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“What did I miss?” he asked, taking his seat again.
Venus said, “I invited Declan to join us for dinner tonight.”
Draven cocked a brow. “You do know he’s not supposed to leave the resort, right?”
Venus chuckled. “You mean like you? Yes, I know. But I will inform the Hendersons that you will both be my guardians while I’m here in Tabiq. How can they deny a request like that?”
Dinner with Venus sounded amazing. Draven with us, not so much. But I would take what I could get. And right now, it’s a lot more than I deserve.
“I really can’t wait,” I said.
“I’m sure you can’t,” Draven said.
I heard something in his voice that hadn’t been there earlier. Maybe protectiveness. Did he see me as a threat to her?I sure in hell am not one. Or maybe I was wrong, and I could hurt her more than anyone else. Apparently, my hiding what I was doing all this time had hurt her. Maybe she had needed someone, but I hadn’t noticed. Maybe she’d felt alone and needed a... shoulder to cry on. I had only looked at what my eyes had been telling me all that time. Never really knowing what had been going on, on the inside.
Okay, Draven. You will. I shouldn’t be alone with her. No matter how much I want to.
Venus said, “If you two are finished with your beer, we can get going.”
I downed the remaining beer and placed it back on the bar. Maybe I shouldn’t have looked as excited as I did, because Draven shot me a look. “I have a feeling I missed more than just a dinner invitation.”
No one responded and Venus didn’t waste time. She got off her chair and changed the subject. “Stopping in town first because I want to make the two of you something very special for dinner.”
Draven got up and said, “Looking forward to it.”
I followed them out of the bar.And I’m looking forward to the time she and I can be alone.We had a lot more to talk about. All I could do was hope she was willing to listen.
CHAPTER6
Venus
Dinner was horrendous. I felt bad for Draven and Declan, but they ate it anyway. Didn’t even say a word about the flavor. Then again, I highly doubted either of them had eaten authentic Tabiqian cuisine.Might be the last time they want it.
I know it’s been a long time since I’d cooked my native food, but my skills were sharp. At least they usually were. Not when I could feel Declan watching my every move. I was lucky that I didn’t cut a finger off while I was chopping up all the vegetables. But it wasn’t just his eyes on me that was a major distraction. His admitting that he never forgot about me, and continued to watch over me even now, was incomprehensible.
It was great having both of them here, but I needed to speak to Declan alone. The brief conversation at the bar was far from enough. I had so many more questions for him, and what I wanted to ask, shouldn’t be overheard.
Since Draven didn’t seem to be in any rush to head back to the resort, I needed to think of something to get us out of the cottage.
“Did you gentlemen want to take a ride into town? Not much to see there, but there are a few shops. Tabiq is slowly becoming more tourist-friendly, but it takes time. Most shops there are things that locals are interested in. Practical items.”
Draven shook his head. “I’d rather hit the beach. Anyone up for some surfing?”
Declan replied, “I love being on the water, but I’m not a surfer.”
“Me either,” I said. “Why don’t I drive you back to the resort so you can enjoy your time at the beach? I mean you are supposed to be on vacation, right?”
Draven said, “No, that’s okay. I’ll hang out with you.”
You mean babysit me. No thank you.“Draven, you don’t have to worry. I am very capable of being alone.”
Declan said, “You don’t have to be alone. I actually would love to see some of the local shops. Besides, there are a few items that I forgot to pack that I wouldn’t mind picking up in town. That is if you wouldn’t mind me tagging along.”
Mind? I’d love it.
“I would like that. Thank you. It sounds like we all will be doing what we enjoy this evening.” Draven wasn’t looking at me at all. His focus was strictly on Declan. If I wasn’t careful, he’d be placing a call to Damien and getting MaKayla concerned even more than she already was. Getting up from the table and said, “I’m ready if you two are.” I needed to get these two away from each other somehow.
Declan offered, “Would you like me to help you with the dishes before we go?”
