Page 28 of Her Shifter Pack

I sounded like a caveman, but my brain felt fuzzy. I didn’t know what I could do to utter more than monosyllabic grunts. That was all that was coming out right now.

Lexie turned to Ollie. “Can we chat now that Markus is back?”

Ollie chuckled, smiling at her with more love and warmth than I’d ever seen on my brother’s face before.

Jealousy flared, and I bit out in a more caustic tone than I intended, “Whatcha talking about?”

Ollie looked at me, his gaze cooling. “We ran into Nancy at the grocery store, and Lexie has some questions about us... and our intentions, and a few other things.”

I groaned and rolled my eyes. Of course, they’d walked into Nancy. Of all the fucking women... “I... can I have a shower first?”

Surely, they’d give me a minute to get my head on straight.

Lexie’s lips twisted, then she nodded. “Okay. But you’re coming back. Right?”

The fact that she wanted me here for this conversation as well as Ollie, and seemed anxious that I may leave again, made a strange feeling pass through my chest.

I couldn’t identify it, but I wasn’t leaving if she wanted me to stay. It would take a direct order from the pack Alpha to move me, and even then, I had the feeling I’d put up a fight.

“Sure. Be back in ten.”

“Cool,” Ollie said, reaching for his cell. “I’ll order the pizzas.”

Lexie smiled at me, her eyes shining in a way that once again, made me want to stay.

“I’ll, ah...” I pointed to upstairs, and she nodded.

“See you soon, Markus.”

I forced myself to turn and bolt up the stairs, half afraid that if I stayed, I wouldn’t take the time I needed to breathe.

See you soon, Markus. Her voice when she said it had been laced with warmth. Matching heat seemed to infuse my limbs as I undressed and turned on the water. I couldn’t get the effect of her presence out of my system. And to be honest, I wasn’t certain I wanted to.

The shower washed away the stress and sweat of the day. I’d really pushed myself at the gym and could smell the effects of it. I lathered up extra hard, wanting to be clean and fresh when I headed downstairs again.

By the time I was dry and dressed, I heard the doorbell peel. A sign the pizzas were likely here.

What was I going to say to Lexie? What had my brother already told her?

Honesty was always the best policy, but were we going to reveal the shifter element, or not? That information wasn’t shared with humans unless absolutely necessary, and we barely knew her.

“Thanks, bud,” Ollie was saying at the door as I jogged down the stairs. He grabbed the pizzas from whoever was outside and shut the front door.

I met him in the lounge, where he was handing Lexie a pizza box.

“Here.” Ollie handed me mine, and I sat down to devour the family-sized meatasaurus feast.

Ollie had his regular order, a supreme with extra cheese, but I was interested in what Lexie had. Was she one of those girls that would order a vegetarian to save calories, then barely eat a bite?

She opened her box to reveal a pizza loaded up with ingredients, and a cheesy smell wafted my way. “Oh, this smells amazing,” she said. “Thank you, Ollie.”

My brother grinned at her, and she got to eating.

I glanced over at the half empty bowls of snacks and had to assume she’d eaten some of those too. Despite myself, I was impressed. She could eat.

Thank God.

“So what else did you guys get up to today?” I asked. “Other than candy shopping...” And running into my occasional booty call.

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