Page 14 of Marked by the Pack (Crooked Point #2)

Thursday

Zoey

I don’t know why Emma was so upset about the guys’ secret. Who cared if they liked to share one woman? She was acting like they were monsters or something. Not human? Animals? You’d think she was a prude, but I knew for a fact that she wasn’t.

Emma wasn’t usually so judgmental. Sure, she’d given me a little shit when I’d told her about the MyFanatics account.

I think she was mostly just hurt that I’d kept it a secret from her, though.

And what she’d almost walked in on tonight wasn’t all that different from what I did on MyFanatics.

I had virtual sex with several guys every night.

Honestly, three in person was a lot easier. And a lot more fun.

She seemed most concerned about my safety. But I’d been tested recently and I was on birth control. And I had every intention of asking them to use condoms. It was no more dangerous than having sex with one person. And certainly less dangerous than having sex with a vampire.

I think the biggest issue was that Emma believed in monogamous relationships. Hell, she’d had a one night stand with Callum and been pretty much devoted to him for ten years. She was practically monogamous even though he’d ghosted her .

But I could be monogamous too. Especially if I could be monogamous with three men at once instead of just one. This was pretty much my dream scenario. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.

For the first night in ages, when I went into my room, I didn’t grab my bunny mask, wig, and sexy lingerie. I stared at my computer. I didn’t even want to log on. I had a few pictures scheduled to drop tonight. That was good enough for one day.

I sat down on the edge of my bed and sighed. I was…satisfied. Truly and utterly satisfied. And I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this way.

All I really wanted to do was talk about what had happened with someone.

But whenever I brought it up, Emma started choking.

I eyed my computer. Grudge was the only other person I had that I considered a friend.

But I was a little worried about how he’d react to me having a boyfriend.

Or three. Or…none. Because technically we hadn’t talked about that.

Yeah, I really needed to talk about this with someone.

I was rarely alone at night. For ten years I spent my nights entertaining men for money.

Not sitting alone with my thoughts. And even though Emma was in the next room I felt…

lonely. I could tell something was bothering her.

Beyond what she’d just walked in on. But I couldn’t make her open up to me.

A chill ran down my spine and I tried to shake it away. But it just stuck. I changed into a pair of old yoga pants and a baggy sweatshirt.

I climbed into bed and pulled my comforter up to my chin. But I still felt cold. I stared at the wall connecting my room to Emma’s .

I could just go over there and talk to her. Beg her to tell me what was bothering her. Maybe try to tell her the benefits of a foursome…

This is ridiculous. I shoved the blankets off me.

Emma and I talked about everything. If something really was wrong, I wanted her to know she could confide in me.

And I was pretty sure I knew why she hadn’t been.

I kept talking about how worried I was that she was dating a vampire. I needed to get over it.

I walked toward the door, but I paused when I heard moaning coming from the other room.

“Emma,” Callum groaned.

She moaned in response.

Oh my God, that little slut. I loved that for her. She was fine. She was more than fine. She was being railed by a guy that was head over heels in love with her.

I sat back down on my bed and shivered. And I wondered if I was cold because Callum was close by. The few times I’d hugged him, I could feel the coldness of his skin seeping through the fabric of his shirt. I wrapped my arms around myself. I really needed to get over this.

But I found my eyes warily gravitating toward my door. After Emma was asleep, Callum could just come in here…and kill me. I couldn’t get King’s words out of my head: “There is no creature on this earth worse than a vampire. He’ll kill you. And he’ll kill your friend.”

I jumped when something hit my window.

Had Grudge done something to my windows too?

The clattering noise happened again.

I crept over to the window and pushed my curtains to the side .

Otto was standing in my yard down below. With a big smile, and a box of something under his arm.

Thank God. I’d never been so relieved to see someone. I opened up my window and smiled down at him.

He dropped the pebble from his hand. “I’m coming up,” he said. He walked over to the trellis.

Well, now I knew how Callum was sneaking in.

Otto grabbed on to the trellis and it looked like he was about to start climbing.

Shit. I couldn’t let him see my room. He’d ask too many questions.

A normal person didn’t need so many cameras.

Or lights. Or microphones. Otto kind of freaked out every time I mentioned wanting a boyfriend.

The last thing our relationship, or lack of one, needed right now was the truth about my profession.

He liked to share his women. But that didn’t mean he wanted to share me with strangers on the internet.

“Go to the front door,” I hissed down at him.

“What?” he said as he started to climb.

“Stop. Go to the door.” I pointed toward the front of my house.

“Oh.” He shrugged. “I guess that works.” He hopped off the trellis and disappeared around the side of the house.

I ran out of my room and tiptoed past Emma’s door, down the stairs, and hurried to the front door.

I realized that I was wearing the most unflattering outfit ever. I was pretty sure there was a hole in the seam of my yoga pants. And the sweatshirt was worn and way too big. But I couldn’t risk Otto climbing into my room if I didn’t answer the door right away. I threw it open .

Otto smiled at me. “This seems a lot less romantic than climbing up into your room.”

“It seems a lot less dangerous too.”

He shrugged. “I have nine lives.”

I laughed. “You wish. What are you doing here?”

“You said you didn’t want to sleep alone.”

I couldn’t even hide my smile.

“And as your bodyguard , it’s my job to make you feel safe.”

I laughed. “Come in.” I stepped to the side for him.

“I brought bedtime snacks.” He handed me the box of doughnuts.

“This is really adorable. And in no way is going to help me sleep. I’m going to go into a sugar coma.”

“Well, if you don’t want any…” he tried to grab the box back.

I swatted his hand away. “No. I want one.” All I could think about now was chocolate. I’d learned in the past few days that when I was scared, I liked to eat. Or drink. Or do anything with my hands. I plopped down on the couch, opened the box, and grabbed one of the Boston cream doughnuts.

“I like this you,” he said and sat down next to me.

I swallowed down my big bite. “What does that mean?”

Otto’s eyes trailed down my body. “The casual you. The one who answers the door like this.”

I rolled my eyes. I looked like a pile of garbage. But it was sweet of him to say.

“And who eats ravenously.” He reached out and wiped the corner of my mouth where a little Boston cream had spilled. He licked his thumb.

I swallowed hard as I watched him .

He leaned forward and grabbed a doughnut for himself. “I’ve actually had a crush on you for a while, Zoey.”

“You have?”

He nodded. “And when I came over the other night and you did that thing with a banana?”

I pressed my lips together. I’d totally forgotten about that. I’d been trying to distract him and all his friends so they wouldn’t kill Callum. Otto had seemed into it. Actually, all of them had seemed into it.

I’d been a little worried that maybe Otto didn’t want to be my boyfriend because he knew about my MyFanatics account.

That he didn’t think I was girlfriend material.

But he wasn’t acting like he’d seen me do things with phallic fruits and veggies a hundred times.

He was staring at me like he’d seen me do it once. And he’d liked it.

“And then when I was here for dinner last night…you devoured your lasagna like you devoured that doughnut. You’re just…you. Perfectly you. You don’t care what anyone thinks. And it made me want to be the one thing you do care about.”

Trying to climb my trellis was romantic. But what he’d just said way trumped the trellis thing. “Well, good. Because I want you to want me to care about you.”

He smiled. “About what happened earlier.” His eyes locked with mine. “That wasn’t why I asked you to come to my place. I expected it to be just us watching a movie together. But…you liked it, right?”

I nodded. “I really liked it.”

“Hmm.”

The way he was staring at me made me nervous. “Is that a good hmm? Or a bad hmm? ”

“Both, honestly.” He smiled. “I didn’t really want to have to share you.”

“You want me all to yourself?”

He reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “I don’t mind sharing. But I don’t always want to have to. You only asked me to come over every night. So I’m going to be here every night I can. Just me. If that’s okay?”

I smiled up at him. “I’m definitely okay with that. You can have me whenever you want.” I was satisfied from earlier. But…I really wanted to feel him. I straddled him on the couch.

He cleared his throat. “As much as I want to do that…I actually thought you might just want to sleep tonight. And I may have jerked off after you left. A few times.”

I laughed. “Naughty boy.”

“What do you expect? It was really fucking hot, Zoey. You’re really hot.”

“Even when I’m dressed like this?” I gestured to my frumpy outfit.

“I mean…I’d rather it be my sweatshirt.”

I loved how possessive he was.

“How about we head upstairs so you can get some sleep?”

Absolutely not. Otto liked me. For me. And I didn’t want to scare him off. “Maybe we can just stay down here? And watch a movie just us like you wanted?”

“I’d like that.”

“Me too.” I climbed off his lap and snuggled into his side .

He wrapped his arm protectively around me. The warmth radiating off him chased away the coolness that had seeped into my bones.

Otto would keep me safe.

“He’ll kill you. And he’ll kill your friend.”

I tried to push King’s words out of my head. Otto wouldn’t let that happen. He’d make sure Callum didn’t hurt me. And he’d scare away any other supernatural creatures too.