Page 13 of The Mating Quest

She swallowed and smiled sweetly. “Perhaps they can teach me to fry chicken and I’ll teach them how to sneak up on an enemy when least expected and hack his head off before he draws in his nextbreath.”

“Such a tough little Mage. Should I be afraid when I slumber tonight that you will do thesame?”

Ilana picked up the chicken leg, considered. “Not if you promise to keep feeding me like this. I may let you keep your sorry head,Powers.”

A loud laugh fled his throat. It was such a delicious, sexy sound several heads turned to see their alpha’s amusement as if he didn’t do it often. Perhaps hedidn’t.

He pushed back his chair. “Lemonade?”

Ilananodded.

When he returned with two frosty glasses of lemonade, she murmured thanks. “You didn’t happen to drop poison in here, I hope. Because I have to warn you, poison doesn’t work on me, Powers. You’ll need to use something stronger to get rid ofme.”

An odd look crossed his expression. For a moment he focused on eating, shoveling food into his mouth as if it were his last meal. Seemed as if this was how he ate all the time, in ahurry.

She put a hand on his arm. “Slow down before youchoke.”

Ethan’s blue gaze met hers and then he looked at her hand on his arm. Heat sizzled between them like a living flame. She hastily withdrew herhand.

He scrubbed a hand over the slight bristles on his strong jawline. “I always eat like this. Never enough time in the day, or the night. Too much todo.”

Ilana finished her chicken. “Isn’t that what delegating isfor?”

“Right. I do that, but what if mistakes are made? Can’t risk it. Saves me time to do it myself in the firstplace.”

“You’ll have to let it all go when we leave. And so what if mistakes are made? Isn’t that how theylearn?”

His expression hardened. “I can’t afford mistakes. Mistakes costlives.”

Ilana drank her lemonade, watching him do the same, his strong throat muscles working. “And I thought I was a control freak,” she muttered. “You make me lookspontaneous.”

Scowling, he wiped his mouth with a linen napkin. “You live your life, Mage and I’ll livemine.”

“Not just yours, but your pack’s. You have family to consider. Don’t you ever have fun?” Glancing around, she saw the worried glances. They genuinely worried about theiralpha.

“A family to protect. Fun is for children, for the young. As their leader, I have an example toset.”

Ilana gritted her teeth. So pompous and righteous. On impulse, she picked up a pea and tossed it at him. It hit him square on thecheek.

“Food fight,” she told him. “Dareyah.”

Ethan set down his fork verycarefully.

Ilana tossed her last forkful of mashed potatoes at his face. “Lighten up,wolf.”

The potatoes landed on his nose. She snickered. “So dignified, this example you’resetting.”

He didn’t look at her, but every muscle tensed. She sensed all eyes upon them. Terrific, was he going to order Mark to hit her? Snap his fingers and growl at his pack to disciplineher?

The alpha did the most unexpected thing. He picked up his glass of lemonade, and poured it over her head. Ilana sputtered, wiped the mess from her face with hernapkin.

“Damn wolf, that’s a waste of goodlemonade.”

Ethan laughed again. “It’s worth it to see the expression on yourface.”

“Oh yeah? I daresay no uptight person in your pack dared to give you a mashed potatofacial.”

“No. Might be something we could try with the tourists in the future. The potatoes are all organic. Probably help withwrinkles.”