“Aww, did he knock out on you?” Cormac asks, and my head whips back in his direction.
“What are you doing here?” I blurt out, taking a step back.
Fuck.
I hate being suspicious of everything and everyone, but I swear something is off.
Chapter Five
Cormac
It’s a damn good thing I’m excellent at controlling my micro-expressions. Charlotte seemed much happier to see me at the library, and for some reason, I assumed that would spill over into excitement to run into me at the Christmas market.
I’m reasonably handsome.
Sure, I’m on the slender side, but I’m the strong type of skinny. Okay, I’m not jacked or anything. I’m athletic and bony. Neither makes me sound comfortable to cuddle with, but that’s what pillows are for.
I’m financially stable, ruthlessly protective of those I care about, and I’ve never had a wandering eye.
I’m a catch.
At least, I think I am.
I could be for her.
All those positive attributes have to make up for a bit of light stalking, right?
In my opinion, they do.
I’ve never been so enamored by another human being. Sure, I’m no stranger to stalking targets in my professional life, but I’ve never turned into a straight-up creepy stalker over a woman.
I’d like to believe that I haven’t now.
I’m just keeping an eye on someone more vulnerable than myself. That’s a trait any good protector should have.
I only have two small bumps on the road to making her mine. First, I need to win over the skittish woman. Second, I have to break the news to my brothers that I won’t be joining them in the pack we always thought we would form.
“Cormac?” she asks, reminding me that she asked a question. “What are you doing here?”
Lifting the gift bag in my left hand, I give it a gentle shake. “I lost a vicious game of rock, paper, scissors. My brothers sent me to get our housekeeper’s Christmas gift. She mentioned wanting figurines to match a set, and apparently, I had to get here before they sold since they’re one of a kind.” I shrug, offering Charlotte a boyish smile. “I’m the youngest, so my brothers gang up on me.”
“Oh,” she says softly, glancing over her shoulder once more.
Something has her on edge.
Could she have sensed me watching?
It’s always a possibility, but it could also have something to do with the men who approached her friend.
The terror on Charlotte’s face when her son ran off was enough to force me to abandon my post of keeping an eye on her to instead track the boy. He’s fast, and I couldn’t move too quickly, otherwise I would have given away my presence.
I only made it to Lucky as Charlotte’s friend carried him back toward where I last saw his mother. He was sans his hot chocolate but in one piece.
I was torn between following the men that Charlotte’s friend was practically running away from and ensuring Lucky made it to Charlotte. I chose the latter, even if my instincts wanted to inflict pain and suffering. Hell, I don’t even know what they did, but my gut was sure they deserved it for something.
The scent of Charlotte’s pheromones points to fear, and it sets my instincts on edge.
“Is everything okay? Did something happen?” I ask, staring straight into her bluish-green eyes. “I don’t mean to overstep, but you seem uncomfortable…”
