Have I mentioned I don’t like being ordered around? “Don’t worry,” I tell him, winking Tess’s way. “I know how to turn up the heat.”
Her eyes are too busy widening to catch Declan slip away and out of the restaurant with this evening’s lay leaning hard against him. I angle my body around, making sure he reaches his car and drives off with his watch tailing him before turning back to Tess.
The waiter who seated us rushes forward, ready to bus our table.
My attention skims to Tess’s plate. It’s still half-filled with food. I hold out a hand, stopping the waiter from taking it away. “The lady’s still eating, buddy.”
“Oh, sorry.”
Tess stares from her plate to Declan’s empty one. “It’s all right. I probably had enough.”
“What are you talking about? You barely ate and you skipped lunch.”
She pushes her hair behind her ear, her attention returning to her food. “We were busy. It was hard to get out.”
I frown. “Which is more reason to eat now. You have to make up for what you didn’t get earlier.”
She glances up. “Are you going to eat?”
I ate quite a bit, but Tess isn’t going to eat alone. This much I know. “Yeah. I’ll probably order another few rolls.” I laugh to lighten the mood when she seems torn. “Come on. You don’t want me to eat by myself, do you?”
She swallows a little, her eyes traveling back to her plate. “No. I’ll stay with you.”
I point to her food. “Give us another two rolls of whatever she’s having, will ya?” I tell the waiter. He’s been quietly observing and probably rethinking his career choice.
“Right away, sir,” he mumbles.
Tess lifts her chopsticks and cautiously places a small piece of sushi in her mouth. She seems hungry, really hungry. Yet it’s like she’s forcing herself to eat slowly, just like she’s eaten since the food arrived. At first, I thought it was for show, trying to demonstrate all that cotillion crap she’d likely been forced to learn. I didn’t give it much thought, figuring she was trying to impress Declan with her manners. Now, I’m not so sure.
She picks up another piece and eats it carefully, her thick lashes lowering as if savoring every bite. It bugs me. Something’s definitely going on with her. “Did you always want to be a lawyer?” I ask, before I ask something I shouldn’t.
She finishes chewing and takes a sip of her water. “No. Actually, I wanted to be a ballerina.”
I bark out a laugh, quieting when I catch sight of her reddening face. “Oh, you’re serious.”
“I was actually quite good when I was younger. But not good enough for what it takes to become a professional,” she says, carefully wiping her mouth. “So I was encouraged to choose a more practical career.”
“By your father?” Her sudden stillness makes it clear I hit a nerve. Shit.
“Yes,” she admits quietly. She lifts another piece of food. “What about you? Did you always want to be a police officer?”
“Either that or a stripper, but stripping doesn’t offer dental.”
She chokes on her food when she starts laughing, but manages to cover her mouth with her napkin. I chuckle when she lowers her napkin and meets me with a wide grin. “There’s that smile I’ve missed.”
Her humor fades, but not that sparkle in her eyes. “You missed my smile?”
The real one you’re giving me now rather than the one just to shut me up? Yeah, I had, but I don’t exactly say it that way. “It looks good on you,” I admit.
The waiter returns then, dropping a large rectangular plate full of colorful sushi. “You gonna help me eat this?” I ask Tess.
She nods, but then cautiously reaches for another small piece. “Tell me something about yourself,” she says.
“Like what?”
“Like anything.” The corners of her mouth lift. “For all the time we’ve spent together lately, I don’t feel like I know you.”
“I’m pretty damn boring. Good-looking, smart, funny, and with butt cheeks capable of rubbing two sticks together and starting a fire, but boring all the same.”