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“Three meat orders COMING RIGHT UP!” he bellowed.
Eliana was ravenous and glad for the distraction. All three of them dug into their meals like the wolves they were, devouring the meat off the plates in what felt like the blink of an eye. The rest of the customers eventually left, and Eliana noticed when she finally lifted her head from her dish.
“Tasty as always, Bria,” Tao said.
Bria stood at the counter, a cloth thrown over her shoulder and her arms crossed. She was giving Eliana a look with wide eyes, an expectation of sorts. Eliana slid her jaw back and forth and wiped her mouth of the rib juice.
“Yes, that was wonderful,” Lucas said.
Her mother was pushing her to talk with Lucas and get to know him better. The wolf inside her agreed with Bria, of course. Even if Tao was around, she wanted a way to get closer to the majestic creature of the handsome alpha.
“Eliana, can you clean up for me? I am beat from today. Make sure to lock up before you leave.”
Eliana nearly gave her mother a guttural growl.
EIGHT
LUCAS
Lucas immediately smelled that Eliana and Tao had a history as soon as he walked into the restaurant. Along with that realization, his body tensed, his mind raced, and his wolf descended into a jealous rage so palpable that he thought his heart was going to stop altogether.
He was thankful for the brief moment that they were embracing, and he turned away from them. He was sure veins popped out on his forehead, forearms, and throat. He had to calm down or risk showing the cards he wasn’t ready to address yet.
SHE IS MINE! I AM HERS, AND SHE IS MINE!
His wolf shrieked inside his mind, but he clenched his fists, jaw, and every muscle in his body to keep it from exploding out of him. The response was the most powerful he’d had in relation to any female shifter he had met; he’d had flings and romances, but nothing this tangible.
Lucas managed to get a hold of himself just as Tao was called into the kitchen by Eliana’s mother. He stuck his hands in his pockets, trying desperately not to sniff out attraction on the gorgeous woman to her ex-lover.
He was captivated by her. There was no way to deny that. The one-piece jumpsuit dress she wore had a scoop neck as well as a scoop at the back. As he moved toward her, he felt himself craving her skin and a touch of his lips on her neck to make her cry out with passion.
Get it together, Lucas.
He recited an argument of logic in his mind as they approached the table, feeling Eliana’s minor flirty remarks. He liked it when she was a bit sassy with him. It showed him she had fierceness in her that he wanted to uncover.
The logical part saidyes, you are attracted to her, but the job comes first. Indulge in the sight of her, even her scent, but nothing else.
But how wonderful would it be to indulge in far more than that, hmm? Those tasty, succulent lips, the sounds she’d sing when you pressed your body against her, how her back would arch when you found yourself between those luscious legs….
For the first time in his life, Lucas had the urge to physically slap himself. It was something one would see in films, which always looked a bit ridiculous. Though he sat at the table, digging his nails into his skin as Eliana looked down at her purse. He would do anything to be able to reach behind the back of her head and pull her to his mouth.
The wolf wasn’t letting up, and that could become a problem soon. It wasn’t just lust either; it was far more vicious.
He was thankful when Tao brought over their ribs. The three of them devoured the huge stacks in less than five minutes. He tried to narrow his focus on the food, drawing his wolf out to take up the energy of his attraction to Eliana. It worked, but only for the time that it took for the three of them to consume their dinners.
He came back to reality, feeling satiated for the time being. It calmed his wolf, and he felt that he was finally back in the driver’s seat.
For now …
“So, Lucas, tell me about how this hunt for the new alpha is going. I hear Eliana here showed you around the island today?”
Tao was certainly a big, intimidating man, but his wide jolly grin said otherwise. Other than his natural wolf’s jealousy, Lucas didn’t think he had anything to worry about with Tao’s temperament.
“I have a lot of notes to look over. Eliana was a splendid tour guide, that’s for sure.”
Tao elbowed Eliana, who was gazing down at the bare ribs with a hint of bashfulness. Eliana didn’t strike Lucas as a bashful woman. Quite the opposite. The woman was as brash as they came.
“Do you hear that, E?” Tao said, his face streaked with dark barbecue sauce. “You might have yourself a new career path to follow.”
