“Sure,” Ronnie said, nodding when he poured her a glass.
“Not me.” Ginny pouted out her red lips. “Do they have wine?”
For some reason, she kept asking questions of Jared. Ronni shrugged off the desire to punch the blonde in the nose. Was he still in love with her? How the hell had he been in love with her? If that was his type, she’d give him his freedom the second she tracked down that mysterious virus.
Jared nodded. “The wine list is on the back of the menu.”
Ginny’s eyelashes fluttered. She made some sort of odd noise. “What do you recommend, Jared?”
Theo took her attention and drew a menu up to her face.
Oliva leaned close to whisper, “Did she just simper? I’ve never seen a simper before. I think that was a fucking simper.”
Ronni bit her lip, trying not to laugh.
Jared turned and patted her on the back, nearly knocking her into the table. “You okay?”
“Yes,” she gasped, reaching for her water.
He eyed her, his gaze dark. “You sure? Maybe you should still be resting for a while. It might take time to get better. Perhaps this was a bad idea.” He moved to stand.
She grabbed his hard thigh and pressed down. “I’m fine. Really. Starving.”
He glanced down at her hand, and hunger flared in his eyes. Not for pizza. He looked like he could eat her whole, and right then and there.
She swallowed and started to move way. His palm flattened over hers, he sat back down, and he held her in place. Heat from his thigh warmed her palm, and then he clenched his muscle.
Her breath caught.
Her jeans became too tight. As if the dinner wasn’t uncomfortable enough, now her skin was sensitized and needy. “This is all just too weird,” she muttered.
“Tell me about it,” Jared said from the corner of his mouth.
She coughed out another laugh.
“Eat,” Jared said, pushing her bread plate toward her. “I want you healthy.”
Why? So he could push her up against the wall again? Or so he could get a virus and then go on to mate the pale beauty staring at them? That twit couldn’t make him happy. Ronni bit into the breadstick, and the taste made her hum in pleasure.
Jared cleared his throat. “What do we know, Theo?”
Theo kicked back in his chair, his shaggy hair around his collar. “Saul Libscombe has popped back into circulation. He’s in South Africa running a refuge right now.”
“Is he a threat?” Chalton asked, sliding his arm over Olivia’s shoulder. “I did kill his brother the other day.”
“In self-defense,” Theo murmured.
Chalton nodded. “Yeah, but do you think he’ll come after us?”
“Not at the moment,” Theo said. “He could be preparing for an attack, but it doesn’t look like it to me.”
“He’s always been a decent guy,” Jared said thoughtfully. “Let’s keep eyes on him.”
“Done,” Theo said, reaching for his beer.
“What about the poison in Ronni’s blood?” Jared asked.
Theo shook his head. “Our labs haven’t identified it yet, but they will. The more interesting question is how was she poisoned?”
