So prim and proper. So different from the alpha bear who’d held me against his mouth and thrust his tongue inside me. Who’d ordered me to stay spread on his bed while he fetched a condom, his hungry silver gaze never leaving my pussy.
“Everett and Cal will be here soon,” Beck said.
I jumped, my face heating at my runaway thoughts. “Sounds good.”
The waffle iron beeped, and Beck lifted the lid, releasing a cloud of sweet-smelling steam. Within minutes, he carried two plates piled high with golden-brown waffles to the table. Just before he set one in front of me, he frowned.
“You’re blushing.”
For probably the thousandth time in my life, I inwardly cursed my red hair. “Just nervous about meeting your friends,” I said.
Beck deposited the plate, then bent and kissed the top of my head. “They’re going to love you.” He sat across from me with his own plate. “And if they don’t, I’ll demote them.”
I couldn’t help my smile. “You can’t demote them for not liking me.”
“Watch me,” he said with a wink. He picked up his fork, then nodded toward my plate. “Eat your waffles.”
Shaking my head, I dug into my food. Of course, the waffles were perfect. Butter and syrup pooled in the deep crevices, the latter coming from a jug Beck declared “the real stuff, not that grocery store garbage.” The outsides were crispy, and the centers were fluffy like the funnel cakes I’d eaten at county fairs the fewtimes my foster family had managed to scrape together a few extra dollars.
“Good?” Beck asked, a smug look in his eyes.
I swallowed. “It’s not fair. You’re good at everything.”
He snorted, but a smile tugged at his lips as he cut into his waffles. “Hardly.”
“Okay,” I said, waving my fork at him, “what are you bad at?”
He chewed, a thoughtful look on his face. Then he wiped his mouth with his napkin and ticked items off his fingers. “I can’t carry a tune in a bucket, I’m a terrible dancer, and I’m bad with technology. I can barely use a cell phone.”
“That’s not true,” I said. “I’ve seen you on your phone plenty of times.”
“Not the apps or whatever.” He sat back in his chair. “I don’t know how any of that social media stuff works. I don’t even have a Facebook account.”
“Most people under thirty don’t have Facebook. Maybe you’re younger than you think.”
A flush stained his cheekbones as he waved a hand over his hair. “This mop has more silver than black in it these days.”
I knew my smile was suggestive. “Okay, but you definitely have the stamina of a thirty year old.”
He coughed into his fist, that charming blush deepening.
“See?” I asked, popping my last bite of waffle into my mouth. Chewing and swallowing quickly, I licked syrup from my lips. “Not a flaw in sight.”
He sobered. “I’m afraid of flying.”
My heart flipped over. I set down my fork and took his hand. “That’s not a flaw.”
“It feels like one. An alpha should be fearless.”
I gave his fingers a squeeze. “An alpha should behonest. You admitted you’re afraid. That takes courage.”
He lifted my hand and kissed my knuckles. “Thank you, sweetheart.”
Desire spun between us, the current so thick I swore I could almost see it. Did I really think I was going to leave this man behind? But could I abandon my career for an isolated life in Alaska? Everything I’d worked for was in Colorado. What would Dr. Henry say?
Beck looked toward the kitchen doorway. A second later, the sound of the front door opening reached us.
“Anybody home?” a deep male voice called out.
