Page 53

Chapter

Thirty-Three

DARREN

I can't stop grinning like an idiot as I watch Lexie organize her travel bag on our driveway. Even the dark clouds threatening rain can't dampen my mood. Two weeks since we gave her the studio, and she's already different. More confident, more relaxed, more comfortable around all of us.

"Stop staring at the pretty lady and help me with this," Zayn demands, elbowing me as he struggles with one of Lexie's larger suitcases.

"I'm supervising," I tell him, but I grab the handle anyway, easily lifting the bag.

The tour bus idles in our driveway, massive and gleaming black with the Grizzlies logo emblazoned on the side. Lexie keeps sneaking glances at it, a mix of excitement and nervousness on her face.

"First road trip as a proper hockey girlfriend," I say, bumping her shoulder gently with mine. "Nervous?"

She rolls her eyes, but I catch the slight upturn of her lips. "I'm not nervous. I'm just wondering if I brought enough yarn."

"Yarn?"

"For knitting," she explains, patting her carry-on. "Long trips are perfect for getting work done. Plus, it keeps my hands busy."

"I can think of other ways to keep your hands busy," I murmur, low enough that only she can hear.

The blush that spreads across her cheeks is deeply satisfying.

Two weeks of solo dates, each of us taking our turn, has only intensified the connection between all of us.

I've learned that Lexie's blush starts at her cheeks and spreads down her neck to her chest in a wave that makes me want to follow it with my tongue.

"Behave," she whispers back, but her eyes sparkle. "We're in public."

"Our driveway is hardly public," I counter, but I keep my hands to myself as Jason, our driver, approaches to help with the luggage.

"Morning, Malloy," he says, nodding respectfully. He turns to Lexie with a smile. "And you must be Ms. Goodwin. The boys haven't stopped talking about you."

"Just Lexie, please," she says, extending her hand. "And all good things, I hope?"

Jones laughs. "Nothing but praise, ma'am. Let me get these bags stowed for you."

As Jason loads Lexie's luggage underneath the bus, the rest of the pack emerges from the house with their own gear.

Road trips are old hat for us; we've got the packing routine down to a science.

Jax carries only a single duffel and his captain's folio.

Dmitri has his standard black suitcase and a small bag of books.

Aidan, still in the overpacking phase of his career, struggles with two large bags and what appears to be his own pillow.

Zayn, of course, has the most luggage of all, since looking runway-ready on the road is apparently a non-negotiable for him.

"Ready for your first time with the circus?" Jax asks Lexie, gesturing toward our collection of bags. "We're not exactly light travelers."

"Says the minimalist," Zayn retorts, pointing at Jax's single bag. "Some of us have standards."

"Some of us have steamer trunks, apparently," I add, eyeing the mountain of luggage that definitely belongs to Zayn. Suppressants might dull my omega senses, but I'd recognize the faint leather scent clinging to his bags anywhere.

Lexie laughs, and the sound sends a pleasant pulse through me. "I think I'm somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. Not quite 'one pair of underwear per day of travel' level, but definitely not bringing my entire closet."

"Rookie mistake," Zayn says seriously. "What if there's a sudden formal event? Or unexpected weather? Or?—"

"Or a spontaneous fashion show?" Aidan interjects, rolling his eyes as he hands his bags to Jones. "We're going to Vancouver for four days, not moving there."

The usual bickering continues as we finish loading the bus. Lexie watches with a bemused expression, taking in this new facet of pack dynamics. It's one thing to see us at home or on dates, another to witness the well-worn routines of a team that spends half their lives on the road together.

Once everything's stowed, I take Lexie's hand and guide her up the steps. "Ready for the grand tour?"

Her eyes widen as she takes in the interior.

Our team bus is hardly standard. It’s more like a luxury RV designed specifically for a professional hockey team.

The front section has comfortable captain's chairs arranged in pairs with a center aisle.

Behind that is a small kitchenette and dining area, and the rear third houses sleeping quarters and a bathroom.

"This is... not what I was expecting," Lexie admits, running her fingers along the polished wooden table in the dining area. "I thought it would be more like a school bus with better seats."

I can't help but laugh. "The team believes in traveling comfortably. Makes recovery between games easier."

"And keeps the peace when you're stuffing a bunch of competitive alphas in a metal tube for hours," Jax adds, coming up behind us. He drops his duffel in one of the sleeping compartments before joining us. "The extra space prevents murders."

"He's only mostly joking," I stage-whisper to Lexie. "You should have seen what happened when Aidan accidentally used Zayn's hair product on our Detroit trip."

Aidan groans from where he's stowing his pillow. "Are we still talking about that? It was an honest mistake!"

"It was a crime against humanity," Zayn corrects, brushing past us to claim his favorite seat. "My hair looked flat for an entire day. People noticed."

"No one noticed," Dmitri rumbles, settling into a chair near the front with a book already in hand.

"The hockey blogs mentioned it!"

Lexie's eyes dart between them, taking in the easy banter with a small smile. She's clearly amused by our bullshit.

"Where should I sit?" she asks, looking at the various options.

"Wherever you want," I tell her, squeezing her hand. "But I was hoping you might join me?"

I gesture toward a pair of seats near the middle of the bus, not too close to Zayn's dramatics at the front, but not isolated in the back either. Lexie nods, and I stow her carry-on in the overhead compartment before settling in beside her.

The bus rumbles to life beneath us as Jason starts the engine.

Jax heads to the front to discuss route details with him, while the rest of the pack settles into their road trip routines.

Dmitri opens his book, already lost in whatever historical tome he's working through this week.

Aidan unpacks what appears to be an entire gaming system that he hooks up to the small TV in the kitchenette area.

Zayn puts on noise-canceling headphones, closing his eyes in what will undoubtedly be a failed attempt at beauty sleep before we even leave the driveway.

And then there's Lexie, sitting beside me with her knitting needles already in hand, looking both out of place and perfectly at home surrounded by my pack. My chest tightens with an emotion I'm not sure I'm ready to name.

"You good?" I ask softly as the bus pulls out of the driveway.

She nods, her needles clicking in a soothing rhythm. "Better than good. This is nice."

I lift my arm, an invitation she accepts by tucking herself against my side.

The woodsmoke scent that's become my unwanted signature since presenting as an omega rises in response to her closeness, but it's muted by the suppressants.

Still, I catch the way she inhales slightly deeper, like she's trying to catch more of it.

Everything is perfect. But in the back of my mind, I know the ultimate test of our new pack dynamics is still to come. I still haven't gone into heat, and while I know these suppressants won't hold forever, all I can do is hope I have some more time to adjust.