Page 15 of The Runaway Mate

No!

I shoved the image away. Food. People. That’s what I had to think about. I had to concentrate on this meal and then get the hell away from Ryan.

Sylvie put the last dish on the table. “There you go. Enjoy!”

Before Sylvie had even left the room, the sound of clattering plates and cutlery filled the space. My stomach growled involuntarily, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten in what felt like days. I reached out for the potatoes, but Ryan got there before me.

“Here,” he said, loading them onto my plate.

Okay. “Thanks. Can you pass the chicken?”

Again, Ryan took the dish, and instead of passing it to me, he loaded enough chicken to feed everyone at that table directly onto my plate.

Okay, then.

I opened my mouth to ask for the salad, but Ryan beat me to it.

“Sam, don’t hog all the salad. Mai wants some. Pass it here,” Ryan said without even looking at his brother. Immediately, the huge salad bowl, full of lettuce, tomatoes, bacon, croutons, peppers, olives, and a dressing that smelled amazing, was in Ryan’s hands, and he was spooning it onto my plate.

“Either you’re trying to fatten me up to…?” Eat me? Hell, no, I wasn’t going to go there. “Cook me in a pot, or you need glasses.”

“You need to eat.”

“I’m going to eat, but everyone else needs food, too.”

“Don’t you worry, Mai, there’s lots more food in here!” Sylvie’s shouted reply from the kitchen made Sam and Mason laugh.

“I promise, Mai. When you eat your first bite, you’ll be thanking Ryan for giving you the best food this side of the Rockies,” Sam said.

“Aw, Sam, you always were my favorite!” Sylvie shouted.

I frowned at the kitchen doorway, wondering why Sylvie wasn’t in here eating with us.

Jem saw me looking and leaned toward me. “It’s not a rule. She doesn’t like to eat with others.”

I nodded, glad Hayley hadn’t created a “Downtown Abbey” atmosphere here, then took a bite. They were not wrong. I almost moaned in pleasure at the flavors that were being set off in my mouth.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ryan smile, but valiantly ignored him. Instead, I focused on my plate, letting the conversation wash over me.

“How’s Shaw Investigations getting on? Any new cases?” Derek asked, breaking off a piece of bread and slathering it with butter.

“It’s pretty quiet at the moment,” Mason replied.

“Yeah,” Sam agreed, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “So quiet we even had time for a chitchat with Tanya today when she made her deliveries.”

“Who’s Tanya?” asked Hayley.

“Oh, just a Bridgetown Pack wolf Mason has his eye on.”

“I do not have my eye on her! She’s Bridgetown. That says everything there is to say about it.”

“Oh, really?” quipped Sam. “Coz I’m pretty sure I heard you flirting like a pro with her earlier.”

“There was no flirting,” Mason growled, making it clear to all of us that there was indeed flirting. “And maybe if you did less eavesdropping and more work, we’d actually make some money for a change!”

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. Unless Mason had had a complete change of personality, he couldn’t flirt even if he had a university degree in it. Everyone at the table, apart from Mason, knew Sam was teasing him.

Jem leaned over to me. “Don’t listen to them, Mai. I know for a fact that Shaw Investigations does very well for itself.”

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