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pages of the cookbooks on the tabletop between them.
    “ What made you decide to
pop in after three days of silence?” That made her sound petty, as
if she had a previous claim to him. Aidan bit her lip, holding his
gaze with her own. She banished all sexy thoughts of him to the
forgotten area of her mind.
    “ I found the need for
space between us a more imminent issue than the need to further
your skills assessment.” Two deep lines of worry wrinkled the
smoothness of his brow.
    “ Ah. I hope you had a
relaxing time away from me then.”
    “ It was quiet, but not
relaxing.” His gaze flickered then dropped briefly to his hand
before meeting hers once more. “I trust you’ve been
practicing?”
    “ Yes.” She sighed before
rushing into the silence. “Do you think I can be redeemed after all
or am I so hopeless that’s why you stayed away?”
    A trace of a blush stained his neck.
“Everyone can be redeemed from whatever holds them
hostage.”
    “ How does the rule
regarding arrogance and magic not apply to you?” She leaned back in
her chair, crossing her arms. “You have a high opinion of
yourself.”
    His shrug was slight. “My opinion is
high because I am good at what I do.” He undid the top button of
his gray silk shirt. “Arrogance and confidence is not the same
thing.”
    “ I’ll withhold my opinion on your opinion until I
know you better.” She closed the cookbook with a snap. “I didn’t
waste these three days. I’ve learned a few things but haven’t come
close to conjuring a six course meal.”
    He cleared his throat while drumming
his slender fingers on the glossy front of a magazine. “You’re
dreaming too big. Small victories should be your goal.” The corners
of his mouth tilted upward with a lopsided smile. “Also, I would
caution you against conjuring. It’s a messy business at best.
Someone will inevitably get hurt. Stick with ingredients already in
existence then go from there. Use what you have on hand and
manipulate them with the skills you possess.”
    Aidan narrowed her eyes. She wasn’t
sure she could trust him. She tidied the cookbooks into a neat
stack, aligning the worn and cracked spines in an orderly row.
“I’ve learned a few things about cooking.” She stood. The sound of
chair legs scraping against the tiled floor made her
cringe.
    “ And I suppose you’re
about to share your wealth of culinary enlightenment with me?”
Matteus stood in one fluid motion, amusement playing about his
features. “By all means, don’t keep me in suspense.”
    “ Hmm, sounds like an
arrogant comment to me.” She moved across the black and white
checked tiled floor. “There are some times when cooking can’t be
rushed. It’s more of an artistic endeavor.” Yanking open a
tangerine colored, retro-style refrigerator, she gathered a carton
of milk and a stick of butter. “Cooking is a selfish master. You
get out of it what you put into it.” Aidan closed the door with her
hip and looked at Matteus. “You can’t hurry it and you can’t make
it better with magic.”
    “ Everything can be
enhanced with magic. And don’t you want to use your magic to help
with your cooking?”
    She ignored the tiny fact.
    “ I love newbies.”
Unmistakable sarcasm dripped from his tone. He leaned his shoulder
against the fridge and assumed an attitude of boredom. “Back to the
magic. Years ago there was a particularly gifted fashion model. I
reconstructed her earlobes.” He rubbed his chin. “She was quite
grateful.”
    A swift stab of jealousy jolted her
heart. Of course, any man that looked like he stepped from the
pages of GQ would have a super-model girlfriend. She dropped the
cold ingredients on the butcher block where they fell with a dull
thud. “I’m sure your tales of sexual prowess have entertained more
interested parties than me.”
    A dark brow cocked at her statement.
“I don’t believe the topic of sex has been broached this evening.
However, my interest in your