Reno slid his hand up and tucked his fingers between my inner thighs. I quietly gasped and began tugging the ends of my hair, noticing my bangs were longer than the length of my nose. It was time for a trim.
My frantic attempt at distracting myself was in vain. All I could think about was the private touch of Reno’s hand beneath the table. His body leaned against mine in such a way that no one could see what he was doing. It felt as if he were privately claiming me in front of his pack.
Lynn didn’t relent from probing further and exposing my dating situation in front of everyone. “Do you know your way around the kitchen? I taught my girls well and Lexi will make a good wife someday if the right man ever asks for her hand,” she said with a pointed look. Apparently the woman didn’t consider mating to be an official union. “Learn how to cook, April. You can still have it all with a family and career, but a man wants a woman who knows her way around the kitchen—one who can take care of him.”
“True that,” Denver agreed.
“That’s because you’re a lazy bastard,” Wheeler grumbled at him.
“At least I’m an employed bastard,” he retorted, leaning forward with a look that dared Wheeler to keep riding him.
Austin cleared his throat and they backed off the topic.
“Some men like independent women,” Reno said, giving my leg a light squeeze. “A good woman who raises a family and keeps order in the pack is admirable, but a woman doesn’t need to cook a meal to prove her worth any more than a man needs to kill a spider.”
Lexi raised her eyebrows and sipped her wine. “I wouldn’t go that far. I’m not touching those creepy-crawlies, so you boys better man up.”
“I do a little cooking,” I admitted. “I have my signature dishes.” A smile crossed my face when I thought about my famous tuna casserole that always made Trevor gag, but everyone gobbled it up at parties.
“What dish is that?” Wheeler asked. “Money cake?”
Reno’s hand vanished from my leg and he slammed his fist on the table in front of Wheeler, causing a few forks to bounce up.
“I don’t like the way you’ve been eyeballing her tonight,” he ground out through his clenched teeth. “I expect someone like Ben to leer because she’s a pretty girl and he’s an asshole. But the way you’re looking at her isn’t the same,” he said, pointing a heavy finger. “You got something to say?”
I touched Reno’s arm, not wanting to start any family drama. “Don’t worry about it. We’ve all had a lot of wine. Let’s not fight.”
His arm didn’t move from pointing at Wheeler, who leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. “April stole five thousand dollars from Sweet Treats by transferring funds into her personal account.”
A veil of silence fell over the room and all eyes settled on me.
“I put it back!”
A smile ghosted Wheeler’s lips. “And boom goes the dynamite.”
I sucked in a sharp breath, realizing my admission. I shouldn’t have had the second glass of wine.
“You stole from me?” Lexi said in an angry voice, blinking with wide eyes. “Is that true?”
When Reno leaned away, I teared up. “I put it all back, Lexi. I swear. Every cent of it.”
She shook her head slowly, rising to her feet. “I can’t believe you did this. You stole from me! I thought I could rely on you, April. Here we are, inviting you over to dinner, and we’re entrusting you with an even bigger secret. Why would you do something like that?”
My forehead ached from frowning and I refused to give her what she wanted: answers.
Austin’s chair scraped back as he stood up and dropped his arms to his sides. A dizzying wave swept over me as her eyes glittered with betrayal and anger.
I lowered my head. “I’m so sorry. I never meant for you to find out.”
“So you were going to steal my money and cover it up? That’s even worse! You’re not even going to tell me why?” She covered her eyes with her hands. “Oh, my God. I can’t believe this. I gave you all those financial documents and files. You have full access to the account. If Wheeler hadn’t have told us, then what?”
“Let her explain,” Reno said.
But I couldn’t. They were all staring at me expectantly and I knew I couldn’t provide a reason that would excuse my behavior—not in their eyes. At this point, nothing I could give them would justify my actions. Their whole lives as a pack revolved around trust, and I had broken it.
Wheeler shook his head and threw his napkin on the table as he stood up. “Can’t trust anyone around money.”
Chapter 16
When I grabbed my keys and fled toward my loaner vehicle, Reno came after me and hauled me by the waist to his truck. He said I’d had too much wine and he’d drive me home.
I was mortified. What had started out as a lovely evening had ended up as one of the worst moments of my life. What had made me think I could cover up my crime and everything would be okay? Even if they hadn’t found out, the guilt of that secret would have eaten away at my conscience.