Page 51 of The Case of the Missing Love Stone

“You can’t ask that like you’re checking whether I pulled a muscle gardening.”

“I can ask however gets an answer.”

“Yes,” I say through my teeth. “A little.”

Wes nods once. The smug alpha satisfaction I expect doesn’t come, but his scent deepens. “Anything hurt?”

“No.”

“Anything you didn’t like?”

His question strips away the last easy joke I could use to hide behind. I look from Wes to Roman. “No.”

Wes’s gaze remains steady. “Last night wasn’t a mistake.”

My heart softens so fast, it’s embarrassing. “I didn’t say it was.”

“You’ve been standing here preparing an argument against one.”

“That’s an invasive amount of accuracy before caffeine.”

Roman holds out the tray. “Fortunately, we planned for that.”

“You already brought coffee yesterday.”

“Peace offering, for taking your time again today. This one has cinnamon.”

Wes watches my mouth when I take the first sip.

I know what his mouth feels like now. I also know how carefully he treats me.

He lifts one hand and pauses before touching me. “Can I?”

I nod.

His knuckles brush a loose strand of hair from my cheek before he leans close and drags a slow breath near my temple. Then his cheek moves lightly against my hair. Cedar settles over me.

The scent mark is intimate enough to ruin my concentration, but now I understand the offer inside it. He’s leaving comfort for me to carry when we step into town. My eyes close for half a second.

Wes’s voice drops. “Better?”

“Yes.”

When I open my eyes, Roman is smiling into his coffee.

“Don’t,” I warn.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You’re thinking loudly.”

Wes steps back before I decide whether I want him close again. The air feels thinner without him, but not empty. Their scents remain on the quilt and my skin.

My purr sounds once, short and low. I pretend the cicadas did it.

Wes clears his throat. “Tom called this morning. After the residue inside the display case came back relevant to GatorX, he agreed we have enough overlap to share the museum timeline. That led to finding out the restoration records were accessed two weeks before the theft.”

Reality shatters the warmth of the morning.