CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE - BIRDIE #2
I’m still brushing sand from my hands when Colt returns, a wicked look in his eyes.
He swoops toward me like one of the gulls circling overhead, arms spread wide to block any escape.
I plant my feet, but he ducks low, scoops me up, and tosses me over his shoulder.
I land with a grunt, my hair trailing down his back.
Axel and Hog both swipe at him, but Colt darts away with a manic laugh.
I have to admire his stamina as his steps sink deeper into the soft sand, but it’s not exactly comfortable bouncing against his shoulder all the way up the beach.
I’m just starting to pinch his ribs when he pivots and heads up a path.
It cuts into the dunes, and moments later, we’re out of sight of the other guys.
“Quick, Baggage!” he hisses, ducking into the scrub and dropping me against a mound of sand. It shields us from the wind, but I can still hear the ocean crashing on the shore. “We gotta get a little making out in before mom and dad come along to bust us.”
“Mom and dad?” I laugh, pushing his chest. “Hog’s going to kick your ass.”
“It’ll be worth it.” He plops at my side, flashing me a sly grin. “You haven’t really been to the beach until you’ve kissed the salt off someone’s lips.”
Pleasure curls down my spine like a slow, sun-warmed finger. “Is that so?”
He gives my hips a little tug, laughing as my eyes narrow in warning. Planting a hand in the sand beside my head, he wraps the other around my chin, stroking the soft skin of my neck as he lowers his mouth to mine.
He’s right. I can taste the salt air on his lips, but it’s his own sunshine scent that makes me melt.
He pecks his way across my mouth, little teasing sucks and nibbles that have my toes curling in the sand.
I sense the other alphas before their shadows fall over us, and grab the front of Colt’s t-shirt, sucking on his bottom lip until he groans.
“Aren’t you a little old to be necking in the dunes, Colt?” Axel asks, but when I lift my gaze over Colt’s shoulder, both alphas are watching us with unblinking focus.
“Spoil sport,” Colt mumbles against my lips, giving them one last, teasing lick before he rolls to face his packmates. “If she can’t get water between her toes, let her get a little sand in her hair.”
“She’ll be sick of all the sand in a week,” Axel grunts, but he’s smiling as he leans down and pulls me to my feet. “Come on, coffee awaits.”
It’s a steep climb up a bunch of worn stone steps to the boardwalk.
It’s not a big town, Axel explains, but it boasts a wooden pedestrian walkway, with a sprinkle of coffeeshops and tourist stores on either end of a small amusement arcade.
The boardwalk isn’t as fancy as the ones further south, but a couple of blocks back, there’s a row of stores that sell everything from fishing bait to hand-harvested caviar.
“Don’t forget the saltwater taffy,” Colt adds, giving my waist a soft squeeze. “If I can’t kiss her, at least I’ll have her flavor in my mouth.”
I roll my eyes, but Colt bumps my hip with a grin.
There’s something infectious about his happiness, and on impulse, I stuff my hand in the back pocket of his shorts.
As we meander along the boardwalk, his eyes gleam and his scent wraps around me like a sun-soaked hug.
“Keeping a grip on the goods?” he asks, flexing his ass so I’m palming a slab of muscle.
I give him a quick pinch and his eyes turn molten.
“You know what I said about buying what you bruise.”
I try to hide my smile. “Just checking where you keep your money.”
“Point out what you want, and it’s yours,” he purrs, sticking his own hand in the pocket of my linen pants.
He palms my butt, and as he turns me towards him, our matching grip anchors our bodies together.
Our chests meet, dusted in sand, and I can feel something stir under the thin cotton of his boardshorts.
His eyes are burning into mine and I lick my lips, pressing my thighs together in anticipation.
He must sense my reaction, because he ducks his head, running his lips over my cheek.
“Better yet, whisper your desires in my ear and I’ll send Hog off to fetch them.
I’m not ready to let go of you yet, Baggage. ”
I shake my head, but we’re wrapped even closer as we continue our stroll.
A few other people are out, but it’s like we’re in our own little bubble, the wooden boards creaking behind us as Axel and Hog match our steps.
Although, when I lift a hand to tuck my hair behind my ear, a passing face triggers something in my mind.
I stop so abruptly, the guys almost step on our heels.
I know it’s not Razor. He died in a diner alleyway; his blood smeared across the grimy wall.
But it looks like him, with the same close-cropped hair and crooked smile.
It always took me by surprise that smile; as if a guy who looked like he’d stop to help change your tire couldn’t possibly be carrying a stash of razors in his pocket…
“Birdie?” Axel’s suddenly in front of me, his scent prickling with alarm. “What is it?”
I stare up into his worried eyes. “I thought… He looked like Razor…”
The guys all turn to track the guy, but they’ve formed a barrier around me, and I can’t see. I don’t know, not for sure.
“It’s just a ghost, sweetheart,” Hog murmurs, easing me over to a bench.
I feel too spooked to sit, but as soon as my butt hits the wooden slats, Colt is cuddling close, his arm around my shoulders. “You’re safe, little bird,” he croons in my ear, pressing his sleeve to my face. “Here, wipe your tears on me.”
I didn’t even realize I was crying, which spooks me even more. Why am I falling apart? Why the hell aren’t my instincts protecting me like they’ve always done?
“He’s gone,” Axel adds in a low, soothing voice, dropping to a knee beside me. “Hog took care of him in that alleyway, and I saw him buried myself. Razor is rotting in a mountain grave, Birdie.”
I blink, because I never asked. I should have made sure he went into the ground myself, but at the very least, I should’ve asked. “You promise?”
“He’s never gonna touch you again.”
I take a shuddering breath, but as Colt wipes up my tears, I realize Hog has moved away.
His heavy steps thud on the boardwalk and then he’s suddenly back, the passerby dangling from his hand.
The guy’s eyes are bulging out of his head, his alpha musk thin and sharp with fear.
“Apologize!” Hog growls, shaking the guy by the back of the neck. “Tell her you’re sorry.”
“What f-for?” the guy stammers, looking at me in alarm.
Hog gives him a thunderous scowl. “For existing, asshole. Don’t ask questions. Just do it.”
“I’m sorry,” the guy squeaks, the terror on his face nothing like Razor and his sadistic smile. “I didn’t mean it. And I… won’t do it again.”
I nod, squeezing my eyes shut, and there’s the frantic scuttle of feet over wooden boards as Hog lets the poor guy go.
Woodsmoke washes over me, laced with hot, simmering sparks, and I lean against his chest. Somehow, he’s right where I need him and I tug his beard.
It’s a weak effort, and I doubt he even feels it, but he dips his head down to mine. “You’re gonna get yourself arrested.”
He just grunts and kisses my temple. “Guy shouldn’t have a stupid face.”