.
Ewan handed him a slotted spoon. “Just stir it quite often, don’t let it stick. Once it’s brown all over, we’ll take it out again.”
The smell of the cooking beef made Dev’s mouth water. God, he’d missed good food. He was well and truly fed up of eating out of tins.
When the beef was done and set aside in a bowl, Ewan got Dev stir-frying the onions with the garlic and ginger. Finally they added the other vegetables and carried on frying them.
“Isn’t the broccoli going to be a bit crunchy if we don’t cook it first?” Dev poked it. The stalks were still very firm and didn’t seem to be softening.
“It’s not supposed to be too squishy in a stir-fry. But we’re going to steam it for a few minutes while we cook the noodles, that will get it just right.”
Once the noodles were simmering in a pan, Ewan got Dev to put the meat back in the wok and add the final ingredients: soy sauce, honey, and a dash of water. “Now put the lid on, and the vegetables will cook through a bit.”
The scents filling the kitchen were amazing. The rich, meaty smell combined with the ginger, garlic, and soy had Dev’s stomach rumbling. “I can’t wait to try it. It smells so good.”
He smiled at Ewan, who grinned back.
“It does, doesn’t it?”
“It smells way better than my boring microwave lasagne,” Nadia said wistfully. She had that on a plate along with some salad. “I’m going before I get food envy. Enjoy!” She carried her food out.
Justine poured her soup into a mug, picked up the plate with a sandwich she’d made, and followed Nadia.
Finally they were alone again.
Ewan was leaning against the surface next to the cooker. His arms folded, he was the picture of relaxation. His long body was lean and strong, and Dev’s heart spiked as memories of how Ewan’s skin felt and smelled pushed into his consciousness. His gaze lingered on the bulge in Ewan’s jeans.
The sound of Ewan clearing his throat made Dev start and flush as he snapped his eyes up to see Ewan’s amused expression.
Ewan raised his eyebrows and smirked. “Hungry?”
Even Dev couldn’t miss the double meaning in the question, but he chose to ignore it. Cheeks burning hotter, he nodded. “Yeah. Starving.”
The oven timer beeped, breaking the thick tension between them. Dev admired the muscles in Ewan’s arms as he stirred the noodles and scooped one out to test. He dangled it off the spoon and bit off the end.
“I think it’s done. You try?”
Dev stepped closer, parting his lips obediently. He caught the noodle with his tongue and sucked it into his mouth. He met Ewan’s gaze, and the intensity there made heat ripple through him again. Was it normal to feel like that around someone you were having sex with? It was only supposed to be a casual arrangement, but hormones were tricky bastards. Dev hadn’t anticipated the inconvenient feelings they caused.
“Don’t we need to drain the noodles?” he asked, needing a diversion from Ewan, who was still looking at Dev as though he was something edible.
“Oh yeah, shit. And also take the lid off the wok, otherwise we’ll end up with soggy noodles and soggy broccoli.”
Once the noodles were drained, Ewan added them to the wok and Dev stirred till everything combined and the noodles were coated in sauce. Meanwhile, Ewan got out the bowls and cutlery.