Chapter 19
NINETEEN
Delilah
Jagger slams the car door behind us as he climbs in next to me.
“Go,” Tae urges the driver. “Now.”
“Hold on tight,” a gruff Southern voice grunts from the driver’s seat. In the dim light, it’s hard to make out any real features aside from the alpha’s mountainous shoulders. “This may be a little bumpy.”
Hang on a minute… Why does he sound familiar?
I don’t have time to place the voice as the car does a super speedy three-point turn, while camera flashes continue assaulting us. The wheels screech against the asphalt, throwing me into Tae’s side.
I squeeze my eyes closed, fighting to stay composed as all the scents in the car merge together—espresso, caramel, maple, and the smell of a crackling campfire—consuming my sinuses.
I don’t think I’ve ever smelled such a delicious, panty-melting combination.
I squeeze my thighs tightly together as my mouth waters. What is happening to me?
“It’s okay. Nash will get us out of here.
” Tae protectively curls an arm around my shoulder.
Although his steadying touch feels good, it doesn’t help the involuntary chemical reaction that seems to be taking place between my legs.
“I found your friends and told them you’re okay.
Kady told me she’s tracking your every move with an app and something about bringing the wrath of the Sinclair dynasty down on us if we hurt you. ”
A nervous giggle spills from me, knowing she was being serious. “Sounds like Kady.”
After some maneuvering around tight bends and shaking off the group of reporters, the driver breathes a sigh of relief before announcing, “We’re clear.”
Coming to my senses, I lean forward to pull away from Tae, feeling silly to have been shaken up by such an encounter.
Tae’s brown eyes sweep over me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I manage to reply, still slightly breathless. “I think.”
“I can’t believe they showed up.” Jagger looks out the rear window from his position in the front seat. “The paps are relentless. Security was supposed to keep them away!”
“They tried,” the driver mutters from the front.
“They were bound to come looking for you after you stopped the show,” I point out.
“But I had to speak to you—”
“We need to decide where we’re going next,” the driver, who I assume is named Nash, interrupts Jagger.
Now that we’re on a road with more streetlights, I catch a glimpse of his face in the rearview mirror. It can’t be… But it is. Fuck. I internally cringe. The same alpha who cradled me while I cried is in this car. Embarrassment swims in my belly.
“You’re in Jagger’s pack too?” I’m surprised how clear my words sound since my tongue feels huge in my mouth.
“It’s not Jagger’s pack,” the driver replies gruffly. “It’s our pack. And we still need to decide where we’re going.”
Disbelief tugs at me, knowing that he’s seen me at my most vulnerable.
“I need to go back to Stella House.” I point out the window. “If you pull over, I can walk from here. It’s not far.”
“No way.” Jagger turns to face me. “The paparazzi may still be following us. It’s not safe for you to be alone. You’re coming back to our place, then we’ll arrange to get you home safely from there.”
“B-b-but…” My arguments fade away as logic kicks in. After seeing what Kady went through last semester with reporters due to her fake pack situation, I know the difficulties that extra media attention can bring. To my annoyance, Jagger may have a point. “Isn’t there another place we can go?”
“Our place is close,” Jagger replies. “And getting a hotel would probably attract even more unwanted publicity.”
The idea of being trapped in Jagger’s personal space, surrounded by his gorgeous pack, sends a fresh wave of panic through me.
My core involuntarily constricts. How am I supposed to control myself around them without doing something I’ll regret when I want to roll around in their scents and make it my home?
“Okay,” I reluctantly agree. “I guess I can do that, but I’ll leave as soon as I can.”
There don’t seem to be any other options right now.
I stare straight ahead, focusing on the dark road. I’m doing my best to ignore the men around me, despite the fact that the heat radiating off their bodies makes me feel like I’m sitting under the midday sun at its most punishing peak.
Jagger nods. “We’ll take care of you, Delilah.”
I scoff, unable to keep my sarcasm at bay. “You’ve said that before.”
Jagger’s back straightens in a rigid position. “I deserved that.”
“Well, we mean it,” Tae chirps. “Don’t we, Nash?”
Nash grunts in response.
“Can you maybe turn down the heat?” I claw at my top, wrenching the cotton away from my sticky skin. The previously soft fabric now feels like it’s made from rough burlap, spreading a prickling sensation all over me.
“The heat?” Tae raises his eyebrows and holds up his arm which is covered in goose bumps. “Feels freezing to me. Nash always blasts the A/C, even in winter.”
“I run hot,” Nash growls.
Jagger sniffs the air. “Delilah… I think you’re…”
“No.” I grit my teeth. “Don’t say it. If you do, it’ll manifest into existence. The universe is always listening, okay?”
Kady thinks my manifestation stuff is bullshit, but I believe in the power of intention. And right now, saying out loud what Jagger thinks is happening is not going to cause a heat to come on. Not happening.
Tae looks between the two of us before a sudden realization blooms across his features. As a beta, he’s not as attuned to changes of scents. “You’re going into h—”
“NO!” I rip open my purse to stick on a few heat patches, grateful that Kady makes sure we always carry them. I calm my voice before speaking again. “I’m not.”
Listen, universe! You’ve already screwed me over lately. How about you throw me a bone this time?
“Hold on.” Nash suddenly floors it. “We need to get you home.”
We’re thrown back in our seats as we accelerate down to Forestville.
We’re right on the edges of town when we take a quiet dirt road, coming to a stop at what can only be described as a fortress.
It’s difficult to absorb all of my new surroundings as I fight not to squirm in my seat.
Not that I can see much anyway as there’s what must be at least a ten-foot-high fence around the entire perimeter, blocking any view of a house.
I cringe at the ridiculous amount of moisture pooling in my panties, finding it impossible to get comfortable as Nash rolls down the window to type in a code on a gate before it opens.
Nash keeps glancing nervously back in the rearview mirror, and I can feel Jagger and Tae watching my every move. I clench my jaw, trying to keep my features unreadable.
“We needed somewhere to stay that was discreet. No one can bother us here, and we have cameras installed everywhere.” Tae breaks the silence.
Safe? Well, I may be avoiding the paparazzi, but being so close to these men feels pretty dangerous to me.
Nash comes to a stop outside their place. It’s modest in size and set over two floors with what looks to be a separate outbuilding. Not exactly the type of home I imagined Jagger having after the luxury of the Grand Point Lodge.
“It needs some work, but properties with this amount of privacy are hard to come by around here,” Tae continues. “But Nash loves a project, so it’s perfect. He can fix literally anything. Can’t you, Nash?”
Nash doesn’t reply, but I’m grateful when he and Jagger climb out of the car to get a little reprieve from their scents.
Come on, heat patches! Hopefully they’ll kick in soon enough to stop me from going into a full heat.
Just getting through the next few hours without relief is going to be rough—especially when I’m surrounded by men who are literally sex on legs.
I remember similar heat spikes happening to Kady and Faye when they first met their scent matches. The only difference is they weren’t actively trying to avoid sleeping with the alphas who were destined to be theirs.
After Jagger springs out of the car like a rocket has launched underneath him, he opens the door and holds out his hand.
“I don’t need your help.” I bat him away and proceed to get out by myself.
“Careful, it’s a little slippery on the stone path,” Tae warns, offering me his arm. “May I?”
I eye the uneven, rocky surface. As much as I want to channel my inner Kady and exert my independence, recent events have proven that my balance needs serious work, so I accept Tae’s arm over the risk of breaking mine.
Jagger’s shoulders slump, but what did he expect?
A few sweet words don’t erase a year of nothingness.
Ahead of us, Nash marches to the battered front door and mumbles what I think is, “Welcome.”
“Thanks,” I squeak as I slip past him into the warmth, not daring to look up at the burly alpha.
I step into a small hallway that smells of pine, presumably from the wood paneled walls and staircase.
On my right is a large living area, complete with a huge open fire with a stack of logs, that snakes around to the back of the house, leading to the open plan kitchen with a table long enough to sit a small sports team.
“Make yourself at home.” Tae kicks off his sneakers. “Can we get you anything?”
God, their scents… They’re everywhere.
“Somewhere comfortable to sit and wait this out.”
“You can use my bedroom?” Jagger offers. “I have a big bed that—”
“No bedrooms,” I state firmly.
Being surrounded by pillows and blankets that smell only of Jagger will be too much.
“How about in here?” Tae gestures to the huge couches. “Although, I can’t promise the sofas will be very comfortable.”
“I ordered new ones that’ll be arriving next week,” Jagger explains. “My manager picked these out.”
Tae winces. “They look good but feel like bricks.”
“It’ll do.” I fumble with my boots as I slip them off and nearly stumble.
Jagger grabs my elbow to steady me. Why is he so intent on trying to touch me all the time?
“Let go of me,” I snap, wrenching myself out of his grasp.