Page 65 of The Knotheads Next Door
The moment he's gone, Jasper rounds on me. "What was that?"
"What was what?" I ask innocently, picking up the coffee tray.
"That," he gestures vaguely toward the door where Ben exited. "With him."
"It's called a conversation, Jasper. People have them all the time."
"He was flirting with you," he says, as if this is a capital offense.
"Yes, he was," I agree. "Quite nicely, actually."
Something dark and possessive flashes in Jasper's eyes, making my heart rate quicken despite my determination to remain unaffected. "You encouraged him."
"Maybe I did," I challenge, tilting my chin up. "What's it to you?"
He opens his mouth, then closes it again, apparently at a loss for words. Good. Let him stew in whatever this is.
"The coffee's getting cold," I say breezily, brushing past him to return to the table.
As I pass, I let my shoulder graze his, a deliberate echo of the contact from the kitchen that he so thoroughly rejected afterward. His sharp intake of breath is deeply satisfying, as is the sound of wet napkins hitting the floor when he nearly drops them.
At the table, the conversation has moved on to festival preparations, though Lala shoots me a knowing look as I distribute the coffees.
"Who was your friend?" she asks with exaggerated innocence.
"Ben," I say casually. "He works at Elysian Fields Vineyard. Seems nice."
"Very nice," Avianna agrees with a meaningful glance at the three alphas. "And available, from what I hear."
Wells's expression is carefully blank, but there's a tension in his shoulders that wasn't there before. Theo looks thoughtful, his eyes moving between me and Jasper with an unreadable expression. And Jasper... Jasper is furiously scrubbing at a coffee stain on the table, his movements jerky and aggressive.
"We should get going," Wells says abruptly, standing. "The mayor's expecting us at the pavilion in twenty minutes."
Theo checks his watch. "We have plenty of time—"
"Now, Theo," Wells cuts him off, his tone brooking no argument.
Theo sighs but stands, giving me a small, private smile that makes my stomach flutter. "See you at the festival setup later?"
I nod, returning his smile despite myself. "I'll be there after my shift at the shop."
Jasper passes our table without a word, still radiating irritation like a furnace. Wells follows, but pauses next to me.
"A word outside, Rowan?" he asks, his voice neutral but with an underlying note that makes it clear this isn't really a request.
Curiosity gets the better of me. "Sure. I'll be right back," I tell the others, ignoring Lala's exaggerated wink.
Outside, Wells waits until we're a few paces from the café before speaking.
"You should be careful around strange men," he says without preamble.
I stare at him, incredulous. "Excuse me?"
"Ben Miller. He has a reputation for... moving quickly with new women in town."
"And you felt the need to warn me about this because...?"
Wells's jaw tightens. "Because you're our—" He cuts himself off, recalibrating. "Because you're new here, and might not be aware of local... dynamics."
