Page 78 of Healer's Call

He glances down at me. “You like surprises, Healer?”

“Hmmm.”

He cocks a brow. “You have to think about it?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever really been surprised by anybody before. So, I don’t really know.” I shrug. “What about you? You like surprises?”

“No,” he scoffs. “I hate surprises.”

I grin. “That doesn’tsurpriseme at all. You sort of like to be in control...a lot.”

“Yep.” He doesn’t even deny it, and I can’t help but smile. When we get close to the dining hall, he puts a hand on my lower back. He's been doing that a lot today; I wonder if he even realizes he’s doing it. “My old pack was in here earlier. If they’re still here, just ignore them and stay close to me.” I nod and try to pretend that I’m not affected by his nearness. Thankfully, we don’t see any sign of his pack as we make our way into the dining hall. He leads me right into the kitchen, surprising me.

“Uh, are we going to steal food?” I whisper.

“With this one, that wouldn’t surprise me in the least,” a voice behind me says, surprising me. I spin around and see a gray-haired woman smiling at me.

“Healer, this is Pamella,” Mav says not looking offended in the least. In fact...is he smiling?I have to catch my breath because Mav is a good-looking guy even when he’s scowling or more often than not, smirking. But when he smiles? I put a hand on my stomach trying to quell the sudden butterflies that have just taken flight.

“Hi, Pamella,” I manage to say and put out my hand.

“Oh, come here, You.” She swallows me in a hug. When she pulls back, she assesses me from head to toe. “She’s gorgeous, Mav.” I feel my face heat up and don’t dare to look at Mav to see how he responds. When he doesn’t say anything, Pam turns her gaze on him. I follow her gaze.

Mav shrugs. “Never said she wasn’t.”

I look away quickly but not before a good feeling settles over me. Pam sighs and turns back to me. “I’ve heard all the good you’ve done for our pack. Thank you.”

Feeling uncomfortable with the praise, I settle for a nod. “Rose was just telling me that she often misses meals and goes hungry,” Mav says, interrupting our moment.

“No, no, no,” Pam says. “Don’t ever go hungry, Dear. There is so much food here. You come find me if you miss a meal. I’m almost always in this kitchen. You find me, even if it’s late.” I find myself agreeing. “All right. Now that that’s settled, you two enjoy your date.”

“Oh, it’s not...” my voice trails off at her stern look, and I look to Maverick for help. But he stays silent.

“Don’t be a stranger now, Dearie.”

I smile; I can’t not. “I won’t. It was nice to meet you, Pam.”

“You too,Rose.” She puts special emphasis on my name and gives Mav a pointed look that he ignores.

“See you, Pam. Thanks.” He nods at the door, and I take the lead out of the kitchen. Within moments, we’re back in Maverick’s room.

“Thanks for introducing me to Pam; she seems nice,” I say, trying for conversation.

“She is.” He pulls out box after box of food, and I can’t help but shake my head. There won’t be any going to bed hungry tonight. “Here,” he says a moment later.

“Oh, I can make my own plate.” He doesn’t move, so I take the plate. I look at the sheer amount of food on my plate. “You know I’m never going to eat all this, right?”

“What are we watching?” he asks instead of responding to my question.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” I say with a grin. “It’s a surprise.”

“I hate surprises,” he says without missing a beat.

“So, you told me,” I tell him, still smiling. I settle in the chair and get ready to eat.

“Sit on the bed,” he says as he walks past me. “You can see better.”

“Oh, I don’t want to spill food on your bed.”

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