The Night Mauler (An Alice Bergman Novel Book 2) by Daniel Kuhnley

Author:Daniel Kuhnley [Kuhnley, Daniel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Drezhn Publishing LLC
Published: 2020-03-30T16:00:00+00:00

* * * * *

The moment I walk into Seth’s condo, I know something’s up. The place smells of lemon-scented Pine-Sol and Febreze, and the floors look shiny enough to eat off of them.

Then, the succulent aroma of seared flesh wafts in from the open balcony door. It pulls me right through the entryway and into the living room. My empty stomach rumbles and my mouth waters with anticipation of sinking my teeth into a juicy ribeye steak.

Out on the balcony, I discover a table set for two with real china, authentic silverware, and crystal stemware I’m certain Seth doesn’t own. A white linen napkin lies over each plate, folded into a heart shape. A silver stand sits next to the table with a bottle of red wine bathed in an ice bucket. Two candles, tall and white, sit to one side, along with salt and pepper shakers and a bottle of Heinz Ketchup. The man knows me so well.

“You’re just in time,” says Seth as he steps out on the balcony. “Go ahead and take a seat. I’m just about to pull the steaks and asparagus off the grill.”

As lovely as everything is, it puts me on edge. I hate surprises. “You don’t cook, you don’t clean, and it’s not Valentine’s Day. Did I miss some sort of anniversary?”

Seth opens the lid on the grill and pulls the steaks off of it. The asparagus sits in a grill basket of its own. He removes it from the flames as well and turns off the burners. “With all the chaos in our lives right now, I just thought we deserved a break from it all. A single evening to celebrate us.”

Celebrate us?

I sit down. My pulse races. “I don’t deserve all this.”

He smiles as he approaches the table. “Figured you’d say that.”

Seth takes my napkin, unfolds it, and places it in my lap. When he bends over me, I get a whiff of him and his cologne. My eyes nearly roll back in my head as my heart beats faster.

Let’s skip dinner. It’s what I want to say, but I’d never discount the effort he’s put into this evening.

A few minutes later, Seth sits across from me, wine in our glasses and candles flickering with flame. The cool, calm evening couldn’t be better, the city lights aglow below and beyond us. The subtle sounds of Marvin Gaye filter through the open doors into the living room and set the perfect mood.

The crisscrossed grill marks on the steak are exceptional, and the first bite melts in my mouth like a piece of heaven, washing away the stress of the past week. Paired with the wine, I can’t remember a more exceptional culinary moment. All this from a man who never cooked a thing in his life beyond frozen pizza six months ago.

We eat in near silence, letting the night and the cloudless sky embrace us. How Seth always knows what I need even when I don’t leaves me full of love and in awe of all he represents in my life.

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