Secrets in the Moon (Crescent City Werewolves #1)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Cora was very relieved to find that Hayes—Sam—acted as unprofessionally with her in the morning as he had throughout the night. Despite the lack of sleep, she felt bright-eyed and refreshed by the time they both washed and dressed. His freshly shaven face nuzzled against her neck until he could lick at her pulse while she put in her earrings. Her giggling in response was soon interrupted by a sharp knock on the door.

No one opened it, but Minnie Wilkes' voice drifted through. "That's enough now. Get downstairs before you miss breakfast."

Sam kissed her a final time and straightened up. In the morning sunlight, he looked rested yet hungry, eyeing her as if he wanted still more. "I'll go down first to make sure everyone stays civil."

She faced him while putting the other earring in. "Oh, I don't care if they frown at me for behaving outrageously. It's been my reputation for years, and I've heard every disapproving comment in the book."

"They can still be polite." His hand traced her cheek a final time before he left, steps silent against the floorboards.

Syrup-sweet satisfaction lingered in her every thought while she finished dressing, but she remained aware enough to choose a subdued outfit. If human women resented heiresses flaunting their wealth, then she-wolves probably weren't much different. Her knit dress was a demure navy blue, stylishly tailored but without any further decoration except some silver stripes on the sleeves and skirt.

Downstairs, she chirped a greeting to Minnie in the kitchen over the sizzling of eggs and tomatoes frying in bacon fat. She found the others in the breakfast room. From their stiff postures and quiet conversations, no one seemed very happy, and Sam had that easygoing yet detached expression he used to keep a discussion calm. It didn't change while he gestured at her to take the chair beside him and then introduced her to everyone.

There was Brom, big and brawny and focused on shoveling scrambled eggs into his mouth more than anything. He had just come back from a night shift at the docks and seemed exhausted. His mate, Holly, was tall but slender, had auburn hair, and pointedly refused to look Cora's way. And finally there was Eve, the young she-wolf who had been so aghast at seeing them together. She still seemed embarrassed to face Cora, instead fussing with baby Theodora asleep in her arms.

It was mostly Holly and Eve who talked to each other, although Brom occasionally tossed a friendly comment Sam's way. Cora decided it was better to keep quiet and focus on the plate of food Sam had gotten for her. When he passed over the cream and sugar for her coffee, though, she couldn't resist smiling. The reserve in his eyes disappeared long enough for him to wink in response.

"You put that much sugar in your coffee?" said Eve, still looking baffled by Cora's very existence.

"I have a terrible sweet tooth," replied Cora, and took a sip. She sensed the playfulness draining from Sam again, but truthfully, she wasn't nervous at all to be the outsider at the table. It was unlikely their comments would be anything worse than the malicious wit that passed as talking with friends among high society.

"So, you're the latest case for our Sam," said Holly, suddenly.

Cora brightened her smile, remembering to keep her mouth closed to avoid showing her teeth at the she-wolf. "Yes. I doubt he expected so many twists and turns when he first took it on. I certainly didn't."

"But it's surely over now. All the human papers have moved onto other topics." The word human had a particular inflection to it.

"I hope so. I'd like to move on, too," said Cora, and bit into her toast.

Amber eyes glanced over her face and away again. "That's good. Sam has many other things to worry about."

At that, Sam shifted in his chair. It was a small move, but Cora watched in fascination as it caused a ripple effect in the postures of the other wolves. It was clear who was the dominant one in the room. "Holly, you're not anywhere as subtle as you think. Don't try speaking for me while I'm right here."