received were almost accusatory. “I’m not that hungry.”
My bitch of a stomach chose that moment to growl and betray me.
Owen raised an eyebrow. “I’ll have what she recommended.”
Kingston called in the order, which included three helpings of soup dumplings, plus my salad. Either I did a fantastic job upselling the food, or he was assuming and ordering for me. I wasn’t going to make a fuss out of it. If one of them was going to eat it, fine. If they tried to give it to me, that was their mistake.
We worked until the food came, then set up a space away from the work area, with three stools pulled up to an island.
Sure enough, Kingston slid me a bowl of pork dumplings, along with my salad.
I pushed the extra food back. “This isn’t what I ordered.”
“But it’s what you wanted,” Owen said.
He was right, but I didn’t appreciate the assumption. Just like that, a morning of peace evaporated, and my irritation was back. Half at them, for going against my wishes, and half at myself for being too stubborn to take the food.
Chapter Five
Kingston nudged the dumplings back toward me. “If you keep eating rabbit food, you’ll damage those curves.”
I clenched my jaw. Jokes about my weight were at the top of my things I hate list. Go figure. But that wasn’t what he’d done.
He was watching me with a look again—one that set my blood on fire. The food did smell good, but I didn’t like that they’d ordered for me when I told them not to. “I’m good with the salad. Now you have leftovers for later.”
“No fridges in our hotel rooms,” Owen said. “The food stays with you unless you want it to go to waste.”
They were backing me into a corner, the way they kept trying to do with buy-out negotiations. And I wasn’t making a big deal out of this. I moved the box to sit outside my arm. I’d have Violet take it home or something. “Fine.”
I plucked cucumber slice from my salad and nibbled it far longer than I needed to. The dumplings looked good and smelled better. Why did they have to force my hand?
Kingston wielded his chopsticks with ease as he took a bite of food. His groan was a low, throaty rumble that sent pleasant shivers racing over me.
Own was using a spoon, and his moan was just as tempting. “You’re right. This is incredible.”
Jerks. They were doing that on purpose.
“I know you’re not hungry”—Kingston sectioned off another bit on chopsticks—“but you have room for one bite.” He held the food out.
I could eat that and be delicate, and then we could drop the entire conversation. I leaned in and took the food offering. As I licked my lips, I earned another groan. I was going to bake under the intense heat of Kingston’s gaze.
I must have been bright red as I turned back to my salad. It didn’t look as appetizing now that I had the other flavors on my tongue, but this was about pride and proving a point.
“Would you like another bite?” Owen teased his fork near me.
This was just mean. “I’m fine.”
“You look a bit put out.”
“But you still look fine,” Kingston said. “I’ll agree with that.”
The flirting was going to get old. It hadn’t yet, but I was sure it would. “I’m not that girl.”
“What girl?” Owen put his spoon down.
“The one who says she doesn’t want anything, and then eats half her—” I couldn’t say date or boyfriend “—dining companion’s food. Besides, I have my own, which was thoughtful, if not presumptuous, of you.”
“Fuck, you’re stubborn.” Kingston sounded amused.
“Says the man who refuses to take no for an answer.”
“If you want the food, eat the food. It’s not like you care what we think,” Owen said.
“And you’re infuriatingly logical.”
Kingston laughed. “Isn’t he, though? That’s why he lets me do the negotiating. People want to come to the bargaining table with their hearts, not their minds, regardless of what they say. You, for instance, are looking at our offer mostly based on your heart.”
“I told you this was my passion. You don’t need a psychology degree to figure out I’m not turning you away because of the money.” I didn’t care for being analyzed, even if I was doing the same to them. But Owen had a point, too. If I didn’t care what they thought of me, why was I hesitating to eat? And now I’d done the one thing I didn’t want