Bedmates Soulmates

Pracy uttermo

Peace Offering

Austyn flung his phone onto the backseat.

Isabel's words lingered in his mind.

He had feelings for Kira?

No way.

The psychologist did not have the full set of facts.

How could she make a diagnosis when he couldn't even put his feelings into words?

She must be wrong.

He would never love another woman in his life.

His only true love died seven years ago,

His heart died with her.

Isabel was wrong.

She had to be.

Austyn's phoned trilled with an incoming text message

It was from Elsie.

A photo jumped out onscreen when he tapped on the envelope icon. Kira.

She was wearing a baby blue apron and standing in the kitchen.

Her long hair was tied into a ponytail.

The photo showed her slender form in profile.

Her head was down, eyes on the sink, where water was running over a bamboo colander filled with vegetables.

Cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, asparagus, and some kind of leafy vegetables.

The green of the veggies accentuated the ivory white skin of her forearms.

The girl looked deadly serious as if she was training for Hell's Kitchen.

Austyn drank in every detail.

Her long lashes casting a small fan-shaped shadow over her right cheekbone.

Her petite nose slightly upturned at the tip.

Her dewy lips pressed tightly in determination.

The nape of her neck with a thin sheen of sweat.

A tantalising glimpse of her waist as the hem of her white cotton t-shirt rode up.

The captivating curve of her buttocks.

Every part of her was flawless.

Pony Offering

His eyes, ravenous, traced her slim, seductive figure.

He was suddenly thirsty.

Austyn forced himself to tear his eyes away from the photo.

Then he noticed the text.

"Young Master, Young Madam has spent an entire afternoon in the kitchen and cooked up a storm. For you. May I know when you'll be back?' 'She cooked for me?"

Austyn started typing.

On second thought, he tossed the phone on the passenger seat and started the engine.

The Hummer roared into life.

In the villa.

Kira glanced at the open front door for the third time in a minute.

All was quiet outside.

She sighed. 'Is he coming back at all?"

Elsie put an arm around her. 'Don't worry. I've texted Young Master. He'll be back."

Kira could only nod.

'I didn't know you're such an accomplished cook,' Elsie said, changing the subject. Look at these dishes. My mouth is watering. Hats off to the chef!"

'Oh, you flatter me, Elsie,' Kira gave a one-shouldered shrug, looking slightly abashed. 'It's just some simple dishes. Nothing fancy."

Kira grew up as a latchkey child.

Her father was always busy with work.

After she came home from school, she would do her homework and wait for him to come back.

Sometimes, he would be late.

Kira, driven by hunger, taught herself how to cook.

It was just boiling water for instant noodles at first.

Eventually, she picked up knife skills and heating techniques.

She learned how to knead the dough, boil pasta, and scramble eggs.

Most importantly, she learned what not to do if she wanted to avoid food poisoning and a trip to the ER. Gideon came over a lot.novelbin

He was a backseat chef and always managed to find fault with her cooking-too salty, not enough sugar, too much vinegar.

But he always cleaned the plate.

Thoughts of Gideon brought a stab of pain to her heart

Peasy Clering

Kira was finding it hard to breathe.

She sniffed and dragged her mind back to the present.

"Elsie, do you think Austyn will like these? I kind of ticked him off last night. I was hoping he would let me off the hook with the peace offering. 'Young Madam, don't take it to heart. Young Master is not one to hold a grudge."

The housekeeper's eyes darted around.

Then, with a mischievous smile, she said, 'But if you're still worried, there is one thing that's sure to get you into Young Master's good graces." "What's that? Kira was all ears.

'Frogs."

"What? Like the amphibian?"

"Yes."

"Austyn likes frogs?' Kira asked incredulously.

'Oh yes, very much,' Elsie said with a straight face.

The truth was, Austyn couldn't stand the green, slimy, grotesque-looking critters.

It was almost a phobia.

If he saw a frog squatting on the side of the road, he'd rather retrace his steps and take a detour that took twice as long than risk getting within five metres of the creature.

It was a secret even Luca and Jesse, his pals since childhood, were not privy to.

Elsie stayed up late last night, rewatching Joe Wright's Pride & Prejudice.

She decided to take a page out of Jane Austen's playbook.

Didn't the sparring between Elizabeth and Mr Darcy add spice to their already sizzling relationship?

If Kira approached Austyn with a frog, he would flip out

They would fight.

He would confront her.

She would argue back. They would lock eyes. Emotions would well up. They would trade insults. Things would heat up.

As their voices grew louder, they didn't realise they were taking steps toward each other and now they were just an inch apart.

And then-muah."

A raging thunderstorm at that moment would bring the scene to a perfect ending.

Elsie the aspiring director choreographed the "lovers' spat scene in her mind. Peace/Olterna

Kira watched the housekeeper giggling to herself like a schoolgirl.

'Elsie?"

Elsie didn't hear her.

'What's gotten into her?" Kira wondered.

She cast her eyes to the garden outside.

The villa was set on privately owned land, surrounded by nature.

There were two gardens, one in front, and one at the back.

She remembered inhaling the fragrance of blooming flowers and hearing the nighttime choir of insects.

Cicadas, grasshoppers, katydids.

Were there frogs?

"It's worth a shot,' she thought.

Kira pushed back her chair and stood up. I'll go and take a look in the garden."

"Oh, okay." Elsie had snapped out of her reverie. 'Let me get you a flashlight.

'It's okay, I have flashlight on my pho-

But Elsie was already out of earshot.

When she returned from the utility closet, she brought more than just a flashlight.

A heavy-duty Maglite LED Ultra Bright flashlight.

A 20 x 25 cm plastic bag.

A pair of disposable latex gloves.

A butterfly net.

A red bucket.

A broomstick without the broom.

'I'm just heading into the garden,' Kira said. 'Not taking a field trip."

She had a feeling that the housekeeper had been planning this for a long time.

'It's better to be over-prepared than under.' Elsie practically shooed her out the door. 'Good luck!'

Bigger Fish To Fry

Austyn returned to find the living room empty.

Kira wasn't waiting for him on the front steps, but her sneakers were on the shoe rack, covered in dirt and bits of grass.

What was she up to?

Austyn changed into house slippers and walked in.

"Young Master, welcome back!' Elsie rushed out to greet him.

Austyn nodded at the housekeeper. 'Where is she?

'She's upstairs, taking a shower.' Elsie was beaming. 'Young Madam worked like a Trojan this afternoon. There's a veritable feast on the dining table." Austyn looked to the table, where half a dozen dishes were covered by cloches. 'She did all this by herself?"

'Yes.' Elsie nodded enthusiastically. I offered to help, but she declined. She said she wanted to present homestyle meal prepared entirely by her hands." Austyn inhaled the aromas of roasted chicken, caramelised sugar, canola oil and more.

He was suddenly hungry.

'Come,' Elsie beckoned.

She pulled out the chair at the head of the dining table before removing the cloches.

The aromas grew stronger.

Elsie laid out silverware for him.

Austyn helped himself to a bowl of soup first.

Mushrooms, carrots, bok choy, garlic, ginger.

With a dash of sesame oil and soy sauce.

The light broth was appetising.

Before he realised it, the bowl was empty.

Austyn turned to the other dishes with anticipation.

Tofu with minced pork in a mildly spicy sauce.

Stir-fried eggs with slightly sour tomatoes.

Beggar's chicken wrapped in lotus leaves.

Egg fried rice with shrimp and mixed vegetables.

Crispy prawns in light soya sauce.

Wok-seared beef tenderloin.

Braised wild porcini mushrooms.

Sliced threadfin congee with century eggs.

BaggyFish To Fry

It was a fusion cuisine, with a bit of everything thrown in.

Austyn did not consider himself a gourmand.

Food was just sustenance.

Whether it was prepared by a Michelin-starred chef or the stern-looking sergeant in the army mess hall, it was essentially the same combination of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

But he seemed to be losing control of his hands, which reached out, of their own accord, for yet another helping.

'Amazing, huh? Elsie said. "Young Madam has really outdone herself. I heard that she started learning. how to cook back in high school."

Footsteps came down the stairs.

Kira paused when she saw Austyn.

Her husband fixed his gaze on her. 'Come here."

On tenterhooks, Kira approached the dining table.

'You made all this by yourself? From scratch?

Yes. So, um, how is it?

'Passable. Austyn delivered his verdict in a deadpan voice.

Kira pursed her lips.

Passable?

She spent an hour at the supermarket, and another three and a half in the kitchen.

Her right wrist was still sore after all that chopping and stirring and slicing.

And "passable' was all she got?

Who did he think he was, Gordon Ramsay?

The taciturn food critic turned his attention back to the dishes.

Kira stood by the table.

Elsie, standing behind Austyn, tried to signal to Kira with her eyes.

But the housekeeper couldn't quite pull off the wink.

The result was more like a grimace.

Then she pinched the corners of her mouth with two fingers from each hand to mime a smile and tilted her head towards Austyn.

Kira opened her mouth several times.

But she didn't know what to say.

Some time later, Austyn put down the spoon, wiped his mouth with a serviette, pushed back the chair, and stood up. I have some business to take care of

He went upstairs.

Kira did a double take when she noticed the empty dishes. "He finished everything?"

Elsie was looking pleased as Punch. 'A clean plate is the greatest compliment to the chef. Young Madam,

congratulations! Young Master must have really liked your cooking."

He did?

He who gave a curt 'passable' when she asked for his opinion?

It sure didn't sound like him.

But the empty dishes were irrefutable proof.

'Hmph, would it kill him to say a nice word now and then? Kira thought.

Then she started to worry about his stomach.

There was enough food for three.

If he suffered from indigestion, would he blame it on her?

But how was she supposed to know that he was going to gobble up everything?

'Go, Elsie gave Kira a light shove. 'Go upstairs and talk to him. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Even the most hard-hearted man would mellow after a deeply satisfying meal. If you go up there now and offer some sweet nothings, he'll forgive you for whatever you did in a New York minute." Kira hesitated, then she dragged her feet upstairs.

In the study.

Austyn was standing by the window.

Heb

He had one hand on his stomach, gently massaging it.

Knock, knock.

Austyn put down his hand. 'Come in."

The door was pushed open.

A head poked inside.

You forgot dessert, Kira said. 'Roselle jelly with osmanthus honey."

She walked inside and set down the tray on his desk gingerly.

'Take it away,' Austyn said, his face expressionless.

He eyed the golden translucent cubes dotted with bright red wolfberries, and wondered if they tasted as delectable as they looked.

But he'd already overindulged tonight.

Kira picked up the tray and turned around to leave.

Then she stopped.

'No, I can't give up halfway,' she thought. 'I already put in so much work today. I have to at least find out if he's still mad."

She put on a smile as she turned back. 'How was dinner? Did you enjoy the food?"

If you have something to say, spit it out."

'Um, nothing, it's just that, um..."

"If there's nothing, close the door on your way out.

Kira winced.

The man had not mellowed at all..

Luckily, she had another ace up her sleeve.

'I know I offended you last night. You must be feeling upset. So I put together the dinner as an apology. If that's not enough, I've also prepared a small gift."

She offended him?

What was she talking about?

Austyn ran over last night's events in his mind.

The thing with the slippers?

He'd long put it behind him.

It was such a trifling incident.

The president of the M Group had bigger fish to fry.

Yes, he was in a sour mood.

But it wasn't over trivialities like not getting his slippers changed by her.

However, since she had gone to the trouble of procuring a gift....

"What is it?" Austyn asked, his eyes coming to rest on her soft lips.

His heart was beating a little bit faster.

Kira cleared her throat. 'Close your eyes"

'No. Give it to me now."

'Just humour me, please."

Austyn narrowed his eyes. Was she blushing?

'Fine." He closed his eyes.