As though Daniel sensed my thoughts, his body coiled beside me, like a cobra preparing to strike.
“Call Poppy Monday morning and see what’s on my schedule. She knows it better than I do.”
Leona’s eyes turned cold, but she didn’t argue as I expected. She merely nodded.
“Enjoy your meal,” she said before she turned and walked away.
Leo stood in front of our table for a moment longer, his eyes flickering from me to Daniel. “Watch your back, Ayres.”
Any other time, I would have thought the words were a threat, but there was something about the way the lion man was looking between Daniel and me that made me think that he was trying to warn us of the coming danger.
Daniel nodded, which seemed to give Leo permission to move. He followed his mother out of the restaurant.
“What in the hell was that?” I whispered after the door shut behind them.
“I’m not quite sure,” Daniel replied.
His thumb stroked the top of my thigh in an absent gesture, making me aware once again that he was touching me. And that his hand was hot and burning through my jeans like a molten brand.
Remi appeared before us, two platters balanced on one arm and two smaller plates in his other hand.
“I see Leona stopped by to say hello,” he said as he set the smaller plates in front of us.
Daniel grunted, which I guess was reply enough for Remi, because the other man nodded.
He placed the platters in front of us.
“Buon appettito.”
My stomach was knotted, but I wasn’t going to let Daniel know that the woman affected my appetite. I was still annoyed with him for how he treated me this morning.
And how he’d left me burning up inside.
Without waiting for him, I put two stuffed mushrooms on my plate and some of his tzatziki and pita. If he had a problem with it, he could speak the hell up.
But I doubted he would.
I was also right because all he did was serve himself a little of each dish.
Which annoyed me even more.
Despite my irritation, the first touch of the mushrooms to my tongue brought a light moan from my throat. God, Sam and Remi could cook. I could happily eat here every day for the rest of my life.
Daniel’s thigh brushed mine as he shifted in the booth.
I ignored him and continued eating. Now that I’d tasted the food, I wasn’t going to let Daniel’s silence or weird behavior ruin this for me. Even Leona and her weird lion son couldn’t ruin food this good.
I ate two more mushrooms and a little bit of tzatziki but forced myself to stop and drink my mojito. If my entrée was half as good as the appetizers, I wanted to save room for it.
And I wasn’t going to speak to Daniel because he would likely say something that would kill my good food and drink buzz.
If he was comfortable with the silence between us, I could be, too.
And he could just deal with it.
12
An hour, and three mojitos, later, I carried a plastic bag filled with three Styrofoam containers into Daniel’s house. My head felt light, and my blood was warm from good food and liquor.
