Page 60 of Ravaged From Fate

“Dinner?”

27

ELSA

Well, I certainly didn’t expect my dad to be coming over for dinner tonight, otherwise I definitely would not have invited Caspian around. Poor guy, greeting my father at the door like that. Dad is an intimidating and grumpy man at the best of times, even with his own daughter, let alone with a man he must surely know I’ve just been in bed with.

The stench of male competition is heavy in the air as I try to get changed. All I’ve got to do is smile it out. Two alpha males together under the same roof is a major warning sign for me to get the hell out or to calm the room down to a more manageable state.

“The lasagna is very good.” That comes from Dad, sitting across the table from Caspian and me.

“Thanks, Dad.”

He places his fork down and reaches across for my hand. “Not that I was expecting anything less from you.”

I blush. “It’s just something I whipped together the other night.”

“Well, it’s good. As usual.”

“I agree,” Caspian adds. “Really tasty lasagna.”

Are these two men having some sort of out-compliment-each-other thing going on?

I really don’t understand the male species sometimes.

“So,” Dad starts, picking up his fork again and stabbing his meal. “How did you two meet?”

“A bit of a funny story,” I say, trying to speak before Caspian can. I’m planning on delivering a very watered-down version of the events at the bar and I’m worried the man beside me might opt for something a bit more… graphic. “There was a fight at the bar in town. Caspian here came to my rescue.”

“Really?” Dad seems genuinely curious about this.

“I wouldn’t say rescued,” Caspian says. “I just stepped in between Elsa and a few shady characters as any man would ought to.”

“So you’re a chivalrous gentleman, are you?” Dad asks, barely hiding the irony in his voice. He’s testing Caspian the way he tests patients he doesn’t like the look of. I’ve seen it plenty of times before.

Caspian, as is his nature, simply plows straight through Dad’s little test. “They were a not very pleasant group of guys. I handled them. I’m no gentleman, sir, just doing what any man in his right mind would do.”

“Well, that’s the story of how we met,” I interject, wanting to move the conversation onto more pleasant ground. “Things have been great since.”

But Dad raises his eyebrows, and I know he’s got more words to say on the matter.

“What kind of unpleasant guys were they?”

Caspian turns to me. “You said they were gang members, didn’t you?”

Shit. Dad’s gonna love this.

“Gang members?” Dad leans back in his seat and crosses his arms. “What were you doing with gang members, Elsa?”

I shrug. “They just came into the bar, that’s all. Caused trouble. You know what these local guys are like. And you know me, I can handle myself.”

“And have either of you run into these guys since? Any more trouble from them?”

I shake my head, but Dad is focused purely on Caspian.

“No, sir,” my man says, staring right on back at Dad. Something has gone on between these two. I know it.

“Have you guys met before?” I ask them.