Page 76 of Conner's Luna

"Conner!"

I pull away from him, dazed and horny. Every inch of me is inflamed. My aching lady bits are throbbing for more. I really am terrible at keeping this man at a distance.

"Veli-pup!" Conner grins at his sister, careful to hold me in front of him to hide his anaconda.

The dark-haired, blue-eyed girl that is standing in front of us with a giant smile on her face is gorgeous and looks nothing like her brother. Her eyes fall to me and her smile fades, just a bit. At first, I think I'm imagining the slight chill in her gaze, but I feel Conner tighten his grip on my waist. Then his arm snakes around my middle in a silent, supportive gesture.

"Velia, can you grab the rest of our order?" Conner asks. He grabs the drink tray, leaving the bag of treats for his sister to carry. Before she or I can react to his high-handedness, he is whisking me away, my hands empty.

"Conner," I whisper, looking up at his tight expression. I reach to take something from him, to help carry the load.

"Bailey," his eyes soften. "Let your boyfriend carry your drinks."

"Bossy man," I murmur.

"Your man," he corrects me as we all sit in a comfy booth. I still don't answer, but I offer him a smile. It sounds nice.

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20 - Pineapples and Meat

Conner

"-then we can look at the biotech lab. I know you work at Honekier, but the stuff here is pretty sweet."

"Do you have a chem lab, too?" Bailey bounces happily at the thought.

"A dedicated one," Velia brags.

I try to bite back my smug grin, but judging by the way my little sister rolls her eyes at me, I fail. I knew within five minutes of meeting Bailey, Velia's reservations about her would vanish. Now they're talking about the labs at Caluna like old friends. I'm impressed Velia even knows about them; Uncle Alex must have prepped her or something. She's getting a degree in early childhood education.

I want to tell Bailey that any lab she wants, I'll build for her, but that may give the game away too early. She's still skittish, her dusky skin blushing every time I kiss her cheek in front of my sister.

A pair of dark eyes catch mine. The wolf, one of Carm's LoboGris males, gives me a subtle nod. There are at least six wolves in here, guarding my sister and, in turn, the rest of campus. The LoboGris are closer to Caluna than we are, so they have a stronger presence, but I've seen several ClearHowl wolves, too.

There's an edge of tension fouling up the air. These aren't clueless, naive college students. They may be young, blending in as best they can, but they've been trained by my brother-by-mating to be ruthless killers and protectors. Not one of them is innocent of what is happening out there.

I rub a strand of Bailey's hair between my fingers. Thanks to me, her hair truly looks just-fucked. It's intoxicating. My wolf, the fat bastard, is rolled onto his back, belly in the air like a bloated catfish. We're the most relaxed we've been in months; a combination of Bailey and being farther away from Lydia.

"Conner?" Bailey grabs my attention. "Are you ready to go? I just have to run to the bathroom first."

I let her out of the booth and start to follow her, but Velia grabs my wrist stopping me. "We'll be just outside, waiting, OK?" she tells Bailey.

My girl hums her agreement with a bright smile before walking down the hallway toward the bathroom.

"First," Velia whispers, "don't follow her. She has to go pee. Give the girl some privacy. Besides, look," she nods her head at the two female wolves who peel away from the wall and follow Bailey into the bathroom.

"Friends of yours?" I guess. Velia is in the same sorority that Cassie was in years ago. They are part of a worldwide organization that rescues females. With Cassie's connections, Caluna has become a hub of the Lambda Nu activity.

"Yup. Listen, Conner. I really like her," Velia says softly as she gathers her things and stands. She finally drops my wrist and we walk to the door, "but-"

"I am not playing around with her," I snap out. My wolf rolls over and comes to his feet groggily. We exit into the damp, drizzling weather and go off to one side, where I can watch through the storefront windows for Bailey.

Velia rolls her eyes at me. "No shit. I can scent the mating pheromones rolling off of you."

I just smirk. Velia has a better nose than most wolves, which is saying something.

Her eyes, just like Papa's, go pensive. "Con, I have to tell you something."

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