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Was that what I wanted? Did I want Dave to make a move?I wasn’t sure. He knew my secret now, but the man was a vault. In many ways, I knew him so well. We’d spent a lot of time around each other on the farm. He’d more than proven he was kind, steadfast, and loyal. Yet, he was also a mystery to me. I had no idea about his life before he came here. I couldn’t deny our attraction, but maybe we were too alike? We both surrounded ourselves with people, yet also kept them all at arm’s length. I didn’t know what it would take to get one of us to breach our own defenses.
“The Palace doesn’t know about me and we have all the alphas who do know secured,” I answered, swallowing my confusion and keeping my response practical.
“Tied up in a function center cellar does not mean they’re secured, Lex. If even one escapes and scents you, they may try to grab you on the way out. They’re already suspicious after the performance of these two during the fight. Your secret won’t be a secret for long.”
“I-,” but he didn’t let me finish.
“I know, Lex. You can look after yourself. It doesn’t mean you have to.”
Dave flexed his hand out subtly at his side, like he wanted to reach for me, but was holding himself back.
“Fine. If you want to sleep in a hammock every night, I’m not stopping you,” I ground out. I knew Dave, and there was no arguing with him about security on this farm. I knew how to pick my battles and I figured I was going to have bigger ones than this coming up.
I turned away from him and faced Dio, reminding myself we didn’t have all day to stand around arguing. We all had shit to do. I crooked my finger at him. “You owe me a ride.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, as he bent over in front of me and let me hop up onto his back.
“Is that a good idea? She’s still injured,” Sam said to Dio.
“I’m right here, you know. If you want to ask about my body, you can talk to me,” I said, as I glared at Sam. “Besides, this is nothing compared to what I did with him last night.”
My snarky words just made him narrow his eyes and growl in a way that made my nipples perk up.
Before he could reply, I slapped Dio on the ass and yelled, “Giddy up.”
fifteen
Diotookoffata run, sensing my need to get out of there, before he slowed when we were around a few bends. Bear had followed us and was ambling along beside Dio. I didn’t bother to make sure Sam and Dave were following, too. I hadn’t had a coffee yet and I couldn’t deal with either of their issues without one this morning, so they were both currently in my bad books. They were also both in my spank bank, but that was a whole different issue.
Dio dropped me just outside the kitchen garden, where the trees hid us from prying eyes.
“Are you okay?” he asked. I’d basically just reverse hugged him the entire walk, feeling confused and leaning my head on his shoulder, and he’d let me.
“Sure.” I gave a halfhearted shrug.
“You forget, I can sense you in our bond now. There’s no point bullshitting me.”
“I’m not. Honestly, I have enough to worry about this morning just walking into that kitchen. I don’t see the point in talking about other shit I can’t do anything about right now.”
Dio sighed. “A lot has happened quickly Lex, just give them both a chance to adjust.”
I blushed, not wanting to point out that Dio hadn’t needed time to adjust. He’d been all in from the moment he spotted me during the fight.
“Look. I may not have this omega shit figured out yet either, but neither Sam nor Dave are rushing to declare their undying love for me. Or even their desire to bone me. You’re projecting.”
Dio laughed at that. “Didn’t I just tell you to stop bullshitting me? They may talk crap about security protocols, but nobody else has men posted outside their door, even Maia and Ava. Both guys just spent two nights sleeping rough outside your house, when they have comfortable beds to go to, because they couldn’t bring themselves to leave.”
“I, that’s not…they were there both nights?”
Dio nodded. “They took turns keeping watch and sleeping.”
“Huh.”
“You work with abused women, Lex. You know to look behind people’s carefully crafted facades. Just do me a favor and really look at them both, at their actions, not their words. I know why Sam is holding back, and we’re probably going to have to push him a little. I don’t know about Dave yet. We’re going to have to figure him out. Because I’m telling you now, both of those men need you, but they’re going to have trouble getting out of their own way to come get you.”
“We?” It was all I could focus on. Leif and I had always been a ‘we’ growing up, but he had his own family now. They always tried to include me, but it was different. Now I had Dio, and he made me feel connected to something bigger than myself.
“Yeah, we, Lex. We’re in this together.”
