“When did you get home?” No deception echoed in her tone or her scent. She seemed truly mystified and he was at a loss to explain it.
“A couple of minutes ago. Everything okay?”
“I…” She blinked, then looked around them again. The question in her eyes told him so much. She didn’t know the answer. “I made cookies.”
“Cool. I like cookies.” Not drawing her attention to the bags, he nudged her toward the door. “Do they come with milk or coffee?”
A hint of laughter trembled on her lips. “What would you like them with?”
The only response that worked was the one he couldn’t take advantage of, not after what he’d witnessed. “I’d like to have them with you,” he said, keeping the sexual innuendo to a minimum. “But I’d kill for a cup of coffee.”
“Deal. I’ll go make it—after I wash my face.” After another faintly bemused look around the garage, she abandoned him for the door only to pause when she reached it. “Did everything go all right with your emergency?”
Not even close. “It’s been dealt with. I’m all yours for the rest of the day.”
“Great. I’ll see you inside.”
The door closed behind her and Brett glanced at her bags, then her car. Whatever she was, whatever was going on, she didn’t need a friend.
She needed an alpha.
Something had changed. Colby couldn’t put her finger on it, but restlessness seemed to accompany her no matter what she and Brett were doing. Frankly, it amounted to a whole lot of nothing. Oh, they talked, but instead of the intimacy he kept them on neutral topics—where did she grow up? What did she study in school? Why nursing? Whenever she turned the topic to him, he answered in the vaguest notes and always turned the line of inquiry around to her.
“The cookies are excellent.” They carried their coffee and dessert to the stone porch. Darkness settled, but Brett lit a couple of torches and the strength of citronella oil made her nose itch. He’d also lit a fire in the fire pit. Sweat slicked his face when he worked with the flame, but his movements remained steady and calm. Fire bugged the ever-loving crap out of him, yet he didn’t hesitate to work with it.
Some people were strong, refusing to let their fears get to them. That same refusal, while a definite strength, could also lead to a violent suppression and explosion later. Instead of joining her on the loveseat, he took a chair by himself. More distance.
Had she suddenly become a leper?
When he stilled and focused on her, the weight of his regard closed in around her like the embrace she’d experienced in the garage. The effect caged her, but it lacked the claustrophobia she was used to when put on the spot. Why was he staring at her though? He held one of the apple cinnamon oatmeal cookies in his hand. He liked them. “I’m glad you’re enjoying them. I thought I should do something because you’ve been feeding me since I got here.”
“I like feeding you.” The admission steadied her uncertainty. Her skin itched, everything itched it seemed, and she didn’t have bug bites or allergies that she knew of. In fact, she’d been pretty healthy most of her life. Most of her friends got to skip school for a fever now and then, but she’d never had the luxury. “Why the grimace?”
“What?” Had she frowned?
“You’re not all here with me, are you?” More intensity in his quiet, dark eyes and the feeling he could see right through her punched her in the gut. What did he see when he looked at her?
“Actually, I was thinking I’m not really into just sitting here. I think I’ve been too lazy since I arrived. I’m used to being busy.” It was a lie on some levels, she hadn’t been thinking about that at all. But really, who wanted to hear her bitch about perfect attendance in elementary school? Junior high? Or high school for that matter? Hell, she hadn’t missed a single day of her community service either. Possessing a positive work ethic and great genes didn’t allow her to complain.
“Have you given any more thought to SUNY?”
She opened her mouth to say no, but instead, “I’m trying not to think about it. If I go for it, I’ll be committing to staying here.”
No judgment reflected in his expression. “You haven’t decided to stay.”
“No,” she admitted. “I haven’t.”
A nod. No surprise or disappointment creased his gorgeous face. The calmness, however, was a deception. Her gut churned at the bristling she could almost feel or maybe her imagination worked in overtime. Having him close teased and tempted her, but the distance he maintained warned her away. “What do you think you need to help you make the decision?”