Everyone was too busy sizing each other up. Mike was the first to break the ice.
“Glad you could make it,” he said.
“Of course,” Kris beamed, her smile slightly plastic. “How was the balloon ride?”
“Hot,” Sydney said, snuggling into Mike. Rori waited for him to pull away, but he went with the move, draping his arm around his date.
“Luke almost took us to Oz,” Mike added.
Caleb snorted out a laugh as he pulled out a chair for Kris. “I’ll bet.”
When Luke didn’t stand to pull out a chair for Rori she sat herself, surprised when Luke’s hand slid into hers. That was a first.
“Sorry you two couldn’t join us,” Luke said to Caleb, almost sounding sincere.
Caleb shrugged, pulling out his own chair. “You know. Some of us work, and all.”
“Sure,” Luke said, glancing down at his menu. “We certainly wouldn’t want a Sunday to go by without you suing someone.”
“Just practicing for the day I get to sue you,” Caleb said, making sure his arm brushed up against Kris’s as he sat.
“Play nice, you two,” Mike said. Then he flinched, his eyes glazing slightly and going unfocused. Rori glanced at the angle of Sydney’s arm to his lap and took a guess at what was going on. It didn’t take much imagination.
Honestly, could the woman have less class?
No one else noticed, though. They were too busy having an old Western stare down.
“I haven’t been here in ages,” Kris said, her voice overly chipper. “What do you suggest, Caleb?”
“I think you’d like the sesame-crusted ahi tuna. That, or the rosemary chicken.”
The table again fell silent, which everyone took in stride except for Mike. He was visibly tense as his hands disappeared beneath the table to join Sydney’s.
Just ignore them, Rori coached herself even as her jaw tensed and a bitter taste filled her mouth. The same taste that had been in her mouth the entire, stupid balloon ride as she was given a peek as to what kind of lover Mike Cannon would be. Gentle, but assertive. And damn if Sydney’s reaction on a few occasions hadn’t made it clear that the man could kiss. Even on the outside looking in, Rori had wanted his mouth on hers. His taste. His touch. Instead she’d gotten tame kisses that tasted ever-so-slightly of Twizzlers.
Kissing Luke may have been the cheap thing to do, but it had also been necessary. She needed to know if she could redirect her need for one man onto another. And while Luke was a surprisingly good kisser, kissing him felt like the role play it was. Her body hadn’t been fooled. It had known that what it wanted was just a step away. It was like being handed a jelly bean when you were craving chocolate.
Not the same.
Rori fought the urge not to scowl across the table. That sly hand sliding under the table should be hers, not Sydney’s. Not that Rori had ever done anything so uncouth in public, but still, it said a lot to her state of mind that she wanted to.
And still, no one was talking.
“Is it wrong that I just want dessert?” Sydney asked.
Mike glanced at Rori then, but immediately returned his focus to the menu when Rori looked back.
“Not at all,” Caleb said, sending Sydney a look.
Sydney smiled up at Mike. “The upside-down cobbler sounds tempting. Or maybe the sample plate? A little bit of everything before we choose a favorite?”
“I, uh, yeah,” Mike replied, eyes still unfocused. Kris cast a curious look to her brother that he totally missed.
“I could handle a sample plate,” Caleb chimed in, earning a covert look from Sydney. He sent her a smile even as he said, “But Kris really doesn’t go for dessert.”
Sydney raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? No dessert?”
“Sometimes,” Kris said with a shrug. “On special occasions.”
Poor girl, Rori thought. Kris didn’t seem aware that Caleb and Sydney were both talking in flirt code.
“I need to wash my hands,” Mike said, standing suddenly. “Be right back.”
Neither Luke or Caleb seemed to care, but Kris watched her brother retreat with a hint of concern before casting a suspicious glance at Sydney.
“My hands could use a wash as well,” Sydney said, standing with a little more decorum and walking away with no further explanation. Caleb watched her go, licking lips as he tracked the sway of her hips. Rori glanced at Kris to see if she’d noticed and found Kris sharing an unreadable look with Luke.
“They wouldn’t,” Luke muttered, as if it made total sense. Then, at the