A Pinch of Kitchen Magic Read Online Free Page B

stop badgering
me.”
    “ If you insist on being
irreverent about this, there’s no point in my being here. If you
don’t want to learn to control your powers, I’ll just go ahead and
drain them from you and I’ll be on my way.” Matteus raised his
hand, his fingers poised to snap. “My time is more valuable to
someone else.”
    Panic gathered in her throat at the
thought of his leaving. “All right, I’m sorry. I get snarky when
I’m frustrated or embarrassed.” She laid a hand on his arm, again
caught off guard by the curious tingling sensation in her fingers.
Her cheeks warmed when me her gaze. “But I’m telling you the truth.
I can’t make the rug change patterns.” Disappointment sat like a
lump in her stomach. She really wanted to impress him, to see his
eyes light with pleasure because of her.
    Slowly, Matteus lowered his hand. “I
believe you, but I’m having trouble understanding this new
phenomenon. Why could you use your energies earlier on the tomatoes
and not now?” He wrinkled his nose and then sneezed. “Do you smell
smoke?”
    “ My sauce!” Aidan sprinted
into the kitchen and skidded to a halt in front of the stove. A
potholder near the flame under the burner caught fire and wisps of
gray smoke rapidly filled the kitchen. “Find me something to put
the fire out!” When he didn’t follow her instructions, she cursed
under her breath. Typical man. Absolutely useless in a
crisis.
    The pot of tomato sauce bubbled madly
over the sides to dribble onto the floor. Aidan gagged at the sharp
smell of burning fabric. “A little help would be appreciated.”
Irritation warred with fear as she grabbed the smoldering potholder
with a pair of kitchen tongs and dropped it into the
sink.
    “ You seem to have things
under control.”
    Rolling her eyes at the smug
instructor, she glared at the pot, daring it to continue to bubble.
With a tiny crook of her finger, the angry, roiling red sauce
evened off, then finally became still. “Take that, you Italian
menace.” Transferring her glare to the tap, she cocked an eyebrow.
Water poured into the sink. There was a hiss, and then a plume of
black smoke curled toward the ceiling.
    “ Impressive.” Matteus
moved further into the kitchen just as the smoke alarm began to
peal. “You managed to contain two threats at once while controlling
your magic so nothing dire could occur.”
    “ Thanks.” Aidan allowed
herself a small smile. She took a deep breath, coughing when the
acrid smoke crept into her lungs. “I feel powerful in the kitchen.
My nerves are tingling, my mind is sharper.” She twirled around and
shot a joyful glance over her shoulder at him. “This is where I
belong. A kitchen with food around me and herbs and spices just
outside my back door, is my nirvana, my heaven.”
    “ Hettie did say your
talent showed strong in a kitchen setting but she never elaborated
on it before she left for Europe. And she must not have wished to
be disturbed, as I can’t trace her magical signature.” He rubbed
his jaw. “Could it be possible?”
    “ Could what be possible?”
Aidan came to a wobbly halt before him, clutching onto his arm to
steady herself. As before, sparks flew between them. “Matteus?” Her
heart beat frantically against her ribcage as the storm in his eyes
drowned her, pulled her under with hypnotic force. She drew in a
shuddering breath, waiting while anticipation for the unknown
crawled through her stomach.
    “ I wonder.” Matteus closed
the distance between them and pressed his mouth to hers.
    * * * *
    He had lost his mind. In one brief,
shining moment of insanity, he ceased to exist as the man he had
come to know and morphed into a man who cared nothing for destiny
or common sense. As he caressed her soft lips, he had enough
willpower to resist the urge to release her upswept hair from the
clip that kept it in place. When he heard her soft sound of
pleasure, he pulled away, shaken. His hard-won control wouldn’t
last if she