“You’re not even from Spain.”
I giggled lightly at Don’s ribbing of Emmanuel. He merely gave Don a passing glance.
“I’m still new to Rescue Four so Don makes it his personal mission to give me shit.”
“Damn right!” Don added, causing Andrea to giggle.
“Y tu, bonita? Where do you work?”
“That’s a personal question, isn’t it?” a hard voice came from behind Emmanuel, startling the entire table.
The way my body instantly reacted to the deep timbre of Josh’s voice, I didn’t need to look up to know it was him. But like a moth to a flame, my eyes traveled upward from Emmanuel to the man I’d wanted to see all day, standing behind him. A smile unlike the one I’d given Don or Emmanuel earlier touched my lips. It was a smile only reserved for Joshua Townsend. My relief at seeing him there wasn’t even tamped out by the dour expression on his face as he eyed Emmanuel.
“You’re in my seat,” Josh stated firmly.
Emmanuel, an alpha in his own right, stared unflinchingly at Joshua. “Didn’t see your name on it.”
Oh shit.
Joshua’s face morphed into a scowl that reminded me so much of his older brother for a second that I had to do a double take. He bent low, getting in Emmanuel’s face. “You’ve got two options. Get your ass up or get your ass up.”
I’ll be damned if the underlying steel I heard in his command didn’t have my nipples hardening in response. But the tension between the two men caused me to grow nervous.
“Josh, I—”
My interruption was cut off by the loud scraping of the wooden chair against the floor as Emmanuel stood. The two men stared at one another for a long while, faces hard.
I held my breath.
Finally, a sly grin spread over Emmanuel’s face. “Fucking Townsends.”
“Fucking Rescue Four jocks.”
“Your brother’s one of us jocks.”
“Don’t I know it.”
“If I would’ve known she was your woman, I wouldn’t have stepped to her.”
Josh leveled a look at Emmanuel. “Now you know.”
Emmanuel held up his beer and tipped his head in acquiescence before giving me one last wink and sauntering off.
Joshua turned to me, his eyes going from dark to sparkling in seconds. “I’m not late, am I?”
“Right on time.”
A sly grin formed on Joshua’s lips and I found myself swallowing, remembering how those lips felt on my skin. His green eyes darkened, silently making promises I damn near wanted to beg him to keep.
“You want a drink?”
I shook my head and held up the seltzer water with lime I’d ordered as soon as Andrea and I arrived.
“I’m going to grab a beer.”
Minutes later, the table began filling out as more of my coworkers arrived. Joshua had switched from sitting across the table, to sitting next to me, his thick, strong thigh pressed up against mine. His arm rested draped over my shoulders. His thumb sent chills through my body as it grazed tiny circles over my bare shoulder.
“Are you cold?” His deep voice rang low in my ear. He must’ve felt the shiver that ran through my body at our instant contact.
