Territory - Prequel (17 page)

“If you get up from this table, I’m going to grab you.”  He took another bite of bread, “We both know what’ll happen if I touch you.”

The maitre’d arrived, “Yes ma’am?”

Chloe tore her
angry
eyes from Dell to stare up at the maitr
e’d apologetically, “I’m sorry, can…umm…” she turned to eye the table, “can I get more wine
please
?”

The maitre’d eyed her still full glass then stared at her as if she were an imbecile.  “Right away ma’am.”

Dell was grinning broadly between bites of his bread as Chloe lifted the wine glass to her lips and quickly drank, trying to make room for her requested re-fill.
  She was nearly finished when the unmistakable clamor of several sets of heels
had her turning. 

Three stunning blonde beauties strode in.  Each wore a vibrant shade, louder then the
next
and all wore skirts so short that Chloe wondered if they weren’t in some form of thigh flashing competition. 

All three appeared to lock eyes on Dell at the same time, and the woman in front stopped dead in her tracks then turned her head to state none to quietly, “Oh my God!  I’d have come sooner if I’d have known Adonis was actually going to be here.”

The three women erupted into shrill laughter even as Chloe rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Dell.  She was surprised to find him eyeing her and not the trio of
sirens that were so obviously interested in him.

When the maitre’d returned,
Chloe had
succeeded in downing
her glass of wine
, which had the maitre’d’s brows
rising
.  Quietly, he refilled her wine glass then asked if Dell wanted another drink. 

Mortification seared her cheeks when Dell responded, “No thanks.  One of us has to be able to drive.”

Her flush only intensified when the maitre’d responded, “Excellent choice sir.”

“Great,” she barked in a whisper when the maitre’d left, “now I look like a lush!”

Dell simply shrugged one shoulder carelessly, “You shouldn’t worry yourself over how you’re perceived.”

She
bristled as the three women who’d been admiring Dell selected the table directly next to theirs.  Chloe
pinned
Dell
with a hard gaze as she crossed her arms over her chest
, trying to ignore his admirers at the next table.
“Easy for you to say.  We don’t all have a family compound where we can run and hide from the rest of the world.”

A challenging glint lit his eyes, “Is that what you think we’re doing?  Hiding?  Seeking protection from society?”

Chloe simply pursed her lips in response, lifting her brows mockingly in silent confirmation.

“Has it ever occurred to you that perhaps it’s for
society’s
safety and not our own that we reside in the mountains?”

Uncrossing her arms she eyed the tables around them.  Most were vacant, but an elderly coupled occupied a booth in the corner, too far to hear their conversation.

“Is that true?”

Dell shrugged again, finishing the last of the bread.  “It’s probably best for all parties.”

Chloe turned slightly to eye the other table, “Perhaps we shouldn’t discuss this here.”

Dell kept his eyes on her.  “They’re too concerned with themselves to bother listening to our conversation.”

She chewed on her bottom lip a moment. 
“
Is your family dangerous?”

“Not any more dangerous than yours.  But we are different, and people tend to fear that which they don’t understand.
”

“Well
can
you blame them?
”  She pulled up her purse and began unzipping it, “
You’re people apparently posses the power to incapacitate
us with a mere touch.”

“No, just you.”

Chloe stilled.  “Why just me?”  She watched as Dell’s eyes transitioned from a warm amber
to nearly black. 

“It affects me as well you know?”

“No, I don’t know.  What affects you?”

“When mates find one another, it is painful for them to touch one another until there is a claiming.”

Claiming?
  She didn’t even want to ask.  “It doesn’t necessarily hurt w
hen you touch me.  It’s more of
a draining really.  It’s like you take all my energy or something.”

“Well it’s painful for me.”

Chloe dropped her eyes back to her purse, “Then stop doing it!”

Dell laughed then, drawing Chloe’s eyes back up to his.  His laugh was so genuine, that Chloe too had to smile at her own chastisement. 

“You should do that more often.”

“What?” she asked, “Admonish you?”

He shook his head slightly, “No, smile.”

The curve left her lips then on a sigh as she stated under her breath, “Would I had more reason to.”

“I can give you reason to.”

She stared at him, and for the briefest moment she actually considered
what it would be like to be his
; t
o live at the Blackbird compound, to be
a member of his
family.  Long moments went by with her simply staring at him, and he seemed content to simply let her.

Mom would be so…
she’d been about to think how relieved her mother would be if she knew her daughter had finally found a
good man
, but then she remembered exactly who it was she was dealing with. 
Relieved!
She snorted condescendingly. 
M
om would die if I betrayed the family in such a manner.

The dark haired waitress arrived with
two plates and Chloe was more than a little relieved to discover that the day’s special was lamb steak with Greek potatoes.  While she enjoyed Greek food, some of it was too rich for her
simple
palate. 

They ate in silence a few moments before Dell asked around a bite of potato, “Do you come here often?”

She took a sip of wine, “No.  I came
here on a date
last month.  I liked it and thought I’d give it a second try.”

Dell who’d been chewing quite aggressively stopped.  “Date?”

Frowning up at him from dropped lashes, Chloe took a small bit of lamb.  “Yes.  A date.  I do date.”

Dell began chewing again, “Anything serious?”

“No, not yet.”  Chloe watched his throat convulse as he took a healthy drink from his glass of beer.

He set the glass down a little too loudly, “That sounds hideously optimistic.”

Her brows hiked, “Hideously optimistic?”  She coul
dn’t control the laughter that
bubbled forth, “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It just means that you should be
cautious.  You have no idea what kind of lunatics and psychopaths
are running around out there.  It’s dangerous.”

She lifted her elbows to the table and
laced her fingers under her chin to eye him accusingly, “Oh, I think I have some idea.”

He frowned at her, “I’m serious!”

She dropped her hands and took up her fork
before whispering
, “So am I.”

The remainder of the meal was eaten in silence.  Well, relative silence.  The cacophony of giggles from the adjoining table only grew louder and more obnoxious with every bottle of wine the trio of bimbos downed.

The waitress returned to check on Chloe and De
ll and to remove their plates, then left only to return
moments later with the bill.
Chloe reached for it,
but
Dell pulled it from between her fingers.

“You are not paying for my dinner. 
This
was not a date.”
She yanked a crimson wallet out of her matching purse and dropped
thirty dollars
on the table.

Dell chuckled, placing another t
hirty
on top of hers, “I’ll let you pay for yourself
, t
his
time.”

“
This
is the only time there’ll ever be.  I’m done playing these games with you.”  Her tirade was interrupted as a chorus of giggles once again broke out from the trio of women
at the table beside them
. 
“Look, it’s obvious that you c
an
have your choice of women.  Take
one of
them
home
.”  She motioned with her chin toward the trio of female admirers.

Dell didn’t take his eyes from her.  “
None of them is
my mate.”

“Neither am I,” she countered.

One corner of his mouth lifted in a wry smile.  “That remains to be seen.”

Chloe crumpled her napkin and placed it on her plate.  “Fine!  What d
o I have to do to disprove
this so-called mating?”

Dell leaned in, watching her intently.  “Are you attracted to me Chloe?”

“No!”

He smiled, “I thought I told you that I can smell deceit.  And as sweet as yours smells it’s disappointing all the same.”
  He tucked the cash into the bill wallet and asked, “Your bags in your car?  I’ll follow you to the compound.”

“Look, there isn’t anything that’ll be proved by me coming out and staying at your home.  Whatever it is you think you need to know you need to find out now.”  She glanced at her watch, “It’s getting late, and I’ve had a long day at the office.”

He straightened in his chair, “I’m afraid that what I need to learn cannot be gleaned in a mere fifteen minute discussion.”

Chloe stood, sending the maitre’d rushing for her coat.  “Well then, I guess you’ll have to live with the disappointment.  Good night.”  Her heels clicked on the earthen tile as she strode toward the door, not even stopping when the maitre’d held out her coat.  She
simply snatched the article out of his grasp as she passed.  In the parking lot she
was halfway to her car when
footsteps behind her had her looking over her shoulder.  Dell was
a mere
few feet behind her.

“If you try to stop me, I swear I’ll scream.” 

His chuckled response had her quickening her step.
  “Chloe, I asked you not to force my hand.”  Luckily for him, she still held her jacket in her hand, leaving her arms exposed.  When he reached out and grabbed her by the upper arms she spun quickly.

She’d had every intention of screaming bloody murder, but didn’t get the chance. 
When she turned, her body melted and the last thing she felt was Dell sweeping her feet off the ground before the world dimmed.

Chapter
15

“
WHERE IN THE HELL IS MY CAR
!” 

A loud crash sounded over
head and Briggs smiled at his older brother. 
“
Sounds like your mate is awake.
”

Dell winced, dropping the pen he held onto the pile of paperwork on his desk as he slowly stood, eyeing the ceiling over their heads.  “Any suggestions?”

Briggs grinned broadly, “
You could always knock her out again.”

Dell frowned darkly at his brother before heading for the door.  “Wish me luck.” 

He took the stairs two at a time until he came to
the
bedroom door. 
Inside he could still hear
Chloe cursing
loudly
.  Taking a deep breath, he entered the room and ducked just in time as she sent a
drinking
glass
sailing
towards his head.

“I swear to God, if you don’t let me go, I’ll have you arrested for abduction!”

Dell stepped into the room, closing the door behind him.  “You’re being a little dramatic aren’t you?”

“A little…” she scanned the room searching for something else to throw.  Finding
nothing,
she snatched a pillow off the bed and hurled it at him.  “
Do you think jail time is a little dramatic?”

Dell roll
ed his eyes bending to pick up
a piece of glass.

Chloe crossed her arms over her chest and scowled down at him even as a knock sounded at the door.

“It’s open.” Dell called still picking up pieces of glass.

A small fair skinned woman with shoulder length brown hair stepped into the room carrying a broom and dust pan. 
The woman was so small that Chloe first thought it was a child until she took a closer look at her sprite like features.

Wordlessly, the slight woman began sweeping up broken glass as Dell stood motioning toward her.  “Chloe this is Stevie
.  She’s ma
ted
to my cousin Pony.”