He was examining a package of chicken breasts and reading the label with intense concentration when I heard a familiar voice.
“Wen? Oh my god, is that you?”
I turned to see James walking toward me with a friendly smile. He was Krystin’s distant cousin, tall and good-looking in that non-threatening way. Harmless, sweet. And currently the key player in my evil plan.
“James! Hey!” I moved away from Mal toward him with more enthusiasm than necessary. “How have you been?”
“Good! Really good. Busy with the new job but good.” He pulled me into a hug that lasted just a beat too long to be casual. Long enough to be noticed. “You look amazing. Pregnancy really suits you. The father is still not in the picture?”
I felt Mal tense behind me. Could practically hear his wolf snarling inside his head.
This was going exactly as planned.
“Thanks! You’re sweet. No, he’s not in the picture. But anyways, how is the new job going?” I angled myself so I was standing closer to James than to Mal and touched his arm while we talked.
“It’s great. Really challenging but I’m learning so much. The team is awesome.” He leaned in conspiratorially and lowered his voice. “Though I have to say, working this much means I barely have time to see friends anymore. We should grab coffee sometime and actually catch up properly.”
“I’d love that,” I said warmly and maybe touched his arm again. “It’s been forever since we hung out.”
It was a total lie. I’d never hung out with James, but it served its purpose when Mal appeared at my side so fast I almost jumped. His hand wrapped around my waist in a grip that was definitely possessive. His body pressed against my back in a way that screamed mine.
“Hello,” he said. His voice was pleasant. His eyes were absolutely not. They were boring holes into James’s skull.
James’s smile faltered slightly as he took in Mal’s size and expression. “Uh, hi there. I’m James. Friend of Wen’s.”
“Malachar. Wen’s mate.” The way he said mate sounded like a territorial claim and a threat rolled into one.
“Friend,” I corrected quickly because we were in public, and Mal looked as if I’d struck him. “Mal, James is Krystin’s cousin. I’ve known him for years.”
“How lovely.” Mal’s hand tightened on my waist. “Wen, we should finish shopping quickly. You need to rest. The baby requires you to rest frequently.”
“I’m perfectly fine.” I turned back to James and deliberately ignored Mal’s grip. “So you were saying about that coffee?”
“Oh, right. Yeah, maybe next week? I know this great little place downtown that just opened. They have amazing pastries.”
“That sounds perfect. Text me the details?”
Mal made a noise that was definitely a growl. His fingers flexed against my hip hard enough that I’d probably have marks later.
I bit back a smile. This was too easy.
“Anyway, we should probably get going,” I said to James. “But it was so great seeing you. We need to catch up more often.”
“Definitely.” He hugged me goodbye and I made sure to hug back enthusiastically and maybe held on a second longer than necessary. “Text me!”
“Will do!”
I turned around and started pushing the cart toward the dairy section with casualness. Mal walked beside me radiating enough tension to power a small city. His jaw was clenched so hard I was worried about his teeth. His hands were fists at his sides.
“He seems very friendly,” he said after a moment. His tone suggested that friendly was a crime punishable by death and dismemberment.
“He is. James is a great guy. Really sweet and thoughtful.”
“Very touchy with you.”
“We’re friends. Friends hug. That’s normal human behavior.”
“That was not a friend hug. That was a mating invitation and courtship display.”
