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“Oh, my god, Marco!” He cleared his throat, and I smiled at him. “This is amazing. Where did you learn to cook?”

He shrugged.

“Did your parents teach you?” The moment the words left my mouth, I wanted to take them back. Of course they didn’t.

“No, it’s a relatively new interest of mine. I got sick of eating pizza and take out. None of these idiots could make anything without burning it, so I taught myself.”

Cruz threw a broccoli crown at him. “I’m not as bad as them.”

“Yeah, you can microwave the hell out of a frozen meal,” Derek teased.

“At least I remember not to put aluminum in,” he shot back.

Derek ducked his head as I burst out laughing. “You didn’t!”

“It was one time!” He shot a glare at Cruz. “And I was sick, sleep-deprived, and no one would help me.”

“You had a cold,” Javier chuckled. “It wasn’t life or death.”

I cocked my head. “Shifters don’t get sick.”

“I was eight. Before I got my abilities.” Derek rubbed the back of his neck.

“And he hasn’t tried to cook since.” Marco shook his head in mock disappointment.

I tried to laugh along, but the image of a sick child having to make himself something to eat was too sad. He must have been at the boys’ home by then. Where was their guardian? Why wasn’t anyone there to help him or take care of him?

Marco eyed me. “Don’t worry, princess. We made him mac and cheese and even found some medicine for him.”

“Yeah, we’ve been taking care of each other for twenty years. We wouldn’t have made it together this long if we didn't,” Derek said.

“Aww, you do love us.” Cruz put his arm around Derek’s neck and batted his lashes at Marco, who ignored them.

“Do you have any questions or concerns about tonight?” Javier asked, pulling the focus back on what we were here to do.

“No, I’m just planning on getting through it while remaining as aloof as possible. I’m hoping if I can bore him, he’ll lose interest in me.”

“I doubt that,” Cruz muttered.

“Is there any information we want to find out about him?” Maybe this night wouldn’t be a complete waste of time.

“No, he’s not of any interest to us,” Javier said between bites.

I cleared most of my plate before realizing I needed to get ready. Since Brazzi didn’t know where I lived, hopefully, I’d meet him at the restaurant. Derek told me it would take about an hour to get there with the stupid boat ride and traffic.

While I didn’t want to impress Brazzi or encourage his interest in me, I had a reputation to create, which meant effort. If word spread about us going out, gossip rags might get pictures, and I needed to look the part.

Hair, makeup, shaving my legs, and changing into the outfit my new friend, Rey, picked out. All for a guy I couldn’t care less about.

By the time I finished, the guys had cleaned the kitchen, leaving no trace of the meal or themselves.

“Ready?” Derek stepped out of the surveillance room in a fresh suit with a black shirt instead of white. Was this the night version of bodyguarding?

“Yeah.” I smoothed my hand over the mauve silk of the slip dress that hit just under my knees. It was classy, yet sexy. The four-inch slit made walking easier, but wasn’t too high to be indecent. The strappy heels would annoy me, but at least I could wear my boat shoes until we got to the restaurant.

“You look great.” Derek didn’t hide the heat in his eyes as he surveyed my ensemble.

The intensity threw me off, and I stuttered out a thanks before turning to the door. “Is anyone else coming with us?”