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His golden eyes raked over her face with blatant possessiveness, glittering with something dangerous that made her scalp prickle. Even so, that good ole visceral, ever-present sexual chemistry pulsed between them like a heartbeat.
Unease snaked through her. If she hadn’t come to know him so well, she’d have been fooled by his cool expression; wouldn’t have picked up on just how pissed he was. Had something else happened? Was someone hurt? Or was it something to do with whatever was going on in his lair that he, Knox, and the sentinels seemed to spend a lot of time debating in private?
He didn’t stop at their table and say his hellos. He slid into her booth as if she’d been waiting for him; sat so close that his side was practically fused to hers. Before she could say a word, he leaned in and took her mouth. Just like that, her unease gave way to the need she harbored for him that always seemed to hum beneath her skin, as if lying in wait for him. That need crawled over her, pulled her under, drowned out her awareness of her surroundings and—
Someone cleared their throat.
With a nip to her lower lip, Tanner pulled back and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Hello, kitten. Miss me?”
“Like I’d miss a root canal.” She kicked his foot under the table. “Move over.” He didn’t. Well, of course he didn’t. Why would he?
His mind slid against hers just before his voice breezed inside, cool and gravel-rough. You didn’t tell me you were going out for dinner.
Such a casual comment, such a soft tone. And yet there was something so dark there that goosebumps swept down her bare arms. Something’s wrong. What is it?
He breezed his thumb over her jawline. You said you’d tell me if you ever had plans to leave the studio while I wasn’t with you.
He didn’t trust anyone else to escort her anywhere safely, yeah, she got that, but … I didn’t know about the dinner plans—Adam surprised me with them.
Hmm. He took her hand and circled his mark on her palm with the tip of his finger. You really think it was a good idea for you to go waltzing around the Underground when someone’s after you?
Maybe not, but … I’m not letting the son of a bitch stop me from doing something as important as celebrating the anniversary of—
Yeah, yeah, Dez told me why you’re here. No celebration is more important than your life, kitten.
Okay, he had her there. Tell me what’s really wrong. Because something was going on with him right then. You’re worrying me.
His expression softened. It’s not related to what’s happening with you.
“Fancy seeing you here, Tanner,” said Adam, a forced curve to his mouth.
Hunter’s smile, on the other hand, was far from fake as he stirred his milkshake with his straw. “Yeah, what a coincidence.”
Tanner draped his arm over the back of the booth. “No coincidence. I came to see Devon.”
Adam’s expression hardened just a little. “You don’t trust that we’ll keep her safe?”
“I don’t fully trust anyone but me with her safety. It’s nothing personal,” Tanner added with a lazy shrug.
“Does this mean you’re not leaving?” her anchor asked.
“That’s exactly what it means.”
Well wasn’t that just super. Devon nudged him with her elbow. “At least move over so I can have a little more space while I eat my meal.” But he didn’t. So she gave him a psychic shove, making him skid a few inches along the leather.
His brows hiked up, and he looked nothing short of impressed. “Sheathe those claws, kitten.”
“Or?”
“Or I’ll do what I always want to do when you use them on me—I’ll bite you hard enough to leave a mark.”
In public? She narrowed her eyes. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Wouldn’t I?”
“Not unless you want to find yourself choking on your own testicles.”
His mouth quirked. “You have such a short fuse.”
“In the exact words I used when we were in bed last night discussing something wholly different … it’s okay, sweetie, we can just imagine that it’s bigger.”
Adam started choking on his drink, and a laughing Hunter had to slap his mate’s back several times.
Shooting the pooch one last scathing glare, Devon turned her attention to her meal.
Tanner wouldn’t have thought he had it in him to smile right then, but she always had a way of loosening the grip of whatever bullshit was crippling him. Like it was her fucking super power or something. Or maybe it was just because she was a surprisingly restful person to be around. She just made you feel at ease. Accepted. Relaxed. Honestly, he’d swear he breathed easier when she was with him.
The waitress scrambled over and asked if he wanted to order anything, but he waved her away. He was content to simply watch his kitten while she dug into her food. Content to watch her throat work, her tongue swipe over her lips, and her eyes go heavy-lidded each time she ate something she found particularly flavorsome.
