He continued to stare at her, his expression unreadable. His gaze pinned her to the spot, making it hard to move. Or breathe. “I wasn’t expecting to find you here.”
“That makes two of us,” she huffed.
“I didn’t know you worked here. Or that you worked at all.”
Her nostrils flared. “What do you want?”
He took a step forward, and the room seemed even smaller. “I … I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
She ignored the way the warmth of his body and his delicious scent called to her. Oh no, she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of rattling her. “Me? Of course I’m fine.” She gave a nonchalant shrug but crossed her arms over her chest. “What makes you think I’m not okay?”
“Isabelle—”
“I found out where Gio was hiding the biscotti and—” Alejandro stood by the doorway, stopping short as his gaze moved from Ransom to Isabelle. “What’s going on here?”
“Nothing.” Isabelle pushed herself away from the table and circled around Ransom. “My brother’s guest got lost on the way to the bathroom.”
Alejandro didn’t look like he was buying it, but knew better than to make a scene with a customer. “Sir, you should really be careful of where you go,” he said in a cool voice. “Why don’t I show you where the facilities are?”
“That won’t be necessary.” Ransom stretched out to full height and straightened his shoulders. Alejandro was over six feet, but Ransom was taller and wider. “I was just having a chat with—”
“Thank you for the snacks.” Isabelle snatched the espresso cup from Alejandro’s hand and one of the cherry chocolate biscotti.
“Bella,” Alejandro lowered his voice and placed himself between Ransom and her, then wrapped his free hand on her arm. “Did he come in here after you?”
A growl rippled from behind him. “Get the hell away from her.”
Alejandro’s face turned dark. “Who the hell do you think—”
“Ransom, I was wondering where you were.”
Three pairs of eyes turned to the tall figure in the doorway. Cross stood there, his blue-green eyes darting from Isabelle to Ransom, then to Alejandro. “Looks like my friend got a little lost.” Striding forward, he caught Ransom’s arm. “Bathroom’s the other way.”
Ransom yanked his arm away, then turned to Isabelle. Before he could say anything, a warning gaze from Cross made him step back. He then motioned to the door. “Lead the way.”
“Nice seeing you, Isabelle,” Cross said as he herded Ransom out of the door.
Her lungs collapsed as air rushed out of her chest. It had been bad enough that Ransom was there, but Cross … Would he tell him about Evan? Her hands shook so bad the dark liquid in the tiny cup she held sloshed to the side.
Alejandro took the espresso cup from her gently. “Isabelle, what’s the matter? What did that guy do to you? Do you want me to tell Gio—”
“No!” She protested and grabbed his wrist. “It’s fine. He was lost, that’s all.” She forced a laugh. “Thanks for getting the biscotti and risking Gio’s wrath.”
“Anything for you.” A smile spread across his lips. “I only have ten minutes left on my break.”
“Then let’s not waste it.”
They sat down on the chairs and as Alejandro started a story about his pet puppy when he was kid back in San Juan, she nodded along. But truthfully, she was only half listening. She tugged at the collar of her blouse, trying to cool down the heat that was spreading through her body. Damn Ransom and his effect on her. She reminded herself that it was only lust and that it was because she’d never been with anyone else except him. Since Evan was born, there wasn’t any time for dating.
But why was he here? And what was he talking about with Lucas? She glanced at the clock surreptitiously. Hopefully Lucas would finish his dinner soon and they would leave the restaurant. And Ransom could get out of New York and go back to wherever the hell he’d come from and never come back.
Chapter Six
Ransom forced himself to follow Cross out of the break room, even as his feet felt like lead. His inner wolf wasn’t making it easy for him either, snapping its teeth and ripping his claws at him from the inside. What the hell do you want?
The wolf growled.
Of course, he already knew what the animal wanted.
Isabelle Anderson. When he first came into the restaurant, he didn’t recognize her as she stood by the hostess’ station, dressed simply in a white blouse, black skirt, and sensible shoes. But his wolf knew in an instant, suddenly perking up as it sensed her. The moment he looked into those bi-colored eyes, he knew why his animal was acting weird.
It had been a shock to his system, seeing her after all this time. It was a possibility that he risked coming here, but working as a hostess at a restaurant was the last place he’d expected to see her again. Nor did he expect the deep, clawing need to be near her, touch her, hold her, and breathe in her scent. There she was, three feet away, but he couldn’t do any of those things. Not when Cross and the Alpha—her brother—were there too. So he kept quiet, while battling the maelstrom raging inside him.
“Are you all right, Ransom?”
He didn’t turn away from Cross and instead, looked him straight in the eyes. “Yeah, I’m fine. Got a little lost, as you said.”
There was an expression that crossed the other man’s face briefly that said he didn’t buy that excuse. Did Cross know something? Did he suspect that he and Isabelle had been … whatever they were? It seemed impossible that he didn’t say a word all this time, and not even right after he fished him out of the Hudson.
“We should go back. Your Alpha is waiting.” He began to walk toward the private dining room, clenching his fists at his sides. It had been difficult, trying to control
