Her eyes flared, half from her anger and half from her humiliation. I wanted to look away, yet I didn’t.
“Sorry,” she said through gritted teeth. I wasn’t sure who she was saying it to, Nikolay or me considering her eyes were trained on him. She stood up so suddenly, that her chair almost flew back. I flinched from the loud screeching noise it made just before she walked out of the room.
I placed my hand back on Nikolay’s thigh when it looked like he was going to go after her, and I shook my head when he looked at me, begging with my eyes that he wouldn’t cause more of a scene, or do anything that might mess with his friendship with Gabriel.
His upper lips pulled back in a vicious sneer, but I knew from the way his hand found mine that I’d won.
Gabriel watched our interaction with a curious look in his eyes.
I looked back down at my plate.
A movement to my left caught my attention, and I turned toward it, my heart racing at the sight of the big man standing in the doorway.
He was as silent as always, but there was something different about him.
His blue eyes met mine from across the room, with a shadow in them that I wasn’t sure I had ever seen before.
Everyone looked at him.
There was tension in the air, so thick I could have cut through it with my arm.
He didn’t pay attention to anyone but me.
Those eyes had been focused on me since the day he’d taken me, and I didn’t realize how badly I missed him until now, yet I didn’t know how to go to him.
I didn’t know if I would be welcome.
I looked back down at my plate when it seemed he wasn’t going to say anything to me, trying to prevent the hurt from showing in my eyes.
Fuck, this was hard.
A sign came out of Mikhail. There was no other noise in the room, and I could feel everyone’s eyes on me.
I tensed when Mikhail walked further into the room. His shadow fell over me. I pulled back slightly, and he said something under his breath that sounded like “fuck” before he pulled my chair back.
My eyes jumped to his in surprise, but before I could really say or do anything else, he plucked me from my seat, sitting down on the chair with me on his lap.
I tensed and looked around, my cheeks heating.
Nikolay shook his head and rolled his eyes. Damien didn’t really show a reaction, though the corners of his lips pulled into what seemed to be the smallest smile I’d ever seen on him.
Gabriel chuckled. “Well, all right, then.” He signaled to the waitstaff to get another place setting.
I turned my attention to Mikhail, only to find his eyes focused intently on me.
He looked haunted.
I tilted my head to the side questioningly, but he ignored me and instead pulled my plate closer to us. He proceeded to cut the chicken into small bite-size pieces, along with the vegetables, before he speared the chicken with the fork and brought it to my mouth.
When I didn’t do anything, he let out a low grunt and moved the fork a little.
I opened my mouth, and he fed it to me.
This continued for the rest of dinner, even when Mikhail’s food was brought out. He ignored it and instead focused on feeding me as if I was incapable of doing it myself. I shifted a little, feeling self–conscious, even when Damien and Nikolay started talking with Gabriel about something regarding … shipment?
I didn’t know, and though I tried to pay attention, Mikhail pulled my focus away when he again tapped my lips with the chicken on the fork, wanting me to open my mouth.
I shot him a disgruntled look and turned my head to the side. He frowned.