Alexei could tell Salem wanted to scold her. But she wasn’t in Little headspace. And he couldn’t scold her like he wanted to in front of his parents.
He leaned in and whispered something to her that made her face grow red then pale.
“Oh, but he did it so I thought it was what families did.” She pointed to Con.
“Yes, and he shouldn’t have done that.” Salem glared at Con.
“Someone’s getting a spanking,” David sang.
“I am?” Tamsyn replied.
More shock.
Alexei couldn’t help but laugh again as Salem ran his hand down his face. Roman shot him a look and he attempted another cough instead.
“Um, I was talking about Con getting a spanking from Salem,” David said. “It was a joke.”
“Oh. I don’t think I get it. Sorry.”
“No need to be sorry, baby,” Salem said, glaring at David. “I’m not sure that anyone found it that funny.”
“Right.” Tamsyn looked a bit miserable as she pushed the food around on her plate.
“Tamsyn, how did you meet these three?” Salem’s dad asked.
She glanced up with a small smile and Alexei felt a punch of relief as she started talking about how she met Roman. He tuned her out as he watched her until he noticed Salem jumping to his feet.
“I don’t think we need to talk about this,” he said hastily.
“Oh, but I was just going to say how we met at a?—”
“Would anyone like another drink?” Salem said.
Alexei grinned. “Don’t you want your family to know where you met Tamsyn?”
Salem shot him an evil look.
“Oh. Are you ashamed?” she asked. “Why would you be?”
Salem sighed. “It just isn’t something you tell your parents.”
“Ahh, it was at one of those clubs you like to go to,” Salem’s mum said.
Salem sat with a shocked look on his face. “You know?”
“Of course we do, son,” his father said. “You might be pretty good at keeping secrets, but your brothers aren’t.”
Salem gave his brothers a dirty look. “You assholes.”
“Salem, language!” his mother said. “So that’s where you met?”
“Uh.” Tamsyn gave Salem a wary look.
“Yes,” he said. “That’s where we met.”
“Wow. It’s like it was meant to be,” Charlene said. “So romantic. You fell over and Roman helped you. Then you met Salem at a club soon after. And what about Alexei?”
“I didn’t meet him until the agency I work for sent me to work for them.”