There’s no denying the way my pulse jumps at the thought, but I manage to keep my expression skeptical. “You sure the view will be worth the price?” He chuckles and I narrow my eyes at him. “And here I was, just thinking you were in need of a couch for a few nights.”
“I was, until you started torturing me with your breathy moans through the wall.” His hand winds around my throat, his fingers stroking over my scent gland. “I’m just a flesh and blood guy, butterfly. Is it any wonder I kept dreaming about sinking my teeth into your pretty neck?”
Heat laps through me, my lips parting beneath his hooded gaze. But then I remember what we’re talking about – how those eyes have also been watching me in an official capacity - and I push away, catching his ribs with my elbow. “You keep talking about biting me, Alpha, and I’m going to start thinking you’re serious.”
“You think I’m not?” He steps back, a hand over his heart and a devastating smile on his face. “If I had a list, you’d be on the top of it, butterfly.”
I bite my lip as I remember telling him something similar about seeing me through my heat. It’s a tantalizing image, Pitt nuzzling his claiming bite as he buries his knot deep inside me. Better still, he’d be in rut, so lost to pleasure we’d both be drowning in it. Heat pools between my thighs, making my panties damp, but I can’t stop a different image from invading my mind. A different alpha, staring through a tangle of hair as his nostrils flare with my scent…
Pitts’ hands tighten on my hips. “You thinking about someone else, Abbie? I know you and Ark have history…”
I freeze, realizing I’m rubbing that cold, hollow spot in my chest. I don’twantto think about Bluff, but he’s still under my skin, a shadow I can’t quite shake loose. “Not that kind,” I tell him. “Or, not anymore.”
Pitt makes a low, soothing sound, his thumbs circling the tight muscles on my lower back. “Whatever happens, Wings will always be yours, but I want to be there for you, too. If I need to convince you I’m serious, I think we should have a conversation about it. The three of us.”
We’ve skirted around the subject before, and it’s hard not to wonder, especially now we’re sharing a pack suite. But it’s a big step to go from three people sharing a bed, to an alpha living with two omegas. “Is that really what you want?”
He moves my hair off my neck, leaning forward to place a soft kiss on my butterfly tattoo. “If Wings agrees, I want to make it official. We’re courting, in any way that works for both of you.”
“And if someone else comes along?” His brow crinkles and I hurry to add, “I mean, what happens if Wings brought another alpha into the mix? Would you get all territorial?”
He studies me for a long moment, the sunlight catching his eyes and turning them as green as the hedge behind him. “More the merrier, I guess, as long as we all agree to it first.” He squeezes me tight for a second, his scent wafting over me until I can’t smell anything but pine forests and alpha musk. “But no more secrets. From now on, I’m an open book.”
I find Wings sprawled on a sun lounger in the late afternoon light, his shirt peeled off and a sketchbook on his lap. Patch and a couple of other members are working the grill in a sizzling haze, but just as much heat is bouncing straight off the concrete pavers. It’s the kind of summer’s day where the sun seems set on punishing everyone within its reach, and half the pack’s kidsare in the pool, while most of their parents have retreated to the relative cool of the bar.
“Are you on lifeguard duty?” I ask as I watch Wings’ tattooed hand move over his sketchpad in slow, practiced swirls. He’s drawing my face on my pillow, caught between sleep and waking. I look soft and sweet, and I feel a warmth that has nothing to do with the barometer spread through my limbs.
“That’s Tricks,” he says, setting his pad aside and pulling me down beside him for a kiss. It’s the perfect balm to my strained emotions, and I melt into his side. “Just look for the flash of pink hair and you’ll find her.”
I smile as I spot her in the cluster of kids, like a pink-haired mermaid as she leaps to bounce a beachball off her head. The kids squeal, arms flying as they send it shooting back in her direction. “That looks like fun.”
His fingers trail down my arm. “You want to play?”
Instead of answering, I stretch out beside him, our limbs tangling in the limited space. I have no idea how so many people got frisky on these things during movie night. Although, I’ll never turn down a chance to be pressed close to Wings, even if my shorts and tank are damp with sweat. “I’m sticky,” I say with a smirk. “You might want to push me in to cool off.”
His hands slide around my hips, pulling me flush with his. Like the picture version of me in his sketchpad, I feel my eyelids droop, my lips parting as I breathe in his sweet, chocolate scent. “I like you sticky,” he murmurs, leaning forward to nuzzle my damp neck. “Reminds me of how you taste when you’re coming apart on my tongue.”
I squirm as his arousal prickles mine, my thumb stroking across his lips. “Those are dangerous words with that audience at our backs.”
“Then let’s go back to our room. I can finish my sketch - after we’ve got our sheets a little sweaty.”
I hum my agreement, leaning in for another kiss. We make out for a little while, just soft tongues and shared breaths, letting the anticipation build between us. I’m attracted to everything about Wings – his beautiful face, his lean muscles, and the ink on his perfect skin, gleaming in the sun – but I can feel a part of me holding back. Maybe it’s the heat, or the squeals of the kids, or that damn cold spot in my chest, still yearning for something that doesn’t exist. As hard as I try, I can’t lose myself all the way to his touch. Frustration ripples through me and Wings pulls back, cupping my face. “You okay, sweetheart? You’ve seemed a little off lately.”
I tighten my grip on his shoulders, hating the hint of uncertainty in his voice. “It’s just been an adjustment. Old faces, new people.” I run my fingers down his warm throat, circling the raised skin of his calming bite. “Do you ever think about taking a bite for real?”
His pupils blow wide, the soft gray flooded with sharp black flecks. “Yeah, now and then. When I watch you and Pitt together, I wonder what it would be like if we were a pack. Whether I could feel your pleasure through the bond, and if his bite would make me feel even closer to you.”
I groan, his devotion going a long way to thawing the cold ache in my chest. “I want you, Wings, however it works for you.”
“I’ve still got a lot to think about,” he admits, running his fingers through my hair. “A part of me always hoped my latency would pass, you know? I mean, the way I feel about you is all alpha. How could my body not want to knot and bite you?”
There’s a lost look in his eyes and I curse the bullshit in my head. How could I make him feel like he was anything but the best man I’ve ever known? “I love your body, and I don’t care about your designation…”
“Yes, butIcare about it. I mean, I need to understand how it worksnow, so I can give you all the best parts of me.”
I stare at him, astounded once again by how he can turn all of his needs into a desire to please me. “This is about both of us, Wings. I want to give you my best parts, too.” I roll my eyes, my cheeks heating. “I mean, the one or two bits that aren’t always screwing up and saying the wrong thing.”
“You’ve got a lot more good bits than just one or two,” he murmurs, his eyes darkening with arousal. “How about we go back to our room and I point them out? I could even sketch them, if that helps.”
