Page 37 of Bearly Hanging On

Can I tell Mr. CrossFit to CrossFuckOff?

My thumb hovered over the screen, ready to tap out a reply, when another text came in.

Please? The wolf wants to tear his fucking throat out for daring to make a comment about your body. You look like a fucking goddess, by the way.

I straightened up and looked at my reflection, somehow pleased someone had noticed. I’d worked damn hard to dress nicely tonight, only for Bren-Shaun-ian to look me up and down like I was a piece of toilet paper stuck to his shoe.

Not saying I do, but he doesn’t deserve to spend a single moment more in your presence. Oh…

Oh? Oh! I stared at the screen.

Looks like he’s worked that out himself. Lucky for him, because I was looking forward to explaining in detail how he needs to correct his behaviour. And he’s off! Yeah, your date has left.

And that was all I needed to exit the bathroom. Normally someone dining and dashing would’ve had me hanging my head in shame. Maybe it was the fact that Mack was there, sitting in Brendan’s seat, his hands behind his head, that had me smiling instead. When I reached my chair, he was there, pulling it out for me like an actual gentleman, though I’m fairly sure getting close enough that I could feel his breath on the back of my neck wasn’t gentlemanly. I felt it feather across my skin, then he pulled away with a barely perceptible growl.

“So did he say why he had to leave?” I asked.

“He said many things.”

Mack leaned forward, elbows on the table, that very nice grey shirt stretching tightly across his biceps.

“In response to anything you had to say?” I asked, unable to stop myself from smiling.

He made a show of shrugging.

“Maybe. I could’ve allegedly made clear that he was absolutely not on your level and that a cat can look at a queen, but he cannot make snide comments about a body I wish to get very intimately acquainted with.”

I could almost feel his eyes burn through the thin fabric of my dress as he looked me up and down.

“That’s not what you were saying the other night.” His eyes darkened as I leaned forward. Yeah, he was staring at my cleavage like all the world’s secrets were hidden there. “You had to do ‘paperwork.’”

“I looked at exactly one invoice.” His eyes danced as he stared me down. “For about five seconds before I heard the sound you made as the guys kissed you. That had me walkingdown the hallway. They left the door partially ajar, the idiots, and that gave me a perfect view of them stripping you bare. I know the sound you make when someone is touching you just right. I learned the way your voice hitches and your breathing changes when someone sucks your nipples. You don’t hover when someone asks you to sit on their face. You plant that wet little pussy down like a queen might her throne and then you writhe.”

I couldn’t hear the other diners, couldn’t see the restaurant decor. His quiet, taut tone held my focus entirely.

“You are going to scream the first moment you take my knot, but once it’s in there, you’ll be humming. Locked down behind your pelvic bone, unable to let you go until you’ve come more than once and I’ve emptied all of my seed in you.”

“Cheque please…” I said weakly, raising a hand.

“Nope.” He glanced up, sitting back in his chair and plastering on a cool smile as the servers appeared with our meals. “We’ve got a whole lot of lobster and steak to eat. And anyway…” Mack nodded to the servers as they placed the plates before us. “I have to work up to that.”

“Work up…?” I glanced up and smiled as the servers stepped away. “Work up to what?” I hissed.

“The boys rushed into things last night,” he said, piling food onto what I thought was his plate, only for him to set it in front of me. My salad was pushed aside, not worthy apparently. “As someone said today, they were thinking with their little heads, not their big heads. I’m not.” He nudged my plate, staring expectantly until I grabbed my knife and fork. “Before shifters came out to humans, we used to spend time getting to know our mate, persuading her that we were the ones for her.” He paused for a second, a slight frown forming, then just as quickly brushed away. “To prove he was worthy of her notice. That’s what’s going to happen now.”

His authoritative voice had me straightening up, my eyes narrowing.

“No matter what I’ve got to say about it?” I asked.

Mack’s smug smile, I didn’t know if I wanted to slap him or pull him closer by his collar.

“Of course, what you say matters. Especially if it’s yes, yes, yes…” I looked around in alarm as his voice grew louder, doing a fair imitation of Meg Ryan inWhen Harry Met Sally. “Over and over as I do my damndest to learn all the sounds you can make, Harper.”

Well, shit.

“Now eat up. If you don’t, the wolf will go out and hunt down a rabbit or sheep and drag its bloody corpse before you, thinking that’s what you want to eat.”

I shook my head and stabbed my fork into a beautifully roasted potato.

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