Page 24 of Puck Your Friend

We look at him. He shrugs. “Again, if she doesn’t want that, we don’t push. But I’ve been thinking about kissing her since thefirst day back. I don’t know how much longer I can suppress that urge.”

Ford nods. “Same.”

Jace tugs at his curls. “So we’re doing this then? For real? What happens if she wants to kiss all of us? Then what? We all date her?”

Ford exhales through his nose and folds his arms over his chest “We’ll figure something out. Maybe we’ll end up being Alphas and we can form a pack.”

I frown. “But what if she presents as an Alpha or a Beta?”

Jace nods. “She has too much leadership and passion to be an Omega.”

Logan stands and grabs his sunflower seeds from the top of his footlocker. “Then we better hope one of us is an Omega and she’s an Alpha scent-matched to us as a pack. It’d be worth it if it meant we all stayed together. I don’t know about you, but the thought of spending another year apart is killing me. It only gets worse the older we get.”

I get it. Every summer feels shorter each year. The thought of saying goodbye to any of them makes my chest ache. At least Jace and I will be going to the same school next year.

Ford moves to the door and pulls it open a crack. “C’mon. She’s probably waiting for us.”

Whatever happens with Frankie and us, I just hope it doesn’t scare her away. All of us pursuing her now that we’re old enough to have a girlfriend.

Present Day…

That was the summer I realized I loved her. I had no idea it would be our last one.

It wasn’t a simple summer crush or first-love feelings or the kind of fondness that fades with time. It rooted itself so deep that even now, years later, it rises again; even though she is a Beta… the Universe seriously has a cruel sense of humor sometimes.

I step in closer, enough to catch her scent near her neck, still bland. Some part of me keeps hoping my nose is wrong. There’s so much I want to say. That I’ve missed her. We all have. That she’s been in the back of my mind every damn day since she left.

Instead, I go with the thing that sounds easiest.

“You look good, Frankie.” I wince the second it leaves my mouth. It sounds too practiced. Like I’m trying too hard.

Her shoulders shiver as my breath ghosts over her neck. She glances up at me, her eyes dilating for a second, then looks away. A dark blush spreads across her cheeks.

My dick twitches. I shift just enough to hide it, pretending it didn’t happen.

She lifts the tablet and uses her stylus to scribble notes. “You must need to get your eyes checked. There’s not much time to be cute when chasing athletes across the country.”

A smile tugs at my lips. “Could’ve fooled me.”

She laughs.

I’ve missed that sound. I shift my feet and adjust the sling as if it pulls at my shoulder, even though the real tension is deeper than any muscle strain.

Frankie’s gaze flicks to it. “What happened?”

“Partially tore the tendon. Took a bad hit against the boards during preseason scrimmage.” I lift my arm a little, careful not to jostle it too much. “No surgery. Maybe a few weeks before I am cleared. Depends on my next checkup.”

Her mouth twitches like she is trying not to smile. “At least you have a good excuse to boss everyone around from the sidelines.”

I lean in a little, lowering my voice. “What can I say? I like being in charge.”

The words come out rougher than I mean for them to.

Frankie’s eyes spark with desire again, but she lowers her gaze. It catches me off guard.

Is it possible she would be into…

No, I need to stop that thought in its tracks and not entertain it. Nothing can happen between us. Still, my mind comes up with all the ways we could make it work without knotting her.