22. Sabs
TWENTY-TWO
Sabs
“Woah…” I glance around the living room, all cushy in my pajamas and Stella House pink bathrobe. “You’ve really gone all out.”
My guys were as good as their word. As soon as we left the Silverwood Pack’s beach house, they put plans to give me and the Stellas the best slumber party into action, and tonight is the night.
“Only the best for you, firecracker.” Adler blows me a kiss as he passes. “Where do you want the chocolate fountain?”
“A chocolate fountain?” My jaw drops. “You’re joking, right?”
“If you think that’s a lot, wait until you go into the kitchen,” Drax mutters while he draws the curtains and lights a few candles on the mantelpiece. He gives the room a satisfied once over before heading out to join Adler doing whatever he’s doing in the kitchen.
Orin is crouched on the floor. His shirt sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, exposing his deliciously tanned, muscular forearms. His forehead is wrinkled in concentration as he decants some dreamy, lavender-scented liquid into the row of foot spas that are bubbling away in front of the sofas.
“Having fun, Orin?” I tease. “You can always join us if you want.” I wiggle my eyebrows when he looks up. “Or maybe we can schedule a pack pedicure and watch Desperate Housewives?”
He simply scowls, standing and wiping his hands on one of the many stacks of towels he put on the chair.
He checks his watch. “A nail tech will be arriving at eight to fix your…” He gestures at my hand, not knowing the right word to use.
I can’t wait for a full-on pampering session.
This one nail has been irritating me ever since I climbed that damn fence to get away from Adler.
I flutter my eyelashes. “Who knew the scary head of security was so sweet and thoughtful?”
He glowers at me. “I’m not sweet.”
I slink over to him, trailing one finger up his chest. His heart thuds underneath it as I wink. “Sure you’re not, teddy bear.”
The temperature seems to go up a few degrees as our eyes lock, the ringing of the doorbell pulling us out of our sexy staring contest.
“To be continued.” His voice comes out in a low rumble.
“I’ll hold you to that,” I say, all my thoughts of manicures are quickly replaced by the prospect of his strong hands giving me a very thorough full-body massage.
In the hallway, I find that Luca has already answered the door, guiding the Stellas inside. Naturally, they’re all wearing the same matching Stella House pink robe as I am.
Delilah balances what looks like a tower of three boxes of cheesecakes in her arms. Her dark curls are piled on top of her head in a messy bun, and she’s wearing loose harem pants with cute little cupcakes on them.
Drax rushes to help her. “Let me take those from you.”
Delilah smiles gratefully. “I baked a few extra so Sabs won’t have to share hers. I know she’s very possessive about her cheesecake.”
“I managed to get a forkful the other night,” Drax declares proudly.
“Oh, really?” Kady arches one eyebrow. “It sounds like things are going well, then.”
“I’ll leave Sabs to show you around,” Luca says. “We’ll finish getting things straightened up in the kitchen.”
“They seem to be making a real effort.” Faye nods in admiration as my guys file away.
“They told me to stay in the nest while they got everything ready for tonight.” I grin, savoring the pride and gratitude flooding through me. “I’d have been happy with a bowl of popcorn and a movie, but who am I to disappoint four sexy alphas who want to dote on me?”
“As they should,” Kady responds in approval. “You deserve to be spoiled.”
Underneath her robe, Kady’s wearing red and baby-pink-striped button-down pajamas and is clutching her laptop case in her right hand.
“You brought your laptop to a party?” I shake my head in horror. “You need to learn to unplug.”
“I know, I know.” She rolls her eyes. “But I promised Devon I’d have a quick look over his column before it goes live. It’ll take five minutes, I promise. I would have done it earlier, but…” Her pale cheeks flush.
I wag my finger at her. “Are you saying you’re behind on a deadline?”
“N-no!” she flounders. “I’ve just been a little… busy.”
Delilah snorts, and Faye giggles behind her hands. Seeing Kady flustered is always comical because she’s the most organized person ever—well, usually.
“Too busy getting knotted to complete your work on time?” I raise my hands. “No judgment here. I love that for you.”
“No one said anything about knotting.” She presses her lips together while obviously fighting the urge to grin.
“Whether there was knotting or not, you don’t need a face mask with that glow you’ve got going on.” I point at her face.
“Speaking of face masks…” Faye holds up a basket with pots containing what look like mashed-up green fruit. “I made some fresh today. The avocado one is incredible.”
Delilah peers at the jar. “It looks like it’d make a good nacho dip.”
I snort and splay my hands. “Welcome to the Strike Pack mansion!”
“I never knew this place existed.” Kady’s gaze ping-pongs around the entryway, studying some of the trophies before eyeing the fox statue with curiosity. “It’s very… interesting.”
“This guy is basically our house pet.” I pat Fred’s bronze head. “It needs a few more homey touches, but I’ll give it the Sabs sparkle in no time.” I eye the faded hockey trophy. “Unfortunately, all the hockey memorabilia has to stay.”
The girls “ooh” and “aah” at various sights as we head through the house. In the living room, the guys have finished setting up, including a snack cart stuffed with popcorn, pretzels, and an assortment of candies.
“Look at all these snacks!” Faye swoons.
“Come into the kitchen.” Luca beckons her to follow him. “There’s something we got especially for you.”
Faye practically skips along after him then squeals. “A chocolate fountain!”
“We thought you’d like it.” Luca’s cheeks plump with his grin, obviously pleased by her reaction.
“Like it?” I’m surprised she doesn’t pass out from sheer excitement. “I love it!”
The chocolate fountain isn’t the only thing that’s overkill; there’s probably enough food laid out over the island to feed five hockey teams.
Delilah surveys the food in awe. “Maybe I shouldn’t have baked three cheesecakes.”
On the wall, they’ve even stuck a handmade poster that reads “Stella Slumber Party!” The handwriting is a little messy, but the way that Adler’s chest is puffed out, eyeing it proudly, makes my heart swell.
He catches my eye. “What do you think?”
“This is…” It’s rare that I’m speechless, but I can’t believe they went to all this trouble for me.
“Amazing,” Delilah finishes my sentence.
“I hung your evening itinerary under the poster.” Orin points to a slightly smaller piece of paper that notes times when the nail tech and masseuse are arriving. They really have thought of everything.
“Impressive.” Kady scans the list. “Most people don’t understand the importance of having an itinerary.”
I roll my eyes while Drax finishes up sliding strawberries and marshmallows onto skewers.
Adler and Luca are fussing around with the plates and napkins while Orin has moved on to pouring cocktails at the kitchen counter.
I swear, the only reason he’s shaking the mixing bottle so hard is to draw my attention to his muscles, to get a rise out of me.
“Orin’s going to work soon, but the rest of us guys are going to have a foosball tournament in the basement to give you space,” Adler says.
I look at Drax pointedly. “All of you?”
He just shrugs. “I’ve got nothing better to do.”
“You better play nice.” I take turns pointing my index finger at Drax and Adler.
“I’ll keep an eye on them,” Luca promises. “You don’t need to worry about us. After everything that’s happened over the last few days, you need time to relax.”
I mean, being surrounded by alphas who can’t seem to do enough for me hasn’t exactly been a hardship, but I keep my mouth shut. I’m living the omega dream right now.
“The fridge is fully stocked, so help yourselves to anything else you may need,” Orin says. “Call if you need anything.”
“We’ve got the itinerary.” I point at the wall. “We’re all set.”
The guys bid their goodbyes, Adler kissing me on the cheek as he passes, leaving me and the Stellas alone.
“I wish I hadn’t eaten pizza from Marco’s.” Kady rubs her belly. “You said there would only be light bites.”
“I didn’t know they were going to lay out a feast,” I show her my palms. “They’ve been totally hush-hush about their plans.”
Each of us loads up our plates before heading to the living room where we all get comfortable. We have some time before the nail tech arrives, so it’s the perfect chance for us to catch up.
Faye groans in pleasure as she sinks her feet into the foot spa, a bowl full of melted chocolate next to her, and a plate full of fruit skewers, marshmallows, and tiny brownie pieces on her lap.
“This is heaven.” Naturally, she goes straight for the brownies, swiping one through the chocolate first. What better combination than chocolate on chocolate?
She lets out a blissful moan. “Okay, I love the Strike Pack already.”
“You’re easily impressed.” Kady pops a pretzel into her mouth while reclining. “You know, your bonding is pretty much all that everyone’s talking about on campus. The TVV inbox has been blowing up with messages from heartbroken puck bunnies.”
“I’m sure they’ll get over it.” Irritation nips at me, but with my feet now in the water, the little balls vibrating my heels, all my residual anger seems to melt away. “There’re plenty of other players on the team.”
“Are you hooking up with just Adler or the others too?” Kady dives straight in with her questions, as expected. “And what about Drax?”
“I couldn’t believe it when we found out he’d presented as an alpha.” Faye licks some chocolate from her thumb.
“I’m not surprised,” Kady chuffs. “Just look at him.”
“There are buff betas,” Delilah replies indignantly, obviously thinking of Tae.
“Drax could crush Tae’s skull between his hands if he wanted to,” Kady points out.