Page 23 of Stealing Sloane

“Fine.” He still had a job, after all. “Send me the details.”

“What’s wrong?” Sloane asked.

“I have to go,” he said.

“Now?” Her voice pitched higher than usual. “Where to?”

“I have my next assignment lined up.” He winked at her. “Gonna miss me?”

She rolled her eyes. “Like I’ll miss having a rash.”

Lizzie burst into laughter. “Oh my God, you and I are going to get along so well.”

Jacob sighed. “Whatever. Well, good luck with that.” Shoving his hands into his pockets, he headed out the doors, ignoring his wolf’s whines.

Most of the time, he was excited by a new assignment, a new destination. But this time, an uncomfortable sensation settled in his stomach at the thought of leaving Sloane. His wolf, too, protested, scratching its claws at him.

It’s only because I’m in the middle of this Ronan Forte thing.He hated leaving things unfinished.

Yeah, that was it.

It had nothing to do with a not being able to be around a certain smart-mouthed Lone Wolf.

Chapter 5

“Good morning, sunshine!” Lizzie greeted Sloane as she entered the massive kitchen of the Upper East Side penthouse. “Are you hungry?”

Sloane gave a cursory glance at the large table heaping with food—stacks of pancakes, a platter of eggs, a tray of various sausages, waffles, fruits, and what looked like burritos. “Coffee first.”

“Coming right up!” Grabbing a mug from a cupboard, Lizzie poured a generous amount of liquid from a pot into it. “Milk? Sugar?”

“Just black. Thanks.” She nodded gratefully at her host, who looked ridiculous with her strawberry blonde hair in pigtails, pajama pants, and a maternity shirt that had a graphic of a computer screen spinning wheel icon with the words “Loading” underneath it. Lizzie was funny, irreverent, and sarcastic, which made Sloane like her even more.

“Ah.” She sighed. “Thank you. Are we expecting anyone?” she asked, nodding at the table.

“Nope, just us.” She sat down. “My mate is still in London and won’t be back for a whole week, but he’s happy I have you for company. Now, let’s eat.”

“Thanks.”

While Sloane filled her plate, it was nothing compared to Lizzie’s. She had two of them stacked with food, and was making quick work of it. It was nothing short of a marvel, seeing how much she could consume, and even though she had witnessed it last night with both Stella and Lizzie, it still astonished her how much they could eat.

Apparently, a ravenous appetite was another sign of a True Mate pregnancy. After their meeting with the Alpha, Lizzie invited them to her favorite Chinese restaurant, and Sloane watched them demolish an entire meal that could have fed a small army. Afterwards, they said their goodbyes and she went with Lizzie to her and her mate’s amazing penthouse on the Upper East Side. Sloane had hoped they could get started on finding evidence—and she was also curious about Lizzie’s powers—but Lizzie insisted they get a good night’s sleep and start fresh in the morning.

“So, Sloane,” Lizzie said as she swallowed a mouthful of pancakes. “Did you like the bedroom? Sleep well?”

Sleep well?Not really.“Are you kidding? I love it. That guest room is the size of my old apartment back in Boston. Wow, are you rich or something?”

“Nah, but my mate is,” Lizzie said with a giggle. “Thank goodness because I’d probably eat him out of house and home.”

“Well, thanks for letting me crash. And thank him as well.”

“No biggie, really. My dad was a Lone Wolf, you know.”

“Really?” Jacob had never mentioned anything. Not that they ever talked about personal stuff.

“Yeah. Hence the name of our security company.”

Over dinner, Cliff and Lizzie had explained that their dads were adoptive siblings who banded together and became Lone Wolves. They had come to New York a few decades ago to fight the mages the first time, and they stayed and pledged to the clan. They also established their own security company that employed most of the family. Lizzie worked in the tech department, while Cliff and Jacob were agents, which is why Jacob was called away.

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