Page 25 of Shattered

“Aurora is nice, but I think I am done with all of it,” Mackenzie said. “It’s not meant for me.”

Riley frowned.

“Yeah. Seems like it,” Liam replied.

“Liam!” Riley shrieked. “Our father has given up everything for everyone around him. He deserves to be happy.”

“Not sayin’ he doesn’t,” Liam snapped. “But, come on, Rise...”

She lifted her chin. “I’m not talking to you.”

Liam growled. “Fine.”

“Both of you stop.” Mackenzie growled now. “I’ve met the woman once. Stop acting like I’m going to be a mate to some woman and her kid.” However, the twitch in his dick and the way arousal flowed through him at just the thought of Aurora, confused him.

“Sorry, dad,” Riley murmured.

“Yeah, sorry,” Liam added.

He sighed. “Come on, we have a few more things to grab then we’ll get home. Rashid and Saber will be there soon to bring in Abby’s bed.”

Dinner went off without a hitch. He’d been pleasantly surprised by both Aurora and Abby. Their conversation earlier had seemed forced, now it’d been so effortless to talk with her. They sat at the kitchen table while the kids introduced their favorite shows to Abby. The arousal Mackenzie experienced earlier hadn’t gone away. If anything, it intensified, leaving him achy and a bit irritated. It also surprised the fuck out of him. He didn’t understand it, like he didn’t get why he’d shifted and not remembered.

“What do you think?”

“I think Abby is going to fit in just fine,” Aurora said, standing. She grabbed the dishes off the table and carried them to the sink. “What do you think?”

“Yeah, they’re thick as thieves now.”

She turned on the water, and Mackenzie sat there for a moment. Aurora hummed as she placed the dishes into soapy water then began to wash them. He sighed; she didn’t have to do the damn dishes. He had a dishwasher three feet from where she stood.

Mackenzie stalked toward her. He inhaled and the scent of honeysuckle and jasmine swirled around him, tempting him. His lip curled. His body tensed. Every inch of him, including his dick, which had been flaccid for twenty-plus years jerked to attention. His mouth watered. His gums ached.What the fuck is wrong with me?He held himself in check, but the longer he continued to stand there with Aurora in his kitchen, the more the need to rip their clothes off and bang her against the counter grew.

He stepped toward her.

If she realized he stood behind her, she was oblivious. Unlike when he saw her earlier, her hair had been pulled back into a ponytail, exposing the length of her neck to his perusal. He saw it then. The size of a small tear drop just below her jaw and ear. A mark. With the size of it, he suspected a wolf had done it. But, who? He stepped away. She belonged to someone in the pack. Which brought up another question, why weren’t they offering to help care for Abby.

“Uh... I have a dishwasher,” he said, returning to his coffee and his chair.

She faced him. He cheeks were scarlet, and he scented her embarrassment. “I didn’t realize.”

“Not a problem. You don’t have to do them, though,” he replied. “Riley and Liam take turns.”

She grabbed a towel to dry her hands before taking a seat beside him. “I’m really bungling this up.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “Like I told you before, tonight was just a meeting for our kids to see if they’d even get along, and they liked the cake, which surprised the hell out of me. I thought for sure Riley and Liam would hate it.”

“Did you like the cake?” She looked at him with big hopeful eyes.

He had. It’d been the right amount of sweet and tart. “I did.”

“Oh, good. I’ll remember to bring one by every so often as thanks.” She smiled. “Which reminds me. After talking with Kalkin about my salary I can offer you two hundred dollars every two weeks. I know it’s way below what most spend on daycare, but until Abby and I are more stable, it is all I can offer.”

He shook his head, and Aurora slumped back in her chair.

“I am so sorry I’ve wasted your time,” Aurora murmured. “Thank you for a lovely dinner.”

“Horse shit,” he muttered. “I don’t want your money.”

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