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I closed my eyes and nodded, half drunk on his scent and too relaxed to be awkward about it.
Billie and Gabe seemed entirely occupied lavishing attention on Spud.
By the time there was enough food for all four of us, I was feeling like I’d just gotten out of a massage. Billie patted my butt as they walked by and started fishing out nearly a dozen bottles from the fridge to set on the island. I turned them each in turn, checking the flavours—cherry, apple cinnamon, peach, maple, chocolate, caramel, and every type of berry I could think of. I had only ever used the cheap grocery store syrup that pretended to be maple.
We sat down at the kitchen table, with me between Billie and Tony, and Gabe across from me. I pre-cut all of my pancakes and divided them into sections so that I could taste each of the different syrups.
“Why are you so fucking cute, Books?” Billie asked.
“I’m just being meticulous. I haven’t had most of these so how am I supposed to know which one I like best if I don’t try all of them?”
Gabe doused his in the apple cinnamon syrup, while Tony was half cherry and half maple. Billie poured some combination of chocolate, strawberry, and blueberry over theirs.
This close to Gabe I could pick out his scent from the mix I remembered coating Billie’s skin. Black tea and brown sugar. I pushed down the tingles of desire it elicited. Apparently I had already developed a Pavlovian response.
“How long have you had Spud?” Gabe asked, luring me into conversation.
“Two years,” I replied. “He was a little street baby I rescued when he was a couple of weeks old, and we’ve been together ever since.”
“Any story behind his name?”
“Ah, he's a Spud for two reasons.”
Gabe listened intently, and even though it was mildly disconcerting to have so many eyes watching me, it was also nice to have the attention. Tony put his hand on the back of my neck, and it became very difficult to care about nerves. I wasn’t sure what kind of alpha magic this was. My brother had never been able to chill me out like this, but then I guess there was probably a reactive difference between siblings and potential lovers.
“He was so tiny when I found him, just like a little potato baby.” I flushed with warmth at Gabe's smile as I spoke. “And my mom's nickname for me is Patatina, which means little potato. I decided we could both embrace slang terms, so Spud and I are both potato babies.”
“Well, you’ve both grown into majestic beings,” said Gabe. “But, in any case, we always appreciate a good potato in this house.”
I couldn’t help my giggle. “Billie said you’re a bouncer? How do you like it?” I asked, sliding into a conversation about work.
“It’s pretty good for the most part, but I’m thinking that I’m ready for a change soon. Maybe get into private security instead.”
The four of us chatted about our jobs, education, and vacations while I worked my way through all the syrup flavours, eventually settling on a favourite that combined maple and peach with melted butter.
I groaned appreciatively. “I’m pretty sure these are the best pancakes I’ve ever had in my life.”
“Jasper has us all beat for baking,” said Billie, “but Tony is the pancake monarch.”
“I’m too full to move now.”
“Want to have a cuddle and watch a movie in the couch nest?” Billie asked. “After you’ve digested, I can show you the rest of the house.”
The couch sounded like exactly what I needed. “Sounds great.”
Tony's thumb tapped against my throat, and I turned to him. “I can carry you over if you’re actually too full to move.”
My stomach flipped, and I swallowed hard. “What?”
Billie nodded. “He can do it. He's lanky, but he's strong. I get carted around all the time and it’s great.”
Being carried by the hot alpha I’d been touching most of the morning seemed like the beginning of a very bad idea, one that warmed me from head to toe and overrode my good sense. “Sure.”
Tony was on his feet before I could blink. He pulled my chair out and scooped me into his arms, spinning to carry me towards the nest.
The ease with which he lifted me sent a bolt of lust right down my spine to settle between my thighs. His hands squeezed a little tighter, but he didn’t say anything about it even though I’m pretty sure he had been able to smell the shift in me.
Spud was sprawled out in the cushions, and blinked one sleepy eye at me when Tony set me down. I buried my face in Spud's fur to hide the flush in my cheeks.
