“Family?” Nash said, credit card still out. “Shit. You didn’t hear?”
Adalyn must’ve yelled something inside his brain, because his eyes blew open and swung to her.
Miles frowned. “What didn’t I hear?”
“That they’re getting marriedafterus.”My brother’s lame answer almost made me laugh, because the sad reality remained that for the moment, the wedding was off.
Miles blinked at Nash and then he chuckled. “Everyone knows. Nikki and I are going to be frosting a cake next week to celebrateyourfuture wife.” His gaze locked on me as I got off my stool and gathered my coat.
I gathered my coat, bag, and drink, then sidestepped Liam. “So, where’s that table?”
As we made our way toward it, his voice lit up my mind.He’s awfully excited about frosting a cake with you.
My shoulder blades tightened. Was that jealousy or disgust? I glanced over my shoulder, met Liam’s pointed gaze, and then got so sidetracked by it that I almost bumped into Miles’s back but Liam shot out his hand and gripped my hip, preventing the collision.
You should watch where you’re going. Wouldn’t want you to spill that pretty orange drink of yours all over our host’s nice white tee.Derision tinted his tone.
“Iwouldn’t want that; not so sureyou’dbe against it.”
He smirked, confirming he’d be all too happy for me to dye Miles’s shirt. After releasing my hip, his fingertips scraped down my thigh.
I dropped my gaze to the skin he’d inadvertently set on fire, then raised it back up to his incandescent eyes. “A shame you have a houseguest, and I still live at home.”
His smirk vanished, and his black pupils spilled over the amber.
Had I just propositioned my Alpha?
Tucking my straw between my lips, I spun and took one of the seats at the table set for four, then shut my eyes and drained my glass. Who had my celibacy turned me into?
Chapter 15
Aminute after we sat down, Liam’s cell phone rang. His expression hadn’t been relaxed, not even before I’d all but confessed I wanted to go home with him, but his angular jaw was now sharp enough to hew logs. His eyes went to my brother, who sucked in a breath.
Nash scraped back from the table. “Time to go, girls.”
My heart jumped right into my throat. “Why? What happened?”
Liam ended the call and stuffed his phone into his pocket.Nothing to worry about.
“Adalyn and I are pack, too.” The heated whisper fled my lips before I could rethink addressing my Alpha in such a manner. “Don’t you dare keep us in the dark.”
The tendons in Liam’s neck flexed as he stared down at me.The coroner and his wife broke out of the bunker.
“How? Oh . . .” My hand climbed up to my mouth. “They’re not adverse to silver.”
He gave the faintest of nods, then dug a wad of bills from the back pocket of his jeans, peeled three hundreds, and flung them on the table.
As I rose and grabbed my jacket, I watched the green and cream bills flatten on the varnished wood. “Liam, you don’t need to—”
You let a guy pay for your dinner, and he’ll expect something in return.
I slung my bag over my shoulder. “According to your logic, now I owe you.”
“I’m your Alpha, Nikki. You’ll never owe me a thing.” He pushed his chair under the table and tipped his head to the door.
Once outside, Nash pulled Adalyn toward his ride—a souped-up, navy Audi SUV he’d spent a good chunk of his savings on. “Nikki, you have your car, right?”
I nodded. “Around the corner. I’ll meet you guys at the compound.” I started down the trampled snow. When I felt a presence beside me, I pushed a lock of hair out of my eyes. “You’ll get there faster if you go with them, Liam.”
