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I rested my head on Jude’s good shoulder, hearing the sounds of the others bickering over making dinner in the other room.
A soft smile pulled at my mouth because this? This was everything I wanted.
Now I just needed to figure out how to keep it.
44
Hazel
Not so long ago, the idea of being in a room with three alpha males, snarling and growling as they saturated the space with the scent of their arousal, would’ve scared the shit out of me.
But tonight, I was enjoying every single second of it as Jude and I bantered back and forth, infusing as much innuendo in our conversation as possible as we waited to see which alpha would crack first.
My money was on Kellan, who had already bent the tines of his fork after I’d leaned across the table to grab something and flashed him a whole lot of cleavage thanks to the massively oversized collar of my borrowed shirt.
At some point I’d probably need to start wearing the clothes Calla and Elizabeth had picked out for me, but wearing the guys’ clothes brought me a level of comfort I wasn’t ready to relinquish.
Jude, sitting to my left, was still convinced it would be Rhett, who had already chugged three glasses of wine and looked unusually disheveled and unhinged as his gaze volleyed back and forth between Jude and I.
But I also wasn’t ready to count out Crew, who was silently, methodically eating every bite of food on his plate. His cerulean eyes missed nothing from where he sat at the head of the table.
“So, you were a cheerleader?” Jude had been asking me questions about growing up, and when I’d divulged my past life as part of the high school cheer squad, his eyes had lit up.
“Yup,” I answered, popping the ‘p’ as I licked a smudge of marinara sauce off my pinky.
Jude leaned in. “Does that mean you’re super bendy?”
I tapped a finger to my chin thoughtfully. “Well, there wasn’t much else to do in the compound but stretch and do basic yoga, so, yeah. I’m pretty flexible.”
Kellan’s busted fork clattered to the edge of his plate, sending droplets of marinara splattering across the floor. His plate looked like a murder scene, the lasagna Rhett had prepared hacked apart as Kellan tore into his portion.
I brightened, ignoring Kellan. “Maybe I should take up yoga again. Are there any studios around?—”
A glass slammed onto the table as Rhett reacted next. “No.” The surly growl was nothing like his usual sophisticated English lilt.
I shrugged. “No worries. I can find some online classes and do them here instead of a studio.”
“We have a home gym that you can use,” Jude replied. “There’s a TV mounted to the wall, and mats, but we can buy anything you might need.”
I pretended to mull it over. “Okay, but I don’t really have any workout clothes. I guess I can just do it in my underwear.”
Crew’s hands landed hard on the table. With a snarl, he pushed his seat back before stomping over to the kitchen and all but hurling his empty dish into the sink. Honestly, I was surprised it didn’t break.
When he spun back around, he stalked over to me with the grace and lethality of a panther.
My mouth went dry as his hand wrapped around the back of my chair and he yanked it away from the table. I let out an undignified little squeak as he snatched me off the seat and carried me back to his spot.
“Crew—”
“Be quiet.” His rough tone was a deep rasp. His gaze flicked to where Jude was gaping. “Pass me Hazel’s plate, please.”
Jude grabbed my half-eaten plate and slid it in front of Crew.
Using his own fork, Crew speared a piece of the pasta and cheese before bringing it to my lips. “Eat.”
More than a little dumbstruck, I opened my mouth and accepted the food. When I swallowed, he grabbed his half-drunk glass of iced tea and brought it to my mouth. “Drink.”
I watched him warily as he put the glass back and went in for more food. “I can feed myself.”
