Page 15 of Furry Equations
“Try me.”
“I...” She took a deep breath. “I’ve always been fascinated by shifter mate bonds. That certainty. That instant recognition. Humans... we stumble around in the dark, dating the wrong people, getting hurt... I thought if I could crack the genetic code, give humans even a fraction of what shifters have...”
His heart clenched. If she only knew.
“Plus,” she added quickly, trying to lighten the mood, “my mother’s matchmaking attempts were getting desperate. Last month she tried to set me up with my dentist.”
“During an appointment?”
“During a root canal! She claimed the nitrous oxide would make me more open to romance.”
His laugh rumbled out before he could stop it. The sound seemed to surprise them both.
“You should do that more often,” she said softly.
“What?”
“Laugh. It’s nice.”
Their eyes met. The air between them thickened with possibility.
“Boss?” Jax’s voice broke the spell. “We’ve got movement. You’re gonna want to see this.”
Marcus suppressed a growl. “On my way.” He turned back to Natalie. “Stay here. The lab’s secure, and I’ve got guards posted?—“
“At every possible entrance, plus three different escape routes and enough backup generators to power Manhattan.” Her lips curved. “I was paying attention earlier.”
“Good.” He moved toward the door, then paused. “Oh, and Natalie?”
“Hmm?”
“Read your fortune cookie. I hear they’re very accurate tonight.”
She raised an eyebrow but reached for the cookie. He forced himself to leave before he could see her reaction to the note he’d slipped inside—his private number with the words “For non-security emergencies” scrawled beneath.
Jax waited in the hallway, smirking. “Smooth move with the fortune cookie.”
“Shut up.”
“I especially liked the part where you pretended checking the security feeds required standing that close to her.”
“Don’t you have somewhere to be?”
“And miss watching the big bad alpha turn into a lovesick puppy? Not a chance.” Jax fell into step beside him. “Though you might want to rein in the growling when other guys approach her. The lab tech who delivered her coffee nearly wet himself.”
Marcus’s jaw clenched. “I didn’t growl.”
“You did. It was very impressive. Very cave-wolf.”
“The coffee was a security risk.”
“The coffee was from Starbucks.”
“He didn’t follow proper clearance protocols.”
“He had a name tag!”
“Something could have been slipped into?—“