It really is perfectly made, damn them.
My phone buzzes.
Mia
one more thing
if this DOES turn into a romance novel situation
I want to be a bridesmaid
Me
GOODNIGHT Mia
Mia
love you babe
don’t do anything I wouldn’t do
which leaves you a LOTof options
I silence my phone and set it on the nightstand.
The storm rages outside. Four alphas are down the hall.
I close my eyes and let the sound of the rain lull me into a restless sleep, trying very hard not to think about cinnamon-glazed pecans or toasted marshmallows, or the way Cole Knightley’s voice sounded through the door when he offered a truce.
Trying very hard.
And failing completely.
CHAPTER FIVE
Malik
Dinner was an exercise in pretending everything was normal.
We barely managed to get the delivery. Sierra took her plate into her room when Cole knocked and left it by the door, calling out a quiet “thank you” that somehow made the whole situation feel even more surreal.
Now the leftovers are in the fridge, the dishes are done, and I’m doing what I do best: obsessively planning for every possible contingency.
“Generator’s fueled and ready,” I announce, checking my list. “Storm shutters are secure. We’ve got flashlights, batteries, candles, first aid kit, enough food for a week if we ration?—”
“We’re not going to need to ration,” Cole interrupts from the couch. “It’s a storm, not the apocalypse.”
“Storms can last days. The roads could be flooded. We could lose power for?—”
As if on cue, the lights flicker again.
“Don’t say it,” Dax warns.
“I wasn’t going to say anything.”
“You were about to say, ‘I told you so.’”
“I would never.”
