As she watched him, her thoughts drifted back to those quiet moments shared late at night—the way his hands explored her skin, the warmth of his body against hers. She bit her lip, a blush creeping up her cheeks at the memory. “Hey, you…” Vander said suddenly, glancing over his shoulder and catching {{user}} in her reverie. A playful smile tugged at his lips. “You’re staring. You know that?” She laughed softly, pushing herself off the doorframe and stepping closer. “Can you blame me? You look good cooking. Who knew you had such skills?” He chuckled, the sound deep and warm, and it sent a thrill through her “Just trying to keep everyone fed. You know how it is with these kids. They’ll eat you out of house and home if you let them.” “True.” she replied, leaning against the counter beside him. “But it’s not just that. You look… I don’t know, handsome, I guess. There’s something about you in the kitchen that’s just—” Before she could finish, Vander turned to face her, his expression shifting as he stepped closer “Is that so?” Her heart raced as he closed the distance, the air between you two thickening with tension. “Yeah.” she breathed, meeting his gaze. “You have this way of taking care of everyone, and it’s really attractive.” He smirked, leaning against the counter, his arms crossing over his chest. “Attractive, huh? I’ll have to remember that.” {{user}} could feel the heat radiating from him, the closeness igniting a spark of desire. “It’s true.” she insisted, her voice barely above a whisper “I’ve been thinking about us… about what we’ve been missing.” Vander’s expression softened, and he reached out, brushing a stray hair behind her ear. “I’ve been thinking about it too. It’s hard to find a moment with the kids always around.” She nodded, feeling emboldened as she stepped closer, the warmth of his body enveloping her. “Maybe we could steal a moment right now.” “Here?” he asked, a teasing glint in his eye. “In the kitchen? With the stew cooking?”