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I flicked a question to Levi without saying a word. Not only did he think of my stomach’s needs, but he’d cooked all this himself? My cheeks, already heated just from the proximity to Levi, went full bloom smoldering.
Definitely a food version of ‘I love you’.
He shrugged, his eyes narrowing on Johnny. “It’s not for you, bro.”
Johnny waved a serving spoon at Levi but otherwise didn’t take the suggestion to leave. “Seriously, Charlie, he never cooks for us anymore. He must be trying to impress you.” He winked at me. “I think he has a crush.”
That did nothing to help the blushing.
“Johnny,” Levi growled, “Charlie and I have serious work to do.”
I felt like I was suddenly in the middle of a tug of war. After spending all morning with Johnny, I realized just how badly they were trying to get to know me, spend time with me, make me feel welcome, ease me into their worlds. Well, Levi and Johnny were. Kane just wanted to murder my muscles with his training drills.
If I got used to this special attention, I was doomed for sure.
Who was I kidding? I was doomed already. It was what I’d do next that was going to determine if my heart shattered or not.
“I’m sure we could use another set of eyes,” I offered, as I moved toward the hot table. Maybe with the two of them here, I wouldn’t fall all over myself drooling. “Johnny could—”
Levi snorted, and I saw why when Johnny flopped himself into a leather recliner, hit the lever to get the foot rest up then smiled at his heaping plate like he was settling in for some time. He was so preoccupied with his food that he didn’t immediately notice us staring.
“Johnny doesn’t do research,” Levi said, his tone all disappointment. “He doesn’t get the concept of ‘three’s a crowd’, either.”
I choked on any more words and covered it up with a strangled laugh. My father had given me freedom to be independent, but I knew he’d sheltered me from a lot of male attention as I was growing up. Being the only daughter of an alpha meant I was prime rib to the hungry social climbers of my world. Being an unmated born werewolf meant that all males were famished for a taste of me. I knew my father had deflected many unwanted requests for possession of my freedom.
I guessed I should have been flattered that these three men were vying for my attention and going about it by taking care of my needs—shopping, eating, dream-fucking. Sure, they wanted something from me, but maybe I wanted something from them, too.
Johnny looked up, a forkful of pasta dangling in front of his mouth. “What?”
“Keep eating, Johnny,” Levi snarled.
Johnny shoveled more food past his lips, making moaning sounds that could pass for deep appreciation or some really bad porn. Levi continued to glare.
The mood was comical, bordering on asinine.
They were definitely killing my buzz.
I was kind of tempted to walk out and leave these two to their posturing. I knew that would only encourage them, though, and make me an even bigger challenge to conquer. They might not be pigs, but they were predators, and the chase was what we lived for.
My stomach grumbled.
Food won.
With the first mouthful, I got why Johnny was moaning like he was. Levi was a damn brilliant cook. It wasn’t just how tender the meat was or how perfectly al dente the pasta, but the combination of herbs and garlic brought a sense of home, a warmth that I felt down in my bones that made me want to lounge on a chair and shovel the food in, too. Instead, I sat at a table close—but not too close—to Levi and started flipping through the photos between bites.
The truth of it was, this felt like a place I could get used to—and that scared the shit out of me.
