Page 26 of Pride
She wasn’t sure what to make of that comment, then noticed the gleam in his eyes. Was that some kind of joke? Wyatt snorted, smirked, and then lifted his chin.
“Misha wants to meet you,” he said. “And Lilo. Actually, all of the girls. Especially Mary.” At her pause, he added, “I’m assuming you know everything about us.”
“Not now, Wyatt.” Parker put his menu down, a little flustered.
The look Wyatt cut his brother could have weathered steel. But then he returned to Alice with nothing but politeness. “What will you have?”
Shit. Alice bit her lip and picked up the menu to peruse. There were many options but she didn’t need long to decide.
“I’ll take the gnocchi, and His Lordship will have the fillet steak, rare, with a side of steamed vegetables.” She smiled flatly at Wyatt. “Hold the salt.”
Jeez it felt good not to hold her opinions anymore. Alice positively beamed as Wyatt collected the menus with a thinly veiled smile of his own.
Alice had been trained to read body language. Through a dropped shoulder she could decipher a telegraphed attack. Through a sigh or a flicker of emotion, she could figure out the inner workings of someone’s mind, but the look Wyatt gave his brother confused Alice. It was smug. Almost like—she tapped her finger, trying to place it—and came up with a time Thea had instructed Alice on how to care for ancient manuscripts, but instead of following the younger woman’s instructions, Alice went ahead with her own way. And failed. She’d caused the old paper to crumble. Wyatt’s expression looked much like Thea’s once had.I told you so.
“You need anything else?” Parker’s voice rumbled.
“Nope,” Wyatt answered. “Food will be ready in about thirty and then I’m out.” He paused, but when Parker made no move to answer, Wyatt added, “You’re welcome.”
The moment Wyatt closed the private dining room door behind him, Parker glared at Alice.
“You ordered for me?”
She shrugged. “I know what you need.”
“Oh really?” He arched a brow.
“Did I order wrong?” Heat prickled her neck.
His jaw twitched.
“Did I?” she prompted.
He poured himself another glass, saw that hers was still full, and then returned the bottle.
“So how is this going to work?” she asked. “Because I’m not willing to share any more information unless you agree to an alliance, and I’m betting you won’t agree unless I share that information.”
“I’ll ask the questions,” he answered abruptly.
Alice leaned back on her chair and folded her arms. The short sword dug into her back and she pretended not to notice. “Oh really?”
He stared at her for a long moment and then shook his head, mumbling to himself as he took another drink.
Alice’s blood went from boiling to bubbling over. “You’ve been grouchy since you picked me up. If you have something to say, Parker Lazarus, then I suggest you say it. You know I’m tougher than I look.”
When he didn’t answer, she finally took a sip of her drink. The fizzing perfection coated her tongue and slid down her throat like heaven. She was not prepared for it. Her eyes fluttered and she moaned, licking her lips.
“Jeez, that’s good champagne,” she confessed, shaking her head. It had been a long time since she’d stopped to value a good drop of bubbles. “Thank you.”
“Only the best.”
She rolled her eyes. This wasn’t going to work. She put the glass down, intending to tell Parker, but found his gaze stuck on her lips. She recognized that lust-filled expression.Interesting. She licked her lips again. He took in a breath, as though the action was the switch that started time for him, and then he calmly met her eyes as though he hadn’t just been thinking sinful thoughts about her mouth.
Perhaps she could affect him, after all. All of Mercy’s seduction tips hurtled into her mind. Would they work on him now? The genius who saw through everything? She cleared her throat and made a point of rubbing the back of her neck as though it was sore. When she was done, she let her hand trail down her decolletage and off—careful to catch her finger subtly in her camisole, tugging down the hem, exposing more curved flesh busting out of her bra. He watched the entire time as though this was a moment curated just for him. She supposed it was.
“Will Wyatt be joining us?” she asked casually.
He looked offended.
