Love and Submission

Chapter Twenty

Olivia frowned as she stared out the car window. She’d been thinking of what to say all day long and had come up with at least a dozen options. Yet now that they were alone in the car nothing came to mind. She’d warred with her wardrobe for a good hour or so. Trying to pick something that didn’t look too standoffish while not giving the impression that she wasn’t pissed. Maybe her choice had done the job too well. Connor hadn’t said a word to her after the initial ‘ready to go’ query. He’d made nice with her mother though while he waited for her to come upstairs. Not that she hadn’t heard his car coming all the way down the street but for appearances sake, and to be honest a little bit of revenge, she made him wait while she took her time getting to the door.

The problem was she didn’t know where his mind was. Was he angry? Did he want to fight it out cause she had some good choice words all lined up for that scenario. Or was he going to be apologetic? Maybe try to wine and dine her and somehow make up for the stunts of the day? She had retaliation for that too. Of course it was a little less volatile than the first approach. But he couldn’t even give her a hint of what he was thinking. He was agitated, that was obvious. The air was so thick between them you could have set a table on it. She didn’t want to start off angry for no reason but she wasn’t about to let him off the hook either. She bit into her bottom lip to keep from sighing loudly. This was why she hated relationships.

The car ground to a stop in front of a high end steak house. Hmm. Good choice. Okay he got points for that. It was obviously a nice place but it wasn’t so nice that she would feel uncomfortable. Plus, an added bonus, baked potatoes. Her favorite. He parked right in front of the door and then left the engine running so she got out. To her surprise so did he. He tossed the keys to a nearly drooling door man and reached for the door handle himself but not before she saw the muscles in his jaw unclench. She’d done something to make him angry already? This was going to go wonderfully. She wondered if they would actually ask her to leave if they started shouting at each other. Connor held the door open and motioned her inside without a single word. She tried to flash him a thank you smile but he wasn’t looking.

Inside they were seated immediately, despite the line of other people waiting and she started to get suspicious about the ownership of this restaurant. Connor surprised her again when he helped her out of her coat and draped it on the back of her chair which he pulled out. Yo-yo Connor wasn’t really what she wanted to deal with tonight either. One or the other was way easier. Although, maybe he was just as confused as she was. Maybe he was trying to feel her out like she was him. She sighed softly and settled the napkin in her lap. This was going to be a long night if one of them had to cave first. “Mister Wahl!” An excited male voice exclaimed causing Olivia’s head to snap up from the menu. Connor turned and then offered a breathtaking smile.

“Jimmy! How have you been?” The man, Jimmy she presumed, flushed slightly clearly pleased that someone as well to do as Connor remembered his name. Jimmy himself looked pretty important.

“Good. Business is great.” Jimmy flashed a smile.

“Well obviously. I keep telling you the food here is dynamite but you don’t believe me.” They both chuckled at that. “How’s the wife?”

“Pregnant, again.” Connor grabbed the man’s arm and clapped him on the shoulder.

“Congratulations my man. What’s that three now?”

“Four actually.” The flush deepened. Olivia was fascinated. She’d never seen Connor interact with people like this. He looked so much like his father in that instant it was almost creepy. She’d only met Mr. Wahl senior the one time but he had oozed easy charisma. That was what Connor looked like just now. Finally their conversation seemed to be over though she’d tuned out the last half and Connor sat back down still smiling. “The usual for you Mr. Wahl?”

“Please, Connor, and yes thank you.”

“And for your friend here?” Both pairs of eyes turned to her inquiring.

“Mountain Dew.” Olivia responded with a flash of a smile at the tall man. He gave her a nod and then whisked away.

“Sorry about that, Jimmy owns this place and he’s an old business acquaintance of my father.” Olivia nodded, feeling slightly better that Connor’s family didn’t own the place themselves.

“He seemed impressed that you remembered him.” Connor’s face took on a thoughtful glint. Then he lifted his gaze and trapped Olivia’s eyes with his. He looked good. She hadn’t really been paying attention in the car but now she could see the nice dark blue button down shirt with the collar open. It set off the grey in his eyes quite nicely. Okay really nicely. Their drinks arrived, breaking the intense lock, and then hers widened. The waiter had placed a bottle of some imported beer in front of Connor. He opened it and took a swig then paused when he caught her staring.

“What?” She was about to lay into him when suddenly she remembered he was twenty two not eighteen like he pretended. She smiled and shook her head.

“Sorry I forgot you were old enough to do that.” He blinked a couple of times and then looked at the bottle.

“Oh, damn, I can get something else….”

“No, no it’s fine really.” She took a sip from her own soda and waited. So far so good. Although, they hadn’t talked about anything real and she was still mad. Of course, she was having a progressively more difficult time remembering that anger. “So how are you?” She asked. Connor shrugged his shoulders. Well if he was going to be difficult about it this wasn’t going to go well at all. “How was your weekend?”

“Busy. I was in the city helping my Dad. His company is taking over a smaller design firm in the area so I was helping out with the merge. Lots of paperwork.” He added in with an eye roll.

“Wow.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “Not what I expected you to say. It’s so grown up I guess.” He c****d his head to the side and studied her. “Not that I’m saying you’re not grown up or anything.” Jeez. She couldn’t save this one. So she sighed and felt her shoulders droop down. “Never mind.”

“How are you?” He asked and when she looked at him she noticed his lips were twitching. As if he was fighting a smile.

“I’ve been better.” Olivia answered honestly. There was no reason to belabor the point. Of course, the conversation was put on hold as the waiter reappeared and asked for her order. Apparently Connor’s usual hadn’t included that as well. She ordered steak and salad with a nice big baked potato on the side. She only hoped she’d managed to conceal the excitement over the potato. It was silly after all to get so worked up over food. Werewolf or not. Connor waited until the waiter disappeared before returning to their conversation.

“I hope that’s not because you’re here with me.” He said, picking right up where they’d left off. His tone was joking but the look in his eyes said he was actually worried that was what she’d meant.

“Nope. You see I have this boyfriend and we got in a HUGE fight.” Connor ghosted a smile before nodding along. “We spent the weekend apart and then when I got back to school the first time I saw him he was glaring at me. Then I saw him at lunch eating with this girl that I really don’t like. And then he attacked one of my friends at soccer practice for no reason.” Olivia stared Connor down who was no longer smiling but his eyes were dancing. Apparently he was enjoying the moment.

“He sounds like an ass.”

“He does, doesn’t he?” She agreed before taking a sip on her soda giving him a pointed look.

“Then again, maybe you’re not looking at things from his point of view.” Now it was her turn to raise an eyebrow at him. “If this boyfriend was worried about you and missing you all weekend then when he showed up at school only to see you sitting with some boy. Well that might explain the glare, which clearly wouldn’t have been meant for you. I mean, I know in that kind of situation I probably would have been furious at the punk.”

“I suppose that makes sense. It was still rude.” She replied although it did make sense now that she thought about it. She’d been ready to kill him and feast on his bones when she’d seen him with Molly. Which brought them to the second point. “So then you wanted to make me jealous like you were so you sat with Molly? Of all people.” She added in a little hotly. Connor sighed and shook his head.

“No actually. That was not what it looked like at all.” Olivia gave him a look of withering disbelief. Yeah freaking right. “I know. But the truth is you made a very good point in that rant of yours and it got me thinking, once I’d calmed down obviously. I don’t know enough about you, important things too. My only defense is that I got so carried away with making sure you’d be able to be a wolf that I lost sight of all the parts of you that were human.” Olivia blinked and took a long pull on her drink. Damn him that made sense too. Not in regards to Molly but in regards to the initial argument. “Anyway, I decided I was going to apologize but I wanted to get some information on the best way to do it.”

“So you went to my worst enemy? I’m not following you.” He heaved a sigh of frustration.

“I didn’t want to have to talk to her but you cut off all other access. I couldn’t very well ask Kitty anything because she would be on your side of the argument, as well she should be. I refuse to speak to those stupid gawking males who follow you around everywhere so that left Molly. I figured I could play her for information but then you saw us and you were so hurt and angry. I felt like s**t but it was too late. So I played it out.”

“You were playing her for information?” Olivia was still skeptical but it made a small amount of sense. In Connor world, that probably seemed like a really good plan before he thought it all the way through. Which he didn’t. Connor clicked his tongue at her and leaned back in his chair.

“Really Liv, even if a battalion of mind controlling aliens came to Earth and somehow convinced me I was inclined to show interest in someone else, it wouldn’t be her. I have standards.” She giggled before she could help herself.

“Mind controlling aliens?”

“It was the most absurd thing I could come up with on the spot. My wanting anyone else in the world is equally ridiculous. I know you don’t seem to understand that but it’s the truth.” Their food arrived which gave her a few well needed minutes to ponder this information. It was a stupid thing to do but he admitted that. Not exactly but the sentiment was there. Using Molly for information made her feel loads better. He did always insist that they were mates after all. Some indefinable unknowable force made them for each other and that was that. So if that was the case then he really wouldn’t be interested in anyone else. She watched him devour his food and tried not to laugh. Connor had excellent table manners but he gave new definition to the term inhalation.

“That doesn’t explain why you attacked Todd.” She said once he’d finished making his food disappear. She had a quick flash of him licking the plate and nearly laughed again. Connor’s eyes lightened to an amber hue before he took a drink.

“I heard him ask you out.” She hadn’t sensed him around but then she had been pretty focused on the upcoming tense moment. She frowned.

“Didn’t you wait around to listen to my answer?”

“No. You’d been ignoring me pretty steadily all day and I’d hurt your feelings badly with the whole Molly thing. I didn’t want to hear you say yes.” He’d started off angry but had calmed down to a strained voice by the end. She sighed and took another bite of divine potato.

“If you had you would have heard me tell him I like you.” She gave Connor another pointed look. He smiled at her, stopping her heart and then sending it thundering off again. “Todd is my friend however and I completely ignored him when you showed up. I didn’t want to lose him as a friend. I mean I already lost Henry.” Connor snorted and took another drink.

“Henry wanted you and gave up when he realized I wasn’t going anywhere.” She rolled her eyes and took another bite. He had not been exaggerating when he’d said the food was amazing. “Do you not like your potato?” Her eyes snapped up and blinked. “You don’t have to finish it.” He added.

“I’m savoring it.” She corrected and took another bite closing her eyes in bliss. Connor laughed loudly.

“Sorry I didn’t realize you were so into it; want me to leave you two alone?” She shook her head then stuck her tongue out at him to which he laughed again. It was nice having him laugh and smile. She’d almost forgotten what that looked like.

“Will you be having desert this evening Mr. Wahl?” Jimmy the owner had reappeared and was wearing a big smile. Connor nodded emphatically.

“My usual, please and two forks.” Jimmy winked and disappeared again.

“What’s your usual?”

“You haven’t lived until you tried the forbidden decadence cake here.” He replied with a wide grin.

“That sounds very chocolaty.”

“Oh it is.” She smiled. “See I got some rewards for all my hard work.” Molly had told him she liked chocolate? She didn’t even want to know how he managed to winnow that out of her. In fact, she was surprised Molly remembered.

“Alright so now it’s my turn.” Connor raised an eyebrow again.

“For?”

“I freaked out.” His expression didn’t change. “After dinner. You said marriage and started talking about intentions then my mind took off with all of these thoughts and I panicked. I didn’t mean to jump on you like that, I really didn’t. I just wanted to explain what I was thinking and feeling. But the truth is, I freaked and I’m sorry.” Connor was blinking wide eyes.

“I didn’t mean to freak you out.” He said quietly.

“I know. I understand that this is very different for you than it is for me.” He nodded again.

“Okay. I’m sorry I got so angry.” She was giving serious thought to reaching across the table for his hand when the waiter appeared with the promised calorie fest. Connor smiled, thanked the waiter while simultaneously handing him his credit card, and then reached for the fork. “Ladies first.” She hefted her fork and sliced off a small piece just in case those mind controlling aliens convinced her she didn’t like chocolate. Her eyes actually rolled back in her head the pleasure was so intense. That much chocolate should have been illegal. Connor laughed again but this time he kept it low. “I knew it. Although I might get a complex if you look that happy from food.”

“This should be illegal.” He grinned. They ate the rest of the cake in silence. She was surprised that they actually managed to finish the giant piece. Connor held her coat for her which made her smile and then he made sure to say goodbye to Jimmy and send compliments to the chef. His car was out front waiting for them magically and the doorman hadn’t yet recovered from the enjoyment of parking it. Connor opened her door for her and didn’t even turn on rap music. She turned in her seat to smile at him when she noticed that they weren’t heading back to her house. “Um, where are we going?”

“I wanna show you something.”

“Okay but I have a curfew.”

“You’re eighteen.” He scoffed. “You’re supposed to break the rules.”

“I’ll get grounded again.” An evil smile crept over his face as he watched the road.

“I enjoyed your being grounded quite a bit thank you.” Olivia slapped his arm playfully then settled back into her seat. She was now intrigued by whatever it was he wanted to show her and she was feeling good about their making up. They still had problems and giant gaps of information they didn’t know about each other but somehow spending more time figuring it out didn’t seem as impossible as it had three days ago.