Chapter 34
Scotty
About an hour later, the three of us arrived at the restaurant perched in a glass-walled building overlooking downtown.
The panoramic windows wrapped around the dining room, and the city lights stretched out beneath us like someone had spilled glitter across Evercrescent.
Standing there between Millie and Ella, I became very aware of the fact that tonight might change my entire life.
Actually, scratch that.
Tonight was absolutely going to change my entire life. The only real mystery was whether it would become the beginning of my happy ending or the kind of story people told later that started with Remember that time Scotty made bad life choices and everyone had to pretend they weren’t surprised?
Millie looked incredible in a tight little red dress that made her legs look about six miles long, and Ella looked fierce in a black jumpsuit.
The two of them spent twenty minutes in the bathroom attacking my hair like extremely determined stylists, pulling the curls back along the sides while leaving the rest loose so it framed the neckline of the dress I was wearing.
A neckline that showed entirely too much cleavage.
Seriously. My boobs have never been this sociable before.
We followed the hostess to our table, and I spotted a couple of Wolves players near the bar and even recognized two Vipers at a table across the room, looking significantly less cheerful than everyone else. That part made me smile a little.
More importantly, there was no sign of Ken.
My nerves still tightened as the hostess guided us toward our table. Dad and Morgan were already there, and sitting across from them were Hunter and Ryder.
And sweet merciful heavens above.
I thought my Alphas looked good in their hockey jerseys. I really did. But dressed up in suits, they were devastatingly handsome. Like please-bite-me-and-make-me-yours-right-the-fuck-now levels of goddamn yes please, with a generous side of forearm porn.
Freshly showered and cleaned up, both of them wore dark suits that somehow made their shoulders look even broader. Hunter’s hair was still slightly damp, pushed back from his forehead like he’d just run his fingers through it, and a couple of the buttons on his shirt were undone.
Do. Not. Think. About. His. Nipples.
Ryder looked just as delicious. His tie hung slightly loose around his collar, and his sleeves were rolled up enough to expose those strong forearms that felt like safety wrapped around me.
Both men looked up at the exact same moment, their eyes finding me, and I watched their expressions transform from anticipation to raw hunger that made my skin prickle with heat beneath the thin fabric of my dress.
Fuck, I loved their reactions to, well, me.
Ryder looked about two seconds away from going full Alpha and carrying me out of here over his shoulder.
And Hunter…
Hunt looked at me like I was his everything.
It was a heady feeling.
Everyone stood when we reached the table. Hunter stepped forward first, giving Millie and Ella quick hugs and a charming smile before his attention shifted entirely to me. His arms wrapped around me just long enough to be polite, but when he leaned close, his voice brushed against my ear.
“Fuck me, Scotty,” he groaned. “That dress.”
I pictured Hunter’s fingers sliding the fabric down my shoulders, Ryder’s voice commanding as he directed every delicious moment.
A soft whine slipped out, and I muffled the sound against Hunter’s shoulder. “Shh, Baby Girl. We’ve got you.”
Ryder moved in after Hunter, pulling me close for a moment. When he released me, his fingers lingered at my waist, reluctant to break contact completely. His blue eyes moved over me slowly, like he was committing every detail to memory.
“Fucking gorgeous,” he growled quietly. “It’ll look even better on the floor when I fuck you later.”
God, I’d let them unwrap me like a birthday present.
I was about two seconds away from begging them to take me back to their place and do exactly that when Dad cleared his throat loudly enough to remind us we were not, in fact, alone.
I didn’t miss the look they exchanged over my head before maneuvering me towards the chair between their two seats. Hunter was already pulling my chair out, and Ryder pulled it closer to him when I sat down.
“You’re not getting away from us tonight, Scotty.” Ryder’s voice dropped to a rough whisper meant only for my ears, the promise in his words made goosebumps prickle along my skin.
Their scents felt stronger tonight. Rich coffee. Warm cinnamon rolls. Clean skin and faint cologne wrapped around me like a warm hug. This was my new personal definition of happiness.
Their sleeves brushed my arms every time they reached for something on the table, and the quiet warmth radiating from both sides of me made it extremely difficult to pretend this was a normal dinner.
They kept their hands politely above the table.
Their feet were another story entirely.
A gentle nudge against my ankle made my breath hitch before I even realized one of them had moved. A second later, the other joined in, and suddenly my legs shifted slightly apart as each of them wrapped a foot around one of mine.
These grown-ass men were playing footsie with me!
Across from us, Millie and Ella watched the entire thing unfold with expressions hovering somewhere between sympathetic and deeply entertained.
When Dad glanced down at his menu, Millie caught my eye and mouthed get it, girl with a wicked grin.
Ella’s smile vanished as her gaze fixed on something over my shoulder.
“Rebecca, we need to talk.”
No. Fucking. Way.
His voice hit me like nails on a chalkboard, and every muscle in my body tensed. I twisted around to find Ken looming behind me, his shirt half-untucked. The flush across his cheekbones and glassy eyes told me everything I needed to know about how many drinks he’d had tonight.
“Why have you been ignoring me?” he slurred, stumbling as he walked closer.
I stared at him, waiting for some echo of what we once had to stir inside me. Nothing came. The man who once made my heart race now ranked somewhere between a telemarketer and finding gum on my shoe.
Ken reached out and placed a hand on my shoulder, and Ryder growled and shoved it away.
“Rebecca,” Ken snapped, glaring between us. “Call off your fucking guard dog and come with me. Now.”
I turned back toward the table, dismissing him with a flick of my wrist. “Save your breath, Ken. Whatever rock you crawled out from is waiting for you back in Blackridge.”
His fingers dug into the back of my neck, and I cried out as he wrenched me halfway out of my seat.
Hunter’s chair crashed backward as he surged upward, while Ryder already stood at his full, imposing height.