“You cheated,” I hear Drax growl from behind him.
Confusion has me frowning. “So what’s the bad news, then?”
“The nail tech called to cancel at the last minute.” He speaks in a somber tone, as if he’s reading a eulogy. “Something about a fallen tree blocked the road to campus.”
“That’s too bad.” I check out my nails. “I really wanted to get this fixed.”
“But we do have a solution.” Adler beckons Drax and Luca inside.
When Luca enters, he has a huge bag from Nora’s Nest Nook in his arms. It’s ripped down one side, but with Drax’s help, they’re just about managing to keep nail polishes from spilling everywhere.
“We thought this would help.” Luca sighs in relief as he puts the bag safely down on the coffee table. “I didn’t know what to get, so I asked a woman as she was leaving the store. I might have bought?—”
“Everything?” I interrupt him.
There are at least fifty bottles of nail polish here, along with remover, cute little decorative gems, and enough hand lotion to keep me stocked up for the rest of my life.
“Some of them are scented.” Drax picks up a pink polish that’s rolling across the floor. “Strawberries and cream.”
I don’t have the heart to tell them that I’m wearing false nails, so I’ll definitely have to pop into the salon tomorrow. There’s a great pop-up counter in Nora’s that I go to regularly.
“That pink will suit you, Kady,” I joke.
Kady curls her fingers, reminding me of a cat retracting its claws. “Mine don’t need painting.”
“I think we’ll need some volunteers to practice on before doing our own.” I look at the guys.
“Uh…” Luca rubs his head while Drax—who clearly knows me too well—is slowly backing away.
“Come on, Luca.” I grab his arm before he catches on to my plan, shoving him in the chair next to Faye. “We could do a super cute design on you.”
“How about flowers?” Faye’s already dried her feet and is rummaging through all the options. She twirls a brush between her fingers. “I can give you some cute little daisies, maybe?”
“I…” Luca’s sentence trails off as I bat my eyelashes at him. “I think daisies sound great.”
“Yay!” Faye is already selecting the colors, humming to herself.
“I’ll do your other hand,” Delilah volunteers, going over to join her. “I paint Jagger’s nails all the time.”
Luca’s hands are firmly planted on the arms of the chair, frozen to the spot, like he’s strapped to an electric chair.
“Don’t worry, Luca. It’s a pampering session, not torture.” Kady’s blue eyes twinkle mischievously. “Plus, now we can all get to know you better.”
“What about you, Ace?” I wave a polish at him. “Want to look fancy for your next game?”
“Hell yeah.” He wiggles his fingers. “If it means being closer to you.”
“Kady can do yours,” At my suggestion, his mouth drops, his eyes darting nervously in her direction. She really does have a unique effect on alphas.
“Great.” Kady pats the spot next to her. “I have lots of questions for you.”
Adler looks at me for help, but I stuff a pretzel in my mouth and wink. He’s got this.
Drax has almost reached the doorway, so close to escaping, when I turn on him. “And where are you going, big guy?”
Drax halts, fish mouthing. “I’m sure there’s somewhere I have to…”
“Come on, Drax.” I curl my finger to beckon him closer. “It’ll be fun. I’ll even do yours myself.”
