Page 4 of Marcus

She reappears with a stack of menus and two draft beers, then sits down next to me. “The burgers are amazing here. Also, Jax makes a mean grilled cheese.”

My stomach growls in response. All I’ve had so far today is a bowl of Cap’n Crunch. Healthy? Not so much, but absolutely delicious.

“Seriously, this table is big, Selene. Just a few people? This looks more like a party.”

“Listen, I finally talked my best friend into moving here to work for Wolfbane. Of course I’m going to throw you a party and introduce you to some people.”

“Won’t I meet them on Monday at the orientation?”

“Oh, I didn’t actually invite anyone from your department.” She laughs. “I invited the fun people.” She shoots me a wink and then smiles at the big guy who’s just walked in.

He looks like a lumberjack. Seriously. I didn’t know men actually dressed like that. Jeans and a plaid flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

“Denver,” Selene says. “Come meet Aspen.”

He smiles and it transforms his bearded face. He manages to get his big body into one of the smaller wooden chairs across from us.

“Are you a lumberjack?” I ask. “Wait, do they have logging in this part of Texas? Doesn’t seem like there would be enough trees.”

Denver’s smile widens. “Nah, I’m not a lumberjack. Just a run of the mill security officer.”

Well, I feel stupid.

“Where are you from?” Denver asks.

He seems friendly enough.

“I just moved here from Houston.”

“I’ve been trying to get her here for years. She’s a stubborn one,” Selene says.

“I wanted to get a job on my own merits and not just because my best friend’s uncles own a company.”

Selene rolls her eyes. “You’re the best microbiologist I know.”

“Know a lot of microbiologists, Selene?” Denver asks.

“As a matter of fact, I know several. Whatever, she’s perfect for the job and perfect for here.”

Five more people arrive—all men, I can’t help but notice—and head towards our table. They sit and introduce themselves. I think two of them, or maybe three of them, are Selene’s cousins. It’s hard to tell; they’re all tall and muscular and stupid hot.

Who knew there was a veritable treasure trove of gorgeous men in a tiny town in west Texas?

I can see that there are two more guys standing by the entrance to the smaller room. I can’t see their faces from here, but they look enormous.

My friend turns to me. “I promise you’re gonna love it. I just have a feeling about you and Bear Creek. Besides, it’s not like you were flourishing in Houston. A crap, entry-level job that you were way overqualified for. A tiny apartment in a not-so-great part of town. And then a creepy co-worker turned stalker. You’re much better off here.”

“Definitely safer,” Denver says. He cocks a brow at Selene. “Stalker?”

“He wasn’t really a stalker. Just a guy who thought I was interested when I wasn’t.”

The guys from the entrance finally breach the doorway. They’re similar to Denver, in that they look like lumberjacks. Massive shoulders, thick chests and thighs, and beards. The smiling one is wearing a flannel shirt with rolled-up sleeves. The frowning one is wearing a plain black t-shirt that looks as if it was custom-made for his body.

Do they even have bespoke t-shirts? Probably. If you have enough money.

Selene sees the new guys. “Oh, there’s Ranger and Marcus.”

Smiley walks over to the table and greets everyone, reaching across the table to shake my hand with his enormous palm. Seriously, my hand looks like a child’s hand next to his. Granted, I’m not a big woman. I mean, I am big in most ways—an abundance of curves, big, thick curling brown hair—but small in stature.