Page 15 of The Alpha Option
“Good for you. Tell him my number is the same as always. If he wants to give me a shout, we’ll talk.”
Cassidy twisted her head to watch as Emma stomped her way out of the restaurant. “She’s pretty, but that attitude would be tough to handle for any length of time.”
Discussing old flames with his future mate was not happening. Ever. Jace ignored Emma completely. “Do we need to get Pete to bring us a dessert or two?”
It was like a spotlight turned back on him. Cassidy’s one-hundred-proof smile burst out and made him want to roll over so she could pet his belly. “I think we’ll finish what’s on the table and get our dessert to go.” She leaned in closer and whispered, “We need to have some of that secret-sharing conversation back at the lodge.”
Which wasn’t a bad idea.
Somehow they got through the rest of the food on the table while conversations slowly rose around them again. Jace met gazes with pack members who were, as far as he could remember, neutral in the situation. Most of them seemed curious rather than worried.
By the time Pete brought an enormous paper bag to the table, the plates had been all but licked clean.
He went straight to Cassidy. “This is for you.”
Cassidy wrapped her arms around the bag greedily. She peered around it at Jace. “Did you hear that? All mine.”
Pete exchanged glances with Jace and dipped his chin. Approval there, and acceptance. This was one quarter where he wasn’t going to have any troubles, and Jace was grateful. Not only would he have missed Pete’s cooking, but his eccentric cousin was rock solid. The exact type of wolf Jace needed on his side in the days to come.
Jace pressed a wad of money into his cousin’s hand. “This is for the meal. Thanks for everything.”
“Thanks for not starting a bloodbath in the restaurant,” Pete said sincerely. “See you around?”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Jace said clearly, rising to his feet. “I’ll get your truck back to you when I can.”
“Just don’t drive it anywhere too remote,” Pete warned. “She’s been cranky lately.”
Ha. He could have used the advice earlier. Jace took the bag from Cassidy, then offered her his hand.
Escorting her out with dozens of eyes on them somehow felt right. That was where she belonged, at his side. Him beside her.
Now to figure out how in the world to get there for real. Maybe when they got back to the lodge, they could sit down and have a simple discussion about some facts of life that, until now, Cassidy and Stephanie knew nothing about.
You know, sit down and explain how some people could shift into animals. How this was their way of life, and—
Yeah. Real simple.
But maybe it would be easy. Jace would be smart enough, though, to make sure there were no zip ties anywhere nearby and that both the ladies were fully sated on the desserts Pete had offered.
Crème brûlée cheesecakewith chocolate sauce and raspberries was now Cassidy’s favourite thing in the whole entire world.
“Can we kidnap Pete and bring him here so he can cook for us?” Stephanie moaned as she brushed pecan pie crumbs from the front of her shirt.
“Kidnappings are usually disapproved of,” Blue said.
“You’re so mean.”
“Oh, I never said I wouldn’t do it, just making sure you understood how far I would go.”
Blue and Stephanie offered each other grins and exchanged pieces of pie.
Jace had taken a single cookie from the bag and then sat back in the chair as if he were plotting world dominance while the rest of them consumed every single calorie out of the to-go bag.
Only Cassidy had been watching him. Mostly as he watched her. “I’d offer a penny for your thoughts, but I have a feeling they’re worth more than that.”
He dipped his chin slowly. “In that category of things we haven’t been telling you because they’re complicated. I’m trying to figure out how to uncomplicate a little bit without getting all of us in trouble.”
“Because you’re secretly in the Mafia,” Stephanie guessed. “And if you tell us, you have to kill us?”
