“Please don’t. I’ll come and do it myself.”
He grinned. “Relax, Nikki. We’re almost family.”
“Doesn’t make discussing penises with you any less weird.” I dropped my hands to the bar top, then wrapped one around the mug and drank, but since I was already hot, it just made sweat bead on my upper lip.
“If you want, we can discuss breasts.” He leaned back.
I snorted. “That’s all right. But I appreciate your effort for gender discussion equality.”
Once we were done going over the list, we chatted a few minutes about the restaurant business, which was a nice, safe subject. He’d come to Pondside once with Bea. Usually humans who weren’t in a serious relationship with a pack member weren’t permitted on the compound, but my Beta brother had taken some liberties with the rules.
I drained my coffee and lowered myself from the stool. “Call me if you need anything else. Otherwise, I’ll see you next week.”
“To frost the penis cake.” Grinning, he got up too and reached out to grab my coat.
I grimaced, which just made his smile widen. As far as smiles went, his was really beautiful—teeth like Chiclets set between full lips. I must’ve stared a tad too long, because one of his eyebrows climbed up.
Liam was right . . . I really had an ogling problem.
The mere thought of Liam, of the hard cut of his face and body, dimmed Miles’s attractiveness.
I speared my arms through the coat he was still holding up. “See you next week.”
“Or earlier. In case you feel like getting out of the house now that the snow let up. There’s always a free seat for you at Seoul Sister.”
“Idoneed to get out of the house, so I might actually take you up on that.”
“Just steer clear of the woods, all right?”
I frowned.
“I heard they haven’t found the wolf yet. The one that killed that girl.”
My forehead smoothed. “Oh. I’ll be careful.”
* * *
As I drovetoward the bunker, I wondered if Shifter Zero was even still around. If smart, he would’ve fled town, what with an entire pack chasing after him. I sort of hoped he was still around because I sorely wanted closure.
The roads had been salted and plowed, but I was still extra cautious. More than once, my tires skidded on a patch of flattened snow, and losing control reminded me of the accident. I spent the next fifteen minutes of the drive breathing through the flare of panic constricting my rib cage.
After I parked, I trudged to the large metal door and rapped on it.
Niall was the one to open. “Nikki, what are you doing here?”
“I wanted to check up on Nate.”
“You don’t want to be here.”
“Actually, I do.” I tried to walk in, but he blocked my path.
“Seriously.”
“Seriously, I do.” I pressed my fingertips into his shoulder and pushed him aside. “I’m not scared of halfwolves.”
He sighed but let me through.
The fluorescent tubing, that ran along the long, narrow ceiling, spilled wan light over the metal shelves full of canned goods and the silver bars of the cells at the far end. As I moved deeper into the low-ceilinged concrete space, my rubber soles squelched, garnering the attention of the four shifters on site—Nate, Liam, Avery, and . . . Who was the fourth male? I imagined he was pack, otherwise he wouldn’t be here.
