Page 62 of Captivated By Alphas 1, Fated (The Blood Moon Chronicle #4)

“Now I know people with obscene amounts of money eat the same food as everyone else.” I grinned, trying to ignore how their combined attention was making me feel overheated.

“Just with better presentation and fancier names. Like, is this fish, or is it ‘locally sourced oceanic protein delicately poached in artisanal sea essence’?”

That startled genuine laughter out of all three of them, momentarily breaking the tension that had been building.

The second course arrived—scallops with foam that looked like it belonged in a museum rather than on a plate. It tasted even better than it looked, melting on my tongue in a burst of buttery sweetness that made me close my eyes in pure appreciation.

“Oh my God.” I couldn’t help the small moan that escaped me. “This is amazing.”

All three men went perfectly still. Jace’s eyes darkened as they fixed on my lips, his fingers digging slightly into my thigh. Adrian’s pupils dilated, and Cole looked like he’d stopped breathing altogether.

Okay, so maybe moaning in front of three alpha shifters wasn’t my smartest move.

“The chef trained in Paris,” Jace said, his voice dropping to a register that vibrated through me. “We’re lucky to have convinced him to relocate.”

“Let me guess.” I took another bite, hyperaware of how they watched the movement of my fork to my mouth. “Obscene amounts of money and a clifftop restaurant with a view to die for?”

“Something like that.” Adrian smiled, though there was an edge to it that made my stomach flip. His hand found the nape of my neck, fingers playing with my hair in a touch that felt strangely possessive. “Though I prefer to think of it as appreciating rare beauty when I find it.”

The way he looked at me made it crystal clear he wasn’t talking about the restaurant. Heat crawled up my neck.

Jace’s eyes narrowed at Adrian’s touch, his expression shifting into something that looked suspiciously territorial.

He shifted closer, his arm draping over the back of my chair in a move that screamed “mine.” The air between them practically vibrated with tension that had nothing to do with dinner and everything to do with whatever weird competition I’d apparently become the center of.

Cole leaned forward, apparently not to be outdone. “Speaking of appreciating beauty,” he said, his voice carrying that edge that meant he was done playing nice, “Sheena mentioned you’ve been helping with the gallery arrangements for the reunion.”

“Oh, that.” I shrugged. “I just moved a few paintings around. It’s not like I created them or anything.”

“Don’t be modest,” Adrian said, his fingers still working their magic at my nape in a way that was definitely not helping my concentration. “Sheena showed me what you did with the east wing. You transformed the space completely.”

“I— Well—” I stammered, caught off guard by the genuine compliment. “It’s just about balance and flow. Anyone could do it.”

“No,” Jace disagreed, his hand sliding even higher on my thigh in a way that made me acutely aware of exactly how tight Sheena’s pants were and how much trouble I was in. “Not everyone sees spaces the way you do. It’s a gift.”

“Are you three seriously complimenting my furniture arranging skills right now?” I laughed, trying to ignore how my body was reacting to their attention. “Next you’ll be telling me I stack dishes with artistic flair.”

“You do, actually,” Cole said with a small smile that transformed his entire face. “I’ve noticed.”

“Okay, now I know you’re messing with me,” I said, taking a larger sip of wine than I probably should have because this conversation was getting into territory I wasn’t equipped to handle. “There’s nothing artistic about how I stack dirty plates.”

“We’re not messing with you,” Jace said, his voice carrying a note of sincerity that made my chest tight. “We notice everything about you.”

“Like what?” The question slipped out before I could stop it, fueled by curiosity and definitely too much wine. Definitely the wine.

The three exchanged one of those looks that made me feel like I was missing something obvious.

“The way you hum when you’re concentrating,” Adrian said, his fingers trailing down to the sensitive spot where my neck met my shoulder. “Different songs for different tasks.”

“How you always leave the crusts of your toast,” Cole added, his foot nudging mine under the table in a touch that was somehow intimate despite being completely innocent. “But only when it’s white bread.”

“The fact that you rub your left wrist when you’re nervous,” Jace finished, his gaze intense enough to melt steel. “Like right now.”

I glanced down, startled to find my right hand indeed wrapped around my left wrist in a gesture I hadn’t even realized I was making.

I dropped both hands to my lap immediately, unsettled by how closely they’d been watching me without me noticing.

“That’s… borderline stalker behavior, just so you know. ”

“We pay attention to what interests us,” Cole said simply, his eyes flashing with something almost predatory that made my pulse jump.

The main course arrived—steak that smelled so good I momentarily forgot about the three pairs of eyes tracking my every move.

“So,” I said, taking another fortifying sip of wine, “is this your standard first date approach? Whisk someone off to the most exclusive restaurant on the coast and stare at them?”

“Only for very special guests,” Jace replied, his eyes never leaving mine as he cut into his steak with precise movements that reminded me exactly how capable his hands were.

“And you think I’m special?” I challenged, trying to maintain some semblance of composure despite the way all three of them were looking at me.

“Definitely special,” Adrian confirmed, leaning close enough that I could feel his breath against my ear. “Unique, even.”

“One of a kind,” Cole added, his voice carrying a note of absolute certainty that made me wonder what exactly they thought they saw in me.

I stabbed a piece of perfectly cooked beef with perhaps more force than necessary. “You three practice these lines in front of a mirror or something? Because the synchronized complimenting is starting to get creepy.”

“Not practiced,” Jace corrected, his fingers brushing mine as he reached for the wine bottle. “Just honest.”

“Honesty looks a lot like a coordinated attack from where I’m sitting,” I muttered, trying to ignore how my skin tingled where he’d touched me.

“Would you prefer dishonesty?” Cole asked, one eyebrow raised in challenge.

“I’d prefer being able to eat without feeling like I’m being mentally undressed by three pairs of eyes,” I retorted, then immediately regretted my word choice as all three cousins’ expressions darkened with something that made heat pool in my stomach.

“We can undress you with more than our eyes, if you prefer,” Adrian suggested, his voice dropping to that dangerous lower register that seemed to be a Carmichael family trait.

I choked on my wine, heat flooding my face as I coughed. “That’s not— I didn’t mean—”

“We know what you meant,” Jace assured me, though the heat in his eyes suggested he was thinking about what Adrian had said rather than my intended meaning.

His hand returned to my thigh, higher than before, his pinky finger brushing dangerously close to the inseam of those ridiculous pants. “Though the offer stands.”

“You three are impossible,” I managed once I could breathe again, my heart hammering against my ribs.

“Yet here you are,” Cole said, his eyes tracking my movements as I reached for my water glass with a hand that definitely wasn’t steady. “Willingly dining with impossibility.”

By the time dessert arrived—a chocolate creation that defied both gravity and my willpower—I was wound so tight I could have snapped at the slightest touch. Every glance, every casual brush of fingers, every low-voiced comment had been slowly dismantling my composure throughout the meal.

“Try this,” Adrian urged, offering me a bite from his plate—a different dessert featuring fresh berries and some kind of fancy cream. The gesture felt impossibly intimate, his eyes never leaving mine as I leaned forward to accept the offering.

The berry burst with sweetness on my tongue, the cream adding a rich complexity that made me close my eyes in appreciation. When I opened them, all three cousins were watching me with an intensity that stole my breath.

“Good?” Adrian asked, his voice rougher than before.

“Delicious,” I managed, suddenly very aware of how close he was leaning and how his eyes kept dropping to my lips.

Cole offered a spoonful of his own dessert—something involving caramel and sea salt that looked like it had been crafted by pastry angels.

“You need to taste this,” he said, his tone making it clear it wasn’t really a suggestion.

The hunger in his expression as I tasted it made my stomach flip, his eyes tracking the movement of my lips.

This was… not normal dinner behavior, right? The feeding, the intense staring, the way all three of them seemed to be cataloging my every reaction? And yet, I couldn’t bring myself to object. There was something addictively intoxicating about being the center of such focused attention.

“And mine,” Jace said, his voice low and commanding as he held out his spoon.

His dessert was the richest of all—dark chocolate with a molten center that flowed.

As I leaned forward to taste it, his free hand came up to cup my jaw, his thumb brushing the corner of my mouth in a touch that sent electricity racing through every nerve ending.

“You had a bit of chocolate,” he explained, though his eyes said something entirely different as his thumb traced my lower lip with deliberate slowness. “Right there.”

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding against my ribs. “Thanks,” I managed, my voice embarrassingly breathless.

“My pleasure,” Jace murmured, his thumb lingering for a moment longer before he reluctantly withdrew his hand, leaving me feeling thoroughly claimed without understanding how.

The air between us felt charged. I reached for my wineglass with fingers that weren’t entirely steady, desperate for something to do that didn’t involve staring at Jace’s mouth or remembering how his thumb had felt against my lips.

“The view is incredible,” I said, turning toward the windows in a transparent attempt to change the subject before I spontaneously combusted.

Night had fallen completely, and the glass walls now reflected our table, creating the illusion that we were floating in darkness with only stars for company.

“It is,” Adrian agreed, though when I glanced back, I found him looking at me rather than the view. His hand had somehow found its way to the nape of my neck again, fingers playing with my hair in a touch that was both soothing and possessive.

Jace’s jaw tightened at the gesture, his hand returning to my thigh with increased pressure, his touch a clear counter to Adrian’s claim.

“I know a place with an even better view,” Cole said, his voice casual but his eyes intent. “Not far from here. A private overlook that few people know about.”

“Better than this?” I gestured to the three walls of glass surrounding us, the endless expanse of stars and ocean. “That’s a pretty big claim.”

“Would I lie to you?” Cole’s voice held a challenge that made my pulse quicken.

I hesitated, common sense warring with the part of me that wanted to prolong this evening despite not understanding what was happening or why three gorgeous men were apparently competing for my attention.

Going to a “private overlook” with three men I was undeniably attracted to seemed like the setup for either a romance novel or a horror movie, with very little middle ground.

“It’s completely safe,” Adrian assured me, as if reading my thoughts with supernatural accuracy. “Just a short drive up the coast. Ten minutes at most.”

“And if you’re uncomfortable at any point, we’ll bring you straight home,” Cole added, his expression softening in a way that made him look younger and less intimidating. “No questions asked.”

Their consideration tipped the scales, because despite the intensity and the weird competition thing they had going on, they’d been nothing but respectful.

Well, mostly respectful. The touching and the heated looks were definitely not what I’d call respectful, but they hadn’t pushed when I’d hesitated.

“Okay.” I nodded, surprising myself with the answer. “I’d like to see it.”

The smile that spread across Jace’s face was worth any potential risk, transforming him from intimidating alpha to something softer and more human.

“Perfect.”

After settling the bill—or rather, after Jace waved away the check with a casual “Put it on the family account”—we made our way back to the car.

This time, there was no argument about seating arrangements.

Cole took the driver’s seat again, with Jace and Adrian flanking me in the back, determined to keep me between them for the foreseeable future.