“It will be fine.” Decree given no matter her concerns, Tobias gathered up her hands and pressed them against his thigh to still her fidgeting.
A violent altercation made of curt gestures and the hiss of whispered shouts caught Quinn’s attention from the front. The female that had greeted them stood with head bowed as a man not much older and at least half again as large hurled a litany of angry words at her. The scene disappeared as the man led the woman with restrained violence through a swinging door.
Before Quinn could question it out loud, a force of nature bustled towards the table waving thick arms and stumbling over apologies.
“Mr. Kahler, please, forgive me for making you wait,” the man said in a voice so heavy with an Italian accent that Quinn had difficulty understanding the furious pace of his words. Hands cutting through the air, fingers pinched, he might have continued on had Tobias not raised a hand to cut him off.
“It’s fine, Tony.”
“I’ll have John bring your usual red, sir,” Tony said, still a flustered mess of nerves as he smoothed the thick waves of his salt and pepper hair. “Marco is already preparing your meal.”
“Water as well,” Tobias ordered for Quinn, gaze never wandering from Tony.
Tony, of course, did not acknowledge her either.
“Of course, sir. Perhaps some bread? It shouldn’t be much longer.”
“Yes, that would be fine.”
As Tony moved aside to let the burly man who had chastised the hostess in with a deep green bottle and a fancy label that made no difference to Quinn, she caught the logo on their shirts. In fanciful script across the left breast, the wordCarmela’swas stitched out in bright green thread.
Attention snagged on the vague familiarity of the man pouring the rich red wine and sending the scent of musty grapes into the air, something begged to click into place. The restaurant name she recognized, the same place Tobias had first begun his torment of her with. However the man wasn’t one of the handful that delivered that particular double edged sword.
Tobias did not appreciate her staring and struggling memory. Fingers working their way through the loose knot of her hair, his clenched fist turned her head with a precision that vibrated with hostile intolerance. Pushing her into the folds of his open jacket and burying her gaze in the shadowy confines of heavy musk tainted with aggression, Tobias warned without words.
Hewas her Alpha, and he was to be the one she gave her attention to.
Kept in the awkward position, he refused to release her no matter how she toyed with his shirt or pet at his waist. Quinn knew better than to struggle under that grip, at least in public. No matter what this was between them, Tobias was still an Alpha. She remained docile under the physical control, because he at least did not follow through with the demands that would leave her senseless and struggling to hold on to even a thread of herself.
He’d brought her out into the world, and that was something so rare among mated pairs. She wasn’t quite ready to ruin it all.
The clink of ceramic and the gentle chiming of silverware heralded the promised food. Even then Tobias was slow to let her go, waiting until the waiters had moved far away. Tearing a small piece from the slab of crusty bread bathed in rich golds and delicate browns, he fed her the tiny bite.
Lashes drifting down, she couldn’t help the pinch of her brows or the slow way she chewed. A moment of panic as the bread met her tongue washed away under the heady flavor of roasted garlic melded with the creamy lusciousness of butter. Eyes popping open, she looked at Tobias with unabashed glee. It tasted as it should and went down without a moment of hesitation.
No outward appearance of the bone deep reverberation of his contentment showed on the hard lines of his face. Even his eyes remained chilled and aloof, the deep green of a winter’s forest as he fed her another small bite from his fingers. The bond was a mass of sensations, thoughts spinning by in a whirlwind, emotions speeding past before Quinn could catch them all.
So entranced with it all, she didn’t realize more plates had arrived. Didn’t even acknowledge that others came near as Tobias held another piece to her lips. Not until he turned her to face the table and saw the multitude of plates piled high did she understand what he’d done for her here.
Sniffing back the burn of tears that threatened to spill as her lower lip trembled, her fingers dared to touch the warm plate. It was everything she had asked for and more.
Saffron bright cheese slid in heavy drifts over the hefty rounds of beef. Crispy and curled, thick pieces of bacon peeked from under a shiny bun dusted with sesame seeds. Wide wedges of fries cooked to crispy, golden perfection in a mountainous stack ranged along the other side of the plate. A small bowl of creamy coleslaw stood in opposition, the jumble of cabbage and carrots a welcomed contrast.
“What’s that supposed to be for,” Quinn mumbled, stomping down on the range of emotions threatening to strangle her as she poked at a loose hill of green leaves.
“Arugula. For that monstrosity.”
“So… Fancy lettuce?” Quinn glanced up at him, lips twitching against a smirk while she reached for a fry.
“Very fancy,” he murmured, eyes caught on the smile that still tugged at her mouth. Dragging his gaze back to hers, he nodded at her plate. “Eat, little bird. Then tell me how good it was and how much you wish to thank me for it.”
Cheeks warming at the overt implication, Quinn shuffled upright and tugged the large knife free of the bun. Holding it aloft for a moment, unsure what to do with it, Tobias eased it from her grip and moved to bring it down upon her precious meal. Small as it was, her squeak was sheer admonishment and brought Curtis’ head swinging around. Eyebrows slamming down, his dark gaze flicked between Tobias and Quinn, uneasy before he turned to face the front.
Tobias’ snort of amusement joined his butchering of her cheeseburger, the knife cutting through juicy meat and delicate bread without mercy. Halved and then quartered, he glanced at Quinn’s hands and acted as if he would cut it yet again before Quinn gripped his thigh.
“I’m not a toddler.” A breath of impatience that would go no further than their ears, even Curtis didn’t notice the way Tobias stilled. Angling to stare down at her, a twitch of his eyebrows noted the hard set of Quinn’s jaw and the thread of anger slipping through the bond. As if confused, he remained motionless for a second longer before settling back with a nod to acknowledge what had transpired.
Given leave to eat when he leaned back and held an open palm towards her plate in invitation, Quinn hefted the still large piece and dug in. It took two bites for her to become so engrossed in the perfect melding of flavors that she forgot all about everyone else.
