Chapter Three
“ H opefully, I won’t set you off when I ask this question.” Carter grins, waiting until I look over at him before continuing, “If you don’t want to be here, why are you here?”
I roll my eyes with a sigh. “My mom. She wouldn’t let up, telling me I’d regret it if I didn’t find men to help me through my first heat.”
My face warms as I realize what I’ve just admitted to them—not that they couldn’t have figured it out. Obviously, they had to have known that I’m here because of my heat, but it’s also kind of embarrassing to talk about it with four hot men who I just met. And the fact that I just admitted that it’s my first one?
Ugh, kill me now.
“Oh, your first one?” That wicked grin makes another appearance on Aidan’s face, and I can’t help the way my thighs clench as heat rushes through me. It makes me wonder what else he can do with that mouth.
Get it together, Lila.
“I hear those are the most fun.”
I shrug. “I wouldn’t know.”
Gods, could my face get any redder?
I squeeze my eyes shut as I try to will away my blush, silence falling around me. Someone clears their throat before I hear Ty ask quietly, “So what kind of whale are you?”
Thankful for the change of subject, I open my eyes and focus on Ty. “A beluga. What about you?”
“Narwhal.” Now it’s his turn to blush as his eyes drop to his lap, where his fingers tap rapidly against his legs.
“You’re a freaking unicorn,” I blurt.
Holy hell, Lila. Seriously?
Oliver bursts out laughing, falling over when he shoves at Ty’s shoulder. “I fucking told you!”
I glance from Oliver to the other three men, confused.
“Oliver always calls me a unicorn.” Ty won’t meet my eyes.
“I love unicorns.”
Why am I this way ?
Can I get any more awkward? Obviously, the answer to that is yes, but I wish I could stop saying stupid, embarrassing things in front of these men.
Maybe I should just get up and walk away now before it gets any worse.
“See, Ty, I told you that women would dig the fact that you’re a fucking narwhal,” Aidan tells him before turning back to me. “He gets embarrassed that his form is smaller than Oliver and Carter’s whales, but he’s still bigger than me—well, at least longer.”
My eyes drop to Aidan’s crotch because they obviously have a mind of their own.
Aidan lets out a bark of laughter. “Totally not what I meant, but I’m sure we can arrange it if you want to see which one of us is bigger in this form.”
I bury my face in my hands as my cheeks flame once more. Maybe hanging out with them was a bad idea. I should go try my chances with the idiots again. I just don’t have the social skills to be around men this hot.
“What kind of whales are the two of you?” I ask without lifting my hands from my face. When I feel someone tug at my hands, I fight them but eventually allow them to pull my hands away from my face.
I find Oliver kneeling in front of me. “Just ignore Aidan. We all do.”
I force a smile that I’m sure looks more like a grimace as I try to once again change the subject. “So whales?”
“Humpback,” Oliver says, still grinning as his chest puffs up. My eyes go wide because that’s a big freaking whale.
“You act like that’s such a big deal.” Carter reaches over and shoves Oliver, causing him to fall over into the sand. “He’s still small compared to me.”
“There aren’t many whale shifters bigger than a humpback, so what are you?” I ask with a frown, trying to think of what kind of whale he could be. “Sperm whale?”
Carter waggles his eyebrows. “Even bigger than that.”
“The only whales that are bigger are finback and blue whales, and those shifters are extinct, aren’t they?”
“Apparently not, since me, my dad, and my younger brother are all blue whales.” He shrugs. “Though I think my family might be the last. I haven’t heard of any others. ”
Forgetting my embarrassment, I grin at him. “That is so cool. I definitely need to see you in the water. You have to be huge.”
There’s a moment of silence before I hear choking beside me. I spin to find Aidan trying to hold back his laughter. He holds up his hands in surrender when I glare. “Hey now! It’s your fault that my mind went there.”
“Lila! Lila Riley, where the hell are you? I swear to the gods if you left, I’m going to murder you.”
I wince before glancing over my shoulder to see my mom at the edge of the crowd as she searches for me.
“Who’s that?”
I turn back to Oliver, making a face. “My mom. I can’t believe she’s acting like this. I’m twenty-one years old—not a child.”
“Lila! There you are. You’re supposed to be finding someone to help you through your heat. What the hell are you doing over here…” Mom trails off as she takes in the four men surrounding me, a sly smile gracing her lips. “Oh, who are your friends?”
I let my head fall back, staring up at the sky as I wish for a lightning bolt to shoot down and put me out of my misery. I’m going to kill my mom. I really don’t need her help with embarrassing me. I’m doing a right fine job of it all on my own.
“Hello, Mrs. Riley.” I feel Carter stand beside me, his shadow falling over me a moment later. “I’m Carter Newman. These are my pod mates Oliver, Ty, and Aidan. We’ve agreed to help Lila out with her heat.”
“Oh?” Mom’s voice goes up an octave, and I’m sure her eyebrows are in her hairline.
She’s not the only one who’s shocked as I fall back into the sand, staring up at Mom and Carter. Why the hell had he just told her that? They have done no such thing—not that I would complain if they wanted to help me through my heat. Only an idiot would say no to these four.
“We sure have,” Oliver adds, standing up and putting his arm around my mom as he begins to lead her away. “You don’t need to worry about Lila. She’s in expert hands.”
“Oh, well. I should probably talk to her—“
“All good here, Mom.” I turn my head to watch Oliver as he continues to lead her back to the larger group. He winks at me over his shoulder before turning back to her, murmuring something, but it’s too quiet for me to hear .
Once they’re out of sight, I sit up and turn my attention back to Carter. He’s tucked his hands in his pockets, an apologetic smile on his face. “Sorry, I probably shouldn’t have said that.”
My smile fades quickly as I realize he didn’t mean it. He’d just been trying to get rid of my mom. I mean, obviously, they wouldn’t want to help me through my heat. Why would they when they look like they do?
Dang it. Now, what am I going to do? I’m going to have to deal with those idiot males again, and when my mom asks about these guys, what am I supposed to say? Why had I let myself get my hopes up?
“Oh, no. Wait. Don’t misunderstand me.” Carter grabs my hands as he returns to sit beside me, squeezing them in his own. “I didn’t mean we wouldn’t help you. I just shouldn’t have assumed that you wanted us to. I should’ve asked first.”
Biting my lip, I glance up at him and find a bashful smile on his face. “You want to help me through my heat?”
“Hell yes, we do.”
I glance over my shoulder to find that Oliver has returned, smirking down at me for a moment before glancing at his friends. “Right, guys?”
“Damn straight.”
“Fuck yes.”
“Yes, please.” It’s said in barely a whisper, but I can’t help grinning as my eyes meet Ty’s. He ducks his head for a moment, a shy smile on his lips, before he takes a deep breath and lifts his head to meet my eyes once more.
“Thank goodness,” I breathe out with a laugh. “I really didn’t want to deal with those idiots again.”
The five of us laugh, settling back into the sand as we talk. We spend hours talking and learning about one another—completely ignoring the ritual behind us. When we exchange numbers, it takes everything in me not to squeal with excitement.
By the time we stand to leave, it’s fully dark, and we’re the only ones left on the beach. Glancing at my phone, I see it’s well past dinnertime. I wince when I see I’ve missed a handful of calls from both of my parents.
“Fiddlesticks, how did it get so late? I haven’t been paying attention to the time at all. I really have to go.” Glancing up at the guys, I feel awkward again. “I guess I’ll see you in four days? ”
“Don’t think that you’re getting off that easy, Lila.” Aidan climbs to his feet, grabs my hand, and yanks me into his body. Before I realize what he intends to do, his lips are on mine. I gasp, and he deepens the kiss. I lean into him as my arms wrap around his neck, losing myself in his kiss.
He ends it before I’m ready, and I can’t help the little whine that falls from my lips as he pulls away. My eyes are just blinking open when someone else’s lips find mine. Carter hums into the kiss as his hands settle on my hips, though he doesn’t deepen the kiss as Aidan had.
When Carter steps back, Oliver takes his place. He just barely brushes his lips across mine before pressing a firmer kiss to my forehead. Then he’s gone, and Ty is standing a few feet away, eyes locked on the sand.
I smile because there’s just something about this man’s bashful manner that wants me to make him feel comfortable. Maybe it’s because he reminds me of myself?
I step toward him until we’re almost touching. “Do I get a kiss from you, too?”
Ty sucks in a deep breath as his eyes flash up to mine. He swallows, nodding, but doesn’t make a move toward me. I lay my hand on his chest, leaning my weight into him as I stretch up to kiss him.
It takes a moment for him to respond as my lips move against his, but when he does?
It’s times like this I wish I cussed because I can’t think of any non-profane words to describe what I’m feeling.
Ty growls, one hand landing on my hip while the other tangles in my hair. He turns my head so he can deepen the kiss, tugging on my hair just hard enough to send a shiver down my spine. A moan spills from my lips as my hands grasp at him, trying to get closer—trying to climb him like a tree.
My panties, which were already wet, are now drenched.
When Ty pulls back, resting his forehead against mine, we’re both panting.
“That was fucking hot,” Aidan whispers, and when I turn my head, I find him standing right beside us with a grin on his face.
I laugh before pressing a quick kiss to Ty’s lips and stepping away from him. They already have my head spinning and all we’ve done was kiss. What is it going to be like going through my heat with them?
I can’t freaking wait to find out .
“I really do have to go.” I pause as it hits me that I rode here with my parents. “Fiddlesticks.”
“What’s wrong?” Carter asks with a frown as he steps closer, hand stroking down my cheek.
I laugh. “I rode here with my parents. That’s probably why they were calling me, and I never even heard my phone. I guess I’ll have to order a car.”
“Absolutely not.” Carter shakes his head. “I’ll give you a ride home. We came in two cars so the others can head home while I take you.”
“I hate to impose.” I bite my lip, glancing up at him from under my eyelashes. While it’s true that I hate to impose, I also want him to take me home. I want to spend as much time with him and the other three men as possible. A fact that freaks me out a bit, seeing as I’ve only known them for a few hours.
“It’s not an imposition,” he says. “In fact, I insist.”
“Okay.” Ducking my head, I bite back a grin.
Oliver stops me when I turn to follow Carter. “Text me when you get home? I want to make sure you make it safe and sound.”
Frowning, I laugh. “But you’ll see Carter once he gets home. He’ll be able to tell you I made it home fine. ”
“Okay, fine.” Oliver rolls his eyes. “I just want you to text me. Your heat might not be for another four days, but I’d still like to talk to you between now and then. And I guarantee that the others feel that way, too.”
I nod, glancing down at my feet. “Yeah, I’d like that, too. I’ll text you.”
“Good.” He leans over and brushes a quick kiss over my lips before turning me and pushing me toward Carter. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
I hurry to catch up with Carter, who takes my hand in his and intertwines our fingers together. When I glance over my shoulder, I find all three men watching us walk away with hunger in their eyes. A shiver runs down my spine as I force my eyes forward once more.
Gods above, I cannot wait until my heat.