As they sat in the Toyota while Marcus reported everything to Trey over his cell phone, Roni found herself unable to stop staring at him. In a word, she was stunned. Totally and utterly stunned. In the short time she’d known Marcus, Roni had sensed three things: he could be playful, he could be charming, and he could be dangerous. But she hadn’t guessed just how dangerous he could actually be.
Faced with an Alpha who had attempted to suppress Marcus with his dominant vibes, Marcus hadn’t buckled. In fact, he’d withstood the power—which was no little thing. He’d been assertive, forceful, and commanding. And she was totally turned on, to her horrified fascination.
She now understood what Trey had meant when he said that Marcus had a way of getting people to talk. It wasn’t how powerful he was that spooked them, it was that he’d originally hidden it. By nature, shifters were brash and bold, particularly dominants. They wore their power like a cloak, warning away any would-be challengers.
As for those who very unnaturally downplayed their dominance like Marcus, the quiet ones . . . everyone knew to be wary of them. They were comfortable being quiet for a reason: they weren’t afraid to be challenged and even welcomed it—often because they were a little crazy. As Eli had once said, “They would soon as cut your throat than look at you.”
Ending the call, Marcus returned his cell phone to his pocket and started the engine. “It all comes back to that fucking website. Rhett’s almost cracked its security, so everyone’s going to reunite back at my territory.” Frowning at her odd expression, he asked, “What?”
“I just watched you withstand an Alpha’s vibes, and it became very clear just how much you downplay your level of dominance.” She shook her head, incredulous. “How is it that most of your pack thinks you’re so laid-back and mellow? I mean, of course they know you’re very dominant, but they don’t see all that intensity and power lurking there.”
He shrugged, pulling onto the highway. “People have a tendency to label others. When you’re labeled the charmer whose main aim in life is to get laid on a regular basis, no one bothers to look deeper because they don’t expect to find anything else.” Sometimes it bothered him, sometimes it didn’t.
Yeah, Roni knew what that was like. People looked at her and saw a quiet, awkward tomboy and thought that was all there was to her. It didn’t occur to them that she might have an extremely high IQ, or that she could wipe the floor with their faces. As such, she should have known better than to make assumptions. “I’m sorry.”
That had to be the most awkward apology he’d ever heard. “For what?”
She shifted uncomfortably. “I misjudged you when I first met you.”
Her apology was unexpected. She looked genuinely upset with herself. “Hey, don’t worry about it. It happens all the time. It’s worse for Dominic. People think he only operates on one level.” There was much more to the enforcer, but people didn’t see it . . . because Dominic didn’t want them to. “Completely off the subject, it was unbelievably hot when you took on the Alpha female. My wolf loved it.”
Roni fought a smile. Ever so casually, she admitted, “It was just as hot when you shrugged off Quinn’s vibes.” Her wolf had growled with arousal.
He laughed. “One minute you were looking defenseless, and the next you had the Alpha female in a fucking headlock. Cute one second, fierce the next. I love it.”
Taking offense, she scowled. “I am not cute.” What was she, five?
“You are many, many things, Roni. And you are definitely cute—especially when you smile.”
“I do not smile.”
“I’ve seen you smile.” It was a rare sight, but a beautiful one.
“No, you haven’t.”
“Yes, I have. It’s a gorgeous smile—there are even cute little dimples involved.” He almost exploded with laughter at the sheer horror on her face.
“I do not have dimples, thank you very much!”
“Oh, here’s that prim, schoolteacher voice again. Makes me feel like a bad little boy about to get taught a lesson.”
She had to bite the inside of her cheek because, dammit, she would not smile. “I have absolutely no response for that.”
“Then kiss me instead.”
Seeing the impish, lighthearted expression on his face, she realized something. “You’re trying to get me to play.” Since she mostly hung out with guys, she was used to joking around. But this was a different kind of play; it was intimate, more personal, yet it was also . . . easy.
“You did play.” And Marcus was smug about that. He was slowly drawing Roni out, just as she was slowing letting him in.
“You’re such a dick, Fuller.” Annoyingly, he just laughed.
A few moments later, he sighed. “I’m hungry.” She rolled her eyes in exasperation. “What?”
Entering Rhett’s room with Roni by his side, Marcus found his Alpha pair, Dante, and Ryan waiting. “Is he almost done?” Marcus asked Trey, referring to Rhett, who was totally engrossed in his computer.
“Almost.”
“Did you get any information from Jackson?”
Taryn sighed. “According to Jackson, Lyle Browne is a decent guy. He was actually shocked to hear that Lyle was behind Kye’s attempted kidnapping. Although he doesn’t know Lyle’s location, he admitted to being in regular contact with him.”
“Did Jackson have a contact number for Lyle?”
Disappointment clouded Taryn’s expression. “Apparently Lyle is a fan of disposable phones, so he doesn’t have a fixed number.”
Marcus turned to Dante. “What about Redford?”
“He said he stopped doing business with Lyle a year ago.”
“Do you believe him?”
“No, so I did what I do best.” The Beta’s reputation as an interrogator was well known—there wasn’t anyone he’d failed to crack.
“What did Redford have to say after that?”