Summary: Jax wants Lexi to learn how to cook so she doesn’t always have to rely on him or take-out.
Lexi walked in the door after another long night at work. She’d expected to smell the aroma of one Jax’s master chef-like creations wafting through the air the moment she stepped inside, but that was not the case. Instead of food sizzling on the stove, the apartment was relatively silent. She looked over to see Jax sitting on the couch reading a book.
“Hi Jax.” Lexi bent down to give him a quick peck on the lips. A surprised yelp escaped as Jax brought her down onto his lap, kissing her deeply.
He pulled back with a smile. “I missed you today.”
“I missed you too, but I’m also starving. Any reason you didn’t make dinner for me today? Not that I think you should have to have dinner ready and on the table every time I come home or anything, but you’ve kind of set the precedent. I have high expectations now.” Lexi teased.
Jax chuckled. “I know, I’ve been letting you off too easy. I’m worried you’d waste away if I wasn’t here to feed you.”
“What do you think I do when we’re not together? I got along just fine before you came into the picture, thank you.”
“Lexi, you cannot survive off of take-out alone.”
“Sure I can.” Lexi smirked. “This is New York. My take-out options are limitless.” Jax tilted his head and frowned disapprovingly. “Fine. Are you going to teach me to cook then? Last time you barely let me help you. I couldn’t even cut the vegetables to your liking.”
“We didn’t have much time then. Now we have all the time in the world.” Jax kissed her forehead. “I can be patient.”
Lexi hopped up. “Well, some of us aren’t immortal and need food to survive, so let’s hurry up and get going.” Jax shook his head, his lips curving upward into a smile as he followed her into the kitchen.
Jax revealed they would be making Yakisoba with chicken, a Japanese stir-fry he had prepared several times for Lexi because she liked it so much. It seemed simple enough. Jax got to work gathering the vegetables, chicken, noodles, and other ingredients. Lexi selected a bottle of Pinot Grigio from the fridge and poured them each a class. “Cooking is more fun when you drink.”
Jax took a sip of his wine. “I’m not sure how you would know that, seeing as I always cook while you just sit and watch me with a glass of wine in hand.”
“I’m pretty sure we’ve established that’s because you are a control freak in the kitchen and probably don’t even trust me to make toast without burning it.” Lexi backed Jax up against the counter kissing him slowly, slipping her tongue past his lips still cool and sweet from the wine. She thought maybe she could feel a hint of his arousal before he spun out of her grasp.
“If you think I’m falling for that, you have another thing coming. You can’t use your irresistible charms to get out of cooking this time.”
Lexi turned her expression into a mock pout. “Okay, okay. What’s first?”
Jax reached for a bag on the counter. “I bought these for you.” Lexi pulled out the contents to reveal a set of colorful knives. “Every chef needs a good set of knives.”
“Thank you Jax. That’s very sweet of you. I’m going to pretend it’s not just because you don’t want me using yours.”
“Of course not…well maybe a little. I am a bit protective of my knives. But I also wanted you to have your own now that you’ll be cooking more.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. This may turn our completely inedible causing you to banish me from the kitchen once an for all.”
“I’m watching you, Lexi.” Jax narrowed his eyes but couldn’t keep a grin off his face. You better not not mess up just to get out of future cooking duties.“
“Who me? Never. Lexi laughed and then grabbed a carrot from the counter, placing it on her cutting board with knife in hand.
“Wait. Watch me first,” Jax instructed.
Lexi rolled her eyes. She couldn’t decide if she found this side of Jax annoying or endearing. “How hard can it be to cut a carrot? Never mind, I remember the last time. I’d hate to have inadequately cut vegetables.”
“Lexi, it may not seem like a big deal, but you need a consistent size and thickness to ensure proper texture once cooked. Jax proceeded to cut up a carrot with superhuman speed and precision. “See, even even slices. Now you try.”
“Once again, I think you are forgetting I’m human. I don’t have special vampire ninja knife skills like you. Slow it down a bit for me please?” Lexi asked.
“Sorry.” Jax smiled bashfully. “Sometimes its hard to remember how to do things normally.” He took another carrot and showed her step by step. “Make sure to keep the tip of the knife down and keep your fingertips of of the way like this.” After he finished, he placed the knife in her hand properly and gave her the go ahead. He assessed her work and nodded approvingly. “Not bad. Now do you know how to boil noodles?”
Lexi glared at him. “You think I’ve never boiled noodles before? I’ve only made Kraft Mac N Cheese about a million times. It was a staple for me and Lily”
Jax shuddered. “I thought only kids ate that crap. Sorry, not a fan but you can keep eating it…when I’m not around.”
“Anyway, yes, I think I can handle boiling noodles…jerk.” She punched him in the shoulder playfully and they both laughed. They worked together preparing the rest of the meal. She could tell Jax had to hold back from jumping in and taking over several times, but he was a great teacher and she felt pretty confident her dish was turning out well. After all the components were cooked, she tossed it all together in the pan, and it looked almost as good as when Jax made it himself. She plated it up and they sat down at the table for the moment of truth. “Ready to grade your student, Jax?
“At least you don’t have to worry about food poisoning when you are already dead,” Jax joked.
“Oh you hush. Just try it, Jax.” Lexi’s stomach rumbled. “Well if you don’t want to try it first, I will. I need food right now. “She stabbed some chicken and vegetables and twirled the noodles around her fork.“ The vegetables we soft yet slightly crunchy, the chicken was tender, and the noodles were cooked perfectly. The flavor of the dish was just like she remembered when Jax made it, savory with a hint of heat. “Mmm, I think my first lesson was a success.”
Jax followed and put some into his mouth. Lexi waited impatiently for his verdict. “If you were trying to get out of more cooking lessons in the future, you failed. This is delicious. I can hardly tell the difference between yours and mine.”
“Well I did have an amazing instructor, so it was difficult to go wrong.” Lexi leaned across the table to give Jax another quick kiss. “Maybe next time I can try something on my own.” Jax made a face at the suggestion. “Hey don’t you have any faith in me? I’m a quick learner.”
“That you are. I suppose, like I said, I’m already dead so your cooking can’t kill me.”
Lexi threw a piece of chicken at Jax’s head, but instead he easily caught it in his mouth. “Damn you and your vampire reflexes. I was trying to hit you with that.”
“Okay, I’ll be nice. I would hate for you to deny me dessert.” Jax winked at Lexi.
“Oh, are we baking together now too?” Lexi asked earnestly.
Jax shook his head. “That’s not quite what I meant.” Their plates nearly empty, Jax scooped her up out of her chair, whispering in her ear as he carried her to the bedroom. “You taste sweeter than any dessert I’ve ever had.” Lexi was certain whatever Jax had planned would be much more fun than baking.