Page 91 of Knotting Autumn

His exhale was long-suffering. “I think a lot of packmates shipped us, but unfortunately for them, we’ve only ever been best friends.”

“Very close best friends,” I said, pressing my lips into a line to keep from smiling at him. The humor was a lifeline in the serious situation we found ourselves in.

“Yes, close friends,” he echoed.

“Like pickles-in-the-same-bun close?”

Thorne snorted, his smile tightening into a half-grimace. “No, I don’t think so. I’ll leave that task to Sawyer and Cole.”

“Ah, of course,” I said. “It would be okay if you had any interest in them. It would certainly make our bedroom time a bit more flexible.” I couldn’t help myself. Seeing Thorne’s ears turn pink was entertaining as hell.

Pausing, Thorne turned and placed his hands on my shoulders. “I’m not interested in them. I appreciate you being open minded, but I only want you. And I’m sure between the three of us, we can come up with plenty of ways to keep you satisfied, especially if you factor in Cole as a pinch hitter.”

“A pinch hitter?” I squeaked, covering my mouth with my hand. “We’re really mixing our metaphors here.”

Thorne threw his hands up. “I don’t know what to say, Autumn. If we weren’t in the middle of my pack’s territory under the thumb of my twin, I’d take you back to my home and eat you out until you can’t think of a single question to ask.”

“Woah.” Mia stood in the doorway, her mouth open. “Do you guys want to go back to your cabin? Maybe the dining room isn’t the place for this?”

She motioned her thumb over her shoulder.

“Don’t worry,” I quipped. “He’s just making idle threats. Please show me more of the pack.”

“Come on,” Thorne said, taking my hand and dragging me a few steps before my feet remembered their function.

We peeked into a large common room with seating areas and a big-screen television, and I spied conference rooms through open doors.

“I thought the office was that separate building?” I asked Thorne quietly.

“Yeah, the security company, which handles the pack’s security too, but the alpha’s personal offices are here. This is where pack business is handled.”

“And you grew up in this house?”

Thorne’s shoulders rose and fell a fraction, his expression flickering. “Yeah.”

“Let’s go before Hunter decides to see what everyone is twittering about,” Mia said, gesturing for us to follow her and James back outside.

She wasn’t wrong. The people milling about were whispering and watching us, and anxiety bubbled up in my chest. Their expressions were a mix of hope and worry, matching my own feelings.

“Thanks, friend,” Thorne said, grasping James’s hand after we reached his cabin and he took our to-go containers of dinner. They gave each other bro nods, and James clapped him on the shoulder.

Mia wrapped me in an unexpected hug. “I can’t wait to get to know you better.”

“Me too,” I said awkwardly, smiling as she released me and stepped back.

“See you tomorrow!” Mia waved as she and James headed away through the trees.

Thorne’s tight expression softened. “Hungry, baby?”

Nodding, I pushed the door open and went to retrieve Sawyer for dinner.

While we were eating, an envelope was delivered via a grumpy guard. Scrawling handwriting I would bet twenty bucks wasn’t Hunter’s invited us to dinner the next afternoon and specifically said that Cole would see us at that formal meal.

Knowing we would see him tomorrow gave Sawyer a new rush of anxious energy. He paced around the cabin and finally settled for cleaning up dinner, gathering up plates and heading into the kitchen.

“Can we sit outside?” I squeezed Thorne’s hand.

The rustling branches and pine resin scent calmed my frayed nerves, and Thorne seemed to feel the same. He eased the back door open and peered around. No guards were visible, but that didn’t mean they weren't watching.