“Okay, guys, this is the third time I’ve found y’all like this. What’s going on? What are you plotting?” My stomach clenched as my mind started to present all the things that could have been going wrong while I’ve been prancing around all week without a care. Okay, that wasn’t fair, but still.
“Nothing.” David hopped up out of his seat and walked over. He began rubbing my arms.
“Bullshit.” I stepped away from him as I said this.
“Princess, we were discussing how we want to handle Alarr. We thought we would discuss options, then present them to you.” Kait sat back and crossed his arms over his well-muscled chest.
“When were you going to talk to me?” I skirted around the table, essentially running from David who was now attempting to wrap his arms around me. “Stop.” I held up a hand in front of David. “You are well aware of how I think, or don’t, when you are touching me. Go sit down.”
He sheepishly hung his head and went back to his seat.
Kait chuckled. I glared at him, and he held up his hands. “We were going to discuss this with you tomorrow morning. We were hoping to set up a meeting with him on Monday, and that would give us two days to prepare.” He saw the dark look on my face. “We can discuss it now, if you want.”
“Dinner is ready. We can talk about it after.” I spun on my heel and stalked back to the dining room to help Sarah set the table. We set out all the fixings, sour cream, cheese and crackers, as well as the bowls and milk for everyone. The three guys came in, silently sitting at their places and helping themselves. The first part of the meal was quiet, and they all avoided my eyes, until I sighed and asked David a direct question.
“So, David, how was your day?”
His eyes darted up to mine, and he licked his lips. It reminded me of our kiss, and my face heated. His eyes darkened as he read my mind, and his voice was husky as he said, “Fine, just went to classes and came home. How was your day?” He cleared his throat.
“Fine. I went to classes, and came home and practiced my powers. I managed to shock the dummy a couple of times, so that was good. Travis, how about you?”
“My day was fine, but this is stupid! Can we please talk about what has everyone on eggshells? I can’t stand the tension in the room anymore!” He was sulking, which made me laugh.
“This is stupid, isn’t it? I’m not happy with you all for deciding everything about my life. I understand you want to keep me safe, but this is not the way to do it.” I made sure my mental barriers were down so that Kait and David could see how I felt. Sarah quietly excused herself as all the guys stared at me. “We seem to have this same argument over and over. All I’m asking is that I be included in the planning. That way, I can see the dangers and decide if I want to face them.”
Kait was rubbing his chin as I spoke. “She’s right, guys. We did it again. I will do my best to remember to include you in the planning. As I said, we would like you to meet with him on Monday. We would all like to be with you, and we want you to meet him in a public place, but it won’t be the mall.”
I almost laughed when he added that. I wouldn’t be going anywhere near the mall anytime soon. “I would appreciate that. After last week, I don’t want to go to the mall ever again.”
“He says he just wants to talk, so we were thinking a restaurant. Where would you like to have dinner on Monday, Sweets?” Kait was messing with me, calling me that. I glared at him and he snickered.
“Somewhere we can have a quiet corner to talk while still being in public. I don’t want to have to scream over the music, but I don’t want to be the only one in there, either.”
Travis had been sitting quietly the whole time, but he looked up at that. “I know the perfect place. There’s a small Italian place on 3rd that is usually somewhat busy, but quiet. We should be able to get a table for five easily.”
They looked at each other, shrugging before looking to me. I shrugged as well. “Doesn’t matter to me. I don’t know very many restaurants here.” I pushed the empty bowl away from me and glanced around the table. It seemed everyone was done, so I got up and started collecting the dishes. I took them in the kitchen, rinsed them and put them in the dishwasher. David brought the rest of the pot of chili back in and we transferred it to a storage bowl and put it in the fridge. Several times, David opened his mouth like he was going to say something, looked at my face and shut his mouth again. The fourth time he did this was too much for me.
“What? Do I have food on my face? Why do you keep looking at me like that?”
He put the empty chili pot in the sink and reached for me. Bemused, I let him pull me toward him, and once I was close, he wrapped his arms around me, and rested his chin on my head. “I just don’t know what I would do if you left, Evalia. You are everything to me.”
My heart warmed. I tried to push them away, but then they went and said things like this. I laughed. “Oh, come on, David. You don’t mean that.” I glanced up at his eyes, but absolute sincerity shone there. My heart skipped a beat and he slowly moved
