Page 23 of Wolf's Claimed Mate
She giggled. “I’dloveto, boyfriend.”
I scoffed, rolling my eyes. “We’re doing some scouting, so try not to drink any more, yeah?”
“You got it, alpha.”
I growled down the phone before hanging up. I floored the gas and raced back to Silverlake Valley. The Starlight was an up-end restaurant in town; if we’d hear anything secretive, it would be there.
***
Sasha walked into the restaurant, and my stomach dropped to the floor.
Her hair was parted, one side of her curls tumbling down her shoulder, and the other side pinned back with an elegant clasp. She wore a deep navy strapless bodycon dress, the neckline clinging to the contours of her chest. The center of the dress dipped right down to her navel in a small V-shape, showing off more skin than I was prepared for. The waist pulled in to frame her gorgeous body, and a slit in the tight skirt showed a sliver of her tanned thigh as she stalked to our table.
Sasha’s eyes were on me, made up in dark, dramatic colors. In my own dress shirt and smart pants, a Rolex on my wrist, I wasn’t underdressed, but it was clear Sasha was the center of attention at that moment. My pants were suddenly too tight, and I swallowed.
It’s fake, I told myself.Don’t be stupid, Conall.
I stood for her, taking her coat to drape over the chair next to me while she lowered herself into the chair opposite me. She drew herself in, propping her chin on her open palm as she blinked at me. Her eyes were bright, inquisitive.
“You look gorgeous,” I told her, not one to forgo a compliment to a beautiful woman.
“So do you,” she replied.
I half smirked at her. “I look gorgeous?”
Her smile was playful. “I’d say you’re more sexy.”
I blinked at her and then realized we had eyes on us, and she was just doing an incredible job at playing the role of my fake girlfriend. Suddenly, I regretted my entire proposal. A silver bracelet complemented her tanned wrist, an elegant ring on her middle finger as she reached over to toy with the stem of the wine glass. I gestured for a waiter to fill it up for her. I nodded for my own to be refilled.
Sasha’s eyes remained on me when the waiter left. Her fingers brushed up and down the stem of her glass. I tried not to notice. I scanned the restaurant, trying to find a familiar face. I’d never dined here before, but Sasha seemed at home.
“Have you been here before?” I asked.
“I have,” she answered. “My ex-boyfriend used to bring me here often. I met Kato for the first time here, as well. He brought me here on my birthdays.”
I flicked my gaze back to her as she told me this gem of information, waiting for it to affect her. If it did, she did a good job at covering it up. God, she was gorgeous. I wanted to take her over the table, to sit next to her, bend my face close to hers, slide my hand up that slit in her dress, and tease her.
Focus, I told myself.
Honestly, while this cover was good to scout the restaurant, it almost served to just enjoy Sasha’s company away from both of our anger earlier. It was like she was a different woman to before.
“Well,” I said, “Thank you for agreeing to this meeting here.”
“Meeting?” she laughed. “Conall, baby, this is a date, isn’t it?”
I bit down on my snarl. “Of course it is—baby.”
She bared her teeth in a grin, knowing she’d gotten under my skin with that name.
You’re smiling, but I could have you on your knees, dripping wet, calling you that.
I smiled my own smug smile in response, sipping my wine glass. The front of her heel grazed my ankle under the table.
“So Kato was known to frequent here?” I asked. “What about the rest of the pack?”
Sasha leaned into me. My gaze flickered down to her generous cleavage and then followed her gaze, where she nodded. “There’s another room through the back over there,” she told me. “It’s all velvet and vinyl. A mood room for wealthy patrons who want a little privacy when dinners get…” Her eyes met mine. “Heated.”
She’s drunk, I told myself.She’s acting. Don’t lean too into her playing this role. She rejected you, remember? She doesn’t want you.
