Page 52 of Stealthy as a Wolf

I pursed my lips to help resist smiling and glanced back down at the menu. “Do you like Sex on the Beach?”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Boone shift uncomfortably, blatantly adjusting himself under the table, while Burke remained leaning against the wall, no longer surveying the room but scowling at the man like he was already thinking about how he could dispose of the waiter’s body.

The rooster shrugged, his serving tray propped up against his hip. “I’m more of a Horney Devil type of guy.”

Across from me, Matty smothered his smile, quickly catching onto the game, and it was all I could do to maintain my innocent expression. With a moue of distaste, I pointed to a drink on the menu. “A Slippery Nipple just sounds gross.” I didn’t even wait for him to respond when I saw the next item. “Eeeew, do people really want a Fuzzy Navel?”

The rooster roared with laughter, dragging his hand down his stomach to show off his flat abs. “Some like them, but you might be more of a Bareback type of girl.”

That seemed to be the last straw. Grady pushed back his chair, the legs scraping loudly against the floor, but before he could rise to his feet, I quickly scrambled up and plopped myself on his lap. I handed the menu back over to the server with a genuine smile this time. “I’ll take your Love Potion.”

* * *

GRADY

Iwas a levelheaded man, an alpha for fuck’s sake. I wasn’t easily riled. I’d kept the peace amongst the hotheads in the pack, but seeing Maggie flirt with the server stripped away every ounce of my humanity.

Which left behind nothing but pure alpha rage.

The only thing that kept me from wolfing out was the feel of Maggie’s weight on my lap as she straddled me.

I couldn’t believe we brought her to a fucking strip club.

I glared daggers at the back of the retreating server, wondering if the saying that everything tasted like chicken was true. I guessed I’d find out when I ripped out his throat.

I rubbed my jaw when I realized that I was honest-to-goodness wondering if a rooster would taste like chicken.

I must be insane.

I used to be a rational man, but the more time I spent with Maggie, the more I wondered if sanity was overrated. The quirky way she saw the world was actually refreshing.

Maggie cupped my face, snapping me back to reality. The mischievous spark in her eyes was gone, and my gut churned with the knowledge that it vanished because I was being a fucking ass. I pulled her close, the sugary sweet scent of oranges filling my soul. “Baby—”

“I’m sorry for bringing you into my mess.” She dropped her gaze, like she couldn’t bear to look at me a second longer. “I didn’t mean to complicate your life.”

She looked so lost and fragile that my heart shattered for being such a colossal bag of dicks. I did that to her. I cupped the back of her neck, brushing my nose against hers, afraid she might vanish from my grasp. “I wouldn’t miss being here with you for the world, little wolf.”

With her being so close, it took my lizard brain a second to realize that I didn’t smell even an ounce of lust from her.

The little minx had played us.

When I smiled, I purposely allowed my fangs to show. “And the next time you decide to teach us a lesson by flirting with another male, I’ll put you over my knee and spank that curvy little ass of yours, understand?”

The rest of the guys glowered, like they thought Maggie would shatter at my threat, but she wasn’t weak. She’d gone through hell and survived, and I refused to treat her like she was fragile.

In fact, a little teasing was just what she needed.

She was a sexy, desirable woman, and she deserved to be treated like one.

The men in her past were idiots for not seeing it. They’d treated her like a prisoner, a tool to be used. They tried to break her, strip her of her identity. They didn’t see her beauty. They didn’t see that she was incredible.

They didn’t deserve her.

It was selfish, but I wanted to be the one to show her that she was amazing.

To me, she was everything.

And if her other mates were going to be morons, then it would be my privilege to watch her come alive under my touch.

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