“Give me twelve.”
“You can have two.”
“Vivi, I’m pregnant. I could eat twelve and still be hungry in an hour.”
She laughed and handed me a cookie anyway. It was perfect. Obviously. Vivi’s baking was always perfect. I should probably raise her already high salary. She deserved it for putting up with my pregnancy cravings alone.
I wandered through the shop, checking on things and chatting with customers. Knox followed me at a distance, not hovering but definitely keeping me in his line of sight. Every time I walked past him, he made this low rumbling sound in his chest. Almosta purr. Almost a growl. Something in between that made my face heat.
The third time it happened, Mika called out from behind the counter. “Your man has officially lost it.”
“Tell me about it,” I muttered.
“He’s been doing that since you walked in. Every time you get close he makes that noise.”
“I noticed.”
“It’s actually pretty cute. In a creepy possessive Alpha way.”
“There’s nothing cute about it.”
“Lina, he literally purrs when you walk by. That’s adorable.”
Knox appeared at my side, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me against him. He buried his face in my neck and inhaled deeply.
“You smell so good,” he murmured.
“You replaced all my products with ones that smell exactly the same as you,” I pointed out, trying to sound annoyed instead of pleased. “Of course I smell good to you. I smell exactly the way you want me to smell.”
“Best decision I ever made.”
Vivi was giggling behind her hand. Mika wasn’t even trying to hide her amusement. I was going to kill both of them.
“Can you please act normal?” I asked Knox. “You’re making a scene and people are starting to stare. I have a reputation to maintain here and you’re not helping with all the sniffing and purring.”
“This is normal for me. You smell good. I’m appreciating it. What’s wrong with that?”
“Everything is wrong with that. You’re being unhinged and possessive and you know it. You can’t just go around making noises every time I walk past you.”
“Why not? You’re my mate. I can make whatever noises I want when you’re near me.”
“That’s not how this works.”
“Pretty sure it is.”
He wasn’t wrong but I wasn’t about to admit that in front of witnesses.
We stayed at the shop for another hour, Knox making that ridiculous purring sound every time I came within five feet of him. By the time we left, both Mika and Vivi were placing bets on how long it would take before he just carried me around everywhere.
“I give it a week,” Mika said.
“Three days,” Vivi countered.
“I hate you both,” I called over my shoulder.
Their laughter followed us out the door.
That evening, Knox’s parents showed up for dinner. Serena arrived with a casserole and Marcus brought wine. The twins went absolutely feral the second they walked through the door, demanding attention and hugs and a detailed account of what presents they might receive for their upcoming birthday.
