Page 78

“Hey, Cullen, you have a visitor,” Sally said as she grinned at me, leaning against the bar.

“What’s that smirk for?” I asked, looking up from my paperwork. I was sitting in the tiny office at the back of the restaurant, going through the various order forms that needed to be completed for the week. “Who is it?”

Her grin widened. “A pretty blonde I just happened to see you kissing in the hallway after her disastrous date a few months ago…”

“You saw that?” I spluttered. I had thought we were completely out of sight.

She chuckled gleefully, throwing her head back. “When are you going to realize I seeeverythinghere? Your pack is dating her, aren’t they?”

“We are, but we aren’t widely publicizing it yet. She’s nervous, and given the age gap…”

Sally cocked her head to the side. “As long as everyone is over the age of twenty-one, I say age is just a number. She seems like a good fit for you. You guys could do with some fresh young energy in your life. You’re acting like a bunch of grandpas, even though you’re young yourselves.”

“She’s still in college.”

Sally shrugged. “Judging by the way she smacked you, she’s more mature than you are.”

I groaned. Of course, she had seen that. “I would very much like you to forget you ever witnessed that…”

“I’ll show her through.” Sally beamed, practically skipping out of the room.

A moment later, Bethany was walking in, a small smile on her face. She was wearing a sundress with a cardigan over it. The dress was short, brushing against her thighs, emphasizing those legs that I very much wanted wrapped around me.

“Hey, what brings you to my den of iniquity?” I asked, getting up from my chair and pulling her into a hug.

“Classes finished early, and I kept thinking about the pistachio and raspberry pastries you were talking about the other day, so I thought I would stop by.”

“Have you eaten lunch yet?” I asked.

She pouted. “I’ve had some chips.”

“You and I both know that isn’t a proper meal.”

“I know, but I am craving sweet things with a vengeance. I don’t want real food. I want desserts!”

My hands rested on her hips, and I couldn’t help but smile down at her. She was freaking adorable, and part of me just wanted to hand her every dessert I could find to keep her smiling at me.

A larger part of me wanted to take care of her, though, and that meant real food. She was pregnant and needed to eat food with at least some nutritional value.

Leaning down, I rubbed my cheek on hers, inhaling her delicious sweet omega scent. It was like the best sort of crack, and it had been a while since I’d had a hit.

“Well, we have some beautiful steaks and baked potatoes for the dinner service tonight.”

She chewed her lip thoughtfully. “I’ll accept that…if I can have pastries after!”

A chuckle escaped my chest. Leaning down, I growled lightly as I spoke. “I’m going to make sure you’re well cared for, even if you want to smack me for it.” I laughed, but it was lower than my usual timbre.

Tart apple washed over me, almost painfully sweet.

Clearly my words had done something.

“Is someone feeling a little needy?” I asked.

Her face flushed. “I’m sorry, ugh! I think I have some de-scenter in my bag.” She started to rummage in her handbag, but I stopped her.

“Or I could help you…”

Her eyes widened. “You mean…here?!” she asked, her voice almost scandalized.