CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE - BIRDIE
Trust takes time, but the truth lies in wait, ready to jump out and ambush you at any moment.
It’s a less than comforting thought as I make my way to my bedroom, the general’s voice still ringing in my ears.
Was he just being cagey about Razor, or is that my paranoia taking over?
He made it clear that getting the Lawson Pack ready for their next mission is his top priority, and it seems he’s still pushing the Broken Wing agenda.
He obviously sees me as a useful tool, and if I keep my mouth shut, he’s happy for me to hang around and distract his soldiers from their grief.
Like you can slap a little omega slick on their pain, and the heartbreak magically goes away.
As I enter the bedroom, I’m still shaking my head in disgust. But it’s hard to stay angry with the ocean gleaming in the window, and the early-blooming lilac tree bobbing in the breeze.
Everything about the room is soothing, in fact, from the pale blue walls to the cream hand-woven floor mat and the mint green bedlinen on the antique brass bed.
I cross to the pale pine dresser, catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror.
My cheeks are pink and there’s an unfamiliar sparkle in my eyes.
I still look like I’ve rolled down a mountain with my hands tied behind my back, but even I can smell the sugary arousal in my scent.
I guess that’s what you get when you plaster yourself all over a dominant alpha.
I open the dresser drawer and pull out a soft blue t-shirt and a pair of linen lounging pants that smell faintly of orange blossoms. Louisa’s, most likely.
As I pull them on, I replay the scene with Axel in my head.
I can try to tell myself that I only approached him because he was asking uncomfortable questions.
I only put my finger in his mouth to shut him up – and sell the rut story in the process.
Everything I did was part of the ruse to buy the pack time.
Firstly, to cover their tracks with Razor, and secondly, to investigate the general’s involvement.
But that’s not how it felt when I touched Axel’s mouth.
When I slid my finger past his lips and stroked his tongue like it belonged to me.
And I definitely didn’t have evasive tactics on my mind when I sucked his minty rainforest flavor straight off my skin.
I wasn’t being a good soldier then.
And I don’t think he was, either. He might see me as a duty to his dead mate, but then how does he explain the way his breath hitched when I sucked my finger?
Or the way his eyes dilated when I pressed myself against him, standing so close I could feel his heartbeat through his clothes?
Was that just his hormones engaging with an available omega, or is he as confused as I am about what might be simmering between us?
Guess I’ll have to wait to see if he comes back for more intel.
In the meantime, I want to get closer to that view in the window.
Running my fingers through my hair, I pad down the corridor to the sunroom.
Even through the French doors, I can hear the surf crashing on the sand, and I smile to find Colt curled up on the daybed, a copy of Omega Allure open on his lap.
He’s wearing navy blue boardshorts and an old gray tee that’s been washed to a pale marble color.
His hair is sticking up in every direction and yet somehow still looks like he just stepped off a million-dollar yacht.
“Hello, lazy cat,” I smirk, ruffling his hair. “Doing some research?”
He tilts his head back, fluttering his lashes at me. “Hello, little bird. Just filling time until you’re ready to go exploring.”
“I’m ready.”
“Great!” Colt beams at me and leaps off the daybed. “Time to get your cute little feet wet, Baggage.”
Hog and Axel are outside, inspecting roof shingles, but they happily set their tools aside when Colt tells them we’re headed to the beach.
Hog holds the gate open for me, falling into step at my side as we start down the rocky path.
He’s wearing a red flannel shirt open over a white tank and a pair of faded cargo shorts that cling to his thick thighs.
His scent, as always, rises off his skin to greet me, and I feel my stomach squeeze as his arm brushes mine.
My mind instantly strays back to last night, my body open and dripping as he lashed me with his hungry tongue…
“Watch your step, Birdie,” Axel chides, and I realize my lustful wanderings have guided me off the path and into the dune scrub. I correct my steps, Hog’s arm slinging low around my waist as he tries to hide the smile peeking out of his beard.
Damn. Omega arousal really has zero chill.
“The sand feels so slippery,” I remark, also steering my thoughts back on track. We’ve come to the bottom of the dune path and the beach opens up before us, silky furrows of sand undulating all the way to the water.
Colt bends and scoops up a handful, crunching it in his palm. “On really dry days, sometimes you can hear it squeak.”
I screw up my nose at him. “Squeak? You mean like a mouse?”
He grabs my hand, nodding like a happy puppy.
Hog lets me go with a grunt, but he and Axel are only one step behind us as Colt pulls me towards the water.
“In some places, especially in the dunes, it even sings, whistles, and barks. I’m telling you, treat it right, and the beach will purr like a kitten for you. ”
It seems pretty farfetched to me, but I’m not about to argue as my toes finally kiss the ocean.
I’m prepared for the cold, but I still gasp when the surf surges up the beach.
The water is darker and far more restless than I expected, a curling wave driving me back several steps.
When I fail to retreat quickly enough, it washes over my feet, tugging at my ankles like grasping hands.
“Ready for your baptism, Baggage?” Colt murmurs in my ear, his hands sliding around my waist. For once, it doesn’t feel comforting, and I have to fight the urge to elbow him in the ribs. “Best way to do it is just hold your breath and throw yourself in.”
“Don’t you dare!” I gasp, my voice thready with fear as I scramble backward from the surging water.
But Colt is a solid wall of muscle behind me, nudging me forward with a wicked chuckle.
His arm locks around my waist, holding me tight, and I’m too frozen to push him away.
When a much larger wave crashes onto the beach, I’m seized by a nightmarish vision of it engulfing me and dragging me into the hungry shadows…
“Watch it, Colt!” Hog growls, ripping his packmate away and scooping me out of the path of the water.
He carries me up onto dry sand, and after depositing me on shaky legs, turns to glare at his packmate.
“This is her first trip to the beach. It would spoil the memory for her if I had to drown your stupid ass.”
Colt has fallen onto his butt, and he splutters as he glares up at Hog. “I was just playing around!”
“And did you stop to wonder if she can swim?” Hog huffs at the stricken look on Colt’s face. “Use your nose, Alpha. That’s caramel just before it boils over.”
I wince at the scorched scent leaking out of my pores, but as another wave crashes onto the beach, I give a little jump of alarm.
“Shit,” Colt groans, pushing himself to his feet and dusting off his hands. Sidestepping Hog’s looming presence, he reaches for me, pulling me into his arms. “That was a dick move. Sorry for scaring you, Baggage.”
“You didn’t know,” I tell him, tilting my head back to look into his unhappy face. “I should’ve mentioned that I’m an anything-bigger-than-a-bathtub virgin.”
He chuckles, rubbing his lips on my temple. “Yeah, a heads up might’ve helped. I just thought, since Charlie was such a fish…”
“Don’t compare them,” Hog interrupts him, his hands on his hips. “Birdie’s not Charlie.”
“I know that…” Colt whines, looking hangdog. “Sorry, Baggage. Want to bury my stupid ass in the sand?”
“Maybe later,” I tell him, giving his ribs a soft pinch. “I want to look for shells first.”
“I can help with that.”
He jogs ahead, already scanning the beach, but Hog and Axel are studying the horizon. In the short time we’ve been on the beach, the ocean has taken on a dull, metallic sheen and the sky is streaked with fast-moving clouds.
“A storm is rolling in,” Axel says with a hint of apology. “Not the best way to welcome you to the coast.”
“I don’t mind.” There’s something invigorating about the wind lashing my hair, the white caps starting to peak and dance on the waves. “When do you think it will hit?”
“Not for a few hours. Why don’t we go check out the town?” Axel points up the beach. “We can walk from here, if you like.”
“Sounds good. I could do with another coffee.”
We meander up the beach, Colt bringing me seashell offerings as he finds them.
I cup them carefully in my hands, although he tells me they’re mostly sand dollars and snail shells and we might get something better after the storm.
I shrug, plucking a bright, white feather off the sand and adding it to my collection.
I’m holding pieces of the ocean in my hands.
It’s a humbling thought, and Hog must read it on my face, because he gently touches my shoulder. “You can put them in my pocket for safekeeping,” he tells me, and after a moment of hesitation, I slowly transfer my bounty to his cargo shorts.