Chapter 22
TWENTY-TWO
The meal is heavenly.
I kind of hate how good it is because it’s going to become a craving of mine, but I refuse to let him work that hard for a meal again.
“Was it worth the wait?” Lennon asks jokingly.
I wipe my mouth with a napkin and turn to face him. “That might be one of the best things I’ve ever eaten.”
Lennon’s chin raises with pride. “Really? Fuck. That makes me… wow.” He pushes his plate away and smiles at me. “That makes my alpha really happy.”
He’s so fucking cute.
Before I can say anything, the door to the hotel suite opens and in walks the rest of my scent matches, their joy pulsing in the air as they enter.
They’re all talking a mile a minute, asking how things went, saying stuff about their day. I feel like a deer in headlights as their excitement reaches us.
When they see me, their faces brighten even more.
“Bubbles!” Malaki exclaims. Remi comes over and picks at the remains of beef on Lennon’s plate with his fingers, and Jamie crosses the room to kiss me on the cheek.
“Let’s not crowd them while they’re on their date,” Cyrus reprimands his pack before sending them further into the suite. Malaki grumbles something under his breath that sounds like “killjoy,” and Cyrus growls at him playfully before the group passes by and heads into the living room.
Cyrus and I have seen each other occasionally, but not much.
Every time we do, I remember the devastation on his face when I asked them to give me space.
I let them down, and he is their prime, their protector.
I feel anxious that he isn’t going to approve of this shift I’ve taken with his pack mates, that some boundaries are going to be set that my omega isn’t going to like.
I’ll have to accept them, first and foremost, no matter how my omega feels about it. They respected mine at the end of the day.
But when he looks at me, I’m surprised to see the same type of longing staring right back at me.
“How are you, Josie?” he asks, but I hear it through water. His leather jacket is fitted around his shoulders and his hair is just begging for someone to run their fingers through its strands.
He looks so good that it takes a second for my brain to catch up. “I’m sorry, what?”
“How are you?” he repeats, his eye contact unwavering.
His presence makes me nervous, but then I remember the very uncomfortable dinner our teams forced us to have together. Uncomfortable for the girls, I presume, not me. I had a surprisingly okay time with two alphas on either side of me despite being utterly panicked.
I glance down at that same hand now, the muscles corded in his forearms, rings adorning his fingers. I swallow down a gulp before meeting his slightly narrowed eyes.
“I’m good!” I say, but it comes out a little bit squeaky.
“Did you two have fun?” he asks. Something about the dominance rolling off him sends shivers down my spine. He isn’t just checking in on our date—he is being a prime. He isn’t just asking if we had a good time; he is asking if Lennon planned an adequate date, if he satisfied me. If we connected…
I look back at Lennon, who is grinning from ear to ear, awaiting my answer patiently. My heart patters as I look at him, all the joy and playfulness jumping off him in droves.
“We had the best time,” I respond. “Lennon was a gentleman. And he’s a great cook.”
Cyrus’s lips curve. “He is. I wish he could cook more often.”
“Oh, because of his—”
He shakes his head. “Because we’re on tour. There’s only so much prep you can do in a tour bus kitchen. Our kitchen in L.A. has this really fancy ventilation system so Lennon can cook all he wants. It was our first big purchase besides the house itself.”
That delights me, making the horny omega inside of me that much more impressed. Cyrus really cares about his pack, for each and every member. It’s glorious to witness.
“Are you staying for a while?” Cyrus asks as he takes off his jacket and holds it in the crook of his elbow.
I bet that jacket smells divine. Chocolate, leathery goodness…
“If you don’t mind,” I respond without thinking.
Lennon’s hand comes around my waist and squeezes reassuringly. “We don’t mind one bit.”
He guides me into the living space where the rest of the guys are lounging after their day out. When they see me, their eyes light up.
“You’re still here?” Jamie asks.
“Did you two eat all of the Wellington? I want some,” Malaki gripes, but then laughs when Lennon flashes him the finger.
I look at Remi, and his eyes are already on me, his lips turned up in a confident smirk. “Hi, Josie. Did you have a good date?”
My stomach flutters from his use of the word date and his sexy accent and the way his scent caramelizes at the edges.
“I did. Did you guys have a good city excursion?”
“It was rainy, but it was nice.” He looks over at the spot beside him. “Would you like to sit?”
Jamie stands and makes his way over before I can respond. His crop top sits right above his belly button, and his rose tattoo peeks out right below the waistband of his jeans. I feel hot all over as I look at him, the memory of our night together shooting to the forefront.
He slides some loose hair behind my ear and smiles, his teeth white and eyes crinkling. “We were going to watch a movie until we have to be at the arena. Do you like scary movies?”
“Real ones or the parodies?”
“Either.”
His orchid scent furrows around me, my arms blanketed by its warm presence. “I love thrillers.”
“We have the perfect one,” Malaki states from the couch as he picks up the remote and turns the TV on.
I let Jamie lead me over, and then I’m sitting between all of them, completely enveloped in their gorgeous scents.
My omega beams, and I find myself relaxing.
“Before we get started, I feel like we need to have a candid conversation,” Cyrus says at the end of the couch, but he doesn’t feel far away. He sits on the edge, his elbows resting on his knees as he looks at me intently.
Fuck, I was naive to think I could get away from this conversation.
“Yeah, we should,” I agree, sitting back up. “I know I have a lot I should say, the first being that I’m sorry—”
“You don’t have to be sorry,” Remi cuts in, his hand going to my bicep in a feather-like touch. The others feel on guard, too.
“No, we completely understand,” Cyrus says, his dominance cutting the tension that was starting to build in the room.
“But I think we should be transparent about what’s going on here from this point forward.
I feel like we’ve been dancing around the fact that your boundary is no longer fully in place.
We will go at your pace, always, and I just wanted to make sure none of us have done anything to push past that boundary you placed in Tucson. ”
I blink at him. He thinks they did something wrong?
Fuck. I don’t deserve these men. They are angels in dark clothing, saints who play rock ’n’ roll. They are a dime a dozen.
“I really haven’t been honest enough then, if that’s what you think,” I say as seriously as I can.
“I changed my mind, a while ago actually. I realized that I made a mistake. I should have been completely forthcoming about that, but I want to reassure all of you that no boundaries of mine have been crossed. I would have spoken up if I felt like they had.”
There’s a general sense of relief that courses through the room, and then Remi is holding my hand, his touch a grounding anchor that sends goosebumps up my arm.
“Good,” Malaki sighs. “That’s so good. I knew our date went well, but I wasn’t sure if everything was going a bit too fast for you—”
“No, not one bit,” I tell him. “And I kissed you that first time. I needed you, you followed your instincts, and I finally let my own take over. There’s nothing to worry about.”
Malaki is usually so unserious, so silly, so to see his entire body release its tension at my words is concerning. I turn toward him fully. “Please speak to me if you ever feel like that again. I had no idea that you were holding onto that.”
He shakes his head. “I promise you, I will. I didn’t really know I felt that way until just now.”
“So, just so we’re clear,” Cyrus says, commanding the attention in the room once more. “You’re saying that you want us to court you? Officially?”
My mouth goes dry, and I give the meekest nod of the century.
He shakes his head firmly. “No, baby. You have to use your words. Please tell us what you want, and we will give it to you.”
I can’t help the dark flush that takes over my cheeks from being put on the spot, but I don’t hate it either.
I feel lucky that all of their eyes are on me, that they are waiting for my answer intently, graciously.
My chest rises and falls with the weight of it, their attention causing my skin to sweat.
I swallow roughly before saying, “I want you to court me.”
There’s a circle of groans that the guys try to stifle as their alphas are let out of their cages, their scents pouring out from the soft declaration.
“Okay, well, first business of courting! What movie snacks do you want?” Jamie asks, gesturing to the delivery app on his phone.
“And what movie do you want to watch? Are you still okay with the thriller?” Malaki asks from the corner, the remote in hand.
“And do you want dessert? I heard the white chocolate strawberries from around here are the best in the state,” Lennon adds.
“What’s your favorite flower?” Remi asks in my ear.
When I look at Cyrus, he is grinning at all of us, his entire demeanor changed from the responsible prime to a proud one. He smirks at me, his face conveying everything without words.
Get used to it, Josie. We’re going to spoil you.
I can’t contain the smile that overtakes my face. My omega and I are in for one hell of a time.