Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 81176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Reaching up, she wiped it away and froze for a moment, her eyes locked on mine. My heart started to race in my chest, and I had to fight the urge to grab her hand and suck the wine off her thumb. So when she did that very same thing, sucked the wine off her thumb, I had to focus on keeping my legs from going out from under me.
“Um, I got it.”
“Thanks,” I said, barely recognizing my own voice.
We both jumped when Chef Kat said, “Okay keep kneading your dough.”
“Do we not use a mixer for this?” Mandy asked.
Chef Kat grinned. “We could, but what fun is that?”
“For starters, it would be less messy,” Mandy stated.
“I’m thinking this class isn’t for you, dear,” an older woman said as she kneaded the dough like a pro.
“Cooks are supposed to make a mess. It puts more love in the food,” the same one who had rolled her eyes earlier said.
“Don’t worry about over-kneading your dough. This is a good workout, and the rewards will be amazing homemade pasta!”
I kept working on the dough as Clare watched intently.
“Let’s keep working it until it is smooth and then we will let it rest. Now put it in a ball and smooth it. If you press down on it and the dough springs back, it’s ready to rest. Let’s cover it and let it rest for an hour.”
As we all worked, small conversations started at each table. When I glanced over to Mandy and Ron, she smiled at him as she took a drink of wine. She was now sitting on the stool while Ron finished up the dough. I waited for that familiar feeling to appear anytime I saw Mandy. The one where I missed her, wanted her, desired her. But it never came. I shook my head and focused back on the dough.
“Let’s make our cheese filling now!” Chef Kat said.
Clare bounced on her toes with excitement as she followed along with Chef Kat. She added ricotta cheese, grated parmesan, shredded mozzarella, and the provolone.
“That is a lot of cheese,” I said as I watched Clare put it all in the bowl.
Clare giggled like a schoolgirl, and I loved that she was enjoying herself so much. It was obvious she had completely forgotten about Mandy. “It is! I can’t wait to eat this!”
She stirred the cheese together and I took her glass of wine and held it in front of her.
“What are you doing?” she asked with a confused smile.
“I’m helping you drink your wine.”
Learning forward, she put her mouth on the wine glass and took a small sip. When her tongue swept over her lower lip, I felt my dick jump in my pants.
“You have more on there still.”
I put my finger on her chin and lifted as I brought my lips to her mouth. I ran my tongue along her lips and Clare moaned softly. When I drew back slowly, Clare’s eyes were still shut but quickly snapped open when Chef Kat spoke.
“That is what I love to see Clare and Wes!” Chef Kat said. “Cooking and enjoying one another!”
Clare’s cheeks turned pink as she took a step away. Our gazes were locked until she looked past me, and her smile faltered for one moment. I knew if I followed where she was looking it would be Mandy. Instead, I set the glass of wine down and watched as Clare started to stir the cheese mix again.
“Now add in your herbs and give it a stir. Then add your one egg.” Chef Kat said.
I reached for the egg and cracked it with one hand. Clare looked up at me with a surprised face.
“You are full of surprises, Wes Ward.”
Winking, I leaned in closer and said, “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
“You all have pasta dough at your table that has already rested for an hour. We will use this while your dough will be what you can take home with you. Call it a little starter kit.”
We cut the dough in half, and each rolled it out into a thin sheet.
Once we had the sheets rolled out thin, we dropped teaspoons of the cheese filling onto one of the rolled sheets.
Clare took water and her finger around the sheet of dough so it would stick when we laid the other pasta sheet on top.
We then pressed around the filling, cut them out and then pressed the fork around the edges.
Clare turned on the heat for the water to cook the pasta before we then quickly made up an easy red sauce.
“Take this drainer, take the pasta out and put it directly into your sauce.”
“Don’t burn yourself with the hot water,” I said as Clare carefully removed the pasta and put it in the pan of sauce.
“I am so dying to taste this!” she said as I watched her work at carefully taking the pasta out of the water. It took everything I had not to laugh because Clare had a concentration face. A serious, concentrated face. And the best part of all, her tongue peeked out from the side of her mouth the entire time she was focused, and it was fucking adorable.