Chosen By My Mate's Father-in-law
Chapter 52: Priorities

Chapter 52: Chapter 52: Priorities

After a delicious dessert of a shot of espresso mixed with vanilla gelato, our dinner was blessedly over. I still couldn’t believe I survived it. The only way I got through it was focusing on the mouthwatering meal.

I wished that I had the money to eat here every day. Some of the groans of pleasure that had come out of my mouth were a little embarrassing, but the food was so delicious that I couldn’t bring myself to care.

Gareth had accounts at all the expensive restaurants in our kingdom, so we didn’t even have to wait for the bill. The five of us walked out of the restaurant, and I chose to walk by Michelle, allowing Isabella and Elliot to go before me.

Night had fallen, and the streets were busy with cars. I glanced around, my mood having lifted slightly, searching for one of Gareth’s fancy cars that would take us home. I was wondering how I would get home after being driven back to the mansion when Beta Kevin pulled up and parked at the curb.

“Michelle, Isabella, and Elliot, Beta Kevin will drive you home first.” Gareth gestured for them to get into the car. Then, he walked closer to me and looked directly into my eyes. “Then, he’s going to take you home,” Gareth told me in a low voice. His cedar wood scent was making my head spin. “And I’m going to ride along to make sure you get there safely.”

My mind seemed to short circuit as I stared into his deep gray eyes, and my hands began to shake.

Behind us, I noticed that Isabella clapped her hands with excitement, but Elliot frowned, then sulked off to the car without saying goodbye. We didn’t have to wait long for Beta Kevin to drive them home since the mansion was close to Nicola’s. My heart slammed against my chest when Gareth opened the car door for me.

Soon, we were alone in the backseat. The energy between us was electric, and when he started driving, Beta Kevin pressed a button to roll up the black divider, giving us some privacy. I wondered if Gareth had asked him to do that.

When I peeked over at him, his whole body was turned away from me as he stared out the window. His tense demeanor reminded me of when he rescued me from Elliot and his horrible friends at the club. My instincts were telling me to follow his lead and keep quiet, but after a few moments of silence, I couldn’t stop the question that escaped out my mouth.

“Did you force me to come tonight so that you could show me how in love Elliot and Isabella are?” I asked, annoyance dripping through my voice. “Because you don’t need to invite me out to dinner for that. They already do that all the time at your house anyway.”

Gareth’s body froze, and he slowly turned toward me, our eyes locking together.

My pulse quickened, and I wanted to lower my gaze. But I stood my ground and lifted my chin. Even though he was the Lycan King, I wouldn’t allow him to intimidate me.

“Well, if you’re aware that they are happy together, then I hope you aren’t scheming up ways to break them up,” he said, his eyes darkening.

I snorted and crossed my arms. I didn’t miss how Gareth’s eyes glanced down at my cleavage.

“If I wanted to break them up, it wouldn’t be to have Elliot for myself,” I retorted, moving closer to better argue with him.

“You shouldn’t be spending time alone with Elliot in the first place,” he snarled, leaning in closer to me.

“I don’t want anything to do with my ex-mate!” I said through gritted teeth, exasperated beyond belief.

Our faces were only inches apart now, and we were getting worked up. Gareth’s face was slowly turning red, and I was nearly breathless.

Gareth reached his hand out, threaded his fingers through my hair, and drew me even closer to him. Now I had no choice but to look only into those swirling gray eyes. His thumb gently stroked the back of my head, and despite the frustration flowing through me, I leaned into his touch.

His lips were so close to mine that my mouth went dry with desire. I was mesmerized by Gareth. He had trapped me in his gaze, and I couldn’t figure out a way to escape.

The strangest part was that I didn’t want to escape. I’d be content to stare at this man forever, and that was what scared me the most.

“My family will always be my number one priority,” Gareth carried on in a deep voice as his hand continued to stroke my hair. “I will not allow you to jeopardize Isabella’s marriage. This is her chance at true happiness.”

His words made my stomach sink in confusion and disappointment.

I nodded but couldn’t help asking the obvious question. “Why do you want Elliot as your son-in-law? It’s obvious that you don’t trust him. Hell, two hours ago, you were slamming him into a wall, ready to execute him.”

This was the wrong question to ask. Gareth’s eyes darkened, and he frowned. He let go of his hold on the back of my head and withdrew from me.

“I’m the Lycan King, Ms. Lowett,” he said in a calm and controlled voice, staring straight ahead.

So I was back to ‘Ms. Lowett’ now? Why was he so confusing and hard to read?

“I don’t owe you an explanation for any of my actions,” he continued. “It would be wise for you to stay out of my business.”

I bit my lip and turned away from him. It was obvious that I’d overstepped again.

After a few tense, silent moments, the car stopped in front of my house. Beta Kevin rolled down the divider.

“Thank you for the ride,” I murmured to both men.

Beta Kevin replied in kind, but Gareth stayed silent, not even glancing my way as I stepped out of the car.

The cold night air hit me like a brick wall. The skimpy red dress that Isabella had dressed me in did nothing to protect me from the cold. A violent shiver tore through me as I stepped onto the sidewalk. My teeth were chattering, and I hugged myself tightly.

Mentally, I prepared myself to sprint to my house. I was just contemplating taking off my high heels when a strong presence made me turn.

To my complete shock, Gareth was now beside me and pulling off his black suit jacket. My breath caught in my throat when he wrapped the jacket around me, engulfing me in his warmth and cedar wood scent. I’d never felt so safe and protected in my life.

“I can’t believe you would wear such a revealing dress on a night as cold as this,” Gareth reprimanded me.

“I wouldn’t have had to wear this if you hadn’t forced me into coming to dinner,” I snapped, even as I was pulling his jacket tighter around me.

Gareth’s eyes scanned my body, lingering on my breasts, hips, and the bare skin displayed by the silt in my dress. He let out a long, slow breath as if he were frustrated with himself.

I tightened his coat around me, embarrassed by his perusal.

“Thank you for the coat,” I said, then raced inside my house.

My heart slammed against my rib cage as confusion made my head spin. Right before I stepped inside, I looked back at Gareth. He was still standing in the same spot, making sure that I was safely inside before he left.

I swallowed and managed to tear my eyes away from him.

That man was the master of mixed signals. Did Gareth care for me or not?

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