Chapter 21 #2
Spencer is still shaking his head in disbelief as he shifts his body more toward me and reaches out to hold my hand on top of the table. "I want you to know we really appreciate your effort to learn about the sport we love, even if it didn't exactly turn out the way you planned."
Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Zak nod his agreement.
"We don't ultimately care what our teammates think about you," he continues.
"Our only goal in introducing you is to show you this part of who we are because a team is a lot like an extended family.
And as we mentioned before, hopefully getting the introduction done now will be enough to keep them from harassing us too much when the season is over and we want to hibernate with you in silence for a while. "
My heart warms with his reassurance.
His calm in the middle of my mini-crisis is exactly why he's great at being the head of the pack. He isn't easy to rattle, and that instantly helps me feel calmer, too.
I squeeze his hand and quietly tell him, "Thank you."
Most of the time, I feel pretty damn confident in my own skin, but everything about my scent-matches has left me more rattled than usual. Everyone needs the occasional reassurance that they're enough, no matter how confident they may be. I'm no exception.
"I just remembered something else!" Freddie blurts out excitedly, so proud of himself that he jumps out of his chair and slaps his hands down on the table.
I try not to make eye contact with the nearby tables as other people turn to stare at the commotion.
"Shh." Spencer points him back to his seat before asking, "What is it?"
Freddie plops down with a big grin and crosses his arms behind his head cockily. "I just remembered that you guys hate getting The Crabs."
The words make me choke on my own spit. I reach for my water cup and take a long swig to clear my throat.
Zak sighs loudly and makes eye contact with me. "I think what Freddie is trying to say is that he knows the Crabs are our rival team."
"And that's the team we just so happen to be playing in two days," Spencer adds.
My guilt about the naughty eating habits returns as I realize what they're saying. These guys are playing their biggest rivals this week? I can't believe I didn't know!
I've been feeding them junk food, dragging them around on hopeless house tours, and offering absolutely no stress relief. I'm honestly surprised Spencer and Zak don't seem more tense with such an important game coming so soon.
Well, I'm going to turn these tides starting right now.
Tonight, when we get back to my apartment, I'm going to make damn sure our two football stars get the stress relief that they deserve. And I have a good feeling that Freddie won't have any complaints about helping.
Anticipation hums through my body as the door clicks shut behind us. Knowing the topic I’m about to introduce, I take a deep breath and prepare to give the conversation with the pack the care it deserves.
I’ve been very patient and understanding so far about their desire to wait to be too physical, but my patience is wavering.
I cross my arms over my chest and clear my throat pointedly.
Freddie, Spencer, and Zak all turn to look at me expectantly.
After staring in silence for a beat, Zak’s lips tilt up in a smirk as if he knows exactly what’s bothering me. Judging by the overwhelming floral scent wafting off of me, they can all guess, but no one speaks.
I have their full attention. It’s now or never.
“So, is the only hard limit no dick penetration right now?” I finally ask, throwing the hope of a delicate approach out the window. I’m hoping for a follow-up to what happened in the Nest & Knot display room. “Are other sex acts still on the table?”
Freddie giggles like a teenage boy.
The two alphas look at each other with a question in their eyes. Without words, they seem to have an entire conversation. Within seconds, the energy in the room seems to shift dramatically.
Zak walks with purposeful strides down the hall toward my bedroom. Freddie skips behind him with glee. Before I can ask what’s happening, Spencer gives me a sneaky smile. “Notice anything missing?”
I glance around and realize my mattress is no longer on the floor of the living room.
“Uh, you put the bed back in the bedroom?” I’m confused and frown. Only three of us can fit on the bed, and I hate the idea of splitting up at night with Zak on the couch in another room.
Spencer grabs me around the waist and tosses me over his shoulder like I weigh nothing. “We have a surprise for you, Mia,” he tells me warmly as he carries me down the hall to follow Zak and Freddie.
Being carried makes me laugh, the sound echoing all down the hall until we join the guys in my bedroom. Freddie waits by the door with a wide grin. Zak seems to be on a mission, digging through my walk-in closet with a surprising sense of familiarity.
Spencer dodges piles of suitcases and boxes. The four of us have all been struggling to live out of my small apartment while we continue house hunting. They’ve only gone back to their place to pack enough clothes and toiletries to make this–hopefully temporary–arrangement work.
He puts me down gently on the bed, even though we both know he could easily toss me around more. Something I’ll be certain to suggest in the future.
I push up on my elbows and study Zak curiously as he shifts bins full of my winter accessories aside. “What are you doing in my closet? You’re not making space to tie me up and leave me in there, are you?”
Is this their idea of punishment for trying to push the sexual limits? Because I prefer funishments over punishments. A fun spanking is fine, but I’m not interested in being denied attention.
That’s not my idea of kinky fun.
“Wait.” I turn onto one side to examine the bed. “What is this?” Because it’s definitely not my bed, which could barely fit three of us squeezed together.
“Surprise,” Spencer smirks. “We might not have found the perfect house for us yet, but at least now we can all share the same bed in the meantime.”
The new bed is so big that there’s barely any floor space left in my bedroom, but I don’t even care. This is the best gift they could possibly give me right now. And this means Zak won’t be stuck on the couch the night before an important game.
My heart is practically singing with happiness as joy bubbles to the surface, and I smile like a lunatic. “I love this. This is the best surprise ever.” My gaze jerks back to Zak in the closet for a moment, his arms buried in one of my storage bins. “But seriously, what’s he doing in there?”
Freddie flops dramatically across the foot of my bed. “Who knows? But I’d bet money that he cased this place the first night we stayed here, while the rest of us were sleeping, so I’m sure he knows exactly where to find whatever he’s looking for.”
Spencer looks toward Zak, a knowing smirk on his face. He seems confident about the direction things are headed.
That makes one of us.
“If he’s looking for something he can use to shut me up, I would suggest putting a dick in my mouth instead,” I suggest helpfully. My attempt to get a little down and dirty with them makes even more sense now that I know we have a bed we all actually fit on.
There’s a pause in the closet.
One last shuffle.
And then Zak emerges holding…
“Oh, fuck yes.” Freddie bolts upright, clapping with glee at the reveal.
Two of my designer scarves dangle from the alpha’s hand–one lavender and one a purple so dark it’s almost black.
“Silk?” Spencer asks, getting an affirmative nod from Zak. “You’re such a good alpha, finding the perfect thing to tie these two up so we can play properly.”
Holy. Fucking. Knots.
“Say less,” I say while thrusting my arms straight out in offering. I’m beyond thrilled at the idea of being tied up. Just one thing, though, “Those were very expensive gifts I bought for myself, just you know, so I will expect compensation if they’re ruined tonight.”
“Of course,” Spencer reassures me smoothly.
Zak examines the scarves thoughtfully, with no sense of urgency to his perusal. “Strong, but soft. Surprisingly versatile. I knew they’d be perfect the first time I saw them.”
I narrow my eyes, remembering what Freddie just said about Zak snooping.
Spencer presses close to the edge of the bed, reaching down to wrap his hand around my ankle. “In his defense, he just likes to be aware of his surroundings so he can help keep everyone safe.”
“Oh, so he snooped through my apartment for practical reasons?” I can feel a laugh bubbling up from the back of my throat.
“Let’s wrap this up,” Freddie suggests, and claps his hands together to steal the attention. “Who really cares if Zak snooped through your closet and I found all the sex toys in your nightstand? Let’s get back to that original question you asked.”
Oh.
Right.
That.
Heat creeps up my neck, but I lift my chin anyway, refusing to back down now that I’ve brought it up. “I asked a very reasonable question.”
“‘Reasonable,’” Freddie echoes with a manic grin. “I agree completely.”
That should be a sign to question how reasonable my question was after all, but I’m happy to accept the backup anyway.
Spencer leans down to brush his lips against mine. He moves his hand to my collarbone and then slides his touch around to the back of my neck. “Our omega is feeling needy, aren’t you?”
I can’t even nod with his grip on my nape, so instead I let out a whine.
“And we need to make sure she gets what she needs,” Zak says, joining Spencer at the bedside. He holds a scarf in each hand.
Before I can respond, Spencer kisses me again, deeper this time, like he’s devouring my taste. I’m so consumed by the kiss that I barely register him moving me easily across the bed.
When we part, I realize he’s moved me against the headboard.
“Let me help make you more comfortable.” Freddie walks on his knees across the bed to me and tugs my top off as I lift my arms to help him. He moves toward the waistband of my pants until Spencer’s words cause him to stop.