I narrowed my eyes, which only made his grin widen.
Looking to Caro for help, I found none. She too looked inordinately pleased by my obvious covetousness of Roane and Shadow.
Feeling uncomfortably hot, I huffed in exasperation and yelled across the dining room toward the bar, “Milly, can we get served, please!”
She startled at my voice but then smirked at my tone. “Aye, keep your knickers on!”
The patrons chuckled at what they assumed was banter, and I tried to let the feeling of being an insider here soften the embarrassment I felt about being so obviously territorial of Roane.
It didn’t.
I could feel his searching gaze burning into me, and I longed for the night to be over.
* * *
• • •
Hours later, with dinner service finished, many of the tourists had dispersed and those who stayed were there to drink or socialize. Our table had expanded to Viola, Dex, and a number of the locals. Milly would join us in between serving drinks.
Conversation flew up and down the tables, but thankfully no one mentioned Caro’s big move. They did mention how blown away they were by her baking talents and succeeded in pleasing but embarrassing the poor woman into muteness.
It was getting late, and Caro looked a little pale and tired. I was just about to suggest she and I leave, when Roane’s gaze moved toward the bar. The sudden tightness in his jaw made me look up, half expecting to see Helena there.
Annoyance flooded me at the sight of Poppy and her blond companion walking toward us.
Hadn’t they left already?
Earlier, Roane had thankfully not interrogated me about my reaction, and I’d managed to let the whole incident go by the time dessert arrived.
Now she was back.
Some of the men’s eyes followed her swaying hips, and I didn’t blame them. Little black dress or body-contouring yoga pants, the woman would look hot. Poppy oozed sex appeal.
And she’d set her sights on Roane.
Yippee.
“Roane, you remember Kylie.” She gestured to her blond companion as she drew to a stop beside him.
Roane gave Kylie that same thin-lipped smile he’d given Poppy. “Hi.”
“Hi again.”
“So”—Poppy dropped her hand to Roane’s shoulder—“room for two more?”
He flicked me an apologetic look before he shrugged. “Of course.”
My gut churned.
I really hoped it was his inability to be rude that had led to that invitation.
Then, to my shock, Poppy and the blonde grabbed two chairs and placed them between me and Roane. Poppy’s was shoved right up against him, and the blonde hit her chair leg off mine and stared down at me when I didn’t budge. “Do you mind?”
Disbelieving, I shifted my chair to the left to make room for her, and when she sat down, she turned her back to me, her elbow on the table, effectively blocking me out of any conversation with Roane.
He was too busy with Poppy to notice, considering her face was inches from his as she murmured to him in a low voice about . . . whatever!
Caro was frowning at the entire situation. Sensing my attention, she looked at me and made a face.
It was so unlike her, I couldn’t help but smile.
This was my cue to exit with Caro, and I should have. But the sick, masochistic part of me didn’t want to leave because I didn’t want to miss what would happen between Roane and Poppy. I needed to know if he was going to take her up on what she was clearly offering, because I knew if he did, as unfair as it was of me, whatever spell he had over me would be broken.
The confused, scared part of me that was determined to live the next few months without romantic entanglement almost hoped he would take Poppy up on her offer.
Yet a bigger part of me hated the idea so much, I wanted to cry.
God, I was such a mess.
Our table suddenly jerked upward as Roane let out a muffled curse. My eyes flew to him to see him pulling back from Poppy, and I realized he’d caused the table to move. My eyes narrowed at his flushed cheeks and the hard glint in his eyes.
“I think it’s time for you to go.” His voice carried down the tables, the hum of conversation drawing to a close as all eyes turned toward Roane and Poppy.
She was staring at Roane in disbelief.
Kylie tugged on her friend’s wrist. “Poppy, let’s go.”
With a huff of distaste, the brunette shot to her feet, her chair clattering toward the wall behind her. “No need to be so melodramatic.”
Roane glowered at her. “If the shoe was on the other foot, I doubt you’d say that.”
What had she done?
Had she touched him inappropriately, because I swear to God—
As if he sensed my growing indignation, Roane looked at me, his gaze softening, becoming reassuring at my obvious agitation.
Poppy huffed. “Come, Kylie, let’s go.”
Kylie’s cheeks were bright red as everyone watched the two of them march out of the pub.
“I hope they paid.” Dex broke the awkward silence.
Everyone tittered but kept side-eyeing Roane. He didn’t pay them any attention. Instead he got up and moved the now empty chairs back to other tables. When he sat back down, he moved his chair closer to mine.
I waited for conversation to pick up again before I leaned in to him to ask, “What happened?”
He cut Caro a look, and certain she was engaged in conversation with Viola, he bent to whisper in my ear, “She grabbed my cock.”
For a second all I felt was the brush of his lips across my ear, and all I heard was the word “cock” in Roane’s deep rumble. The low, visceral tug in my womb distracted me for a second, but when his words eventually sunk in, the sexual heat I’d been feeling was overcome by fury.
I jerked my head back from his, eyes blazing, and I instantly felt his hand on my knee under the table. He gave it a reassuring squeeze.
“That’s not okay,” I hissed. “That’s as bad as a guy grabbing a woman’s ass or pawing at her breasts without her permission.”
“Shh.” He shook his head at me, and I bristled, trying to calm. He obviously didn’t want anyone else to know.
“It’s not okay,” I repeated.
It was so not okay, I wanted to march out of the pub and hunt the handsy cow down and teach her some manners!
“I know.” A muscle in his jaw twitched. “That’s why I asked her to leave.”