Chapter 11
GRAYSON
“You sure you’re okay going without me?” Ethan’s voice drifts through my open window as I slowly roll the truck up from the back area. I keep my eyes forward, pretending that I’m not hanging on every word or that I’m not already half hard just from seeing her.
Because fuck me, Lucy’s standing in the morning sun in a little buttoned dress that stops at her thighs and pulls tight across her chest. Ethan’s beside her, all mopey, and I coast the truck closer, thinking, Stay home, cook your little meals. I’ve got her.
“I’m fine, Ethan.” She’s got her back half to me, arms crossed, all that dark red hair spilling loose. “You literally can’t leave. Guests are coming in, so somebody has to be here to keep the place from burning down.”
“I know, I know.” He rakes a hand through his hair. “I just feel awful. You dealing with that parole officer on your own.”
“Grandma will be there.”
I lean an elbow out the window and grin. “Relax. She’s safe with me too.” I tip my chin at Lucy. “Sound good?”
Ethan’s mouth pulls thin. “Yeah. Just hate that you’re facing Mr. Colby alone, Luce. You get hotheaded around him.”
“I do not.” She narrows her gaze at him. “I’m the picture of calm. Basically a monk.”
I have to glance at the dash to keep from laughing because this monk went off like a landmine last night and then vanished into the woods, and here she is in the sunshine swearing she’s serene.
And she wasn’t the only one who went off last night.
Roman and I about ripped Wolf’s head clean off when he wandered back to the fire with no Omega and a grin on his face like he’d licked the cream off something.
He’d kissed her, obvious as anything, and he hadn’t been gone long enough for more, which is the only reason I got any sleep. And it’s exactly why I grabbed chauffeur duty with both hands the second it came up. A whole morning with her. Just us and miles of empty road.
She pulls Ethan into a hug, and that’s when I take my time checking out the rest of her. The dress follows every curve, lifting high on the backs of her thighs, my mind already filling in the blanks to a gorgeous round ass I want to bite.
She releases Ethan and climbs up into the cab.
The door thumps shut, and I put the windows up, which might be a mistake, seeing as her scent floods the whole space with apples and honey.
Fuck, it goes to my head fast, the way it did that first time in the hallway.
My jeans suddenly seem to shrink on me, but I breathe through it and level my head.
Otherwise, that scent will drive me somewhere feral, and Wolf made me swear I’d behave.
“Buckle up, little bird.” I drop the truck into gear.
She clicks the seat belt across her, and it draws the fabric snug over her chest.
“Last time we were this close,” I say, easing us down the drive, “you had your back against my wall.”
The color climbs into her cheeks, and she stares dead ahead. “You’re never letting that go, are you?”
“Not while I’ve got breath in me.” I grin at the road. “Best thing that’s happened to that hallway in six months.”
She breaks into a giggle, which I adore and decide in that moment that I need to hear more of.
“Thanks for the last-minute rescue in being my driver.”
“Trust me, driving you beats swinging an axe any day.” I take the turn out onto the wooded road, pines crowding tall on both sides. “Roman and Wolf get to haul my load today while I sit in a warm truck next to the prettiest thing on this mountain. I’m not losing sleep over it.”
She side-eyes me. “And you’re my protector today, I hear.”
“Damn right I am. Ethan’s orders. And Wolf’s. And Roman’s.” I cut her a grin. “I swear the pair of them were five minutes away from drawing me a map with little danger symbols on it.”
That gets a laugh out of her as we roll down the empty road, sunlight flashing through the pines, the truck humming comfortably between us.
“So.” I tap the steering wheel. “Last night.”
She groans. “Can we not?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Fine. It was… eventful.” She’s studying me.
I laugh loudly, throwing my head back. “I watched two grown men trying very hard not to drag each other into the trees over you. I reckon we’ve sailed clean past eventful.”
“You are enjoying this far too much, but I suspect you might have been participating with them too.”
“Not going to deny that.”
She shakes her head, laughing despite herself. “Though,” she says, “that burger you made was outrageous. Zero complaints about the burger.”
“That’s all I needed to hear.” I nod solemnly. “Dinner’s locked in.”
“That is absolutely not what I said.”
“No, but you complimented the chef.” I shrug. “That’s legally binding.”
She laughs again, and Christ… I think I’d happily spend the rest of my life trying to be the reason she keeps making that sound.
“Anyway, you were saying… Dinner was locked in how?” she asks.
“Told Ethan I’m cooking tonight for all of us, him included.” I shrug. “He’s got new guests to feed, so while he handles them, I get a free run at showing you what I can actually do in a kitchen.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize I had a chef on my hands.” Her head tips, mischief dancing in her eyes. “A skill you picked up when you were inside?” Then she winces. “Okay… that was probably a low blow. Sorry.”
“Little bird.” I let the grin come slowly. “Nothing that comes out of that mouth is going to wound me.” I shrug. “What might sting is a flat no, a flat rejection.” I glance at her. “That one I’d actually feel.”
She studies me again for a long moment, and I let her. Hell, I’ll take every second of her attention she wants to give me. “You’re all so certain of yourselves,” she says eventually. “All three of you, as though this thing between us is already decided and I’m the only one who hasn’t caught up.”
“That’s because we already have.” I keep my voice easy, but I don’t soften the truth. “You’re our scent match, and the only person still trying to negotiate with reality is you.” A smile tugs at my mouth. “You’re welcome to take your time. We’re not going anywhere.”
She goes quiet long enough that I glance back from the road.
“What?” I ask.
She turns her hands over in her lap, the movement tugging her dress just enough to make my eyes betray me for half a second before I drag them back to the road.
“Nothing. Just… the same thing I told Wolf last night.” She sighs.
“This is all happening so fast. And honestly, it throws me how ready you three are.”
I tap the steering wheel once. “You think we’re just three guys chasing a good time?” The words stay light, but there’s enough edge beneath them. “You’ve barely scratched the surface of who we are, little bird.”
“Ha. Trust me, I’m getting plenty lately.”
“Are you?” I grin, cutting her a sideways glance. “Because from where I’m sitting, I reckon we’ve all been showing remarkable restraint.”
That earns me a serious stare. “Are you sure?”
I nod thoughtfully. “You should be grateful Wolf and Roman have been setting such a good example.”
She laughs. “And you?”
“Oh, I’m a terrible influence.”
Her smile widens, cheeks pinkening just enough to make me entirely too pleased with myself.
The pines around us begin to thin, the narrow forest road spilling onto the highway toward Rusty’s Bend. The world opens up around us again with more light, a handful of passing cars, scattered houses replacing towering trunks.
“And by the way, there’s nothing wrong with moving fast,” I add. “Not when it’s the right thing.”
“That’s the trouble, though.” She turns toward me, thoughtful now. “How do you know when it’s right?”
I shrug one shoulder. “You stop arguing with yourself.” I glance over at her. “Your gut usually gets there long before your head catches up.” A grin tugs at my mouth. “What’s yours saying?”
She settles back into her seat, and the movement draws my eye to the fabric of her dress shifting.
One button straining just enough to hint at the soft curve beneath, at the milky skin I long to lick.
Heat throttles me. For one reckless heartbeat, I picture myself reaching across the console, closing the distance between us, and finding out just how quickly she’d steal the rest of my self-control.
I grip the steering wheel harder instead and yank my attention back to the road before my imagination gets either of us into trouble.
“It’s telling me,” she murmurs, “that I don’t know what I want.”
I let out a quiet laugh. “Nah.” I shake my head. “I don’t buy that for a second.” I give her a sideways glance. “Someone who doesn’t know what they want won’t keep coming back to us.” My grin grows.
She looks away, a smile tugging at her mouth even as color blooms across her cheeks. “Okay.” She straightens with an exaggerated purpose. “New subject. Where does a man like you learn to cook a feast?”
I grin. “Now that is a story.”
“Go on. I’m all ears,” she says, facing me.
“Necessity. You see, my mom was gone from home more often than she was around, and when she was there, the cupboards were usually empty. So I figured it out young. Cook or go hungry.” I keep my eyes on the road, a smile tugging at one corner of my mouth.
“Got creative. Been feeding myself since I was a kid, and now I do most of the cooking for my pack.” I shrug.
“Turns out I liked looking after others.”
“Well…” Her voice softens. “Any Omega would count herself lucky. An Alpha who cooks for her is highly sought after.”
I glance over, and she’s still watching me, those green eyes softening. A strand of reddish hair has escaped and fallen across her cheek. My fingers tighten on the steering wheel, but I don’t reach over.
Her head tips sideways. “You know… you’re more reserved than the other two. It’s a nice surprise.”
That gets a deep laugh out of me. “Little bird, you haven’t met me.” I shake my head. “This is the heavily supervised version. Wolf all but threatened to bury me in the woods if I came on too strong.” I spread one hand dramatically off the wheel. “Behold. Mr. Respectable.”
She laughs.
“Don’t ruin the illusion.”