Page 43 of Fake It ’Til You Mate It

“Honey—”

“You’re naked.”

“What are you doing out here? I told you to stay in the cabin.”

He did. And if I had, I wouldn’t be standing here with my cheeks flaming. “I wanted to help.”

“Help. Help.” Max makes a frustrated sound in the back of his throat, followed by a sigh. “

“Are you covered?”

To my surprise, Max lets out a barking laugh. “What are you, twelve?”

“Twenty-eight, and you’re the Alpha. Tell me you don’t have emergency stores of a change of pants or something tucked along your territory. You’d never let anyone catch you vulnerable.”

An Alpha wouldn’t… so why did Max purposely shift in front of me? Because he wanted to talk… or because he knows?

“Max—”

“Don’t move. I mean it this time, Honey. Don’t move.”

I’ve already pushed my luck once. “Okay,” I say meekly, eyes still covered.

The air shifts, the wind blowing his scent around me. I should just look. By shifting in front of me, he was giving me permission to ogle all I wanted so long as I kept my paws to myself. I should look…

I drop my hand, not sure how I feel when I see that Max is gone. Nervous, definitely. Disappointed? Maybe.

Where did he go?

“Max?”

He reappears, his bottom half covered with a basic pair of grey sweatpants. Ah, grey sweatpants… I can still see an impressive dick imprint against the fabric, but at least I can pretend I can’t.

“Better?” he rumbles, a hint of pure grump in his tone.

Not really. I didn’t mind getting a peek at all Max had to offer, but it wasn’t fair. Maybe if he knew we were fated to be mates, I could’ve finally stopped pretending like I haven’t been drawn to him for months now. I want him. I care for him. If he keeps doing everything he can to keep me from becoming dead dead, I could see myself admitting that I love him… but that’s not fair to either of us to drop that bomb in the middle of a murder investigation.

So I don’t. I don’t answer him, either.

I just look up at him with trust and hope. “Did you find the guy?”

Max scowls.

My heart sinks.

Not even the Alpha could track down an interloper on his territory. What the fuck does that mean?

Unless…

Unless it wasn’t an interloper.

Unless it was a packmate who knows this land as well as Max does.

It’s possible, and I just hope like hell that this was a freak occurrence, that it doesn’t have anything to do with Declan’s murder.

One look at the way Max’s expression closes off to see my hopes dash tells me: keep dreaming, Honey.

Where’s the chocolate chip cookie dough when you need it?