She’d been so deep in thought, she’d completely lost track of time. She should have been at the teahouse nearly thirty minutes ago!
Hustling to the front door, Nessa snatched up her purse, keys, and a light jacket, all but tossing her ass out onto the front porch. A brisk breeze accosted her, and she shivered. Twirling around, she slammed the door closed and locked it before rushing down the walkway that led to her driveway.
She hopped into her vehicle, a four-door SUV, and started the engine, barely giving it time to warm up before she backed into the street, put the car into drive, and took off. Even though she lived on the outskirts of the woods, it was a relatively easy driveto the teahouse, and she arrived at the strip mall a few minutes later.
Nessa pulled into a parking spot near the back of the lot. The other stores were open, with a few cars littering the parking lot. Luckily, it didn’t appear busy yet.
Only one truck was parked outside her establishment, a few spots in front of her SUV. The early morning sun reflected off the truck’s surface, making it difficult to see whoever was inside. She could just make out a silhouette.
Hopefully, they wouldn’t mind waiting for her to get set up before coming inside and placing an order.
Turning off the ignition, Nessa stepped out of her SUV right as the passenger side door of the truck opened. Squinting against the bright sun, she opened her mouth to inform her customer that she would be just a few minutes longer.
Only, as she caught sight of a particular lavender shade of hair and a rounded belly that definitely hadn’t been so prominent two months ago, Nessa’s words died in her throat, and her pulse began a frantic beat in her ears.
The truck door slammed shut and Nessa flinched as Hunny turned to face her. The wererabbit sent her a small, hesitant smile. “Hey, Nessa. I know I’m probably the last person you want to see, but we need to talk.”
Chapter 2
Nessa’s hands shook as another figure emerged from the truck, closing the driver’s side door before he turned and glared in her direction. The man was well over six feet tall with a long beard, brown hair that had been cut since the last time she’d seen him, and a permanent scowl plastered on his face that she’d only ever seen disappear when his thoughts were on Hunny.
Tank Sinclair, Murphy’s brother.Werebear, she added silently, as if she needed the reminder.
Her pulse spiked as he neared, and her mouth dried in fear, though she knew the emotion was ridiculous. Tank might be a grumpy guy, but he was a solid man. Just the way he acted around Hunny was proof enough of that.
Still, Nessa’s fear didn’t abate. Swallowing thickly, she stuck her trembling hands into the front pockets of her jacket. He tracked the movement, and oddly enough, some of his scowl faded. Even his shoulders relaxed, as though he were trying to make himself appear less threatening.
It didn’t work, but she appreciated the effort all the same.
“Hey,” Nessa called out, wincing at the way her voice wobbled. “Long time,” she added lamely when Tank didn’t return the greeting.
“And whose fault is that?” Tank spat out gruffly, his scowl deepening in an instant. “Got my mate up early in the morning and all the way out here to this damned town because you won’t pick up the phone.”
Mate. He’d said mate! So it was true; such a thing existed. Which meant she hadn’t misunderstood Murphy.
Ho-ly shit.
Was Murphy really Nessa’s soul mate then? Her heart picked up a frantic beat.
Calm down! You don’t know exactly what it means, so no more thinking about it.Too bad that was easier said than done.
“Henry, we talked about this. It’s okay,” Hunny chided softly. Nessa watched her as she rubbed a hand in slow circles over her baby bump. Her hair was a few inches longer now, and her skin looked ethereal. She was positively glowing, and Nessa felt a bit of shame creep in that she’d missed out on this exciting time in her friend’s life.
If she could even call herself a friend after all but ghosting Hunny.
“It’s not okay,” Tank replied with a huff, narrowing his eyes on Nessa as if he expected her to argue.
Squaring her shoulders, Nessa said, “You’re right, Tank.” She glanced at Hunny and then looked down at the ground before finally setting her sights on the front door to her teahouse.“Maybe we should go inside.” That way Hunny could get off her feet, and Nessa could figure out what they wanted, now, after all this time. They’d never actually visited since the incident.
She didn’t bother waiting for an answer, beelining for the front doors. She unlocked them, holding one open for Hunny and Tank. As they neared, she tensed instinctively. This, she knew, had less to do with recent events and more to do with the fact that a man had entered her space.
“You reek of fear,” Tank grumbled, stepping into the building after Hunny. “If I was going to kill you, I would have done so months ago.”
Hunny whipped around, pointing menacingly at the big man. “Henry! You can’t say stuff like that!”
Tank only grunted in response.
“You can smell my emotions?” Nessa asked as she locked the door behind them. That made sense, she guessed.
