Page 59 of Pack Scratch Fever
“Oh, I do,” Maddox says lowly. “I’m honored.”
I want to roll my eyes at how much Mari is gushing over him.
I should be the one gushing,my inner Omega argues.
My hormones are making meinsane.
I head down the cat food aisle just to have a moment away from Maddox and all the conflicting emotions he stirs in me.
How do I know what is real and isn’t just my response to a scent match?
Is Maddox even my type?
Whatismy type?
I keep going back to that horrible Heat in the hotel room, and how lonely and awful it was…
“Hey.”
Maddox’s voice interrupts my train of thought, and I jump when he approaches.
“You scared me,” I breathe. He takes a step back, his hands up.
“Didn’t mean to. Just wanted to check on you.” He smirks. “You’ve been gone for twenty minutes. Is cat food that interesting? You’ve been staring at the same spot for five minutes.”
I frown. “You were timing me?”
He shrugs, his eyes playful. “Timing, watching…same thing.”
I shake my head. “You’re so strange.”
The butterflies in my stomach are back, and when he takes a step closer, I don’t move away.
“Are you alright, though?” he asks softly.
I nod. “Just thinking.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
I scoff. “With you? No.”
A flash of hurt flickers across his face, and I instantly regret it.
“Ouch,” he murmurs, the mischievous glint in his eyes gone.
Damn it, Piper.
He doesn’t deserve that.
He’s been helping the rescue all day with finding cats good homes.
I can be a bit more honest with him.
“I don’t…” I huff and stare at the ground. “I don’t know what I’m doing, Maddox. Or whatyou’redoing. I can’t be some fling for you. I can’t. I couldn’t handle it.”
I swallow. “You flirt, and you’re charming, and you’re handsome?—”
“You think I’m handsome?” I look back up at him, and his smile returns.
