Chapter 27 Jo
twenty-seven
Jo
Kole’s eyes burn into me as I walk across the room and plop into his lap.
“To what do I owe the pleasure, Lisichka?” I turn sideways so my feet land next to West. The couch faces the back of the house, which has a sliding glass door that gives the perfect view of the ocean—bulletproof, of course.
The afternoon sun reflects off the water, nearly blinding me.
I can’t seem to stop myself from staring, though.
Sighing, I snuggle my head under his chin as he wraps his arms around me. “I just feel like I haven’t spent any time with you since we broke out of the asylum and went on the run.”
After finally crossing that line with Sam and West this morning, we ate breakfast and all showered—separately, unfortunately.
Maeve dropped off the suppressants around thirty minutes ago, with a tearful hug and a wink, then left stating that she has business to attend to in the next town over.
“That’s probably one of the most bizarre sentences I’ve ever heard,” West interjects, grabbing my foot and pressing his thumb into the arch.
“Shit, that’s good,” I mutter, putting my other foot in his lap as well. “This could only be more perfect if we were down at the beach.”
Kole presses a kiss to my temple. “I understand. You needed to reconnect with Bratishka after your bond was buried, and you had not made that step with Sam and West yet. I am content to wait for you, lyubov' moya.”
“What does that mean, anyway?” Hayden asks from his spot on the floor, where he’s laying on his back and feeding Turnip a piece of toast. It’s really cute to see their little relationship. He pitches his voice low and tries to imitate Kole’s accent. “Bratishka.”
“Bratishka is an affectionate term for a younger brother, or a close friend,” Sam answers before Kole can, coming through the front door after checking the perimeter for the second time in the last hour.
After getting out of bed this morning and seeing our surroundings in the light of day, he’s become much more uptight about security.
He doesn’t like how exposed we are on the cliff. “Right, Kole?”
“I do not think I realized you knew Russian,” Kole observes, and shivers as I run a finger over the indent of his abs through his shirt.
“Special forces,” Sam shrugs. “I was stationed in Moscow for two years when I was in my early twenties.”
“So like, fifty years ago?” Hayden smirks, and before I know what’s happening, Sam has my Fire Demon in a headlock, both of them on their backs on the floor.
“I’m gettin’ real tired of your attitude, Pyro,” Sam grunts, mirth in his eyes as he rubs his fist against Hayden’s hair in an honest to gods noogie.
“Dude, I’m getting a major boner right now.” Hayden laughs, making Sam drop him like he just admitted to having the plague.
“Seriously?” Sam lets out a surprised laugh at the tent in Hayden’s shorts.
“What? I like a little breath play. So sue me.” Hayden shoots me a wink. “Though I do prefer to be drowning in Jo’s slick if I’m going to be asphyxiated.”
I grin at my psycho. “That can be arranged, Darlin’.”
Kole’s shoulders shake with a laugh. “I do quite enjoy the way you and Bratishka are together, Lisichka. While you are glorious when you allow yourself to be handled, you are even more-so when you handle your alpha like a naughty puppy.”
Hayden smirks. “Woof.”
I lick my lips, looking up at my Russian giant.
His blue eyes twinkle with affection as he tilts my chin up and presses a kiss to my lips.
Sighing into him, I let my eyes flutter closed.
Now that I’ve had a taste of pack life with the men who make my heart race, I know I’ll never be able to go back.
West starts working on my other foot, and I groan, my head falling back. “Doctor, that is heavenly.”
Hayden curses, and I see him adjust his shorts in the corner of my eye. Sam snorts. “Holy shit, Pierce, does everything make you hard?”
“When it comes to Jo? Yes. I’m not afraid to admit it, either. It’s her favorite thing about me, isn’t it Fireball?”
“Mmhmm. That and that talented mouth of yours. When you’re not usin’ it to sass Sammy, that is.”
“Oh?” Kole’s breath tickles my ear. “And what is your favorite thing about me, Little Fox?”
“Your hands.” I grab one and spread his fingers out, holding in front of me. “They’re the size of my damn face. Plus they do all sorts of nice things—”
“Like this?” He murmurs, moving his hand to squeeze my boob over my clothes.
I roll my eyes. “I was gonna say, like beatin’ down men who tried to take advantage of me, and holdin’ rusty pliers to remove canines.” He lets me move his hand back to my face, and I press a kiss to his palm.
"I will remove more than that if it keeps you safe, lyubov' moya.” Kole’s sultry voice sends a shiver down my spine.
“Talk dirty to me, Sugar Bear.” I grin up at him.
“You know,” West interrupts, his skilled hands still massaging my feet, “we could use this time to really get to know each other. I know we’re in hiding, but if we’re planning on being pack—isn’t this the perfect opportunity?”
“That’s kinda what we’re doing already though, right?” Hayden arches a brow.
“I do kind of know way more about Hayden than I ever wanted to,” Sam chuckles, shaking his head.
Hayden smirks. “Woof, woof, motherfucker.”
“I mean,” West sighs, shaking his head, “We should do something to intentionally get to know each other. Studies have shown that acquaintances are more likely to open up to each other when in a relaxed and casual environment. Social pressure is lowered when games are involved.”
“Pretty sure I got to know you real well this mornin’, Doctor.” I lick my lips, remembering the taste of him from earlier, and my good doctor blushes.
“Are you suggesting we…what? Play truth or dare? Never-have-I-ever?” Hayden sits up and scoots on the rug so he’s by my feet. “I’m always down for a game of spin-the-bottle.”
West chuckles. “I was thinking more like twenty questions or two truths and a lie, but whatever you guys want to do is fine with me.”
“Oh!” I scramble to my feet, excitement taking over. “Can we play Pictionary? Or Charades?”
“I believe the purpose of the game playing was to get to know each other…” Kole trails off at my pout. “But I suppose finding out what we look like while trying to act out the Russian Ballet is a form of that.”
Sam runs a hand over his face. “If we’re going to be subjected to games, can it at least serve an alternate purpose?”
My bottom lip juts out further as I approach the surly alpha. “What if that alternate purpose is to make your omega happy?” His expression softens as he looks at me, which emboldens me to wrap my arms around his waist and rest my chin on his chest. “Please?”
His head falls back as a groan leaves. “Fuck. We’re all screwed now that you’ve mastered the omega doe-eye look.”
I smile up at him. “I’ve always had it mastered, Sammy-boy, I just chose to wait until I had y’all wrapped around my finger for maximum effectiveness.”
“She is a devious little thing, is she not?” Kole murmurs behind me, his chest pressed to my back. Suddenly all I can smell is whisky, gunpowder, coffee, and fresh rain. Damn, to be the filling in that man-sandwich—
“Okey dokey, boys,” I clear my throat, patting Sam’s chest as I step out from between them, “let’s give these suppressants a chance to take effect before we get me all worked up.” Kole chuckles as I turn to West. “We can start with the ‘get to know you’ and then move on to the other games?”
“I propose,” Hayden comes behind me and runs his hands up my sides, “we start with truth or strip.”
“I’m not answering that.” West’s face is flushed as he shakes his head. “Nope. No-can-do.”
“Pleadin’ the fifth, are we Doctor?” I give my blushing beta a wink.
“You…” He trails off, shaking his head again. “I am not answering that. Please allow me to hold on to one last shred of dignity.”
“Then I guess it’s time to remove that shirt of yours,” Hayden, who is surprisingly still fully clothed, grins and shoots me a wink.
“Whose idea was this again?” West mutters from his spot next to me, peeling off his t-shirt and blessing me with the sight of his perfect body .
“Whose idea was it to ask if you ever jacked-off to thoughts of Jo while she was still technically your patient?” Sam smirks, lounging in his t-shirt and boxers.
“Or whose idea was it to play games to get to know each other? Cause if it’s the second one, you have no one to blame but yourself, brother. ”
“It is amusing how you wanted to play the game, and now you are embarrassed.” Kole chuckles, also still fully clothed.
Turns out my Sugar Bear and Fire Demon will answer any questions asked of them with absolutely no shame.
Meanwhile, I’m sitting here fully covered except for my lack of shirt, because I refused to give an answer to “who is the best in bed?” Apparently, telling them that they are evenly matched is not a “real” answer.
West gets a mischievous look in his eye. “Alright, Kole, your turn.”
“Go ahead and try. I do not lose at games.”
West nods seriously. “Sure. Yeah, okay. So tell me—what’s the square root of pi?”
I can’t help the grin that pulls at my lips as Kole’s expression turns petulant. Hayden snorts, and Sam laughs softly to himself.
“That is not part of the rules.” He’s insistent, his arms crossing over his chest. “It is Truth or Strip—not math equation or strip.”
“Sorry, Sugar Bear.” I shrug, putting on a straight face. “House rules. Since this house technically belongs to my family…”
Kole, muttering to himself in Russian, whips his shirt off, and holy shit, maybe a strip game wasn’t the best idea if we’re trying to make me not go into heat. I took the first dose as soon as Maeve brought it, but it’s not like they’re instant.
“Didn’t realize you wanted to see Kole shirtless so badly, Doctor.” Hayden smirks.
“Just leveling the playing field,” West says lightly, his eyes twinkling with mirth.