Chapter Six
W armth swarmed Emily’s chest, crowding her throat, making it difficult to swallow or breathe, and the increased beating of her heart didn’t help. But it did make her lightheaded and a little loopy, because why else was her face heating and mouth smiling as Holden pulled a chair over and sat next to her.
“Hi.” His deep, sexy tone stirred the awareness zinging through her. “How’ve you been?”
She cleared her throat. “Good. You?”
“Worried.” The concern darkening his gaze confirmed it. “Has Perez shown up again?”
“No.” She shook her head, but the movement didn’t clear it.
His eyes narrowed for a beat. “I still think Carter needs to install his goodies around your property.”
She frowned. “Goodies? What goodies?”
“Security cameras,” Hunter replied.
“Oh.” She forced her gaze to the others at the table, noting matching grins on everyone’s faces. She must’ve missed something. Her attention had been otherwise engaged. A definite sign that she needed to get a grip. Emily cleared her throat again. “I plan to get some for my sanctuary. I want eyes on my animals. I have it budgeted in.”
Sinjin’s brow lifted. “Sanctuary?”
Emily went on to explain her new plans, pleased by their favorable reactions and offers to help. She already had a volunteer list started, which rocked, since there was no way she could care for all the animals in her vision. The morning feeding alone would take a good hour. Adding cleaning and mucking and exercising to the chore list would pretty much run right into the nighttime feeding. Without volunteers, there was no way she could manage her ACR and operate a sanctuary.
“I’m positive Carter will be excited to outfit your property with the latest in security and surveillance equipment.” Holden grinned.
The rest of the men agreed, even Gabe.
“That’s terrific,” Isla gushed.
Christa patted her arm. “And exactly what you need.”
“The sooner the better, too,” Lyndsey added.
Reality wrinkled her momentary euphoria. “Too bad my budget doesn’t cover state-of-the-art.”
“It doesn’t have to,” Hunter said.
Sinjin nodded.
Confusion fogged her brain. Emily cocked her head. “Not sure I follow.”
“My fault,” Holden said, regaining her attention. “I should’ve been clearer. There is no charge. Carter will want to do it for free.”
She jerked her head back. “Free? No, I can’t let him do that. I won’t let him do that.” No way. Having priced systems to add it to her budget, Emily was well aware of the expense. “Carter is not going to eat that cost.”
“You’re right, he isn’t,” Holden said. “Consider it a donation from ESI for your sanctuary. You are or will be set up to receive donations, right?”
Her heart did that beat-skipping thing again. “Yeah.”
A state-of-the-art security system would be amazing for keeping wild animals out and her animals in. And for alerting her of potential threats or breakouts when she wasn’t there.
“Then consider that your first donation.” He smiled broadly.
Could she?
Damn…now that it was in her head, in her vision, she really wanted it.
“That’s wonderful,” Lyndsey said. “She’ll take it.”
Everyone laughed.
Gabe slid an arm around his wife’s shoulders and grinned. “Not sure you can accept on her behalf, hon.”
“Sure, I can.” Her friend winked. “I just did.”
Then Lyndsey stuck her tongue out at her, and even Emily laughed.
“Great. Now that’s settled, let’s eat,” Gabe said. “Which one is our server?”
Christa lifted her hand and waved at their waitress. “The pretty blonde over there.”
“Yeah, Colby just moved here from Houston,” Isla said.
Emily felt Holden stiffen where their bodies brushed, then she caught him exchanging a look with Hunter.
What was that about?
That question would have to wait because the waitress approached, and recognition appeared to flash through her gray eyes before a smile spread across her face. “Oh, wow. Hi guys.”
Holden nodded but remained silent.
“Hello. Colby, right?” Hunter asked.
“Yeah.” The woman nodded, standing between the chairs Holden and Gabe occupied. “My aunt broke her leg, so I came down to help her out.” Colby’s attention flicked to Holden, and adoration flooded her gaze. “I was wondering if we’d bump into each other.”
Was the pretty blonde his ex-girlfriend? If so, Emily kind of felt sorry for her at his lack of response. Even if she was an ex, she deserved some show of manners.
Her chest tightened and her respect for the man beside her began to dwindle.
“I bet,” he muttered under his breath, low enough for only Emily to hear.
Something weird was going on, and she planned to stay the hell out of it.
Holden sat back in his chair and finally tipped his head up to look at the woman. “Small world.”
Colby’s smile widened and a flush colored her cheeks.
Oh, wow.
Emily wondered if that was how she looked when heat funneled into her face whenever she locked gazes with the gorgeous man.
“I know, right?” The waitress laughed, then glanced at the other men at the table. “So, what can I get you guys?”
As the conversation shifted to food and the men placed their orders, she noticed Lyndsey flashing her eyes at her.
Great.
Her friend was just chomping at the bit to get the scoop, but Emily wasn’t sure she wanted to know. The last thing she needed was to get mixed up in someone’s baggage.
Been there, done that, and learned it was much better to stick with rescuing animals, not humans. Animals didn’t lie or have secrets.
“Okay, I’ll get these orders right in,” Colby said, setting a hand on Holden’s shoulder.
Talk about taking liberties.
Emily’s sympathy was quickly switching from Colby to Holden and brought with it the return of her respect for the man. She got the impression his lack of response to the woman was actually a huge show of restraint.
He shifted toward Emily, but the woman still didn’t remove her hand from his shoulder.
Holden growled.
Or was that her?
Emily blinked and the sudden urge to swat the woman’s hand away was as shocking as it was strong.
Surely, the woman wasn’t that thick. It was as clear as the frown on his face that he was not interested in her.
“What about you ladies?” Colby’s attention switched to her and her friends. “Do any of you need a refill?”
By the time the woman left with the orders and hustled toward the kitchen, Emily wondered if she’d misread the adoration in her eyes. The last glance the waitress had directed at Holden had just held the same normal friendliness she’d bestowed on everyone else.
Holden shifted back into the middle of his chair and blew out a breath
The loss of his heat was tangible. And it annoyed her that she’d noticed.
“Holy mother of what in the hell just happened?” Lyndsey blurted.
Sinjin shook his head. “She the one from last month Carter was going on about?”
One what, Emily wondered.
Holden nodded. “Yeah.”
“Sure hope she places our orders and not just Holden’s,” Hunter said.
Gabe muttered under his breath, “You seriously think she won’t?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“So, who the hell is she?” Isla asked, then slapped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry. Pardon my French.”
Emily, like everyone else, no doubt, was still too caught up in the Colby saga to even bat an eye at her sweet friend’s sudden potty mouth.
“She’s a waitress from a Houston honky tonk where we had lunch in August,” Hunter replied, scratching his temple.
Christa’s brows shot up. “You mean she isn’t an ex-girlfriend of yours, Holden?”
“No! Hell, no!” he exclaimed, scrubbing a hand over his face. “It’s like Hunter said. I was on a layover in Houston last month and met up with the guys for lunch at a bar near the airport before I headed home to Virginia. I never met her before or since.”
“That’s a strange coincidence,” Isla said, reaching for her drink.
Holden’s grunt echoed Hunter’s.
“No such thing,” Gabe said with a shake of his head.
Emily turned to Holden and cocked her head. “Looks like you might need a restraining order, not me,” she said, then inwardly cringed.
It had sounded funnier in her head.
He turned to her with a flare of frustration in his eyes. “I’m fine. I’m more worried about you.”
His concern was misplaced, but it didn’t stop the warmth from invading her chest.
“Holden.” Her lips twitched. “You don’t need a restraining order from me. I promise I’ll keep my hands to myself.”
A smile spread across his face, and it chased the clouds from his gaze. “Damn.”
The warm fuzzies that had suddenly enveloped her when she’d gazed into Holden’s eyes in the cat colony last Thursday returned for another round, this time, with vigor. Emily knew this wasn’t supposed to be good but couldn’t remember why. That would require brain cells, which were currently doing the backstroke in the sea of fog flooding her head.
As that fog rolled in, she was vaguely aware of their friends talking and whispering, along with a giggle or two. But Emily was acutely aware of every part of her body, especially the part that still tingled where their sides had brushed.
The sensation was new. Weird.
Strong.
Her body had never had this kind of reaction to anyone…ever. She was at a loss as to how to fight it or even if she should.
Yeah, she definitely should.
So why were her instincts yelling at her to move closer?
Emily wasn’t sure how long she sat there gazing into those gorgeous green/brown eyes, but the sound of a plate hitting the table with a thud in front of Holden had her jumping backward as if caught doing something bad.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. It slipped from my hand.” A red-faced Colby quickly shifted the burger dish closer to Holden.
Holy hell, Emily’s heart was beating freaking hard in her chest. She glanced over at Lyndsey, noting a half concerned, half amused gleam in her friend’s eyes.
Ignoring both, she turned her attention to the others at the table and noted that the rest of the men had already received their food.
“Really sorry about that, Holden,” Colby said, scooping up the fries that had fallen from the plate onto the table. “I’ll be back with another order.”
As the woman scurried away, the band retook the stage after a fifteen-minute break and started off with a popular song.
“Oh, that has our name on it,” Lyndsey said, rising to her feet, but not before leaning over to give Gabe a quick kiss. “You guys eat, we’ll be back.”
Emily didn’t need a second invitation. Great song and a great way to escape from Holden’s uncanny hold on her? Oh, yeah, she was in, and so were Christa and Isla. They left their chairs to follow her and Lyndsey to the already hopping dance floor.
By the time the second song finished and the third one began, Emily was a little winded and a lot weirded out. The hair on the back of her neck prickled. As she continued to dance, she glanced at the crowd and her heart lurched at the sight of a dark-haired bulky man leaving the floor.
Shit.
Was that Perez?