Chapter 32 #2
A dumb one, but was it really her fault? Murphy had strode over here and scrambled her brain with just a kiss.
“I mean, I missed you, too,” she corrected, craning her head to follow his mouth for another kiss.
He obliged her, nibbling on her lower lip and giving her a playful growl that she felt all the way down to her toes.
“Oh, wow, is that a brownie covered in vanilla ice cream and hot fudge?” Jasper exclaimed from behind her.
Wait—behind her? Wasn’t he behind Murphy?
What the hell?
Nessa broke away from Murphy, turning back toward the booth. There, sitting on her bench, was Jasper, all but salivating over her dessert. Tank was seated beside Hunny, an arm draped over her shoulder as he glared at her soda like it was poisonous.
“How did you get over there so fast?” Nessa asked Jasper in disbelief.
“I’m sneaky when I want to be,” Jasper replied, gazing eagerly at the brownie.
As he reached for her spoon on the table, Nessa snagged her plate, narrowing her eyes on him. “Don’t you dare, Jasper.”
“You can order your own dessert if you’re hungry,” Murphy told him with a smirk, plucking the spoon out of Jasper’s hand.
“Yeah,” Nessa agreed. “I’m sure they have—hey!” she exclaimed with a whine, watching as Murphy took a bite of her food. “That goes for you, too, you heathen.”
Murphy frowned as he chewed, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed the brownie piece down. “What if I want to share with you?”
“Fine.” She took her spoon and pointed it at him menacingly. “But by share, you better mean I get half of this, or you’ll make me angry.”
“You won’t like her when she’s angry,” Jasper whispered in mock horror. “She’ll Hulk out on you.”
Nessa groaned. “There will be no Hulking out on anyone.”
“Scoot your ass over,” Murphy commanded Jasper, nudging Nessa back into her seat when Jasper moved to make space. She’d barely sat down when her mate squeezed into the spot beside her, placing her right in the middle of a shifter sandwich.
With anyone else, it might have felt unnerving, but despite Jasper’s rambunctiousness, he had a rather calming aura about him that she found relaxing.
It reminded her of what Murphy had said on their date—how calm and quiet his little brother had been years ago.
There was obviously more to the shifter than met the eye.
Colter and Zeke pulled two chairs over from a nearby empty table, taking up positions at the table’s edge.
Nessa put her food back down, situating it between her and Murphy. Trusting him not to take advantage of their deal, she handed over the spoon as a peace offering.
“So how’s it going?” Murphy asked cryptically, cutting into the brownie.
Nessa licked a piece of fudge from her lower lip. “I think I was overreacting, but thank you for coming by, just in case.”
“I was going to head over soon anyway. This was just a good excuse to get here earlier,” he teased her, stabbing another piece from the brownie with the spoon. He held it up to her lips expectantly.
Face flushing, she opened, letting him feed her in front of everyone.
It felt like such an intimate gesture, but when the conversation at the table didn’t falter, she relaxed and settled against Murphy’s side, letting him feed her another bite.
Supposedly, open expressions of bonding were incredibly normal for shifters. And it was somewhat comforting.
“I’m starving,” Jasper interrupted, holding up a hand to flag down their server. The woman noticed him immediately, straightening her uniform and fidgeting with her bun as she rushed forward. She even swayed her hips, sending Jasper a flirtatious smile when she reached their booth.
“Hey, sugar, what can I get you?”
Colter grinned and Zeke shook his head, the two males going unnoticed even though their chairs were clearly in her way.
Jasper looked at her nametag. “What do you like best, Jolene? Whatever’s your favorite, I want that.”
“Really?” Jolene blushed, pulling out a notepad from her apron. “I like our Meat Lover’s.”
“Jasper loves meat,” Tank said gruffly, snacking on Hunny’s remaining slices of pizza. That’s when Nessa noticed that her own pizza stone was completely empty.
Her brows rose in surprise. When the hell had these guys eaten the rest of her pizza? And how hadn’t she noticed? Bewildered, Nessa studied each of the men, wondering who was responsible. No one met her gaze.
Were they sure they weren’t part raccoon shifter or something? Because, apparently, they were shifty as hell with hoarding food.
“We’ll have two large orders of that and two large cheese pizzas. Another large pepperoni, as well, please,” Murphy told Jolene quickly. “If you have a couple pitchers of water for the table, we’ll take that, too.”
“You want five larges?” Jolene gaped at him. He held her stare, and she swallowed thickly, blinking hard before nodding. “Of course. That’ll be about twenty minutes.”
“We’re in no rush,” Murphy assured her.
“Speak for yourself,” Jasper muttered when they were alone again. “I haven’t had anything since lunch.”
Nessa checked the time on her phone. “It’s barely past three.”
“Exactly,” Jasper answered firmly. “I ate at noon before I got to Murphy’s. That’s three whole hours, Nessa. I’m practically starving.”
Zeke choked on a laugh while Colter struggled to keep his expression neutral.
“Don’t sass my mate,” Murphy ordered, scraping the spoon against the dessert plate to scoop up some melting ice cream. “That’s my job.”
“Yeah,” Nessa agreed lightly, any lingering unease she’d felt earlier completely wiped out with Murphy and his people here. It was kind of fun, honestly, watching them joke around and being part of their inner circle.
Murphy kissed the side of her head, his mouth paving a path to the shell of her ear. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he whispered.
She nodded, dropping her head onto his arm when he straightened. “I’m good.”
“I’ll check the area out when we leave.”
She doubted he’d have much luck, given that she didn’t have any photos of her brother to show him, but she appreciated the effort.
Soon enough, the extra food arrived, and the guys dug into their meals, uncaring of how crammed the table was with pizza. Nessa and Hunny shared amused looks while the men ate.
It didn’t even take them ten minutes to polish off all the pizza. Before they could order anything else, Murphy stood from the table, maneuvering past Zeke and Colter and walking over to the cash register to get the bill.
“Murphy said you might have seen someone you knew in town,” Tank said from across the table, his voice a scratchy rumble.
Nessa nodded. “Is that all he said?”
“All he needed to, as far as I’m concerned. Glad you called,” he added, his arm wrapping around Hunny once more.
“Me, too.” Jasper nudged her shoulder with his own. “Sorry, by the way. For throwing you under the bus the other day. I just wanted my mom off my back.”
“Apology accepted.” Nessa nudged him back. “So are you excited about your upcoming vampire excursion?”
Colter groaned loudly. “Please don’t bring that up. If I have to hear another word about it, my head will spontaneously explode.”
“Promises, promises,” Zeke grumbled.
Murphy strode back to their table. Colter and Zeke stood, returning their chairs to the other table while Murphy helped Nessa from her seat.
Jasper followed after as Tank and Hunny also rose.
“Thanks for lunch,” Nessa told Murphy, standing on her tiptoes and giving him a peck on the cheek. “You didn’t have to pay for my meal.”
“Yes, I did. Part of the wooing process, Nes.” Murphy took her hand, leading her toward the exit. He held open the door.
“First, you paid, and now you’re being chivalrous? Consider me wooed,” she teased.
Murphy followed her out. She turned to him as a cold breeze blasted them both, sending a shiver down her spine. His nostrils flared as his brows snapped down in concern. He stiffened, the smile dying on his face.
Jasper stopped beside them, sending Colter a confused look. “I thought you said Marcus was at home sick?”
Colter hesitated before saying, “I did.”
“Then why do I smell his scent?” Murphy growled. “And why is it fresh?”