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“Not if we don’t have to. We’re not savages,” Maximo replied. He almost sounded offended, and I heard Sutton smack him. “We deal in goods, not murder. That’s not to say I haven’t killed. I’m not a good man, Hazel, but I’ll be good to you.” That line was honest, his words lined with a passion that left me a bit breathless.
Was this reckless? Oh hell yes, it was.
Did I give a single fuck? It appeared not.
“Okay,” I said simply. “Does it make you see me differently if I once killed a man in Reno?”
“Excuse me?” Zaven huffed out a startled laugh. “What?”
“Just fucking with you,” I reassured him with a quiet laugh.“But I’ll be serious now. Do I need a bodyguard? That dude saw me.”
“He won’t be a problem. We made sure of it,” Sutton said, and once again, I was whipping around.
“Did you fucking kill him?!” I gasped. They both burst out laughing and unbuckled. I hadn’t even realized that we’d reached our destination.
“No. Come on, omega,” Maximo ordered. Before I could climb out, he was standing at my now open door, reaching for me. He helped me down then wrapped a hand around the back of my neck and pulled me close. “Are you really okay with this?” There was a quick hint of vulnerability that was quickly masked.
“I’m processing,” I said honestly. “Let’s see how this goes.”
His entire body deflated like he was expecting the worst. “Okay, that we can do. Sushi awaits.”
When he started to lead me inside, I stopped. “So, what did you do to him?”
“Broke his kneecaps and left him with a strong warning,” he said with a grin.
Oh, is that all?
I didn’t knowwhat I was expecting Hazel’s reaction to be, but her acceptance was definitely not it. She hadn’t asked even half the questions I’d thought would be flung my way.
“Maximo?” Her breast brushed against my arm as she leaned toward me. “Do you know what you want?”
You.
It took every bit of my self-control to not fucking bend her over the table and ravage her right here. The taste of her on my tongue and the memory of her flesh against my skin, her rich and heady scent… Shit, if I didn’t stop thinking like this, I would claim her right now.
“What’s your favorite thing?” Sutton interrupted, and I was nothing but thankful when Hazel shifted her attention to my friend.
“Anything spicy, but spicy tuna is my favorite. And you can’t go wrong with a California roll.” Hazel grinned at him as she grabbed a menu and pointed out the ones she was talking about. I could see the tension in Sutton’s shoulders drain away as he realized there were pictures for most of the items. Most people didn’t know it, but Sutton had always struggled with reading. He did everything he could to avoid it since his dyslexia made it hard for him, so he’d adapted—reading menus before we went out, memorizing the items available at his shop, their symbols, and where they were stored so no one would notice. I didn’t think Hazel knew. My friend wouldn’t willingly offer up that information because he considered it a weakness.
Somehow, without even knowing what she was doing, our omega was solving the problem and helping him adapt to the change in plans.
Our omega?!
Fuck, when did we get here? Not even a second date in, and I thought of her as mine.Ours.Hell, I wasn’t opposed to figuring out a new dynamic that included my younger brothers in this arrangement. A low growl rumbled in me as I recalled them claiming her first.
Even with how hungry I was, I was counting down to the end of this date. More than once, the picture she’d sent us crossed my mind, making me shift. I needed to make room in my slacks to be more comfortable. Hazel shot me an amused glance, telling me she knew exactly what was going on.Brat.
“You’re taking this incredibly well,” Zaven observed, his dark eyes intent on Hazel as she picked three rolls from a nearby belt. “Most people wouldn’t.”
Hazel shrugged. “I’m not most people.” My eyes narrowed at her avoidance. If she wanted to call me out for my bullshit, she needed to realize this was a two-way street.
“What does that mean?” I asked, grabbing a few rolls for myself as Sutton and Zaven did the same. Despite everyone grabbing their food, we were all waiting for her answer.
Hazel slowly chewed her bite, buying herself some time. “I just… I grew up sheltered.”
“Which would usually make accepting this harder,” Sutton pointed out. He didn’t mean to be rude, but he wasn’t one for flowery words or avoiding a point. When there was something he wanted to know, he could be very blunt. Our pack was not one for holding back our thoughts, but Hazel seemed to appreciate that.
“I don’t like talking about my childhood.” Hazel bit her lip, face pale. Whatever she was remembering had her more shaken than she’d been in the restaurant. Finally, she shook her head. “Let’s just say there are worse things and people than the mafia.”
