Page 62

“No, we don't,” Allison answered immediately.

Gabriel nodded in agreement before turning his attention toward the restaurant, deliberately avoiding Silas's eyes.

Silas's gaze sharpened. Both of them were terrible at hiding their reactions, and their quick denials only made him more suspicious. He said nothing further, choosing instead to observe them as they began eating.

Before long, he noticed their eyes occasionally drifting toward each other. Then Allison picked up her phone beneath the table and began typing.

‘What are you doing here? I didn't expect you to be Silas's friend. I had no idea you two knew each other.’

Gabriel glanced down at his phone. After a moment, he replied.

‘I didn’t know you were even capable of getting married. Are you going to live in Manhattan permanently now?’

Allison's fingers moved quickly across the screen.

‘For now, let's just have dinner.’

Gabriel read her message, his expression tensed as he typed his reply.

‘Of all the men in the world, you ended up marrying Silas?’

Allison stared at the screen, unable to decide whether to laugh or roll her eyes.

‘Do you have a problem with that?’ she replied.

‘Not at all. I’m sure you’ve thought this through very carefully.’

She scoffed under her breath. Gabriel had apparently lost none of his talent for being insufferable.

Across the table, he continued eating with the same cold, arrogant expression, seemingly unconcerned that he'd just offended her.

Silas noticed the glances Allison and Gabriel exchanged throughout dinner, along with the way they kept texting each other on their phones. The sight made his jaw tighten, and an unfamiliar agitation spread through him. He couldn't understand why his wife and his friend were behaving as though they shared a secret he wasn't supposed to know.

By the time dinner ended, his patience had worn thin.

As soon as Allison finished eating, Silas rose and pulled her to her feet. She managed a quick goodbye to Gabriel before Silas led her out of the restaurant, his hand wrapped firmly around hers.

They were heading toward the car when Silas suddenly changed direction, pulling her toward the empty stretch of street beside the restaurant. Before Allison could ask what he was doing, he guided her into a secluded spot behind the building, where no one else was around, and backed her against the wall.

Her eyes widened at the sudden change in his demeanor.

The next second, Silas lowered his head and kissed her.

His mouth claimed hers with a hunger that left her breathless, his jealousy and frustration pouring into the kiss. Allison barely had time to react before she found herself responding to him, her hands instinctively reaching for him as the intensity between them grew.

When she finally broke away, struggling to catch her breath, Silas caught her chin and tilted her face up toward his. He kissed her again, refusing to let the distance between them last for more than a moment.

Allison's breathing grew ragged, and she pressed her hands against his chest, needing a moment to recover. At last, Silas broke the kiss, though he remained close enough that his lips brushed hers as he caught his breath.

“Can you stop flirting with other men in front of me?” he demanded in a rough, growling voice.

His expression made it clear that he was barely keeping his emotions under control. The way he stared at her, his jaw clenched and his eyes burning with jealousy, left Allison momentarily speechless.

“I wasn't flirting with anyone,” she replied, frowning in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

Silas let out a humorless laugh, his jaw tightening. “You certainly seem awfully close to Gabriel.”

His voice was rough with anger, and the look in his eyes made it obvious how deeply the situation had unsettled him.