Single Wolf Female (Midnight Liaisons) by Jessica Sims Read Free Book Online

cleaned off of all pizza boxes.
    I headed into the kitchen and blinked when I came across Dan and Jackson there, scrubbing it clean. My eyes widened at the sight. Dan was wearing the striped frilly apron that Holly favored and slinging a mop across the tile of my enormous kitchen. At the sink, Jackson’s hands were buried in suds as he did the dishes by hand.
    The kitchen was spotless, the granite counters gleaming. It was clear that they’d been busy for a few hours. “Hi,” I said, since they probably couldn’t smell me over the cleaning supplies.
    Dan’s head jerked up and he gave me a sheepish grin, blushing and fisting his hand into the apron. He quickly tore it off and looked over to Jackson for reassurance.
    Jackson simply moved a bowl from the sudsy water to the rinse water, and then set it on top of a towel on the counter. “Did you sleep okay?”
    “I did,” I said, moving into the kitchen on careful bare feet. The floors were slick with water. Dan wasn’t a great mopper, but I had to give the kid props for trying. “What are you guys doing?”
    “Cleaning,” Jackson told me, his voice mild.
    Well, duh. “I mean, why?”
    He glanced at me over his shoulder. “From what I was understanding, this is our home now, too. You’ve gone through a rough time, and Dan and I appreciate the welcome. Least we can do is show it.”
    “We’re not afraid of work,” Dan said in a quiet voice.
    What did I say to that? Thank you? Welcome home? I chewed the inside of my cheek for a minute, thinking, then headed to the fridge. “The others will be here for breakfast at nine, so it’s a good thing you guys decided to clean.” I opened the fridge and winced at how completely empty it was. Man, I was a horrible hostess. “Um. Breakfast might not be…great.”
    “I can go out and get something?” Dan stopped his mopping and gave me a hopeful look. “There’s a burger place up the highway a few miles. I’m sure they serve breakfast.”
    He looked so eager that I found myself smiling at him. I went to the front hall and grabbed my purse, then pulled out my wallet and gave him a wad of twenties. “Okay. Buy enough for seven hungry werewolves.” I thought for a moment, then added, “You might want to call ahead to give them a heads up to cook extra.”
    He grinned at me and then turned to Jackson. “Can I have the keys?”
    Jackson only raised an eyebrow at him.
    “I’ll go the speed limit. Promise.”
    He nodded. “Be back by nine.”
    Dan grinned and tossed the mop into a nearby bucket of dirty water, then raced to the front door. A moment later, it slammed shut.
    I glanced over at Jackson. “He’s a good kid.”
    “Dan’s a great kid. He’s excited to be here, too. Been too long since we’ve had a pack to call home.” Jackson drained the sink and then began to wipe his hands on a dish towel, then turned and looked over at me. Studying me. After a moment, he asked, “How you holding up?”
    That felt weirdly intimate. I crossed my arms over my chest and shrugged. “I’m okay. Everyone will be here at nine. We’ll introduce you to the pack, let you get to know the group. I’m hoping it’ll go smoothly.”
    It probably wouldn’t, but I could always hope.
    He nodded, not contradicting me. “We have one more thing I should probably take care of before the others get here.” He glanced out the window, watching Dan rip down the gravel driveway in the plumbing van. To his credit, he didn’t wince when the kid nearly ran off into the ditch.
    “Oh?” Now I was curious. “What’s that?”
    He turned back to me and gave me a long, assessing look. “Mate mark.”
    My face immediately flamed bright red.
    “Just the mark,” Jackson said, holding a hand out to me to calm the protest that he expected. “Nothing more. But with me here taking the alpha spot, they’re going to ask, and it’s best if we’re a unified front.”
    “That means you need to wear one, too.”
    “I know,” he said