“I’m glad you came.” He battled his desire to touch and claim her, attempting to be cautious when he really wanted to push things forward to a solid relationship as soon as possible.
“You didn’t give me a lot of choice.”
She was nervous, he could see that, but those sidelong glances she gave him proved one thing—this was an exercise in resistance for them both, and it was hard, because the simmering erotic tension between them was as evident as ever. It was his job to keep the situation on the middle ground, for the time being at least. He wanted her to relax. “I hope I wasn’t too demanding.”
She arched her eyebrows at him.
He shrugged. “I’m trying to be straight with you.”
“You can stop giving me the sexy eyes. I didn’t come here to flirt with you, as hard as that may be for you to accept.”
Sexy eyes? “I was just looking.” It was the truth, but there was a spark he couldn’t ignore. “You could have arrived wearing a nun’s habit and I would still admire you. That’s never going to change.”
Her gaze dropped. “Well, don’t expect me to do more than exchange pleasantries.” She rearranged her cutlery as she spoke,
shifting it from side to side before returning it to its place. “I came here for one thing, the information you said you had about the investigation into my mother’s death.”
The waiter approached. Rex accepted the menu and encouraged her to look at hers.
“Given the difficult nature of this meeting,” she said after a few moments faking interest, “my appetite is nonexistent.”
“In that case, I’ll order you something light.” He shut the menu and gestured at the waiter, encouraging him to step forward. “I’ll take a steak, rare, with the usual sides, and for the lady—” he glanced over at her “—a Greek salad, heavy on the olives, light on the feta.”
Her eyes widened.
Rex restrained a smile. It always surprised her when he remembered details about her and what she liked. That’s why he couldn’t resist doing it.
“Thank you, sir. Anything from the bar?”
“Your best medium white wine for the lady—make sure it’s well chilled, with a sparkling mineral water on the side. And I’ll have a Scotch on the rocks.”
When the waiter retreated, Carmen observed him warily.
“Why so mistrustful, Carmen? We know each other well now, do we not?”
“You need to ask? You lied to me and kept me in the dark. I can’t trust a man who keeps secrets.”
“Okay. Maybe it was the wrong way to handle it, but I was trying to protect you. It’s too late to alter that now. No more secrets.” Even as he said it he was certain that Carmen wouldn’t approve of him meeting Olivia, but he wanted to present a result, not narrate his frustration. Before he’d thought of a way around it, she spoke.
“So, you really think a restraining order is necessary with Jason?”
He rested back in his chair. “Probably not, but I can’t be sure. He approached me after the hearing. He was in a state. He does seem to be aware that his life has been completely derailed by his mother’s actions.”
She nodded. “I found it hard to believe. I mean, I don’t know him well, but I talked to him a few times when we were up there.”
He could tell that she instantly regretted referring to their time at the manor, albeit inadvertently. To keep things neutral, he told her about the hearing, and then brought the subject around to her mother’s car crash and the renewed investigation.
“I wonder if they’ll find out what happened,” she said, and she was deep in thought. When the waiter brought the drinks, she immediately reached for her wine. “If the truth is that she made an error in judgment, so be it. At least I’ll finally know.”
It was so important to her. “Oh, there’s more to it. I’m sure you were right.”
She stared at him for the longest moment, and it was a combination of relief and hope that he saw.
“There was a witness, did you know that?”
“Yes. I don’t recall her name, but she was walking nearby and heard the crash. She was at the scene within moments and called the police.”
“The police records show that she said there wasn’t anyone else around. No other vehicles or pedestrians. The road conditions were a bit misty when she got there.”