Chapter 9
Zira
So, as much as he’s worth the effort, it didn’t take me long to realize that I didn’t even know where we were going, or if I was going to his house. I’ve scoured my closet and have come to the conclusion that winging it probably isn’t the best option.
With that, I retrieve my cell and text the man.
ZIRA: What is the clothing situation for this dinner?
The message is read almost instantly, and bubbles appear with his impending reply.
BARNES: Oh, fancy. Really fancy. Think black tie. Wear your best.
Cold horror washes over me so suddenly that my face falls as I read his text, then read it again. I have nothing like that to wear, which was one of the reasons I added a stipulation to my agreement. Where the hell—?
BARNES: I’m kidding lol. Don’t panic.
Oh my god, I’m going to kill him.
BARNES: Get comfy, Freckles. You’re going to hang out with five alphas for the night, eat some good food, maybe play a game or two of Monopoly, and you’re going to do it comfortably.
My smile reignites and I instantly relax, swooning for the billionth time at the charming man. Dinner and games night sounds like such a good time, and being able to do it comfortably? Without having to dress up? Perfection.
With a renewed sense of excitement, I write out a reply.
ZIRA: My kind of night. See you soon.
Without waiting for a reply, I go about getting ready, now completely at ease with my choices. I opt for a pair of skin-tight black leggings, a baggy, one-shouldered, cream sweater, and my trusty, white tennis shoes, piling my hair into a messy bun the moment I’m dressed and presentable. My make up is minimal, only a lick of eyeliner and a brush of mascara.
Leaving the bathroom after applying my makeup, I swipe my cell from the sink where I left it and go in search of my purse. When I can’t find it, lost among the clutter I’ve caused in search of clothes, I roll my eyes and tuck my phone into the waistband of my leggings, confident of its strength to keep it in place.
While I’m waiting the last remaining minutes for Barnes to arrive, I go about doing my best to tidy the mess of clothes I’ve created, tidying small mountains of pants and skirts and shirts that I’ve had for years. I should really go shopping or something, though I’m still determined to pay Barnes back for the medical bills even if he refuses to accept it.
Just as I’m putting my makeup away in the bag I keep in the bathroom, there’s a knock on the door before I hear, “Zira? It’s me. Am I allowed entry or will you claim I’m abducting you again?”
Snickering while blushing profusely, I call back, “Come on in. I’m not lying in a towel on the bathroom floor this time, so you’re good.”
I hear a low chuckle before the front door shuts and the sound of his footsteps reach my ears before he appears in the doorway of the bathroom. “Hey, you.”
“Hi,” I breathe, my heart damn near stalling in my chest when I look him over.
Wearing a tight black shirt and low-slung jeans with tears in the knees, Barnes Champion looks utterly delicious. It’s a vast difference from the slacks and white shirts I normally see him in, or the sleep pants I caught him in yesterday morning, but I’m quickly realizing Barnes can pull off any look. He has the face for anything, his high cheekbones, his narrow nose, and stubbled jaw something spectacular to behold. There’s no doubt that there’s Italian blood running through his veins, his skin a beautiful olive tone that suits him so well, his lips full and mesmerizing.
Running a hand through his dark, inky hair styled out of his face, he bites his lip as he eyes me in turn and the blush I felt burning my cheeks at the reminder of my overdramatizing expands over my nose and down my neck as I feel his gaze trail over every inch of my body before they return to my eyes. His scent washes over me as he does, bergamot and incense, warm, rich and spicy, and I inhale deeply as a soft smile tugs at his full lips. Releasing a breath, he declares, “You look beautiful, Freckles.”
I peer down at myself shyly, cheeks burning, and I shrug. “It’s what I usually wear when I’m not at work.”
When I look back up, Barnes is smiling at me, and I’m pretty sure my insides melt right there and then. “Zira, you could wear a potato sack and I’d think you were stunning. Trust me, you look beautiful in anything.”
Well, shit. Looks like I’m not getting through this night without blushing and perfuming like a novice virgin omega.
Chewing my lip while I try to get my body under control, which doesn’t work when Barnes’s smile turns into a knowing grin, I clear my throat and mutter, “Thank you. You’re looking pretty good yourself.”
“Got a little omega to impress now that she’s not doing her best to shut me out,” he teases, holding his hand out for me to take. “Are you ready to go, or do you need a little longer? I’m happy to wait, but I’m sure Alek will be calling in roughly five minutes if he doesn’t see that we’ve left.”
Laughing, I slide my hand into his, the warmth of his skin seeping into mine in the best way possible. My fingers flex against his, and I’m breathless when I answer, “All done.”
“Then let’s get you fed, huh?” he offers, tugging me with him as he leaves the bathroom and guides me out of the apartment, to his car, and drives the short distance to his house. All the while, he never releases my hand, and I’m not inclined to ask for it back, finding that I like his touch much more than I thought I would.
By the time we pull up to his beautiful home surrounded by trees and solitude, I’m drugged on Barnes’s scent and am so relaxed that there isn’t an ounce of nerves in my body once he switches off the ignition and releases my hand to allow me to climb out of the car.
The cool air is refreshing against my skin, but I instantly find myself missing the bubble of all things Barnes the moment I inhale and only take in the fresh air and earthy notes of the nature that surrounds Barnes’s home.
“Come on, you. Dinner should already be here,” he coaxes, holding his hand out once more, luring me to him like Thor and his trusty hammer.
My hand is in his moments later, and it feels right. So right, in fact, that I feel even stupider for wasting those six weeks being mad at him. Of course, that only brings back the ridiculousness I feel for not seeing the reasoning sooner and making it something it wasn’t, but alas, one can not change the past. Instead, I’m more than happy to focus on the here and now, and the possible future I could see myself having with this man. Possibly, maybe, perhaps including… the rest of his pack.
I might be getting ahead of myself there, though. We’ll see how things go.
We’re just at the top of the steps when Barnes’s words sink in, and I ask, “Dinner should be here? As in, you ordered in?”
The beautiful man flashes me a grin. “Sure did. Figured takeout food would be perfect for a cozy night in.”
Yep. There goes my heart, pitter-pattering in my chest as rapidly as the flutter of a hummingbird’s wings.
Still grinning, Barnes enters the house with my hand still clutched in his, and I’m greeted by laughter and a joyful argument between Alek and Lazarus the moment the door opens. A mingle of scents hits me just as quickly and, not for the first time, a sense of home envelops me at the first inhale of their combined scents. I try to wipe that thought away quickly, beyond certain that it’s too soon to be thinking such thoughts, but it lingers all the same. Because, despite the short time I’ve actually spent with them all, there’s no denying that I’ve found more comfort with them within that time than I have in the years before they appeared in my life.
For the first time in my life, I don’t feel like I have to be on guard all the time, expecting the worst out of someone like I had to during my childhood. I don’t have to wait for the other shoe to drop, waiting for true colors to appear, or act like someone I’m not to ensure they don’t leave. For the first time, when I enter a room of men, I don’t feel on edge or wary, I’m not nervous or scared, especially when the laughter dies down quickly and I’m met with smiles and winks and a very enthusiastic hug from the giant Viking whose hair is loose from braids and runs down past his shoulders in pale-blond waves.
“Thank god you’re here. I’m starving and Laz wouldn’t let me touch any of the food until you arrived,” Alek grumbles into my shoulder, picking me off my damned feet as he hugs me tightly in greeting.
Laughing, I wrap my arms around his shoulders, drinking in his scent like a greedy omega. Floral and citrusy neroli and earthy basil fills my nose as I hug him back, the action coming like second nature, which is a new development for me. Although I’m a hugger by nature, I’ve grown up with only Mom and her failed relationships. I never once hugged those losers, so I’ve only ever had Mom to offer me comfort when I needed it. Since I had to grow up pretty fast, that came few and far between. So, I’m surprised when I hug Alek back, that it’s a good one. Tight squeezes, snug closeness, and a sense of sudden belonging.
“Don’t wait on my account. Help yourself,” I murmur into his shoulder, feeling a little emotional but wanting to move on quickly or else I risk the dreaded tears.
“Ladies first, sweetheart. That oaf can wait a little longer. It’s not as though he isn’t ever fed,” Lazarus quips from his place in the kitchen where he’s gathering plates.
He places them on the coffee table just as Alek releases me, and the big Viking man flashes me a grin before darting toward the boxes of pizza that cover three quarters of the coffee table. As soon as he’s near the boxes, Alek picks up a plate and asks, “What toppings do you like, little lady? We have a bit of everything because we didn’t know what you’d like.”
“What are my options?” I ask, grinning so wide my cheeks hurt.
“Chorizo and chicken with a barbeque base, your plain and trusty tomato and cheese, the treasonous ham and pineapple, or a filthy meat feast that I will devour whole unless you want some,” he answers, eyeing it all like he doesn’t even know which to choose. Well, other than the ham and pineapple. He sneers at that box, then glares at Barnes like he’s the one that chose it.
Glancing at the man still holding my hand, I shake my head. “You ordered the disaster pizza, didn’t you?”
“Don’t hate on the Hawaiian pizza, Freckles,” he teases just as Lazarus draws near.
Leaning in to kiss my cheek, shocking me enough that I inhale sharply and breathe in a lungful of pink pepper and pears, Lazarus lingers for a moment before pulling away. There’s amusement in his eyes when I start perfuming like a leaky faucet, but he lowers his voice to drawl with his crisp, English accent, “I’m pleased you came tonight.”
Blinking rapidly and trying to figure out how to get my heart to stop beating erratically and my perfume to shut the hell off, I clear my throat and croak, “Same. Me, too.”
Lazarus chuckles, a sexy rumble of a sound that does nothing to help the perfume situation I’m currently suffering, and he winks before U-turning and heading back to the living room. To Alek, he says, “Put one of everything but the bloody pineapple on her plate before you eat it all.”
Alek grumbles but does as he’s told, sending me a dramatic eye roll in the process just as the twins meander over to greet me next, each of them offering me tight hugs that I try to reciprocate while Barnes still holds on to my hand.
“You look great, pretty girl,” Ford mutters in my ear when he hugs me, pressing a swift kiss to my head before pulling back.
“Stunning,” Mac shyly agrees, hugging me the moment I’m released from his brother. He kisses the opposite side of my head and pulls back with a matching blush to mine, and I giggle, feeling absolutely ridiculous for the bashfulness I can’t help but feel.
Before I can offer compliments to the guys in return, Barnes tugs me into the living room and says, “Sit. Get comfy and dig in. I’ll grab the drinks. You want anything in particular, Freckles? We have beer, sweet iced tea, Earl Grey, or I can make you a coffee.”
It doesn’t take much for me to decide, and I grin as I say, “I’d ruin a beer right now, thank you.”
Silence greets me and when I turn to look at the others, I find them grinning back at me, Alek looking positively smitten. “A woman after my damned heart. Nothing beats a beer with pizza.”
“You know it,” I laugh, accepting the plate filled with pizza. Eyes damn near bugging out of my head, I blurt, “How the hell am I meant to eat all of that?”
The guys all laugh as they start helping themselves, and Alek shrugs, “What you don’t eat, I will. See, win-win.”
“If you say so,” I appease, still laughing, feeling almost high with happiness despite the night only just starting. If this is anything to go by, though, I just know that this pack will bring this level of happiness no matter the day. The idea alone holds so much hope, appeal, and a bone-deep need that I decide right there and then that I’m going to give this a go. I’m jumping in with both feet, I’m taking Mom’s advice to the limit, and I’m not going to hold back when it comes to the five men currently finding their seats to surround me, settle in, and eat our fill of pizza while we talk about anything and everything.
The night might just have begun, but it’s one of the best damned nights I’ve had in my entire life.
***
Laughing at Alek crossing his arms and demanding we play a different game after his third loss of Monopoly, the twins kicking all of our asses every time, I stand and stretch my back before declaring, “I need the restroom before we find a new game to crush you at.”
“Oh, mean. Look what you’ve done to her. You’ve all created a monster,” he playfully spits, glaring at each of the guys before his eyes fall onto me. “And to think I was going to let you use my gym.”
I shrug, smiling as I walk to the ladies room. “That’s fine. I guess you don’t really want to know how I managed to do the splits standing up. And, on that logic train, I suppose you don’t want to know what other positions I can get up to, either. Your loss.”
Stunned expressions and wide grins answer me, and I laugh as I walk away after that particular mic drop, the beer I’ve consumed stripping me of my filter and inhibitions. I might not be drunk, or tipsy, but what I’ve consumed has been enough to ease me into the night with very little effort. All night, we’ve all been bantering, joking around, and teasing. I’ve loved every single second, especially when I hear Alek loudly whisper, “Did she just make a saucy joke?”
“She certainly did,” Lazarus confirms, and I hear the smile in his voice before I disappear into the downstairs restroom to go about my business.
I’m not in there long, but when I emerge, Barnes is on the phone with Lazarus hovering nearby, the twins are on the back porch holding a beer each, and Alek is scarfing down more pizza as though he hasn’t had anything to eat all night.
“You’re not full?” I tease, stepping toward my beer and taking a sip once it’s in my hand.
“It takes a lot to fill me, and I have to maintain all of this, baby,” he jokes, gesturing to his immaculate physique with a piece of pizza while giving a flirty wink.
Ah, so I guess we’re playing these games now. Alright. Game on.
With a boldness that surprises even me, I eye him slowly, taking in the loose sweats that still somehow hug his thick, muscled thighs, and the snug shirt that displays every dip and divot of his toned body. As soon as I’m done and ignoring the heat in my cheeks, I meet his gaze head on and quip, “I’ve heard working out with a partner is always fun if you do it right.”
It’s my turn to wink, and Alek’s mouth falls open in shock before his lips turn up in a dirty smile that has my core clenching while I perfume suddenly. I don’t stick around for whatever he’s about to say, though, grinning as I head out to the back porch for some much-needed fresh air.
The moment I’m outside, I inhale deeply, taking in the fresh air and chill from the wind that blows through the loose strands of hair that frame my face.
“Hey,” Mac greets from where he stands near the railing, peering across the large, well-kept yard surrounded by trees. I’m pretty sure there’s a whole other building tucked away at the back of the yard, steppingstones trailing through the mowed lawn that leads to the back door.
As soon as I’m near, Mac smiles shyly over at me, and I smile back.
“Hi. Didn’t I just see Ford out here, too?” I wonder, sure I saw them both. Unless I really am tipsy. Oh, god, how much have I had to drink?
Thankfully, Mac nods. “He’s just gone to get more beers to put in the cooler. We figured we’d sit outside for a little while, give Alek a break from all the losing.”
Humming with amusement, I step up beside him and hang my hands over the edge of the railing, clutching my beer securely. “He took it like a champ, though.”
“Title of your sex tape,” the man in question calls from the open door, and Mac and I share a look before we start laughing.
Shaking my head slowly, I take a sip of my drink and lower my voice so I can’t be overheard before breathing, “He’s something else.”
Mac snorts, nudging his shoulder against mine, the wind floating his scent directly under my nose. I breathe in his patchouli and musk scent, only slightly different to Ford’s oud and musk, when he jokes, “You’re telling me. I’ve lived with that man since Ford and I were eighteen and just starting out in North U. Alek took us under his wing, showing us the ropes, since he’s a year older and had been there a year already. He’s been that way since I’ve known him.”
“Must have made for a good college experience,” I tease, feeling a pang of envy that I squash instantly. I might not have been able to attend university, but I’m here now, doing what I love. So what if I didn’t make a ton of forever friends like I always wanted. I didn’t need it back then, but that’s not to say I can’t do that now, right?
Mac grins, his cheeks growing pink when he finds me watching him. “There was never a dull moment, that’s for sure.”
I smile before turning to face the wide expanse of greenery sprinkled with moonlight, finding the view breathtaking. Stars glitter the navy sea that spans the sky, the sun long tucked away for the evening, and I take a moment to appreciate where I am, who I’m with, and how different things are to when I first started at North Five. I never anticipated Mom getting ill, nor did I expect the coworker I’d been crushing on since the first moment we met to appear at the hospital, offering me company and taking care of me in ways I never expected. I certainly didn’t anticipate spending time with his pack, having the time of my life, and learning how wrong I was about them. Man, I have never been so happy to be wrong about people. Because every wealthy or somewhat well-off person that has stepped into my life have all left bitter tastes in my mouth when they leave. They’ve all been shitty people, some caring more about money than people, and others using that money as a form of control. Either way, where there was money, I always connected bad people to it.
Barnes, Lazarus, Alek, Ford, and Mac? They’re so far past the horizon of being bad that it’s laughable that I ever dared lump them with the cruddy people I’ve endured over the years.
“You seem very lost in thought, there. What’s on your mind?” Mac whispers, and my lips twitch as I continue to peer at the stars.
“Just thinking about how being wrong isn’t always a bad thing. I’m starting to appreciate it,” I mutter quietly, turning my head to face him with a soft smile, my gaze roaming over his face lit by the reflection of the moon.
“What have you been wrong about?” he pushes, eyeing me just as thoroughly.
“A lot of things, apparently. Mainly, if I’d pulled my head out of my ass much sooner, we could have been beating Alek at games, eating pizza, and drinking beer long before now,” I confess. “I’ve had a lot of fun tonight. I don’t get that a lot, so this was special to me.”
Mac smiles slowly. “Same for us, starlight. What do you say to doing it again tomorrow?”
“What are we doing tomorrow?” Ford asks when he steps onto the porch with a fresh beer, leaning on the railing close enough to me that I feel the heat of his body brush against me.
Mac winks, even as he blushes, and informs, “Zira is gracing us with her presence again tomorrow.”
“Oh yeah?” Ford asks, nudging me with his shoulder much like his brother did before.
Swallowing some of my beer, I nod slowly before confirming. “I suppose I could sacrifice another night to hang out with you guys.”
The twins laugh, and it’s one of the best sounds in the world. I store it in my mind to save for rainy days and, for the remainder of the night, we all gather around a lavish firepit on the balcony section of the porch that has been built on the right side of the large house.
Bundled under a blanket with Barnes, with Lazarus seated close beside me, we all talk and get to know one another, relaxing with more beers and great company while the stars wink down at us. Not for the first time do I think that this is the life I want to be living. This is the dream. And, at the risk of revealing my hopes and desires, I think I’ve found the pack I want it with.