31. Sabs
THIRTY-ONE
Sabs
“How did everyone sleep?” Luca asks while laying out breakfast foods across the table. He gets up early every day to go for a run and stops at all the best cafes on his way back to get the best food as soon as they open every Sunday.
“Don’t work yourself too hard.” Luca clucks his tongue. “You have to be careful to avoid overstraining yourself before the game.”
“Don’t worry.” Adler rolls his eyes. “Drax was there to spot me.”
“Aw, are you two gym buddies now?” I tease while tearing into my toast. I don’t know where Luca got this sourdough, but it’s delicious and thick as a doorstop with a perfect crust and a fluffy middle.
“We’re in the gym at the same time, if that’s what you mean,” Adler says, though his lips twitch.
“Don’t worry. You can come back to the nest tonight.” I reach across the table to pat his arm, softening my expression. “Thank you for giving Orin and me some… space.”
He mutters something under his breath that sounds like, “Don’t get used to it.”
Adler, rather reluctantly, agreed to sleep in his bedroom to give Orin and me the nest to ourselves to watch the final episode of Desperate Housewives in true comfort.
Let’s just say we didn’t get much watching done.
It turns out that Orin is just as gifted with his mouth as he is with other things.
We didn’t have sex again, which means we haven’t knotted yet.
Despite me being pretty close to begging for it, he says he wants to wait to knot until we bond, whenever that may happen.
“Someone looks like they had a good night,” Luca comments as Orin strides in, freshly showered. His gait even seems lighter than usual, each step containing more of a bounce.
“I didn’t get a lot of sleep.” His grin makes my stomach flutter.
“Lucky bastard,” Adler growls.
“Hey, you’ve had me all to yourself since I moved in,” I remark cheekily. “You have to share.”
“It doesn’t mean I don’t miss you, firecracker.” As I stand to move over to get another cup of coffee, Adler pulls me onto his lap and breathes in my scent. “Mmm.” His cock hardens beneath me. “I needed this.”
“It’s been less than twelve hours,” I remind him. “And Drax and I are going out today. Remember? You’ve got to train for your big game.”
“I never thought I’d be jealous of that asshole,” Adler mutters, but there’s a new fondness in his tone.
“Who are you calling an asshole?” Drax appears in the doorway. He looks incredible in a tight white tee that shows off all his muscles, and his loose gray sweatpants make me want to put my hands down them to caress his massive bulge. “You ready to go, Sabs?”
“Here.” Luca presses a to-go coffee cup into my hand. “For the road.”
I kiss his cheek, making him flush. “You’re the best, Luca. You know, I think I could get used to this.” I take a sip to find Luca’s added extra caramel syrup, just the way I like it. “Four alphas doting on me feels pretty damn good.”
“Where are you both heading this morning, dynamite?” Orin asks.
“Hot yoga.” I choose to ignore Drax’s slight grimace.
We’re planning to have a real date another time, but right now, I think we’re both craving each other’s company.
“Then I’ve got volleyball practice. I haven’t seen them all since bonding, so I’m looking forward to it.
And then maybe do some studying.” I yawn.
“I’ve been keeping up with all my classes online, but I’ll start going in person again next week. ”
Thank god for SVU’s bonding adjustment policies.
“Let’s go!” I nudge Drax, swinging my gym bag over my shoulder.
I’d almost forgotten that my bonding with Adler was the talk of campus until we arrive at the gym. Instantaneously, I feel everyone’s eyes on me as soon as Drax and I walk in. Thankfully, Drax’s stony expression has any alpha looking in my direction hiding behind the exercise machines.
“I’m so excited for you to try it out,” I tell Drax as I lead him to the yoga studio.
I haven’t been as much lately since there’s one at the mansion, but this gym used to be like my second home.
I’d much rather work out surrounded by my sweaty alphas than a bunch of jerks flexing their muscles for attention or attempting to outlift me with poor form. “You’re gonna love it.”
“I’ll love anything when I’m with you,” Drax replies.
“I’m in the advanced class.” I look up at him. “If you’d rather do something else—”
“No. I’ll be able to keep up.” He flexes his bicep in a curl. “Easy.”
“Yoga is about flexibility more than strength,” I point out, having a sneaking suspicion that he’s in for an ego check. “But let’s see what you’re made of.”
Sure enough, Drax’s confidence evaporates as soon as we enter the sticky room. He’s the only alpha in class, and he’s panting like a warthog only five minutes into the session. I can’t help but laugh at seeing him struggling to do a downward-facing dog.
“Now we’re going to do some partner poses,” the teacher announces, warily looking in Drax’s direction. “Make sure you stay hydrated, and pair up.”
“Not so easy, is it?” I tease as he wipes his sweaty forehead.
“Give me a bench press any day,” he mutters.
“Okay, so your first pose is the double boat.”
We sit facing each other, holding hands then putting our feet together and raising our legs in the air. Drax wobbles, struggling to hold the pose. Seeing him like this is enough to give me the serious giggles, causing the teacher to shush us.
“This feels like being in school again,” he whispers.
“Shh!” I hiss from behind my hand as a bead of sweat trickles down my back. “I do actually like coming to this class.”
After going through a series of poses that primarily end in us lying in a crumpled heap, Drax’s face is beet-red. He collapses onto his mat in relief when the teacher announces that the class is over.
“Never again.” Drax fans himself once he summons the strength to get up and leave the sauna-like room, his tee stuck to his skin. The transition to the air-conditioned gym feels like stepping into a freezer. “I don’t think hot yoga is for me.”
“Not as easy as you thought, huh?” I bump my hip into him. “Hit the shower, then meet you on the court?”
He hums in confirmation, kissing me on the nose. The smell of his sweat mixed with his pheromones has me wanting to do something steamy again, but without Orin’s knack for finding closets, I’m not risking having my gym membership revoked.
I feel amazing as I enter the women’s locker room.
After falling out of my routine the past few weeks, it’s great to be back in my element.
When I first bonded with Adler, I spiraled, thinking that my life would never be normal again, but being back here shows that not everything has to change.
I can have the best of both worlds, enjoying my life with the Strike Pack just as much as I used to. We can do this.
Once showered, I head to the indoor volleyball court for my first practice since bonding. Although Carmen has been doing a great job holding down the fort in my absence—she’s been sending me updates—I’m hit by a dash of nerves the moment I cross the threshold.
Those nerves are quickly quashed as I see that my team has assembled a balloon arch that spells, “Congrats, cap!”
“You guys!” My hands jump to my mouth. “What…?”
Carmen is the first to hurry over to greet me. “We had to congratulate you. It’s not every day our captain bonds.”
“Especially to Adler Ace.” The envy in my teammate Mel’s tone is palpable. “Not that we’re not happy for you.” Her eyes dart to the bleachers, sticking her chest out as she spots Drax seated a few rows up. “Who is that?”
I blow Drax a kiss.
“He’s one of your alphas too?” Carmen slaps her toned thigh. “Damn, girl. Even I can appreciate a fine guy when I see one.”
“Some people get all the good luck.” Mel’s shoulders sag in disappointment before she flounces off to continue with her stretches.
“Ignore her.” Carmen claps my shoulder. “She’ll be happy after eating one of Delilah’s cupcakes.”
“Aw!” My heart sings when I see the baked goods.
“She reached out to me and insisted that she bake us all something for your first practice back.”
Delilah’s been keeping my team well-fed with treats since I started on the team, and everyone is almost as obsessed with her baking as I am.
I realize the team members are still all staring, starry-eyed at me.
“How is it going?” Sophie asks. “We want to know everything!”
With the rest of my team gathered around, I give them a quick rundown—skipping over my meltdown, questioning myself, and refraining from painting the picture of all the hot sex and being worshipped by my swoon-worthy alphas.
“You definitely have that post-bond glow I’ve read about.” Sophie’s ponytail bobs as she nods knowingly.
“I remember what it was like when I first bonded with Amora.” Carmen’s lips tilt into a grin. “It’s a feeling you can never forget, especially the first bonded heat. You’ll already know all about how good heat sex is though, Sabs.”
While Carmen recounts a PG-13 version of her bonding story, I choose not to mention that going through a full heat hasn’t happened for me yet.
Although I’ve been trying not to think about it, I do feel a little antsy about it—especially now that I’ve had sex with all the guys.
It’s ironic that I’ve been searching for an alpha to help me through heat for months, yet now that I have four guys who I know will be more than attentive, my body seems to have shut down.
Aside from the one short-lived heat spike.
“Team!” Coach Rider bustles over. She’s a formidable woman in her fifties who takes no BS. “While I’m glad to see that our captain is back, it’s time to get to work!”