Page 70 of Chased

“That’s what she gets for being a bitch,” Matéo said. “Is it time for lunch yet?”

After lunch they dropped their bags off at the trucks, and then did some slightly more practical shopping, since Madison needed things like painting clothes, jeans that could get muddy, and hiking boots that didn’t give her blisters.

Sanchez wouldn’t let her pay for any of that, either. Madison gave up. She’d have to sneak the money back into his wallet somehow.

Then they wandered the town, ate Adirondack popcorn from the specialty store, toured briefly through the Olympic Museum, and finally headed over to a restaurant looking out over the lake, where Sanchez had somehow found time to make a dinner reservation.

Before leaving the main shopping area, Cisco and Matéo had a whispered conversation with Breanna, and then one with Sanchez, and then took off down the street. “They’re going to meet us at the restaurant,” Sanchez said. “We can have a drink while we wait.”

They settled at their table and got their drinks, but as they drank them Breanna kept getting texts, with photos, and giggling and replying.

“What the fuck?” Sanchez finally said. “Is Switch sending you dick pics again?”

“No, it’s your cousins,” she said, laughing at another text. “They’re so fucking hopeless.”

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Sanchez grumbled. But Madison noticed he stopped asking questions after that. Those guys were definitely up to something.

They came in fifteen minutes later, loaded down with shopping bags. Surprisingly, Switch was with them. “Look who we found outside!” Cisco said.

Breanna jumped up and hugged her mate. “What are you doing here?”

“Flew the chopper in,” he said, giving her a kiss. “I needed to pick up a couple things, so I decided to eat dinner with my girl, and then sweep her off her feet and fly her back to the Ridge.” He winked at Madison. “I can’t let Sanchez—of all people—out-romantic me.”

Sanchez snorted.

“How did you know where we were?” Breanna asked.

“Pinged your phone, of course. What good is having an internet genius for a mate if he can’t stalk you?”

Mikey said, “I don’t even know where to start with that remark.” Switch just grinned at her and pulled up a chair.

Cisco and Matéo had been nudging each other this whole time. Now Matéo said to Madison, “We got you something. Because, well, you know. We’re sorry.”

Madison braced herself to be grateful and enthusiastic, but she didn’t even have to try. Their present turned out to be bath towels in the perfect shade of ocean teal—big, fluffy, luxury ones. Also sheets in the same color, and a coordinating ocean wave pattern comforter and pillow shams, plus some fancy bath oil.

“Not lavender, though,” they hastened to add. “Avocado and cucumber,” Matéo said.

Cisco added, “We figured a rabbit would like that, on account of it’s vegetables.” There were smothered snorts of laughter around the table at that last part.

Madison was touched beyond belief. “You didn’t have to do that!”

They both shrugged, looking embarrassed. “Breanna helped us pick.”

“It was their idea,” she said. “I just consulted.”

Madison jumped up and wolf hugged both of them, pressing her forehead to theirs. “Vixen and I forgive you,” she murmured. “We know you wouldn’t have done it if you’d known it was us.”

Say we will bite them again if they’re not good, Vixen said. But also, we like the presents. We should always get presents.

Madison decided not to repeat that part.

Chapter 28

After dinner, Switch fucking stuck a hundred-dollar bill in Sanchez’s t-shirt pocket for his and Breanna’s dinner, thus managing to be pretty okay and dick at the same time, since he knew Sanchez didn’t like people sticking their hands all up in his shit. Except Madison.

Then Switch took Breanna off, presumably to figure out if there was some way to fuck while flying a helicopter.

Sanchez paid the bill and they all walked back to the trucks. He was holding Madison’s hand, which he’d decided felt nice and not like a teenager on a first date.