"Mmmm, you keep using words I don't understand," he joked with her, one hand going to her back, fingertips trailing the edges of her hair when she leaned in and kissed his cheek. Mixed signals kept him on his toes.

"That I can do something about and it's possible it'll even impress you," he winked at her and pulled away, walking a bit slowly with the slightest signs of a limp to the kitchen. "Dinner was made entirely by yours truly earlier today. I've just got to warm everything up."

He got a crab-avocado-mango stack out of the fridge and set it on the island with a couple of plates before he pulled a large pan out of the fridge as well.

"Can I get you something to drink?" He was going to pour himself another scotch. He'd add ice this time. He'd learned that it helped get people off his back.