“How could you know?”
“Because,” she shrugged. “I know you.”
He chuckled. Spoken like a mate. Even if she didn’t know she was.Trouble, trouble, trouble. “Do you now?”
“Yeah.” She uncrossed her arms to put her fists to her waist. “You like sugar a little too much. So much, in fact, that I don’t understand how you don’t have a pesky and stubborn 10-pound gut you can’t lose. But you’re a shifter with an insane metabolism.
“Oh, which is why you eat barely-cooked steak like it’s going out of style. When you’re full, you sigh and push your plate away while smacking your gums. It is adorable and annoying all at once, which is super confusing, but whatever. When you lie, you rub the back of your neck.” She grinned wide and pointed to where his hand was.
On the back of his neck.
He pursed his lips at her, pretending to be unimpressed. He was still rubbing his neck, so she didn’t buy the lie. “I know you, too, trouble. You prefer skipping to walking, but only in the morning. By late afternoon, you do this gliding thing. When you cook, you destroy the kitchen, but you’re so determined that you do it anyway. Why?
Because you don’t like the idea that you can’t do things. You’re loyal as hell and sweeter than you’ve got a right to be. When you sleep, you rub your feet together and moan. And when you cut your pancakes, you stick your tongue out the corner of your mouth.”
She laughed, shaking her head. “Youknowme.As you just proved with all that.” She circled her hand between them. “So. Now that you’ve admitted that I do know you, I know that you are actually in pain because you’re not withher. Your mate. I think that’s why you’re grumpy. Not with me, for some reason.
“I don’t see that side of you, but you do know my sisters find you grumpy, right? Everyone in town talks about it. Grumpy and aloof and too concerned with pack business to have a life. You’re not going to work today to spend your time with me. Is this the first day you’ve taken off since you became alpha? To be with me?”
Slowly, her smile slipped.
Atlas watched as Lilliane put the pieces together, not sure if he should be happy or get ready to run for the hills.
She leaped off the chair and covered her mouth. “You took a day off. To be here with me. You cook for me and sleep in my bed…”
“Mybed.”
“And chase the nightmares away. You vow to protect me, a nobody…”
“Again, you’re not a nobody.”
“But,of course,you would do all that. Breaking from your usual self because you’ve met your mate and you are in love. Hard. Deep.”
He took a deep breath and met her gaze.
“With me.”
Atlas exhaled slowly. She looked mad.Verymad.
“And you let me figure it out on my own?” She scrunched up her face. “What the fuck, Atlas?”
“You’ve got every right to be angry…”
“Angry? Wolf man,” she shook her head, “you just basically had me deliver my ownI’m in love with youspeech. I feel robbed,” she barked out a laugh.
His jaw dropped as she laughed. “You’re mad because … of that?” He laughed, too. “You watch too much reality TV.”
“Right?” she rolled her eyes. “It’s terrible. Why didn’t you tell me? Didn’t you learn from Nero and Reece?”
“I’ve got my reasons.”
“Hmm,” she crossed her arms again. She was onto something. All he could do was watch in fascination.
This woman was his mate. Fucking lucky asshole that he was. How did he even begin to deserve someone like her?
“Your reasons. It’s got something to do with Victor, doesn’t it?”
“You’re already dealing with one stalker; you don’t need another.”
