Page 118 of Delicious (Delicious #1)
Chapter Seven
Niccolò
A dler sucked my dick like it was the only thing giving him life. It was wonderful to discover his enthusiasm was matched by his talent. I had hooked up with plenty of fans in the past, but there was something different about Adler’s worship that remained reverent without crossing over into gross fawning.
But as long as he was working his magic, I couldn’t think about the strange pull I felt toward him. Instead, I had the strangest urge to push him, to see how much he could handle. Holding the back of his head, I tentatively thrust deeper. His response was to open wider with a moan of encouragement that spurred me on to move with more urgency as my climax swelled. But no matter how fast or deep I went, nothing stopped Adler’s exquisite skills as I fucked his mouth with increasing abandon.
“That’s it, my darling,” I crooned as I slid deeper into his throat with another thrust. “Just like that. You’re making me feel so good.”
A visible shiver ran through him at the praise. It was sweet how he seemed to hang on my every word, living for insults and compliments alike. His eagerness to please me pushed me to my limits. “Do you want to taste me?”
Pure ecstasy washed over his expression at the possibility, paired with a low moan deep in his throat that made me unravel. I buried myself to the depths, then came with a satisfied sigh.
Adler swallowed my release, then put on a show of licking me clean before he drew back. “Mmm, you were a delicious appetizer.”
“It certainly made me eager for the main course,” I murmured as I rearranged myself back to presentability. “You deserve a reward for being so talented.”
“I really hope that reward is pounding me into the mattress after dinner,” he moaned, standing up to face me.
Before I could say anything further, the timer for the oven went off. He said, “Hold that thought,” then stopped the beeping before taking out the meat.
“It smells incredible,” I told him, fascinated by the shudder such simple words sent through him.
“I’ll let that rest while I do the polenta.” Adler moved around his kitchen like a man in command, which was deeply arousing in its own way. Normally, I’d offer to help, but it was clear he had things under control as he focused on cooking.
I caved to the powerful temptation to touch him. I stood behind him under the guise of observation. The urge to wrap my arms around him and rest my chin on his shoulder was too strong to resist. He stiffened in my hold with a gasp that made me want to do untold naughty things to him. It drove me to trail kisses up his neck until I reached his ear, where I murmured, “If more contestants on Under Pressure cooked like you, I wouldn’t have to yell so much at their amateur mistakes.”
An interesting whine escaped him as he leaned back into my hold while stirring the polenta he had added truffle oil and parmesan to. “I hope you enjoy it.”
“Something tells me I will.” For some strange reason, I seemed to like everything about Adler. It drove me to trail my hand down his lithe body to see if he was still hard from earlier. I was a little surprised he wasn’t.
“Congrats on making me blow my load twice today without being touched,” he said with a laugh.
Instead of being disappointed, it gave me a power trip to know I had such complete dominance over Adler that I had made him climax without a single touch. “We’ll have to fix that next time,” I murmured beside his ear, nuzzling against him and breathing in his scent.
That close, his cologne tantalized my senses. I recognized the sharp burst of citrus, with bright notes of bergamot reminding me of the freshly squeezed juice that would be the base of a refreshing Italian aperitivo .
Underneath the citrus, the neroli from bitter orange blossoms added a delicate floral note. It was reminiscent of the aromatic herbs I used, adding just the right touch of fragrance without overpowering.
When I took a deeper breath, I could sense subtle hints of lavender with a warm amber grounding it in earthy masculinity. It compelled me to trail my tongue up the curve of his neck for a taste. The combined effect felt like Italian sunshine in a bottle, capturing the essence of everything I loved about cooking and my homeland. If I hadn’t just come, it would have brought me instant release.
“Fuck, you smell so good,” I murmured as I continued indulging in breathing him in. I had caught a hint of a whiff of it when he had tied the blindfold behind my head, but to be so close to the source drove me wild. “What twenty-four-year-old guy smells this good?”
“One who lucked out by having a cousin who works for the company that makes the very expensive cologne and gives him sweet deals on it.”
“Well worth every damn penny.” It fascinated me that the scent simultaneously aroused and comforted me.
After he finished cooking, he began plating up dinner. I appreciated he kept it classic rather than going overboard with garnishing and using silly tricks to elevate a dish. I carried the plates and a bottle of wine over to the table while he brought the silverware and glasses.
After we sat down, I poured the wine. To my surprise, he had paired dinner with a smart choice of Chianti. I raised my glass in a toast. “ Un brindisi al cuoco . Salute, to the man who’s spent the whole day making me hot.”
Adler’s broad grin had a boyish charm to it. “And here’s to spicing up your night, too,” he replied before clinking his glass against mine and taking a sip.
The Chianti had notes of tart cherry, oregano, balsamic, and earthy undertones that would pair beautifully with the dinner Adler had prepared. He watched in rapt attention as I took my first bite of the tenderloin.
The pancetta was the perfect blend of smoky and salty. The pork was tender, infused with a bold herbaceous punch of pesto, packed with basil freshness. It had just the right amount of pepper to add a hint of warmth without overpowering the dish. It was a fantastic contrast between the crispy pancetta and juicy pork that would have been right at home in a Michelin-star restaurant.
Adler held his breath as I sampled the polenta next.
It was the perfect balance of velvety smooth, rich, and buttery, melting on my tongue. The parmesan brought the right amount of saltiness, which partnered well with the sage’s earthiness that kept each bite from feeling too heavy. The truffle oil added a punch of umami goodness that delighted my taste buds that had survived being nuked by the peppers earlier that morning.
Another sip of wine made me appreciate his impressive choice since the sweetness of the cherry notes unlocked a different dimension of the food. It tied everything together with a whisper of decadence.
I dragged out the moment as I set down my wineglass before turning my full attention to Adler. I couldn’t help but get a little revenge for his desserts earlier. “It’s absolutely, utterly unacceptable,” I said, making his eyes go wide in shock. I let him linger in that disbelief before I continued, “how much I enjoyed this.”
His breath whooshed out of him before he laughed. “Shit, you made me think you hated it for a moment.” He beamed at the praise. “You really like it?”
Words I didn’t mean to say escaped me. “If I didn’t want to fuck you before, this definitely would have changed my mind.”
His mouth formed a surprised O, which gave me all kinds of sexy reminders of the pleasures he was capable of with it. But he quickly recovered, lighting up with delight. “That’s very good to know.” He finally tried his food. “Damn, I did a great job, didn’t I?”
I savored another bite, letting the rich flavors of the tenderloin wash over me. “You would’ve won dish of the night on Under Pressure with this.”
Adler squirmed in his chair, my praise clearly affecting him. “You don’t think it’s too simple?”
“In a lot of ways, simple is more daring and harder to do than something complicated. There’s nowhere to hide your mistakes because it’s even more glaring when something’s wrong with it. You don’t always need thirty ingredients to make a dish. This is proof that staying focused on the flavors is the best strategy.”
His pleased blush was endearing. “It means a lot to hear that, especially when I know you aren’t the type to casually give praise.”
“I have little use for blowing smoke up someone’s ass,” I said with a chuckle as I continued eating. “On shows like Under Pressure , contestants can’t improve unless I give them constructive criticism.”
“Roland always told me I should audition for the show.”
“Why didn’t you?”
Adler’s cheeky grin made me laugh. “Because I’d be so distracted by you, I’d fuck up my food so badly I’d go home first.”
“I find it hard to believe that you’d be first out when your food tastes this good.”
“There’s also my pesky problem of getting an erection every time you give me praise or insult anyone.” He snickered at his own dilemma. “At least with today, I know my editor will cut it to be waist up only during today’s filming.”
“It’s probably for the best you didn’t get on the show,” I realized before taking another sip of the delicious red wine.
He tilted his head as he looked at me with curiosity. “Why’s that?”
“Because I can well imagine people calling me out for blatant favoritism toward you, which would be a disservice to your talent.”
He perked up in his seat. “Aww, are you saying I’d be your favorite?”
“Something tells me I’d be shit at hiding my interest.”
“Yeah, the fans would probably ship us as Nadler, Adlerò, or Adni.”
I couldn’t stop myself from grinning. “It doesn’t sound like you came up with those off the top of your head.”
“Are you accusing me of doodling them in a notebook for years like a high schooler with a crush?” His playful expression drew another laugh from me. “Because you’d totally be right.”
“Something tells me the video we filmed today will be enough to get the internet talking.” I savored my next bite of the tender pork. “Are you prepared for that?”
He snorted in amusement. “If they don’t, I’m not above making sock puppet accounts to start the conversation myself. But I suspect we won’t have to do much to fan those flames into a full five-alarm fire.”
“It’s impressive how you draw that out in me without even trying.” It’d be disconcerting if it wasn’t so intriguing. As it was, it just made me want to find out more about Adler and his mysteries.