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TREVOR
The amount of time that I spent in my office had become ridiculous. At first it was because I hated being home with Ethan there. Then it was to get Shae back. Then to find the fucking mole, and now… now that things had finally gotten better with Ethan, my team was focused on trolling through everything Derek had done to unravel his web of misdirection. Tonight, though, I’d told myself I would work as much as I could while Theo and Jade took Ethan and his sister to a fundraising gala their mom didn’t want to go to. I still wasn’t clear on the details, but I knew that I could try to get some time with him tomorrow night if the team covered enough tonight.
It wasn’t only the work that was frustrating—the ghost of that kiss in the conference room haunted me. I couldn’t walk by that fucking door without getting hard. His taste, the scent of his cinnamon roll perfume, the feel of his hard dick nearly slotted against mine through our clothes. It ran in a loop through my mind and I wanted more.
I pressed my palm firmly against the hard bulge in my slacks and tipped my head back over the top of my chair, breathing deeply and trying to think of anything but Ethan. Fresh mint and eucalyptus reached my nose at the same time as Jade’s amusement rang through our bond.
“What’s got you so hot and bothered in here, Trev? Did you open a new package of pens? Red swingline stapler, perhaps?”
I just lifted my hand and a single finger in her direction in response. Her full-bodied cackle reached me and brought a smile to my own lips. I brought my head up and opened my eyes, expecting to see my Valkyrie in some kind of gown for the gala tonight. Instead, she was wearing the same badass corporate woman type suit she always did. Alarm shot through me. Had something else happened with Shae? Or with Cat? No, Jade wouldn’t be laughing if it had.
“Why aren’t you all glammed up? Is this fundraiser not a formal event?”
“I got a call a couple hours ago saying that I have to come in to answer questions regarding the attack on the facility that held Shae. I would have come down sooner but Gia kept me back to go over everything, just in case.”
Gia was Drake House’s best attorney and Jade’s only friend outside the pack. She had zero filter and no fear when it came to Jade. The fact that Jade had picked Gia to handle this situation personally set off some alarm bells.
“Should we be worried?”
“No. Theo and I were clearly within our rights as Shae’s packmates to defend and retrieve them from a threat. This is just a formality.”
“But?”
“But that means I cannot go tonight with Theo and Ethan. Shae hasn’t said specifically but Miles and I don’t think they are ready for the potential triggers of an event like that.”
“You want me to go with them?”
“Would that make you uncomfortable?” Her face scrunched adorably, showing her confusion as clearly as I could feel it. “I was under the impression that you all had moved forward. Or was the conference room make-out not as monumental as Shae seemed to think?”
I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks and Jade cackled at me again before coming over to lean her delectable ass against my desk. She reached for my hand, and I took hers instead, pressing her palm to my cheek and kissing her wrist.
“Shae didn’t exaggerate. I just don’t know if he’s ready for me to be somewhere public like that with him.”
“They told Marisol that two of us would be there with Ethan. Daniels will also be there but his focus is Aubrey. Theo is also still experiencing the volatile swings of being a new Alpha, and on top of that, he’s the only one of us bonded to Ethan right now?—”
“Jade, it’s okay. I’ll go, as long as he’s comfortable.”
She turned her hand slightly so she could lift my face to hers and pressed a soft kiss to my lips.
“Thank you, love.”
“I’ll tell Cole he’s in charge and then I’ll run home to get ready. I can take my bike and meet them there.”
“One more thing, the reason Ethan’s mom was hesitant to go is that she suspects Ethan’s fathers might try something. Be on your guard.”
My brows drew down and a low growl started in my chest as I thought about the last time I saw his fathers. The way they’d spoken to Ethan. It had taken all my willpower not to strike out at them and make them regret every fucking word they’d said. I nodded to her and rose from my chair to press my forehead to hers.
“No one will hurt our Omega tonight.”
Her eyes closed and one of her hands pressed against her bondmark on my chest. Gratitude and love filled the bond between us, and we took a moment to just revel in that connection before she pulled away and we both went off to prepare for the events of the evening.
Contrary to what most people thought when they saw an Alpha who looked like me at events like the society fundraisers we sometimes went to, I didn’t hate them. I liked putting on a nice suit or a tux, being on Jade’s arm when she floated around like the goddess she was, making everyone wish they could be her or be with her. I liked helping organizations that did good things for others, although that didn’t take a fancy event. Mostly, I liked how uncomfortable I made the stuffy assholes, the ones who didn’t like my tattoos and long hair in their space.
I’d carefully chosen my tux and taken more care with my hair and beard for this event than I normally would have, even though it wasn’t an event we’d been to before. For one thing, Ethan’s mom had asked the pack to represent her tonight. And for another thing, I was conscious that Ethan’s fathers could easily use my appearance to try to provoke a reaction from him or sway others’ perceptions of our pack. When I arrived, I looked around and spotted my brother and Daniels, taller than most of the people around them. They were standing together near a wall of paintings. As I made my way over, I saw that the paintings were on sale to support the charity.
The closer I got, the more I realized that both of the other Alphas seemed to have taken the same measures to clean up that I had. It made sense for Theo because he was Ethan’s bonded Alpha, but Daniels was only there as Aubrey’s security. Interesting. Aubrey had her back to me and was talking to Ethan, although all I could really see of him were his dark brown curls, bent close to her head. I was about to say something to announce my approach and not startle them when Aubrey moved out of my line of sight, and I got my first full view of Ethan.
I stopped in my tracks because he was breath-taking. He was wearing a deep blue tuxedo, just a few shades too bright to be called navy, and the color made his light brown skin glow. He had a white shirt and a contrasting deep red bowtie. And, fuck me, was that a corset?
