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He’s way too gorgeous, all shining muscles and bright blue eyes. Even the way his dark hair swoops over his forehead in wet waves is sexy. And when he braces his palms on the deck and flexes every muscle in his upper body to haul himself out?
Smith’s teeth nip at the soft part of my neck. He growls, sensing my perfume and reacting as discreetly as he can.
Damon is way less concerned with propriety. His gaze snaps to mine, zeroing in. “I won, pretty girl,” he flirts, then twirls me into a dip and goes right for my mouth, kissing me breathless.
Cool pool water seeps into my cover-up, but I don’t mind. Especially when Cassian appears behind me a moment later, sliding his arms around my waist and holding me up while Damon slides his tongue along mine.
“We won, jackass. Now give me a turn.”
They’re both pumped up—probably some combination of the competition, my heat symptoms, and the fact that we’re surrounded by other alphas. Through their wet trunks, I feel Cassian’s erection rub into the small of my back as Damon’s connects with my belly.
Smith looses an even warning bark. “Easy.”
Meg lets out a peal of delighted laughter, while Ronan chuckles. He thumps my pack’s alpha on his shoulder and smiles fondly at Theo, who’s shaking his beard and long hair out like a golden retriever. “I remember those days.”
Smith smirks. “So you’re saying it gets easier to manage the impulses?”
Ronan and Archer answer in unison. “No.”
As if to prove their point, Declan flops onto Meg’s pool lounger, planting his face right over her thighs. “I lost,” he pouts into her bikini bottoms. “I need something to revive me.”
My best friend bends her leg, kneeing him in the stomach. He rolls off her with a groan, and Theo high-fives her, winking. “Saving it all for me, right, peaches?”
Good Lord. There are so many of them. All half-dressed and strong-smelling and everywhere.
Meg shoots me a wide-eyed look that I return. She waves her hands around her blonde messy bun, snapping, “That’s it! Alpha pheromone overload! We need some girl time!”
Damon’s face drops into an expression of outrage that makes me laugh. Hearing me titter, Cassian rolls his eyes, fighting off his own smile. Smith puts a hand on each of their shoulders. “You should both go and clean up before dinner, anyway.”
Ronan nods. “Archer’s about to put the burgers on. Declan? Can you show the guys where they can shower and change? I want to speak with Smith.”
My brows curve in surprise, but Smith flashes his reassuring grin. “Pack alpha stuff,” he mumbles, briefly kissing my lips. “We’ll just be over by the grill. You relax, petal. That’s an order.”
I can’t help the grin on my face any more than I can control the butterflies in my belly. “Yes, Sir.”
With the size of Meg’s pool deck, “over by the grill” is about twenty yards away. She waits until all the guys are out of earshot before she erupts into giggles.
“Holy shit,” she gasps, swiping under her eyes. “I can’t wait until you’re bonded. Right now, Damon is talking shit to Declan, and Theo is trying to make Cassian be his friend. Once you’re all bonded, we’ll have both sides of the conversation. Like spies behind enemy lines.”
I try to picture the two of us sitting together, relaying our alphas’ every thought while they talk among themselves. It does sound entertaining… and overwhelming.
When she sees the look on my face, Meg’s softens. “It’s not as… much as you’re probably imagining,” she tells me. “In order for you to hear what they’re thinking, they have to specifically ‘knock on your door,’ so to speak. And you can always put up your Do Not Disturb sign if you need a break. They’ll all understand that. Especially once you’ve all been in each other’s heads for a couple of weeks.”
She glances over at the grill area with an unbothered shrug. “Ronan has his up right now.”
I wonder what “pack alpha stuff” he’s discussing with Smith. Looking like salt and pepper—Ronan’s dark hair and Smith’s light—they both lean over one of their phones, brows furrowed. Behind them, Archer nods along with whatever Smith just said, listening while he places enough burgers on their double-wide grill to feed an entire hockey team.
“Is it nice?” I ask, dropping my voice into a whisper. “Being bonded?”
Meg grins. “It’s…incredible. You never have to miss them because they’re always right here.” She taps the center of her chest. “And the way they love me… and each other… it’s just an amazing thing to be at the center of. You’ll see.”
More nervous jitters squirm in my middle. “I think I’m scared. Which is crazy. This is all I’ve ever wanted. Being chosen, being in a pack… but it’s so permanent. What if they change their minds?”
Meg’s mouth pulls down in a soft frown. “Remi, babe, that would never happen. They all love you.” She half-smiles, nodding subtly. “Look for yourself.”
Smith is staring at me, his expression intense. When he sees that I’ve caught him, he quirks an eyebrow, scolding. I can’t actually hear his thoughts, but I might as well be able to.
You’re supposed to be relaxing.
