I blinked in disbelief. What was it with these people?
I’d only left Theron’s house last night.
With a sigh of resignation, I opened the door and hid my gun behind my back. “Hi, Mina. It’s nice to meet you. And don’t worry about your mom. I imagine if I’d ever had one growing up, she’d probably be just like yours.”
In all fairness, the strippers who had practically adopted me, after my mom’s death, at my father’s illicit place of business were quite motherly. Nipple clamps and peekaboo feathers beside the point. They’d had sense enough to not ever try to dress me in that shit.
I nodded my head to her in farewell and started to close the door on her. I was done dealing with shifters and their mates.
Except that the cool and collected woman in front of me jerked her hand out and slammed it against the door, holding it open. All with an amazing and inviting smile on her gorgeous face.
Mina explained, “I’ve come for more than that.”
All right, whoever is up there in Heaven…
This shit isn’t funny anymore. You can stop now.
Please.
Wariness pulled at my voice. “What now?”
With her free arm, she grabbed something out in the hallway that she had hidden behind the wall, pulling it over next to her—that charming smile still plastered on her features.
Wolfe Cooper now stood next to her, glaring at her face. “I told you this was a stupid idea, Mina.”
“Nonsense.”
I have no clue how she did it, but she managed to bustle past me and yank Wolfe inside my room with as much panache as a model walking down a runway. “There’s a party tonight, and we’re taking you with us, Noelle.”
I let the door go, barely registering as it clicked shut. I took my hand with my weapon from behind my back and rubbed the handle of it against my right temple. I felt a headache coming on from this. I mumbled in confusion, “What party are you talking about?”
Wolfe eyed the gun in my hand, his brows furrowed deeply, and rumbled, “The pizza girl turned eighteen today. Her birthday party is in an hour at Rune and Megan’s home.”
“Uh…” There was something wrong with their tight clique. “You want me to go to a pizza girl’s birthday party?”
“We know her,” Mina hurried to explain. “She has a name.”
I waited. Yet they didn’t explain further.
I sighed and peered down at my clothes. “I’m wearing pajamas. I was in for the night working.”
Wolfe’s golden eyes turned to thin slits, the beautiful color barely visible. “What were you working on?”
“Research on how to deal with overbearing wolf shifters.”
Mina’s tinkling laughter filled the room. She waved her left hand back and forth in the air like she was swatting away the building tension between Wolfe and me.
“You guys are just so funny. Let’s get you changed, Noelle. I’m sure you have something here appropriate for a party.”
I grunted in surprise as she shoved me deeper into my hotel room, shooing me toward my clothes spread out on the empty bed. My brows snapped together when I could have sworn she whispered behind me, “Wolfe, get your damn act together. Where the hell is your A-game? You can do better than this.”
I turned around with my mouth open, full of questions ready to spew forth, but the beauty queen was charging toward me with that sweet smile on her face, and Wolfe was gazing down at the hologram above my computer board, analyzing what I had been working on.
Maybe I was hearing things.
“It has nothing to do with shifters or mates. You can quit snooping, Wolfe.” I rolled my eyes and stuffed my gun back under my pillow.
He bent his knees and pulled his gray hair away from his face to look more intently at my work. Wolfe didn’t look away from my screen. “You did this?”
