Chapter Seven

Adrian's dimple makes an appearance again as he mirrors my movements to pick up his fork, seemingly pleased with my reaction. His coffee cup is now empty, but he had the decency to wait for my return before digging into the late lunch.

"Do you like it?" He asks, cutting a large piece of his own meal and stuffing it into his mouth. Even with the heavenly scent of the food, each of his movements creates a waft of the spearmint concoction. Can he seriously not smell it? It's so strong that it overpowers everything else.

"Yes," I say before going in for another mouthful. The peppery sauce that is drizzled delicately over the fish is the perfect amount needed to enhance the flavor without overpowering it. Whoever the chef is here, they know what they're doing. I can always appreciate good food, regardless of how the establishment looks on the outside and the staff behave, within reason. The vegetables on the side also compliment the main dish very well, offering crisp freshness to it with excellent seasoning.

Adrian doesn't say anything else for a few minutes, allowing me some time to enjoy my food before starting up a conversation again. He keeps looking at me with each bite he takes, but each time I attempt to hold his gaze, he diverts his eyes to the trio over my shoulder. The food is so good that I can almost forget about what just happened, but Adrian's wandering gaze reminds me.

I'm dying to ask him what the hell just happened, but I'm too hungry to care at the moment. Whatever seems to have been transpiring was apparently diffused my Mt. Tremblay, so I take the opportunity to enjoy the food before we have to jump back into defense mode.

By the time we finish our meal, Heather walks past us with a tray full of food towards the other table. I resist the urge to look back at them again, wondering if I might have been a little paranoid about the whole situation after all. I was expecting the intensity of their stares to resume as soon as Mr. Tremblay left, but so far they seem to be minding their business well enough.

Heather pauses to deposit the check on our table before wordlessly taking our empty plates back to the kitchen. I might have been reading too much into it, but the look that she offers me this time is lacking the previous animosity. If I'm not mistaken, she actually seems a little worried, if that's the right word. I decide to shrug it off, since Adrian doesn’t seem to notice her expression, or doesn't care. He knows her better than I do, and maybe he'd said something to her Uncle about her professionalism and gotten her in trouble.

Adrian and I reach for the bill at the same time, but neither of us pulls away immediately. We stare at each other challengingly, waiting to see who's going to give up first. His hand is warm, completely encapsulating mine and sending a shiver down my spine. I didn't notice how long his finger are until now. His touch is making it hard to focus, but I don't back down. Neither does he.

"I can pay for it," I insist, voice a little too loud.

Adrian tilts his head slightly with a smirk. "So can I. Your company is payment enough for me, Lydia."

I narrow my eyes at his comment but slide my hand from beneath his, unable to handle touching him and holding his dark eyes at the same time anymore. "Fine, then. Let's just get back on the road," I say flippantly as if the brief interaction didn't bring my fingers to tap against my purse nervously.

You would think that he won a big prize by the smile on his face, as he fishes his wallet from his pocket and deposits a wad of cash onto the table as I gather my bags and cellphone. I stand up and straighten out the shorts of my jumpsuit and make sure my jacket is secure around my shoulders before I begin for the exit, trying not to make it obvious that I want to leave this place, and its customers, behind us.

Just when I'm thinking the whole interaction was my imagination, Adrian casts a dark look behind me as he comes closer, reaching around me to push my chair in unnecessarily. The motion momentarily corners me in between him and the wall beside us, taking me by surprise. His scent envelops me with proximity, and all I can do is stare up at him, too shocked to push him away. Once he seems to have made his point, Adrian doesn't bring his arm back to his side, but instead, he places it by the small of my back to move me forward gently.

This time, I do spare a glance at the table behind us, curious to see if he made that display to prove something to them. The three men are already staring at us, of course, but quickly glance back to their meals at having been caught. So, I wasn't just imagining things; they are watching us for some reason. I"m sure I can guess, though. I straighten my shoulders as we take purposeful strides towards the door, out of the now toasty venue, and back to the SUV through the cold air. Typically, I'm very insistent about my independence, but if it's because of circumstances like this, I don't mind someone being overprotective of me.

There is a similar-sized SUV parked beside us despite the otherwise empty lot, which I assume belongs to the three men who sat behind us. Why else would they park so close to my side of the vehicle? I've seen this tactic before. I'm grateful that Adrian and I share the same instincts.

Adrian walks me to the passenger side door, holding it open and barring himself between me and the rear passenger door of the other SUV. As soon as Adrian deposits me in the front seat safely, he closes my door and locks it with his keyfob. He rounds the back of our car to the driver's side in a matter of seconds, glaring through the heavily tinted windows at anyone who might be inside of the vehicle beside us, his eyes never leaving them until he gets inside with me. As soon as his door closes, he locks all of the doors immediately behind him again.

The engine purrs to life and my bodyguard puts it into gear, not giving the car any time to warm up before moving. He backs the vehicle out of the lot and heads back down the driveway without a word, seeming in more of a hurry than he was before. Now I know for sure that I wasn't imagining it. And though I don't know him very well, I'm sure Adrian wouldn't be acting so suspicious otherwise.

Seeing my involuntary shiver from the corner of his eye, Adrian leans over to push a button, activating my seat warmer. "You should have considered the weather would be different here," He comments, glancing at me. "It's October, after all."

I'm not shaking from the temperature, but I don't correct him. I can't help but feel like a child being scolded anyway at the mention of my lack of planning and cross my arms over my chest. "I brought a coat, didn't I? Anyway, what the hell was that back there? You said we weren't being followed."

Adrian sighs, glancing at the rearview mirror again as he pulls back onto the interstate. "I didn't want you to worry. They're novices so it's easy to predict their next moves," He says, though I can't help but feel like he's trying to convince me again.

I scoff, turning my head to look out my window. "I've been followed before. People are always interested in kidnapping a rich man's only daughter. I know what signs to look for."

I can feel his attention on me, but he remains quiet for a while as we drive, his foot much heavier on the pedal than before. I'm beginning to think he has no response for me after all, but he swallows thickly after a moment and says, "Oh, right. That's why you're handling it so well."

"Yep," I pull my phone from my pocket and begin scrolling through social media, trying to distract myself. The reality of the situation is beginning to wear off now, and the tremors in my hands start to slow. "Just don't lie to me again and we'll be fine."

There's another long pause where I think he won't answer. I look up from my phone in annoyance, only to see the mixed emotions on his face. After a moment, he sighs, running a hand through his hair. "Okay. We'll be there soon, and we'll have lost them by the time they get back on the road. Try to relax if you can."

I glance at his white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel with scrutiny. Sure, I'll relax.