As she was used to making people feel either uncomfortable or annoyed, she couldn’t help frowning doubtfully. “Happy?” His sensual smile made her stomach clench.
“You’re hot. Smart. Competent. Funny. Fierce. Lethal. And you rock in bed. Why wouldn’t you make me happy?”
That statement had been delivered in such a smooth, languid voice that her wolf growled, as if he’d stroked her. “I never stood a chance, did I?”
“Of what?”
“Holding out against you.”
He laughed, pleased. “Nope. I was too determined to have you.” And he had every intention of keeping her. She’d never believe it, but Roni Axton was an easy person to care for. Cuddly and fuzzy? No. Outgoing and friendly? No. Polite and open? No. But she wasn’t hard or cold, wasn’t unkind or selfish, wasn’t hateful or vile.
He’d come to learn what Shaya had meant when she said that Roni had a real depth of emotion. She cared deeply and in an almost pure way. And she expressed it in the simplest of ways, like keeping Shaya stocked up on her favorite donuts, like giving her undivided attention to Kye, like letting Marcus share her cake. Those acts might seem like nothing to others, but coming from someone like Roni, who had trouble verbally expressing what she felt, they meant something.
She endeared him with her many quirks. The lollipops, the useless facts, the antisocial T-shirts . . . Maybe another person wouldn’t have found it all adorable, but he did. He’d never known anyone to smile so little, which was why it was so satisfying and rewarding when he earned one from her.
She amused him constantly, particularly when people fruitlessly tried to rile her. She rarely cared enough about people’s opinions to actually participate in conflict, so she’d simply ignore them, tell them to go away, or hit them with a useless fact that would shut them up. And when she did participate in conflict, she was so damn vicious it made him hard every time.
Hearing her phone ring, Roni groaned. “My mother.”
“You’re not going to answer it, then?”
“It will just be another lecture about how I’m betraying my intended mate by being with you. Then, of course, she’ll top it off with some insults to remind me I’m not the little girl she wanted. I’ll pass.”
He kissed the palm of her hand. “She does love you. She just doesn’t understand you.”
“And you think you do, don’t you?”
“I know I do. Just like you understand me.” She saw past the charm to the person beneath when few others did; she saw the parts of him that weren’t so smooth, but she was there with him anyway. “Don’t let it worry you, Roni. Isn’t it good to be really known by at least one person?”
Oddly, it did feel good. For as long as she could remember, she’d felt like she didn’t fit. People didn’t always like “different,” and Roni was different in many ways. She flitted around, bonding with very few people. But with Marcus . . . it was like he gave her somewhere to fit, if that even made any sense. Still . . . “Trick knows you better.” That bothered her, though it was probably stupid.
He nipped her bottom lip and then licked it soothingly. “No, he doesn’t. Not because he doesn’t know me well—he does. But you see more.” And she expected him to be more than a pretty face. He liked that.
“Oh my God, Marcus, what are you doing here?” An Amazon practically flew toward them, her face a picture of total delight. “How are you? I haven’t seen you since—” She stopped dead, right smack in the middle of the diner, upon spotting Roni. Her eyes widened, her face paled, and her jaw dropped.
“What’s her problem?” Roni couldn’t work out whether the female was shocked or horrified. Maybe a little of both. She was pretty sure she didn’t know the Amazon, but the woman sure seemed to think she knew Roni.
Marcus frowned. “I don’t know.”
After a moment, the female seemed to recover. “I’m sorry, I thought you were someone else for a second there,” she said to Roni.
That explained it. So why did Roni have the feeling the woman was lying her ass off?
“I’m Kerrie. I’m from Teagan’s pack. That’s how I met Marcus. He and I are, um, were, um . . . well, you know.”
Oh, Roni did know. She also knew that Kerrie was trying to rub it in her face. Bitch. So she didn’t bother introducing herself. If that seemed rude, good.
“This is Roni,” said Marcus, breaking the tense silence.
“Nice to meet you, Roni.” Nice? She didn’t seem to find it “nice” at all. Kerrie switched her focus to Marcus then, her smile bright and huge. “How are you? You look great. Better than when I last saw you, which was . . .” Her eyes briefly slid to Roni. “Anyway, how are things going for the Phoenix Pack?”
Marcus had been around females long enough to know when they were making subtle “I once slept with him” statements that would provoke another female. He wouldn’t have expected it of Kerrie. She’d never struck him as petty or bitchy. But right now, he was seeing her in a new light.
Delivering a clear message to both Roni and Kerrie, he kissed the palm of Roni’s hand again and then began massaging her inner wrist with his thumb. “Everything’s fine, thanks.”
As she stared at the Amazon, Roni realized she’d never experienced jealousy before. Not the kind of jealousy that made someone want to jump across the table and rip out some bitch’s spinal cord. Right then, though, that seemed like a sound plan. Her wolf was sure up for it, despite being slightly placated by Marcus’s possessive gesture. Roni wasn’t so placated, but she was rather enjoying the bitter gleam in Kerrie’s eyes. The bitch was envious to the point of being bitter? What fun.
Kerrie grabbed a chair. “You don’t mind if I eat with you, do you?”
“Yeah, I do,” said Roni. If Marcus didn’t back her up on this, she was so out of there.
“Excuse me?”
“Did I stutter?”
Kerrie’s mouth bobbed open and closed. “Have I upset you in some way?”