Kiara Carrera doesn't know how she got here.
There she was sulking at the marble table, seated between her mother and Rafe Cameron, eyes downturned to stare at the intricate swirls on its surface. Around the table sits the Cameron family in pristine condition, no shoulder hunching in sight, dressed meticulously from head to toe. And Kiara, she had been duped into wearing this peachy satin ensemble.
One of the straps of her dress threatens to fall down her shoulder and she rights it slowly, eyes glancing about the crowded table for Sarah, who looks at her apologetically, lips twitching into a small smile of reassurance. Beside her Rafe, whose features are unreadable, stares at the thin material, his blue eyes keenly following the strap as it slides down once more.
This time when she corrects the slip, she maintains eye contact with Rafe, his head canting imploringly as she gently slides it back into place. She maintains the contact for a considerate moment longer, brows furrowing as he presses his tongue into his cheek, stifling a snort when he averts the gaze to reach for his crystalline glass.
"I understand that you and my daughter, Sarah, are close friends?"
Kiara darts around the table until she lands on the figure of Ward. He leans forward on his elbows, hands folded, chin resting on top. "Yeah, yeah Sarah's great. We have a lot in common, actually." Sarah nods her head, encourages her to continue. "She understands the necessity of environmental reform, so."
"Interesting." Ward decides not to linger long on the topic and instead nods his head in the direction of his son: "and what about Rafe, are you two on friendly terms?"
As she opens her mouth to make an honest retort, a warm hand finds her thigh beneath the table cloth and she hesitates, clearing throat and crossing one leg over the other. "You could say that," chirps the brunette as she folds her hands within her lap, attempting to rid his hand from her thigh but ultimately smacking it against the table: "shit—" hisses the brunette, sinking beneath the sets of eyes that fall on her.
Rafe clears his throat and casually starts slicing into his steak. "Kiara and I are very friendly lately," states the brunet matter-of-factly as he coins her a sly wiggle of the brows: "Thanks to Sarah, Kiara and I have gotten to know each other a lot better."
Sarah looks suspicious from the other side of the table as she watches the two, but doesn't comment on it, just turns to her father with a broad smile. "Dad, the Carrera's have a new dish added to the menu and it's to die for—"
And like that, the attention is lifted off of her and her peculiar outburst. She decides that she would repay Sarah for the kind deed, maybe even join her on the kayaking adventure she had planned a week from now. She smiles fondly at her father, his hands gesturing animatedly as he talks about the Langostino pizza added to the menu, how the fresh catch of the day was used to make the delectable treat.
She feels relaxed once more, though she wishes she had smoked a blunt before coming. Being next to Rafe Cameron was doing a number on her and she desires nothing more than to be free from the bastard who steals glances at her through his peripheral, munching pleasantly around a mouthful of steak.
When he wipes his mouth with his linen napkin and replaces it on his lap, his hands aren't returning to his plate, but are grazing the material of her dress up her thigh. She doesn't give him the satisfaction of looking his way and instead listens to the exchange between Ward and her father, who are still conversing over the new additions to the menu.
"It was Kiara's idea," Anna states fondly as she motions toward her: "No one had thought twice about putting lobster on pizza before."
Kiara is swatting at his hand absently as she turns to her mother. "Everyone loves finger foods," she ignores the snort of Rafe beside her: "and I figured that it would be nice. If pineapple can go on pizza, then so can lobster."
