“Why did you tell him we didn’t have any tables? You shouldn’t turn away business.”
“He was being rude.”
“He was perfectly polite to me.” She tapped a finger on her chin. “What did he say to you that was rude?”
She searched for an answer that wouldn’t reveal the truth to her mother, but couldn’t find one. “It’s just—”
“Isabelle.” Her mother put her hands on her shoulders. “I’m not saying you should marry the man tomorrow. I know … I know you’ve done so well for yourself, and Evan is your life, but it’s not always going to be that way. What about when he turns eighteen and goes off to college? You’ll need someone, too, and you’re still young, and you can find a man—”
“Ever heard of feminism, Mama? I don’t need a man.” And she certainly didn’t need a matchmaking mother. “Look, he’s just not my type, okay?” God, if her parents ever found out the truth, how would they react? Well, she didn’t want to dwell on that, because they would never know.
Frankie opened her mouth, but thankfully, the doors opened, and a large group arrived just in time.
Isabelle let out a long, relieved internal sigh. “Are you, Maitland, party of eight?” she asked the older man who stepped forward, who nodded back in answer. “Great, I have your table all set up.”
The rest of the night passed without much incident, though Isabelle did what she could to avoid Ransom. Of course, as she led people to their tables or roamed around to check their guests and help the staff, she couldn’t help but feel his eyes on her, but she ignored him, despite the fact that her wolf was urging her to look his way.
Finally, she did turn toward him, and what she saw made her blood pressure rise. Ransom smiled up at his server, Jocelyn, as she put down a plate of pasta on his table. The young server had been a thorn in Isabelle’s side ever since she got here, because she was constantly late to her shift and insubordinate, not to mention, always improperly attired. Servers were supposed to wear black button up shirts, but she always left a few of hers unbuttoned because she claimed it made for better tips. It was a miracle her huge tits didn’t fall right into the Spaghetti Vongole as she ground black pepper over the plate.
Huffing, she turned away. “I need a break, Ma,” she said to Frankie and began walking to the back without waiting for her mother to respond.
Why should it bother her that he was flirting with Jocelyn? He’d been with lots of women before her and probably more since. The thought of that made her wolf want to rip all their faces off. And maybe deep down inside—way down deep—she wanted to do that too.
She stomped off, trying to figure out where to go so she could have ten minutes alone. Not the break room as anyone could walk in there at any moment. The manager’s office was too far out in the back, and her mother or Gio could walk in there as well.
Ah.
The pantry. They were done taking in diners for the evening, and the kitchen should be starting to wind down which meant no one would come in there. Walking past the kitchen, she headed into the refrigerated room. The chilly air soothed her nerves somewhat, but she had a feeling she could soak in the Arctic Ocean for a week and still not get rid of the tight knot in her chest.
The door suddenly opened and she whirled around. Her wolf yipped in happiness even before her eyes adjusted to the dim light to figure out who it was. “What—you can’t come in here!” she groused at Ransom. “This is employees—”
She found herself scuttling backward as he advanced without warning or slowing down, until her back hit a shelf full of dry ingredients. His large body crowded her in, and when the scent of rain, musk, and leather hit her nose, she had to lean back to support her weakened knees. “Please. Stop this.” Her voice sounded so unsure, the wobble making her curse internally. “I don’t know what you want from me.”
His arms rose as he braced his palms on either side of her, caging her in. “Tell me you don’t want me here.” The rough quality of his voice abraded her deliciously, making her skin tingle. “Tell me you don’t feel this too. Don’t feel this clawing, aching need.” Leaning down, he whispered so close to her ear that she could feel the warmth of his breath. “Tell me you haven’t been thinking about those nights we spent together. Tell me all that, and I’ll leave you alone.”
She bit her lip, wanting to deny him. It would be so easy to give in to what he wanted. But she had Evan to think about. “Just go, Ransom. Please.”
“No. Not until you say the words.”
His dominance was so thick, she could feel it clouding the air around them. He caged her in further, and she could feel the heat emanating from his large muscled body despite the fact that he was barely touching her. Her wolf responded immediately, and so did her traitorous body as she felt her core flood with wetness.
His nostrils flared. “You don’t want me to go.”
“I do.”
“Then say you don’t want me. Tell me you don’t feel like wanting to crawl out of your skin with need. Tell me that having me near but not touching me isn’t the worst torture in the world.”
How could he possibly describe the feelings so perfectly? Oh God, she wanted it—him—so bad. But she had to push him away. “I can’t. I’m … dating someone else. Alejandro.” Not really, but he’d brought
