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So you’re saying they’ll stick around?
Yes, she said with a sigh. The new one, him I don’t know. He may be just heat fever.
Sen. His name was a hiss in my mind.
Yes, Sen.
We sat down at the big table outside and ate breakfast. The weather was perfect—a bright sunny day with a light breeze, and not too hot.
“So, Flick, tell us a little about you,” Smokey said.
“Smokes…” Renee said.
“What? We know nothing about the girl. I’m just making conversation.”
“You’re putting Flick on the spot, is what you’re doing,” Vin said. “Don’t worry about Smokey,” he told me. “Has to know everything.”
“We’ve got a long time to get to know each other. You should join us for our famous Sunday lunches. We cook up a big roast with all the sides,” Cooper said.
“Dad, we’re still trying to find our feet here,” Aidan said.
“We’d like that,” I said politely, but some part of me wondered if I would indeed like it. My family had been like this once, but then Mum had died and everyone had slowly drifted away. I didn’t call them. How could I tell them what was going on? And so they stopped calling me. “Just tell us what you’d like us to bring.”
“Oh, just yourselves,” Renee said with a pleased wave of her hand. “We always cook way too much food.” She shot Aidan a triumphant smile.
“I grew up in the city, Smokey. Went to university and studied business, but never really did anything with it. I met my ex-husband, Rick, at one of the pubs, and we got together not long afterwards. He…” I glanced at Kade. “I didn’t do anything with my degree, just moved with Rick to Melville.”
“Melville?” Aidan’s family looked at each other. “That’s where Jules is from. Did you ever run into her?”
“I…” I pushed my bacon around on my plate. “I didn’t really go anywhere.”
“Enough of this,” Aidan said with a low growl. “You’re putting her off her food. Dad, if you really wanna know what’s going on, I’ll meet you at the pub and fill you in. Now, let's eat.”
“How’re you doing?” Peter asked sometime later as we stacked the dishwasher. Aidan was outside with his family, saying an extended goodbye, something that had his eyes rolling.
“You’ll be back here in a few hours to do the set up for the party,” he’d complained when they asked him to see them off.
“And we haven’t really had time to catch up,” Cooper said, steering his son outside. “Humour your mother.”
We already had, seriously. Kade was playing oh so happily with some of the new Star Wars LEGO sets he’d been given. We’d forced her to keep back some of the parcels for later, but he’d been more than delighted with what he had, giving Renee a kiss on the cheek and a hug. He’d even called her Nana Renee in that completely mercenary way kids seem to when toys are on the table.
“I’m fine. My head is spinning a little, but it’ll be OK. They all seem really nice, though I think I’m gonna have to put some hours in to get Smokey on side.”
“Smokey’s known for being a bit of a grumpy c—” Peter smiled when he caught himself, eyes flicking to the lounge room. “Prick. A bit of a grumpy prick. He’d fight anyone to protect his family, including his own family. There was a bit of fuss when he and Renee got together. The other guys took a while to warm to him.”
“So people don’t always find their mates at the same time?”
“Not normally. Often, they come from the pool of your first heat. That's what it's for, to bring people closer. But you’ve still got to work through the relationship and the feelings. That happens at different times for each person.”
“So you’re gonna be cool with me…working things out with…” Sen, say Sen, my body said, remembering how he’d felt. “Whoever I feel drawn to.”
“Of course, love,” he said, leaning forward and kissing my forehead. “We’re here with you on whatever journey you’re on. Now, since you’ve met Renee and the guys and Kade seems to be warming to them, what do you think about them being caretakers when the heat hits?”
His tone was calm and even, but I watched his lips form the ‘h’ word and felt something hot and liquid shoot through me. He froze at that, then took a deep breath and smiled, slow and sexy. He shoved the plate he had in his hand into the rack and then stepped in close, pulling me against him and kissing me deeply.
“You smell so fucking hot.”
“What?” I pushed at him, because Kade was in the lounge room, because the promise of his body was one I enthusiastically wanted to explore and now was not the right time, and because they were always doing this—smelling me. “What is that?”
