Page 188 of Alpha Mates

“You guys look amazing!” Emitt says, but his jaw slackens when he looks over my shoulder. “Holy fuck, Julian.”

I smile proudly as Julian mutters a thanks, trying to give me the credit as if he isn’t the one pulling this off for us.

Following Emitt’s lead, we all sit down, with me claiming a free armchair while Isabel slips herself between a pair of twins that welcome her with a smile. To my surprise, Julian sits in my lap, sliding an arm over the back of the chair while mine slips around his waist.

I bury my nose shamelessly into his neck as I pull him even closer, allowing myself to drown in his addictive scent. I kiss him softly, only meaning to tease, but when I hear his breathy giggle, I can’t stop.

“Who is that?” I hear one of the guys, Russell, ask, and I know without a doubt he’s talking about Julian.

I ease back to glare at him, which is much kinder than Max’s unreasonable request to rip his throat out just for looking at him.

“That’s Julian,” Isabel says while Julian sets a hand over my chest.

“Julian?! As in the Julian you hate?!” Russell gawks. “Holy shit! When did that happen?!”

“Where have you been?” a girl, Crystal, retorts after a sipping from cup of something suspiciously red. “If you looked up from girls’ asses every once in a while, you might have noticed.”

“My eyes may stay below for other girls, sweetheart, but for you they stay above the surface.” He blatantly stares at her boobs.

“Anybody got a shiv?” she shouts, eyeing Russell with utter disgust.

“Crissy,” he purrs, scooting closer to her. “How long are we going to play this game?”

“I’d rather cut off my own toes,” she sneers, shoving him away.

“Your friends are weird,” Julian whispers while the pair continue their usual game.

“They’re not for everybody, and they’re also not really my friends,” I reply quietly. “More Emitt’s. He’s the social butterfly.”

“And you don’t mind him being close with humans?”

I shrug. “He’s smart and quick, and most humans our age are just out to have fun.”

As if proving my point, Julian takes in the chaos of the house all over again.

“Not what you expected?”

“No,” he admits. “I expected Jell-O related nudity while someone jumped off the roof, and some other guy rode in on a horse.”

I laugh against his neck, fixing him more firmly in my lap. “I’ve got you watching way too many movies lately. Sure, they get wild every once in a while, but here’s your third and final rule for the night.” He looks at me, waiting. “All you need to have a good night is a few borderline-crazy friends and, if it’s your poison, some alcohol. Everything else will unfold from there.”

“Alright,” Julian says, taking a careful sip of his beer.

It’s like watching a vegan eat a burger.

“We’re playing dare!” Emitt suddenly bellows, drawing our attention back to the group.

“What happened to the truth part?” Julian asks while his fingers slip around my neck. He scratches my scalp until I’m practically purring beneath his touch.

“Better without that boring bitch,” Crystal announces, making Isabel grin when she chugs the rest of her beer and rests the empty bottle in the middle table. “Let’s go.”

She spins the bottle, and the mouth lands on Beckett, the bottom on Russell.

“Drink water from the toilet bowl,” Russell says with a smirk, making everyone groan.

Julian claps a hand over his mouth, gagging a bit as he leans on me. I rub his back, trying not to gag myself. Some trail after Beckett to witness the dare, but we’re firmly in thetoo-disgusted-to-followcamp.

The game goes on like that, with dares of all kinds popping up while Julian and I mostly watch the show, until the only people still truly committed to playing are a beyond-plastered Emitt and a slightly-tipsy Crystal.