The Deputy and His Enforcer (Kincaid Pack #3) - Kiki Clark Page 0,78

from where he was just behind her, arms crossed over his wide chest, but she and Marcus ignored him. Phil was the only Enforcer or beta in her pack who wasn’t Native American, and Marcus had heard he was a holdover from the previous alpha.

Marcus waited until the small group had disappeared before turning back to his office and his waiting mate. As he got closer, he was unsurprised to hear Nico’s laughing voice in there with Robson. When he entered the room, he raised his eyebrows at how the two of them were seated on the small couch together, staring at something on Robson’s phone.

“She’s beautiful, man,” Nico said, and Marcus realized they were looking at pictures of Robson’s new niece.

“For a little blob of a person, yeah. She’s pretty great,” Robson said, grinning. He tucked away his phone, and they both stood, Nico smiling at Marcus in the same knowing way he’d been doing all day. Robson stepped over so he was next to Marcus, one of his hands rising to rest on Marcus’s lower back. “Reesa was supposed to have a baby shower next weekend, but I’m not sure if she’ll be up for it. It was pretty much just her and my mom throwing things together at the last minute. Is there anyone in the pack that should be invited?” Robson looked between Marcus and Nico. “I don’t want to insult anyone by not including them because Reesa and I didn’t know better.”

Nico chuckled and Marcus smiled, wrapping an arm around Robson’s waist and leaning against him slightly.

“I’ll touch base with her and Patrick,” Nico said, pulling out his phone and beginning to type. “Don’t worry about it. I got you.”

Marcus started to disagree. Reesa was his mate’s sister, so he should be the one to help with her baby shower, but Nico raised his eyes and drilled him with a look.

“You have enough on your plate after today,” Nico insisted, brow rising as he dared Marcus to contradict him.

“Does this have to do with the villainous phone call you received?” Robson laughed at the words, but Nico’s and Marcus’s serious faces sobered him quickly. “Shit, was Jess not joking?”

Marcus shook his head and sighed, scratching at his short beard and collecting his cell from his desk. “Unfortunately, no. Thank you, Nico.”

Grunting at the dismissal but not seeming offended, Nico lifted a hand in goodbye and went back to his phone, probably making a list of things he wanted to do for the shower.

Robson turned Marcus so they were face-to-face, gripping his shoulders. “What happened?”

“Can we talk about it at home? I just need to grab a bag of things from my house on the way.” He’d worry about his plants later.

The long pause that followed his statement had his scalp prickling. Frowning, he studied Robson’s wide eyes and carefully scented the air. He tilted his head as he tried to figure out why his mate would be shocked about him having a bag of things to bring—

His heart seized in his chest.

“Oh.”

Chapter Twenty

“Cariño, wait.”

Robson called himself six different kinds of idiot as he tried to hold on to Marcus when he attempted to turn away, his face shutting down so quickly it was like his soul had gotten sucked out of his body. But Robson had seen the hurt in his light green eyes for that brief moment when Marcus realized he hadn’t known Marcus would expect to live with him already, before the light had gone out and Marcus had tried to hide his feelings from him.

It wasn’t until his stoic mask was back in place that Robson realized how much more expressive Marcus had started to become, especially when it was just the two of them. He would probably never be enormously emotive, but Robson had come to love the small quirks in his brows and lips, the tiny wrinkle along the bridge of his nose when he was confused, and the pink blush that flooded his smooth pale skin whenever anything even remotely sexual came up in conversation—

Oh fuck.

Was he in love with Marcus already?

Renewed shock flowed through him, and his grip loosened on Marcus’s arms. His mate didn’t hesitate to bolt toward the door, spine stiff.

He cleared his throat, following after him. “Marcus, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize—”

“No apologies are necessary,” Marcus said, soft voice clipped and overly formal. “I’m going to have to stay and work late though, so it would probably be best if we said goodbye now. I’ll