Annoyance giving way to contemplation, I smile softly at his logic. “So you didn't have a part of your life separate anymore.”
Kasen nods, looking at me earnestly and putting a hand on my knee beneath the table. “I do listen when you talk, Scarlett, I’ve just been too worried about fucking things up to reply the way that I want to. If I said the wrong thing and lost my opportunity to spend time with you at least like this...” He stays in my personal space, but can’t seem to find the right words to sum up his thoughts.
Beckett claps his hands once to shatter the silence that followed Kasen’s statement before it can stretch on too long. “Sweet, first situation resolved. Onto the next.”
“And that would be?” Though it’s pretty clear from his enthusiasm that he’s referring to himself.
Giving me a toothy grin, he plucks a fry off of his plate and reaches across the table to offer it to me. “The lightning question round, of course, to catch up on lost time and knock the petty stuff out of the way quickly so we can get to the good stuff.”
Eyeing his hand, I ask Malcolm, “Is this some weird shifter custom? If I accept his potato, am I going to find myself barefoot and pregnant or something?”
Beckett chuckles. “Is that what the kids are calling it these days; a potato?”
Rolling his eyes, Malcolm replies, “No, love, you’re fine. It’s not a shifter thing, just a fated one. There’s a driving desire to take care of our mates; put food on the table, protect them, love them.” A small smile twitches at the corner of his mouth as Beckett sticks out his bottom lip in a pout, using his french fry to jab at my arm and encourage me to take it. “Though something tells me it’ll go straight to this one’s head and he’ll soon upgrade to leaving dead mice on your pillow.”
Taking Beck’s offering, his pout instantly morphs into a wide smile. “How about you keep letting me feed you, Iwon’tleave rodents in your bed?”
Fry halfway to my mouth, I set it down on my plate with an eyebrow raised in challenge. “Do threats typically work for you with the ladies?”
He rests his chin on his fist. “I suppose time will tell. I’ve never met any worth threatening before today.”
Ignoring my plate, I refuse to look away first. I may not know a lot where predators are concerned, but I’m not so sheltered as to have missed the way they stare each other down in a display of dominance. After lecturing Kasen to push back after backing down to Malcolm, I’m not about to be a hypocrite.
“Pretty ballsy when doing so could get your throat torn out.”
He shrugs a single shoulder. “Kase might knock my ass out, but he wouldn’t kill me.”
“I wasn’t talking about Kasen.”
His eyes widen ever so slightly at my cold tone before he hides his surprise behind a flirtatious smile. “Well, now I’m tempted to give it a shot just to see if I can pull it off with my head still attached to my shoulders.”
“Beck,” Kasen warns. “The fuck are you doing?”
He continues to pin me with his unrelenting stare, though he reaches over to jab his finger into Kasen’s arm a few times. “Poking the bear. You?”
“Wondering why the hell I thought it was a good idea to bring you here in the first place,” he snaps.
Malcolm’s in full agreement. “And by the fact he wasn’t surprised in the slightest, I’d say it’s safe to assume you’ve broken yet another promise and have been running your mouth about Scarlett.”
“Malcolm-” I don’t tear my gaze away from Beckett as I stop this before it can gain any traction “- lay off him. Now you’re picking fights simply for the sake of fighting.”
Sighing, he leans in to kiss my cheek. “You’re right. I’ve just hated seeing you so miserable and I haven’t made time to burn off my excess energy this week with everything that’s happened.” Kasen gives him a measured look at the statement and I frown, but Malcolm flippantly continues before I can ask. “The surges were at least good for something, I suppose.” I catch a glimpse of his scowl in my peripherals. "And I'll admit the wolf rubs me the wrong way, if we're being honest."
Reaching down, I grab a chicken strip and take a bite out of spite, enjoying the way the corner of Beckett’s eye ticks. “How’d you know he was a wolf? My sense of smell is way better than yours, and I couldn’t even tell Kasen was a black bear until he shifted.”
Malcolm scoffs. “Like I didn't thoroughly research Kasen before filling him in on your arrival in the first place. Living arrangements are one of the first things that I looked at. I wasn’t about to get someone with children or a mate waiting for them at home involved in a subject as touchy as this one.”
Humming in appreciation, I set my chicken down, only to grab a fry from the opposite side of the plate. “A miracle no one snatched you up before I came along, Malcolm; it’s easy to love and respect you.”
An electric caress brushes down my arm. “You’re biased, but I’ll gladly take the compliment,” he teases.
Tipping his head respectfully, Beck backs off, turning to face his friend. “You’ve been holding out on me, mate. The way you were talking, I thought she was some timid thing in need of protecting.” His gaze flicks back to mine appreciatively for a beat and then away before initiating another dick measuring contest. “No wonder she had you tied up in knots.”
“Oh, he’s not wrong.” Meeting him in the middle, I break off the end of his offering and pop it in my mouth, leaving the rest untouched with a small smirk that genuinely reaches my eyes. “It’s just hard to be intimidated by a pup that’s clearly all bark and no bite.”
Three bursts of laughter surround me, Beck still chuckling as he finishes off his dinner. “You’re gorgeous when you smile, but you’re fucking stunning when you’re assertive.” Licking his fingers clean, he folds his arms behind his head, rocking his chair back to balance precariously. “Please, feel free to boss me around whenever you like. And before we fall down the same rabbit hole as you did with these two; I’m not usually into that sort of thing, but I will happily experiment if you want to step on my chest and tell me to beg.”
Snorting, I push my chair back, getting up to roll my stiff shoulders. “I barely even know you.”
