CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE - BIRDIE #3
I snort a laugh, and Axel suddenly presses a travel cup in my hand. The scent of sweet, rich coffee wafts under my nose and my lashes flutter open. “It’s extra sweet,” he tells me. “The stir stick worked overtime to make you that.”
I smirk at the slight distaste on his face and take a careful sip. The bitter taste is barely noticeable under all the sweetness, and I give him an awkward smile. The specter of Razor is fading and I suddenly feel embarrassed.
“Whatya think, little bird?” Colt asks, peeling away to tap his fingers against the salt-streaked glass of a store window. “Should we get it?”
He’s pointing to a large pink kite shaped like a soaring hawk.
My eyes widen, nostalgia stirring in my stomach.
“How did you know?” He tilts his head at me, and I feel my cheeks grow hot.
“It’s silly, but when I was a kid, my mom used to read me a book about a girl at the beach.
She had a kite shaped like a bird that was always sweeping her off on adventures. ”
Colt’s smirk melts into something softer, and he ducks into the store. I lean against Hog, who runs a thumb over the wet tracks on my cheeks. “What was your favorite adventure?”
I look at him, surprised. Only a moment ago he was terrorizing a stranger for looking at me wrong and now he’s smiling at me like I’m adorable.
Which is not a word I’d ever use to describe myself, even when I was young enough to believe that picture books could come true.
“Just getting swept off her feet. I guess even then I wanted to be somewhere else.”
He makes a rumbling sound, leaning forward to kiss the slight bitterness off my lips.
I clutch his beard this time, holding him still as I kiss him back.
I lean into his warmth, oblivious to anyone around us as I slide my tongue into his mouth.
I taste the faint mint of his toothpaste, but it can’t disguise his own smoky almond flavor and I hum with approval.
I don’t know how long we kiss for, but when we break apart, Axel is watching us closely, a small white package in his hands.
His gaze lingers on my lips for a moment before he peels the paper open.
“I found some saltwater taffy,” he tells me, breaking off a piece and holding it out to me. “Want to try?”
I take it from his fingers and pop it into my mouth. Once I get past the distracting flavor of his skin, the treat is surprisingly creamy, with a soft, chewy texture and a faint hint of vanilla.
“Sweet and salty.” I sniff the tips of my fingers and then lick each one clean. The vanilla flavor gets more intense and I suck the last one, enjoying the way it rolls over my tongue. “It’s delicious, but do you really think I smell like this?”
Silence greets me and I lift my gaze to find both of the alphas staring at me.
“What’s happening?” Colt asks, reappearing at our side with the pink kite tucked under his arm.
“Birdie’s just enjoying her first taste of taffy,” Axel says in a strangely blank voice.
“Yum.” Colt shoves the kite at Hog and takes his seat back at my side. “Me too,” he tells his pack alpha, lifting his hands like they’re begging paws. “I deserve a little taste of Birdie, too.”
I roll my eyes at him, but Axel grunts and presses the rest of the taffy into my hands. “Beg her,” he tells Colt. “It’s her treat to share.”
Colt’s hopeful gaze snaps my way, and I laugh as I leap to my feet.
He’s up in a flash, and we race down the boardwalk, all thoughts of Razor whipping away in the wind.
I make it almost as far as the parking lot when he scoops me off my feet.
I gasp as his arm snaps around my waist and he spins me, pressing my back against a sun-warmed wall.
I think it’s some kind of hair salon, but I’m too distracted by Colt’s wicked grin to pay much attention.
“Feed me or kiss me,” he purrs, leaning into me so I can’t wriggle away. “It’s all the same to me, sugar lips.”
“Sugar lips?” I splutter, shoving his chest. “I draw a line at that one.”
“That’s only because you don’t know how sweet you taste,” he says, buzzing his lips over my cheek. He licks the shell of my ear before nibbling on the lobe. “Kiss me after I’ve made you come and you’ll know what I mean.”
I raise my brows at him, heated images flashing through my mind. “You think you can?” I ask him in a breathy whisper. “Make me come, with just that cheeky tongue?”
He flicks it across the corner of my mouth, his chest vibrating with a hum. “Little bird, I’m gonna make you sing. All you have to do is open those pretty thighs and let me go to work.”
My core pulses at his hungry tone and I grip his shoulders. It’s only as his fingers slide down my belly that I glance up and catch Hog watching us from only a few feet away. I bite my lip, but a slow, content smile pulls at the edges of his mouth.
“The wind is picking up,” he says, his eyes like molten honey as they stroke down my overheated body. “How about we head back to the house and watch the storm roll in?”
My gaze snaps back to Colt, who’s threaded his fingers through mine, his scent sweet enough to lick out of the air. “Cuddles and a lightning show?” he hums, sliding his other hand into my back pocket. “Sounds perfect to me.”