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Covering my mouth, I snorted with laughter. “I’ve got your back if that happens.”
“I know you do. Now I need a drink.”
Claire and Addison couldn’t make it tonight, and we would miss them. Next time, I would make sure they were here. Whatever the next time turned out to be.
Petra pushed through the others and threw her arms around my neck. “Thank you.”
“What for?”
“For inviting me.”
I pulled back to look at her. “Of course I would.”
“Yeah. I just…” She shook her head. “It’s one of the first times I’ve actually left the penthouse other than your show. I was scared, but knowing everyone would be here made me feel better. So thank you.”
Hugging my friend, we stood there for a second. She’d been through so much, and deserved every bit of happiness she had.Earnedit.
And… so had I.
It wasn’t easy for me to admit that I did. But after sacrificing my own happiness for so long, I deserved some too, and these four Alphas with me were exactly who I wanted to find happiness with. Emotion swelled in my chest, and I hugged Petra tighter.
“Okay,” Eva said, prying us apart. “I sense that we need some drinks and some dancing for whatever’s going on here.”
“I would love a drink,” I said. Through the crowd of Alphas, I saw Roman still sitting in our alcove. “I’ll be right back.”
I slid into the booth next to him, straddling his lap so I was pressed between him and the table. His hands came around me instantly. “Are you okay?” I asked in his ear.
Roman squeezed my ribs, but he said nothing. I hadn’t thought about what he might feel in an environment like this. Just the five of us was fine. But now there were nearly twenty more people in our immediate vicinity, and he didn’t know them well. Plus, it was loud. Speaking was already difficult without the addition of having to project over noise and the anxiety of new people. None of them would judge him, but he had no way to know that.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I should have thought about how hard this would be for you.”
“I-I—” He cleared his throat and pressed his face into my neck, breathing deeply. Beneath the music I felt the hum of him vocalizing slowly before words formed. “I’ll be okay, f-firefly.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” he breathed out slowly.
His hair was pulled back into a low bun, and I drew my fingers up the back of his neck so I could sink them into the silky strands. “All these Alphas are good guys. They would never make fun of you, and they won’t care if you’re quiet. And I don’t care if I have to sit in your lap all night.”
Where Roman’s lips touched my neck, they curved into a smile. His big hands slid up my back, holding me to him, and somehow enveloping me in this small space. “Love you, firefly.”
I gasped, heart pounding. Our mouths found each other in the colorful darkness. Roman’s words might falter, but his kiss didn’t. This was all Alpha. All Roman, entirely focused on me. “Go,” he said roughly. “Dance. Have fun.”
“You can’t possibly expect me to go dance when you just told me you love me.”
Another kiss. “You didn’t know?”
Clinging to him, I held on, wrapping around him as much as I could. “I love you,” I said. “I love you, I love you.” There was no way I couldn’t, and there was no hesitation. I loved all of them. It didn’t matter how fast it was, or how terrifying. I loved my Alphas, and there was only one more I needed to tell.
“Have fun,” he whispered.
“Willyoudance with me?”
“Not good.”
A giggle escaped me. “I don’t care if you’re good. I just want you with me. At least for a little while. If you feel okay.” I bit his ear gently, causing him to growl and harden underneath me. “Dancing doesn’t need talking.”
Roman finally nodded. “For a bit.”
