Claiming the Enemy: Dustin (Porter Brothers Trilogy 3)

Dustin kept giving her quick, amused glances as he drove, waiting for her to break her silence.

Pulling into the restaurant’s parking lot, he turned the car off.

“Okay, I guess we can share the T-bone.”

“Nuh-uh, that wasn’t part of the deal.”

When he didn’t make a move to get out of the car, she looked at him expectantly.

“Just waiting for the rain to slow down,” he said, looking through the rearview mirror as other cars poured into the lot.

“Maybe we should go to the diner. There’s going to be a long wait.”

“I’m not in any hurry. Are you?”

“No, I just don’t want them to sell out of the T-bones. They’re King’s specialty.”

Dustin took his eyes off the mirror to stare at her, considering. “You think he’s good-looking, don’t you?”

“Kind of.”

“Kind of? What kind of an answer is that?”

“I kind of think he’s good-looking. But if it makes you jealous enough not to let me eat at his restaurant, then he’s just okay.”

“You know the only person in town who tells worse jokes than me?”

Her eyes twinkled at him in humor. “Who?”

Dustin snorted. “You get three guesses, and the first two don’t count.”

Seeing the car he was waiting for parking, Dustin got out of the car, getting the umbrella before opening Jessie’s door.

“It’s raining harder now.”

Holding the umbrella over her, he shut the door. “I was hoping the storm would pass through, but I guess it’s not going to.”

He kept his pace slow, letting the group crossing the parking lot get in front of them. Dustin nodded to Charles, his parents, Jackson as well as both his and Miranda’s parents.

Getting in line in the lobby, he and Jessie were behind the group as Dixon Wells told King how many were in his party.

King wrote it down in the book before looking to them politely with a small smile.

“It’ll be a forty-five-minute wait.”

The elder Wells wasn’t happy, shoving his suit jacket’s sleeve up to look at his watch as they moved to the side of the podium to wait to be seated.

When they moved aside, Dustin led Jessie forward.

King’s expression turned welcoming as they approached. Stepping out from behind the podium, he held his hand out to shake Dustin’s.

“Dustin, you should have told me you and Jessie were coming. Give me a minute, and I’ll have a table ready for you.”

Dustin shook his hand. “No problem. We’re not in a hurry.”

“It’s no problem. Just give me a minute.” King took off, motioning for a waitress who was passing by.

They began clearing off a table as the group that entered before them looked flummoxed.

Jessie lifted a wondering gaze to him.

“King is a client of mine,” he explained, raising his voice slightly, so Charles would overhear.

King came back a minute later. “Your table is ready, Dustin.”

They followed him to the table, and then the waitress brought a bottle of wine to them.

“Take good care of them, Iris. The bill is on me.”

Dustin held a chair out for Jessie before sitting down. Shaking the napkin out, he laid it on his lap. “You’re going to regret that, King. Jessie has been bragging about how good the T-bones are.”

King’s gaze switched to Jessie, his hard face cracking into the first real smile since they entered the door. “Miss Hayes can have anything she wants as my guest.”

Jessie blushed red, giving King the smile Dustin had fallen in love with when he was just a little boy. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure. I’m glad you made it home. When Evie goes back to work, we’re planning on enrolling our daughter in your daycare. If you need anything, let me know … either inside the restaurant or out.”

“Thank you, I appreciate it.”

King gave her another smile. “Enjoy your meal.”

Jessie looked at him from across the table. “Wow, I need to get you to bring me here more often.”

Dustin took a sip of the wine, then nodded to the waitress. “King and Drake led two of the search parties that were searching for you.”

Jessie started to get up, but Dustin reached across the table to stop her. “Don’t. The only thing they wanted was to see you safe. Seeing you sitting at one of his tables is thanks enough for him.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m very sure. Now, what do you want to order as an appetizer? I’m starving.” Dustin looked up at the waitress. “We’ll take the combo platter.”

“How do you keep from gaining weight with as much as you eat?” Jessie asked when the waitress left to place their order.

Dustin patted his lean waist. “Just lucky, I guess.”

“I hate you.”

Dustin clucked his tongue at her. “Your jealousy is unbecoming.”

“You think so? If I ate as much as you do, you would throw me to the curb.”

“Peanut, I would never throw you to the curb.”

Her face softened. “I love it when you get romantic.”

“Then you’re going to fall head-over-heels in love with me tonight.”