She caught herself drifting and quickly pulled her thoughts back on track. What on earth was she thinking?


    "It''s delicious."


    Gwh had barely tasted the soup before nearly draining the cup in one go.


    Hawthorne nced over with a faint smile. "Slow down. There''s even better toe."


    He was clearly talking about the food, but for some reason, his words made her ears burn.


    Even better toe? She shot him a quick look, and her gaze drifted to his slightly open cor, hinting just enough at whaty beneath to make her nerves tingle. Embarrassed, Gwh hid behind her cup, covering half her face—and, at this point, her eyes too.


    While her heart hammered against her ribs, Hawthorne moved deftly around the kitchen, preparing dish after dish. The apartment was soon filled with the mouthwatering aroma of food. By the time Gwh managed to calm herself, he was already setting a steaming te of fried rice in front of her.


    Each grain shone, perfectly separate and glistening. Corn and ham peeked through the mound, and before she could react, Hawthorne scooped up a spoonful and held it out for her. She took a bite, chewed, and her eyes widened in disbelief. She''d eaten all sorts of gourmet delicacies in her life, but she''d never thought a humble te of fried rice could win over her stomach like this.


    If Hawthorne hadn''t kept bringing out more dishes, she might''ve been tempted to lick the te clean.


    "You''ve trained as a chef, haven''t you?"


    He moved with all the confidence of a professional-nothing amateur about his technique, not with the way he ted each course. When he brought out a gorgeous seafood tter, Gwh thought even a five-star restaurant would have troublepeting.


    Hawthorne wasted nothing, using up everyst bit of ingredient. Watching him work, Gwh found herself seeing him in a whole new light.


    It was just the two of them, yet he''d filled the entire table with food.


    "Wine? Would you like some?"


    He pulled a bottle of red from the cab. Gwh wanted to act reserved, but as soon as he uncorked the bottle and the aroma drifted over, her resolve dissolved.


    "Just a small ss," she said.


    Who was she kidding? Hawthorne poured only half a ss for her, and Gwh finally caved. "Honestly, I could probably handle a bit more."


    Steak, seafood stew, fresh fruit, wild mushroom soup, toasted bread, little desserts-the table was a feast Hawthorne took a seat beside her, and her whole body tensed up.


    "Since we got married today, shouldn''t we toast?"


    Gwh noticed he''d poured himself a ss too, matching hers right to the line.


    "Oh-"


    Her response was awkward. For some reason, whenever Hawthorne sat this close, she got flustered.


    She couldn''t help ncing at him, tracing the sharp line of his jaw, then his throat, and down-only to notice that sometime during the meat, he''d buttoned his shirt all the way up and smoothed back his hair.


    "We should definitely toast," he said.


    Gwh felt a little disappointed. Sure, he looked respectable, but she couldn''t help wishing for a little more to look at.


    Hawthorne caught her wistful look, the corners of his mouth curving up. His voice was low and velvety. "If you want to look, go ahead. We have all night."


    Startled, Gwh nearly dropped her wine ss. Luckily, Hawthorne reached out and steadied her just in time.


    Their sses clinked softly together. Gwh took a hefty gulp, hoping to settle her nerves, but ended up nearly choking instead.


    Hawthorne quickly set his ss down and dabbed her lips with a napkin. "Easy. You''re like a little kid."


    Flushed, Gwh grabbed a napkin herself, blotting up the spilled wine.


    The meal was a blur of vors andughter. Gwh''s head started to spin-not that a bottle of wine would normally faze her, but with


    Love


    Hawthorne beside her, she hadn''t even had that much before O everything felt hazy. Even his face seemed to blur, as if she were seeing double.