Page 50 of Fake It ’Til You Mate It

That causes my cheeks to go pink. “I didn’t know. I guessed… but I mean it. I did make it for you. He was supposed to give it to you… I don’t know why he didn’t⁠—”

“You were trying to feed me.”

My mouth falls open. Technically, he’s not wrong. I did. Knowing full well the ramifications of what my ‘peace offering’ could mean, I tried to feed him. “Yes.”

“Will you feed me now?”

My heart thuds wildly against my chest. Here’s hoping his wolf is still dull enough not to notice how my pulse is pounding. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

He prowls closer to me. “Why not? I fed you earlier.”

“Because you’re the Alpha. You take care of your packmates.”

“I don’t see you as only a packmate.”

My pulse spikes. “What do you see me as?”

It’s his turn to look stunned. He opens his mouth, pauses, then scowls, rubbing his forehead.

“I should focus on the murder. That’s important. The new zoning regulations in September… they were important, too. I’m the Alpha. I’m the sheriff. There’s always something that requires my attention. But what about what I want?”

“What… what is it you want?” I whisper.

His eyes clear as they look at me. “Something sweet.”

My tongue darts out, poking at the corner of my mouth. “I didn’t finish cleaning up my remaining stock when you told me to get packed earlier. I think I have pink lemonade cupcakes leftover you can try.”

“Pink lemonade. My favorite.”

A nervous chuckle escapes me. “Are they all your favorite?"

“If you baked them, Honey? Then yes.”

“Stay here. I’ll go get one from the display.”

Max doesn’t answer me. He just waits for me to start for the swinging door before he follows me into the front of the store. Fair enough. I didn’t stay behind when he told me to earlier.

The lights are still off. Moonburrow is quiet and dark; even if there was a nocturnal shifter on the street, they’d have to have their noses pressed to the front window to see that me and Max are standing behind the counter in our underwear.

We’re all but invisible, even when Max grabs me by my hips, perching me on the edge of the back counter once I grabbed one of the pink-frosted cupcakes.

I raise my eyebrows at him.

He gives me a wolfish grin. “I do believe I asked if you would feed me.”

He’s got a point there. With a small smile of my own, I remove the cupcake wrapper and hold out the cupcake. The hunger never leaving his gleaming gold eyes, he takes a bite—and he goes still.

Ah, crap. He doesn’t like it. I messed it up. Sugar… did I forget sugar? Or⁠—

Almost as though it’s ripped from him, Max makes a low, sinful sound in the back of his throat before he growls my name softly.

I lean toward him, closing the small gap between us.

His tongue darts out, lapping at the lick of frosting welling in the corner of his mouth.

Heat floods through me as I gulp. “Good?”

Max lifts his head, staring at me in that all-consuming way of the predator.