Page 20 of Unveiled

Thankfully, they were saved seconds later by the waitress delivering their meals. “Anything else?”

“No,” Harvey responded for both of them. Adalyn was too busy eyeing her food to formulate a thought. Bones stuck up out of a cut of meat that looked less than appetizing. She picked up her fork and poked at it. “What did you say this was again?”

“Osso buco.” Harvey gestured with his chin. “It’s good, you’ll like it.”

“Right…” Adalyn drew out the word as she cautiously cut into it. “But what exactly is it?”

He looked at her like she’d just asked what year it was. “Veal.”

Nope. Just… nope. Adalyn set the knife at the edge of her plate and speared a potato, then popped it into her mouth. She liked hamburgers at a backyard barbecue. She even loved the occasional steak once in a while, though it wasn’t really in her budget these days. But she drew the line at eating meat from baby animals.

She watched, stomach churning, as Harvey turned his attention back to his own plate and dug in. The clatter of silverware against porcelain filled the air as he cut into it with vigor, and she dropped her gaze away. She didn’t care if she offended him by not eating it—he hadn’t bothered to ask her opinion before ordering, anyway. At least the vegetables were good. She’d grab a snack before bed once she got home.

She pasted on a polite smile and forked up a carrot, counting the minutes until she could escape. Maybe not out the front doors—because that would be rude, right? At this point, she wasn’t sure she even cared. She’d been on a handful of bad dates in her life, but this one took the cake.

His sheer obnoxiousness grated on her nerves, and she gritted her teeth before setting her fork on the edge of the plate. She glanced around, desperately trying to catch the eye of their waitress. God willing, she’d take pity on her and bring the check so she could get out of here. All she wanted to do was go home, kick off her heels, and have a glass of wine. Or maybe the entire bottle. And not the crappy red that she could smell from here, the smell of fermented grapes so potent it permeated the air.

She sighed. Though it sounded nice, she knew she would never do it. Being a single mom, she always had to think about Jaclyn first. What if there was an emergency in the middle of the night? She hadn’t drunk a drop since she’d found out she was pregnant, wanting to always be coherent in case something happened.

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and she had the sensation of eyes burning a hole in the back of her head. She glanced surreptitiously toward the tables to her left, then right, but everyone was busy eating or talking. Unable to seek out the source of her unease, she picked up her fork and speared another stalk of asparagus.

“Do you need something?”

The sound of Harvey’s voice jerked her attention across the table. She opened her mouth to speak just as she realized he was looking over her shoulder.

“Yeah.”

That voice… Deep and masculine, she was sure she had heard it before. That same tingly sensation skittered down her spine as she slowly turned toward the man hovering beside her chair. She took in the thick, muscular thighs and a snug black T-shirt that if she looked closely enough—and she totally did—she could just barely see the outline of the man’s abs. Thick, corded arms and broad shoulders came into sight next.

Then something caught her eye. The neckline of his shirt played peek-a-boo with a dark tattoo that she swore she’d seen before. Her eyes lifted to the man’s face, over beautiful lips curved into a smug smirk, a nose that she was sure had seen a fist or two, then…

Her heart thudded to a stop as her gaze collided with a pair of blue eyes—eyes she hadn’t seen for almost two years. He knew the moment it clicked; she could see the satisfaction in those glimmering depths. She was dimly aware of the fork falling from her fingers, the clank of silver on porcelain muted as blood thrummed in her ears, blotting out everything else.

Oh, God… Why was he here? What did he want?

His smile changed, becoming more predatory as he seemed to read her mind. “My wife.”

CHAPTER

TWELVE

Jaxon's heart rate increased the closer he got to the high-end restaurant. Pulling up in front of the imposing stone façade, he threw the truck in park and hopped out. The kid at the valet stand passed him a ticket, which he shoved in his pocket, not breaking stride as he pushed through the front door.

He was already three steps into the room before common sense kicked in. What was he doing? He had no idea what her reception to him would be. Did she even know they were still married? He had to imagine she didn’t; otherwise, she would have hounded him for the annulment.

His gaze slid over the dim interior, searching for a familiar face. As if his eyes were drawn to her and her alone, he zeroed in on the elegant slope of her shoulder, made more prominent by her hair pulled severely away from her face. Though her back was mostly to him, it was undeniably her.

His breath caught at the sight of her. Suddenly, time slipped away, and he was back in that bar with her, throwing back shots of tequila. He narrowed his eyes as he studied her. She sat ramrod straight in her chair, one hand placed in her lap as she ate, the perfect picture of grace and propriety. Something else occurred to him in that moment. She looked… uncomfortable.

He waved off the hostess at the stand, and, ignoring the curious stares from the patrons around him, he cut right through the middle of the room. As he neared the back of her chair, he heard the man across from her speak in his nasally tone. He flicked a glance toward Jaxon as he neared the table, his brow puckering with a combination of concern and confusion. Jaxon rested one hand on the back of Adalyn’s chair and speared the man with a glare.

“Do you need something?”

“Yeah.” Adalyn turned toward him, and he watched her expression as her eyes glided over him, starting at his midsection and working their way up. She still hadn’t figured it out yet. What would she say? His heart pounded against his ribcage as her gaze traveled over his chest and shoulders, then finally up to his face. He felt a little surge of smug satisfaction as she met his stare, her eyes widening comically. A clatter filled the air as the fork slipped from her fingers.

His smile probably spoke more of a wolf preparing to pounce on its prey than a friendly greeting, but he was there for one reason and one alone. “My wife.”

“What?” He dragged his gaze away from Adalyn and back to the man across the table. One perfectly plucked tawny eyebrow lifted, and his lips twisted into a sneer. “Who are you?”