~Aria's POV~
I laughed, the sound bright and out of place against the tension of the last twelve hours. Lucien caught my eye, and for a fleeting second, tmhis cold and pensive aura was completely gone. There was only the man who had traded his empire for a weekend of macaroni and sea air.
"Then macaroni it is," Lucien said, his voice dropping that authoritative edge for something softer, almost tentative. "Though I suspect the orange cheese is a culinary level I have yet to master."
"I’ll supervise," I promised, moving to the counter.
The kitchen, which had been a site of a pasta massacre only twenty-four hours ago, transformed...