I didn’t do well being under scrutiny, and especially not from my sisters. We were quintuplets, so we were, of course, close. They had a way of extracting information they really wanted, and I couldn’t afford that at the moment.
Now that Wyatt was far enough away that I didn’t have to risk looking into his eyes again, I took the time to study him as much as I’d been wanting to.
He had on a plaid shirt like me, but instead of swimming in it like I was, he filled it out like it’d been custom made for him. His biceps were thick, and his chest was broad, and it was all on display. He paired it with a simple pair of blue jeans and work boots, which shouldn’t have made my heart pound like it was, but it did.
When the meeting was over, I lost sight of Wyatt as he was swallowed up by the crowd of welcoming werewolves. It was just as well. I had no business staring at him like I just was and vowed to not let it happen again.
“You comin’ to get food?” Evey asked.
I turned to find her and Del already standing. “Nah. I’ll wait until the line dies down.”
They shrugged and left as I tried my best to concentrate on my cuticles and not look for him again. Unfortunately, my will was weak, and it didn’t take me long to pick him out of the crowd again. But when I did, I wished I hadn’t.
The rest of the pack had wandered away, leaving only Aubrey, Maddy, and Sophie surrounding Wyatt. I watched as they hung on every word he said, giggling and reaching out to slap his biceps when he said something funny. My eyes narrowed and my heart pounded before I finally tore my gaze away as my sisters sat back down with plates full of food.
I had no business caring who he spoke with. And I couldn’t afford to get caught looking at him with my heart racing like that. My sisters were already suspicious, and I didn’t need to give them any more reasons to pry.
“I’m going to grab some food,” I announced as I stood. I didn’t wait for their acknowledgement or the questions I knew I’d find in their eyes. I already knew I was acting like a lunatic–I didn’t need confirmation of that from them.
As I stood in line waiting for my turn to fill a plate, I couldn’t help but feel that connection grow and intensify. I crossed my arms over my chest and fisted my hands to keep still, but it was taking everything in me to do it.
“What’s good here?”
I turned to find Wyatt right behind me, the gaggle of women somewhere else, thankfully. I spun back around and shrugged. “It’s Ms. Elsie’s cooking. It’s all good.”
He hummed softly, but unfortunately, was not deterred by my frosty answer. “Any recommendations for the new guy?”
I sighed as I grabbed a plate for myself and stepped up to the metal tins full of steaming hot food. “If you can snag a deviled egg before Jimmy gets to them, consider yourself lucky.”
“Deviled eggs. Got it. Anything else?” he asked as he stepped up beside me, his big body so warm and impossible to ignore.
I swallowed harshly as I concentrated on scooping some food onto my plate. “Um. This is always good,” I said, gesturing toward the macaroni salad in front of me.
He shoved his plate forward, his thick arm brushing mine. “Sold.”
I willed my hand to stop shaking as I plopped a spoonful of the pasta onto his plate but that was the end of my control. “Enjoy your meal,” I said, wincing at the stupidity of my words before turning and walking away.
I’d have loved to get more food, but that wasn’t a possibility with Wyatt breathing down my neck. It was clear I’d have to work harder in the future to avoid him. Whatever this was between us was not something I had time for. My organization was only months away from getting on its feet and I couldn’t slow down for anything.
Not even the handsome new werewolf I couldn’t stop dreaming about. Especially not him.
Chapter 5
Callie
“Hey, Abey, are you ready–”
I stopped short moments after barreling into my brother’s office, the words drying up in my mouth almost immediately. That’s because sitting in front of his desk was the one wolf in my pack I did my best to avoid.
Wyatt Carter.
I silently cursed myself as I stood there, eyes wide and jaw hanging open. This shouldn’t have happened. I’d gotten really good at keeping my distance from him, and if I’d been paying more attention, I wouldn’t be in this situation.
Shortly after Wyatt joined the Asheville pack, I realized I could feel him. Not physically, of course, because again, I avoided the crap out of the guy. No, this was a deeper sensation. Something in the pit of my stomach that tugged on me whenever he was close.
I’d gotten in the habit of tuning into that reaction and using it to my advantage. With him living on pack lands, the feeling never really went away, but I’d begun to realize when it was especially intense, he was close by. That made it easy for me to duck into empty rooms or simply stay in my own when I knew he was near.
Was that a little cowardly? Yeah, it sure was, but I was beyond caring. There was something going on between the two of us and I had no intention of finding out exactly what it was. You’d think my scientific and analytical brain would insist I solve this
