“Did I sense a little bit of jealousy back there?” Chase teases as he opens the door.
I walk inside. “Don’t flatter yourself, Maheegan. You already know I don’t get along with your girlfriend.”
He chuckles. “Whatever you say, princess.” He strolls over to the other side of the room where there’s a wine cellar with rows and rows of wine. The glass room gives his guests a view of everything he has to offer. I’m not going to lie, it’s classy and elegant the way he has everything displayed, but I’m not about to tell him that.
Chase grabs a couple of bottles from the shelves and brings them over. Smiling, he nods toward the bar. “Take a seat. I want you to try these.”
I sit down and clasp my hands on the bar. “So, you want me to drink and give you my opinion?”
“Yep.” He uncorks both bottles and pours some in our glasses. “You tried my Pinot Noir the other night, but now I want you to try some of my whites.”
His Pinot Noir was heavenly. I have no doubt these others will be the same. Sadly, I know he genuinely wants my honest opinion which means I can’t lie.
Smirking, Chase slides one of the glasses over to me. Keeping my eyes on him, I lift the glass to my lips. “What the hell are you grinning at?”
Shrugging, he pierces me with his bright blue gaze. “Oh, nothing really. Although I can’t help but think that someone who’s against lowlife, gray wolves would be jealous of them.”
“Please,” I scoff, taking a sip of his Sauvignon Blanc, “I’m a royal. I don’t have a reason to be jealous of anyone.”
Chase stares down at my lips for a few seconds before meeting my eyes. “Maybe not, but I’m just telling you what I felt. I’m starting to think you have a soft spot for me.”
I shake my head. “You couldn’t be further from the truth.”
He leans over on his elbows. “Suit yourself. You don’t know what you’re missing.”
It’s my turn to grin smugly at him. I down the entire glass of wine and slide it back to him. “You’re right. I need more wine.”
Chase backs up and pours more into my glass. “You might want to be careful. Wolves can’t get drunk, but you’re under rare circumstances right now.”
It just so happens that’s the plan. The other night when I drank, I felt the effects of the wine; it was nice to feel numb for a while. Taking my full glass, I lift it up. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be just fine.”
14
CHASE
I tried to take it slow with the wine, but Kara wasn’t having any of it. The day passed by quickly. However, getting Kara tipsy did pay off in the end. She laughed a lot more, and her body relaxed. I could tell in the way her head swayed from side to side as she concentrated on the wines. The sound of her laughter made me smile every time. Out of all the years I’ve known her, I’ve never heard a true laugh come from her lips.
“Tell me again,” I say, looking into her half-lidded gaze. “What did you think of the Chardonnay?”
She tried both my Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, saying the Chardonnay was her favorite. I don’t think she would’ve been so open if she weren’t drunk. Either way, I’ll take her opinion to heart.
Kara finishes the last drop in her glass and stares into it as if she’s looking for more. “Very tasty,” she says, giggling.
Holding back my smile, I watch her, loving every minute of it. If only I had it on video.
Her gaze narrows, and she huffs halfheartedly with her head tilted to the side. “Wait, why are you asking again? I already told you.”
I shrug. “I kind of want to hear it again. I remember you saying something about it not being sweet, but you can taste the pineapple notes.” Her eyes widen, and I wave for her to continue.
“That’s right,” she agrees, her words slightly slurred. “And it’s buttery with hints of vanilla and spice.”
“Exactly. But overall, you like it.”
A moan escapes her lips, and she closes her eyes. “Love it.”
No one will ever believe I got her to admit that. Hell, she’ll deny it tomorrow. Kara crosses her arms on the bar and lays her head down. “I think you need some food,” I joke. “Something to soak up all that alcohol.”
Kara mumbles, but I have no clue what she said. A few seconds later, her breathing deepens, and she’s passed out cold.
The main door opens, and Ayla walks in, carrying a stack of notebooks to the back hallway. She looks over and freezes, her eyes stretched wide when she sees us. “Oh, hey. I saw your car, but I didn’t know you’d be in here.” Ayla moves closer. “Is she okay?” she asks, nodding down at Kara.
I hold up the empty wine bottles. “I think she drank too much. Do you mind putting a dinner order in next door for me, please?”
Ayla shifts the notebooks in her arms. “Sure. What do ya want?”
I choose something easy, so I request two Timberwolf burgers with steak fries. Ayla hurries off to the back to drop off the notebooks and then disappears into the restaurant. More people pull into the parking lot, hoping to get their mid-week meal. You would think on Wednesdays it wouldn’t be crowded, but the bistro always is.
While Kara’s asleep, I wipe up the bar and take our dirty glasses to the kitchen to be cleaned. A few minutes later, Ayla strolls in with our food, all packaged up neatly. She sets our food on the bar and cautiously stares at Kara.
“Are you sure she’s okay? What if she gets alcohol poisoning?”
“She won’t.” I laugh. “Powers gone or not, I think she’ll be okay.” It doesn’t look like she’s getting up anytime soon, so I pick her up in my arms, and she lays her head on my chest. “Do you mind carrying the food to my car so I can put her in?” I say to Ayla.
Ayla nods and grabs the containers. “Of course. I’ll get the door for you.” She takes the lead and opens the door.
Several people in the parking lot stare as I carefully put Kara into my car. When I get in, Ayla hands me the food.
“Why do I feel strange seeing you two together like this?”
I shrug. “It’s just business, Ayla. I wanted her advice on some things, and I got it.”
Her brows furrow. “Okay. Just be careful. She makes me nervous.”
“You don’t have to worry about me. I know what I’m doing.” Do I really? Fuck no.
Ayla steps away from my car. “I’ll see you tonight with everyone else.”
“Sounds good.”
She disappears into the restaurant, and I drive down the road to my house. When I pull my car into the garage, Kara wakes up and looks around, confused. “What the …”
“You passed out,” I say to her. “I got you some food, though. You need to eat something.”
Kara clutches her stomach. “I can’t argue with you there.”
She fiddles with the handle, and I hold back a laugh. “Do you need help?”
“Nope. I got it.” She gets the door open and stumbles out. Luckily, she makes it into the house without falling on her ass.
I carry our food into the living room and turn on the gas logs in the fireplace.