“As one does,” Mackenzie says seriously. She nudges Priya again. “There’s always Conner.”
Priya points at her with narrowed eyes. “That’s it. You’re on refill duty. Let’s go.”
“Fine, fine,” Mackenzie laughs. “I need a drink, anyway.”
I scoot out of the booth to let them out, lingering when Matías and Jamie follow after them.
“I’m making him dance with me,” Jamie explains as they pass.
Mackenzie hangs back while the others head toward the bar, her hand grabbing mine as she looks up at me with concern. “You okay to hang by yourself for a little bit?”
“I’m fine,” I assure her. I can tell that she’s still worried about leaving me on my own, so I add, “Go have fun.”
She flashes me a smile, giving my fingers a squeeze as a similar sensation ensues in my chest. I watch her for longer than is necessary, for some reason wanting to make sure she makes it through the crowd okay, only able to relax when I catch sight of her and Priya laughing about something at the large wooden counter while they try to flag down a bartender.
“So,” Paul says as I settle back into the booth. “Mated, huh?”
I reach to rub at the back of my neck. “Yeah, it’s . . . been interesting.”
“Funny how you never mentioned it to me,” he says with a hint of amusement in his voice, creases forming in the warm brown skin around his eyes. “Considering I am probably the only person from work you keep regular contact with.”
“Sorry,” I offer. “We didn’t . . . It’s complicated.”
“It wouldn’t have anything to do with your alpha status being outed, would it?”
“That’s . . .” I struggle for anything remotely close to a good excuse, coming up short. “Is it obvious?”
“Not to the average bystander,” Paul chuckles. “But I know you.”
“It’s been a fucking mess, Paul,” I sigh.
“I imagine,” he offers. “So what is Dr. Carter’s role in all this?”
“She’s . . .” I turn my head, my lips pressing together as I watch her head tilt back with mirth at something Priya has just said. “She’s helping me out.”
“From what Priya tells me,” Paul notes, “Dr. Carter is something of a saint.”
“She is,” I mutter back, still looking at my pretend mate as she laughs.
Paul reaches for the glass in front of him, and when I finally tear my attention away from Mackenzie, I notice he’s smiling into it as he takes a drink, his dark eyes glittering. “You two are very convincing. Watching you two together, no one would suspect that you aren’t an item.”
“Oh, we’re just . . .” I frown down at the table. “Honestly, I’m surprised she even agreed. It makes no sense from anyone’s point of view why she would.”
That part is definitely true, and something that is constantly on my mind. Even with her reasoning that I’m keeping her from another string of bad dates—it’s a lot to take on, this thing we’re doing, and it feels as if I have much more to benefit from it.
“Well, you did say she’s a saint,” Paul says.
I nod. “I did.”
I notice he’s smiling again, almost like he has a secret, and with a subtle shake of his head, he gives his attention back to his glass. “I look forward to seeing how this plays out.”
“Hopefully in something other than disaster,” I huff.
“Just be careful,” Paul warns again. “You’re too bright to let this ruin you. It would be a waste all around.”
“I will,” I tell him. “If nothing else . . . I wouldn’t want to jeopardize Mackenzie’s career. I couldn’t live with myself if I dragged her down with me.” I catch Paul looking at me with that strange smile again, and raise an eyebrow at him. “What?”
“Nothing, nothing,” he laughs. “Like I said, I look forward to seeing how this plays out.”
I’m not really sure what he means by that, and decide that asking will most likely just get me more sly glances.
“Noah!”
My head whips to the side at the sound of Mackenzie’s voice, catching her pushing through the crowd again. I notice her cheeks are slightly more flushed than they were when she left. She offers a quiet apology to Paul before she leans in to whisper in my ear, and there is an imperceptible （or at least, I hope it is） shiver that passes over me when I feel her breath wash against the shell.