Darby stared at the floor. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m not the one you owe the apology to, and in our home, we never apologize unless we know we’re sincerely sorry and we’re willing to pay the ultimate price for forgiveness,” Blythe said. She indicated the open floor of the restaurant with her chin. “I know you have a lot of work to do. You think on whether or not you really are sorry and what could have happened to your family before you ask anyone for forgiveness.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Darby blinked back tears and pushed the cart away.
There was a small silence. Breezy looked over at Blythe. “I have no doubt you can handle those teenage boys without Czar’s help. You didn’t raise your voice at all, but you definitely said everything that needed saying.”
“Knowledge is important. All knowledge. She knows that. It isn’t a small thing she did. This is no little infraction,” Blythe said. “Czar and all of Torpedo Ink need to know who they’re dealing with at all times. If they have an enemy close to them, they have to know that. Even a potential enemy. Asher may be dating Darby, but his family are the Ravards. That equals Diamondbacks. If he overhears something he shouldn’t, that could put Czar or any one of the members of Torpedo Ink in jeopardy. She knows better.”
“Blythe really could have poisoned Savage’s tea,” Steele said, awe in his voice. He sat back, regarding Blythe with new respect.
She picked up her fork, avoiding Czar’s gaze. “I should have waited until we were home. I’m sorry, honey.”
“It was club business, not just personal, Blythe,” he said gently. “What you did was right. While we were attending to Alena, she put all of you in jeopardy.”
“But I did lose my temper.” She pushed her food around on her plate.
Seychelle nudged her. “That’s losing your temper? I threw a mug at Savage and was really upset that I didn’t hit him in the head. I’m still kinda upset I didn’t hit him in the head.” She squirmed around on her chair and sent Savage a very intimate smile.
He grinned at her, his cock stirring at the thought of those stripes on her bottom.
A faint smile tugged at Blythe’s mouth. “Savage might make me want to throw things,” she admitted. “Actually, in the kitchen, a time or two, around the knives, it was touch-and-go there.”
“Hey.” Savage paused in the act of putting a forkful of food into his mouth. “How did I get into this conversation? I was staying very quiet over here.” He winked at Seychelle, telling her he was proud of her for getting the conversation off Darby’s scolding.
“Blythe has been known to throw things at me,” Czar admitted. “I’m actually the calm one in the household.”
Steele and Savage both snickered derisively. Breezy coughed behind her hand, and Blythe looked around, gazing up at the air. “I’m expecting lightning to hit you any moment, Czar, for that whopper.”
Savage was grateful he’d thought of bringing Seychelle out to dinner. She seemed to have a good time. Breezy and Blythe both had her laughing, and he appreciated the musical notes floating around the table going up toward the ceiling. Sometimes when the others laughed, he could see their notes as well, but mostly, it was Seychelle’s notes.
He sat back in his chair after he finished his favorite dish on the menu, and drank the dark, bitter coffee. He didn’t need sweet in it. He had sweet seated right across from him. He had no idea how he’d gotten so lucky. Just looking at her sometimes hurt. He spent the rest of the evening waiting to get back home, mostly because he knew she was worried about something and he wanted to be alone with her.
The moment they were in the car and on the way back, he asked her. He wasn’t a man who believed in waiting too long to get things out in the open.
“What is it, baby? Something’s on your mind. Didn’t you enjoy yourself? I know it was awkward having Ravard and Eden show up, but everything turned out okay. Pierce didn’t bring him. He really was just bringing his mother to dinner. It was a coincidence. They do happen.”
“I’m not so certain, Savage,” Seychelle mused with a sideways glance at him. Her fingers plucked nervously at the material of her dress. “It’s possible his cousin the firefighter asked Darby if we had a reservation for tonight at the restaurant. I was shopping for a dress. I had it with me when I ran into Tony. Shoes, dress, the entire outfit. Asher could have passed the information on to Tony if he’d asked him to do it.”
“Why would he? Do you think he’s that interested? He has to know you’re mine. You’re even wearing my ring.” Savage tried to keep the edge out of his voice as he reached over and took possession of her hand, his finger running over her ring. He liked it on her finger, liked it proclaiming to the world she was part of him.
“We aren’t the only ones with psychic abilities. It’s arrogant to believe we are. Brandon has his voice. The thing is, Brandon’s mother is Eden’s sister, Nina. Eden is Tony’s mother. If Brandon got his psychic talent from Nina because it runs in that family, it’s possible Eden carries that same talent. Do you see where I’m going with this? Tony was in the bar the night I sang and tried to keep everyone at the meeting feeling calm. I didn’t see who went in the back room. You did. Did any of Tony’s brothers attend the meeting? Tony was in the bar, sitting at a table near the band.”
Savage hit the remote for the gate. Her voice trembled when she asked him. She wasn’t looking at him, so he could only see part of her face, but she sounded scared.
“Are you afraid the Ravards or the Diamondbacks want me dead, Seychelle? This all started when you overheard the phone call with Czar, and you’ve got that same look on your face. You can’t be worried like that, babe.”
She began pulling at her hem now, folding the material between her fingers. She really was upset. Her teeth bit down on her full lower lip, and she just stared out the window until he parked in the garage and shut off the engine.
“We’re home and safe, Seychelle. Tell me what happened to scare you.”
“Can we get in bed first? I always feel safer talking in bed with the lights off, and I’m tired.”
He’d give her the damn moon if she asked for it. He went around the hood of the car, but she was already out. He slowed her down, making certain security hadn’t been breached. Now that he had Seychelle to protect, he flipped through the camera screens and checked each entry point. The alarms would have come to his phone if any window or door had been penetrated, but security remained intact.
Seychelle didn’t turn on lights as she hurried through the house, straight to their bedroom. For some reason, the bed seemed to be a comfort to her, sitting in it, back to the headboard. It wasn’t the same as the one in her cottage in Sea Haven, but he’d tried to make certain it had a similar feel to it. He wanted her to feel as if she could talk about anything—and he liked lying on the bed with her, just the way they did in her cottage.
She reached behind her in an effort to get to the zipper, but it clearly was a struggle. He came up behind her and moved her hand.
“After we talk about whatever is scaring the hell out of you, I want to hear more about this book.” Savage unzipped her dress slowly, letting his nails trail lightly down her back and then over the stripes on her bottom and thighs. They were dark, just the way he knew they would be, in stark contrast to that flawless pale skin.