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but that couldn’t be right. She must be imagining things again.
    * * * *
    Brendan cringed. That wasn’t what he meant to say. He’d planned to come in and charm her a bit. Lay down some ground work before asking her out. But when she looked at his chest and blushed, he hadn’t been able to stop the words.
    “Of course. I’d love to have a friendly dinner. Maybe we should invite Laurie too.” The emphasis she put on the words “friendly” and “Laurie” made him frown. Had Julie just shot him down? It wasn’t every day a woman he asked on a date invited another woman along.
    “Laurie?”
    “Yeah, why not? I wouldn’t want to steal you away from her, even for a night,” Julie said, the fake smile he hated back in place. He was getting better at distinguishing between the real one and the fake one. The differences were subtle but obvious if one paid enough attention and knew where to look.
    Trying to absorb every detail, Brendan stared at her. Something wasn’t adding up. Why would she invite Laurie with them if the idea displeased her?
    “Julie, what do you mean ‘steal me away from Laurie’?”
    Julie started to fidget, avoiding eye contact. So he walked behind the counter until he stood in front of her. Cupping her jaw in his hand, he tilted her chin until her gaze rose to meet his.
    “What’s going through your head, baby?” Brendan stared into her eyes, hoping he would somehow break through the wall she had erected. Her face fell until not even the fake smile remained. For just a moment, he glimpsed the turmoil within.
    “Brendan, stop. What if Laurie walks in?” She tilted her chin out of his grip and stepped back, away from him. His wolf’s hackles rose at her retreat. A growl rumbled from low in his throat, causing Julie’s eyes to widen.
    Why did she keep bringing up Laurie? He needed to figure out what was going on, and he needed to figure it out now. Every instinct screamed at him. Something wasn’t right, and his wolf struggled for control. All he wanted to do was shift and hunt down whoever had put the haunted look on her face.
    “Why all this talk about Laurie? What does she have to do with anything?”
    “She’s my sister, Brendan. You can’t be naïve enough to think fooling around with me wouldn’t hurt her. I wouldn’t do that to anyone, much less my own sister.”
    Brendan took a step back. He held up his hands and shook his head.
    “I’m sorry. I’ve obviously missed something. What are you talking about?”
    “You and Laurie. I don’t know why you two haven’t mated yet, but she’d be hurt if we fooled around.” As Julie’s words sank in, his frustration gave way to the slow burn of anger.
    “Laurie told you we were mates?” He couldn’t help the forcefulness of his voice, even seeing her start. The way her eyes widened made him regret his tone. Wanting to assure her, he took a step forward, and watched her take a hasty step back in retreat.
    The last thing he wanted was to scare her. Didn’t she know he’d die before he ever hurt her? He needed to get away before he scared her any more. He didn’t trust himself right now. His wolf was too close to the surface, stirred by his strong emotions.
    Anger burned in his gut. He needed answers, but he couldn’t force them out of Julie without damaging their relationship. There had to be another way to get the information he needed. Hopefully, Laurie could tell him why the woman he loved, his actual mate , believed he was destined to another. Not just another, her own sister. He’d waited too long for Julie to have this keep them apart.
    All those years, waiting for Julie to be ready and holding back from any serious relationship. The whole time, the woman he’d waited for thought he was already taken. And had suffered as a result. The regret and torment in her eyes whenever he got close told him this misconception played some part in her sadness.
    Trying not to frighten her more, Brendan retreated, storming out of