Page 58 of Sear
“You brought lunch!” he exclaimed with a huge grin. “Have I mentioned that you’re my favorite sister?”
“I’m your only sister, Rob,” Malia said as he stepped aside to let her in. “Not much competition there. I had to drop a DUI off at the station, so I thought I’d swing by and feed you. And see if you needed anything.”
“You’re the best. Let me turn the heat up a bit,” he offered. “You look soaked to the skin.”
Malia sighed at the welcome warmth inside his place. “Thanks. With this wind, my raincoat didn’t do much to keep me dry.”
The loft was light and airy even on this gloomy day. It had hardwood floors, high plaster ceilings, and two big skylights that supplemented the single large window with a view over Main Street.
Tucked away along the back wall was an open-plan kitchen with a long, granite-topped breakfast bar and four counter-height chairs made of dark wood.
The loft’s remaining furnishings were simple but comfortable: a queen-sized bed with two nightstands; large, battered-looking leather sofa facing a huge flat-screen TV mounted on the wall near the front door; and a coffee table covered with books and sheet music.
There were oversized speakers lined up along one wall, along with thick loops of electrical cables, microphone stands, guitar cases, and a disassembled drum set.
Malia handed Rob a takeout bag filled with sandwiches, pastries, and fruit, set down the cardboard tray with the coffees, then hugged him, carefully avoiding his injured arm in its metal cage.
“How you are feeling today?” she asked.
“You smell weird,” he said, and buried his nose in her neck to take a deep sniff. “Like you’re mated. That can’t be right.”
Malia’s gut tightened.Crap!
The bite mark that Lucas had left on her neck had disappeared overnight, but she’d forgotten about the change in her scent precipitated by the mate bond.
“Um, actually,” she said. “That’s kind of why I stopped by. I have some news.”
“Wait, no! Really?” He straightened up, and she saw shock in his expression. “When? And who’s the lucky guy?”
Something in her expression betrayed her. He took a step back, his eyes wide. “No way! Not that dude you were telling me about the other day?”
She nodded.
“I thought you just wanted to get laid!”
Burning heat swept up her throat and over her face. “That was the plan,” she confirmed. “Have a short fling with Lucas. Nothing permanent.”
“Okay,” he said. “So, what changed?”
“My wolf went rogue. And so did his cougar. They sealed a mating bond without asking us!”
“You’ve gotta be shitting me. That can actually happen?” Rob shook his head and led her over to the breakfast bar. “Sit down. I’ll get you a real drink. Sounds like you need it.”
“I’d love to, but I can’t. I’m on duty,” she said regretfully. She fetched the coffees and set them on the polished granite top.
She removed the lid from hers, and inhaled the fragrant steam.
“It was a real shock,” she confessed. “At first, I was scared out of my wits. And horrified. But Lucas…well, he’s so sweet, Rob. He had to be as gobsmacked as I was, but he went out of his way to take care of me and try to make me feel better.”
“Well, those are points in his favor,” Rob said. He sat down next to her, and began unpacking the bag. “Let me guess, the turkey sandwich is yours?”
Malia nodded. “I bought you the foot-long roast beef roll. And that fruit salad you like.”
“Best sister ever.” Rob slid the small cardboard container containing a pecan brownie in her direction, and snagged the lemon bar for himself. “So, what’s the plan now? With Lucas, I mean.”
“We’re still discussing the details.” Malia sighed and voiced her biggest worry. “He’s a really nice person, but he made a bad impression on a few of the pack members, including Kymberlie and Great Uncle Bill. And Gage Tringstad, too.”
Rob’s dark brows shot up. “That’s…not good. What the hell did hedo?”
