Page 95 of Mark & Don't Tell

Throat tight and breathing shaky, I set my bagel and coffee on my desk, frowning at them as my stomach turns. Yeah. Probably best not to eat or drink anything right now.

“Hey, bunny.”

Startling at Lincoln’s sudden appearance, I clutch my chest and spin around. “Jesus Christ, you scared the shit out of me.”

Chuckling, he shoves his hands into his slacks. Today, he’s wearing a blue-and-white-striped button-up and his hair is down. It’s longer than I realized, stopping a few inches below his shoulders. A gorgeous shade of brown—rich and sleek and yeah. I have hair envy. “See something you like?”

So many things. There are so many things to like about him and Kai and Vic. They’re perfect in surprising ways. Everything I never realized I wanted and needed.

I force myself to look away. “I was just logging in.”

He doesn’t respond for a minute, and when I turn back around, he’s studying me like a puzzle he’s trying to figure out. “Are you okay?”

“Uh, yeah,” I say with a strained laugh. “It was a long weekend.”

Forehead wrinkling, he scrutinizes me some more. He’s so good at reading people, he probably knows I’m lying.

“Can I talk to you today? Like the whole pack? It’s not work related.”

“Sure, we can talk right now.”

Fuck. No. I need a moment. “Uh, can I eat my breakfast first?” I gesture to the bagel I have no plans on eating, but it gives me an excuse to prepare myself for the conversation. Running into Kai this morning threw me off.

“Sure, maybe we can huddle in my office with Vic and Kai before the meeting with the team?” Lincoln searches my face. “What’s going on? You’re scaring me.”

Am I such an open book?

“I think it might be better to wait for the pack,” I tell him with a smile I hope comes across as reassuring, but based on the way his eyes narrow, that only made him more suspicious. “Please,” I add.

Sighing, he rubs the back of his neck and glances away. “Okay, yeah. Come to my office when you’re ready.”

“Thanks, Lincoln.”

He nods and takes a step away, searching my face one more time before leaving.

A breath rushes out of me, and I sag against the desk, covering my face with my hands. That was horrible. Today is going to be the worst day of my life.

About thirty minutes later, Lincoln knocks on the wall of my cubicle. “I know I said come when you’re ready, but I’m impatient.”

Time to do this. “That’s okay. I’m ready.” I lock my computer and take a steadying breath before turning to face him. He doesn’t step back when I stand, and I clear my throat, glancing away from him when he shoots me a questioning look.

“Daria—”

“Can we wait?” My voice barely comes out a whisper. “Please.”

Linc’s frown deepens hard enough to leave permanent lines, but he concedes and gives me space to step out of the cube and head toward his office, where the pack is waiting. Every step is like trudging through mud. My pulse races and my hands tremble at my sides. Heat crawls up my neck, and by the time Linc shuts us in the office, my entire body is shaking.

Vic and Kai shoot to their feet when they see the state I’m in, but I hold up my hand to keep them from coming over.

“I don’t know,” Lincoln says when they glance at him for guidance.

“Daria?” Kai asks. “Is everything all right?” His arms had felt so good around me this morning.

The air is rich with citrus, cinnamon, and sweet myrrh. It’s almost cruel how soothing the scents should be, but my mind is racing as I struggle to breathe, chest tightening with every passing second. Agony slowly creeps through my veins. A slow, painful death. “Uh, you guys might want to sit down,” I tell them, side-stepping until I’m standing next to the desk and the chairs on the other side of it.

The three of them trade wary looks before sitting, eyes set on me as I tuck my shaking hands behind my back. I open my mouth to begin, but all that comes out is a pathetic sound.

“Little doe?”

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