Page 46 of Pack Choice

Upstairs, I take another much needed cold shower, although this time I keep my hands far away from the pulse between my legs, not wanting a recap of this morning no matter how needy I may feel. When I’m done, I head to my bedroom to dry my hair and do my makeup, and find Bea waiting for me on my bed, the pickles now in her lap.

“He seems nice,” she says as I search through my underwear drawer for something suitable.

“Who, Ford?” I ask innocently.

“Yes, Ford,” she says.

“Yep, he seems to be.”

“And he’s looking after you?”

I find a matching bra-and-panties set which is frilly and black with hot-pink ribbons. No one is going to see my underwear. Honestly, no one! Not unless I bump into my dream pack at this event tonight. Or end up going to the hospital for emergency surgery. But, nevertheless, this is the set I have a very strong desire to wear.

Bea’s eyes dart to the set, and I shove them behind my back.

“Nothing’s happening between us, Bea,” I tell her.

“But he wants it to.”

“No, I don’t think so … I mean he hasn’t made a move … he hasn’t–”

“It was written all over his face in the kitchen.”

Something warm shivers down my body and into my belly.

“The man is a closed book. I’m not sure how you could possibly tell.”

“Oh, I could tell all right.”

“I don’t … he’s not suitable.”

“If Silver’s hired him, he must be a good guy. What do you know of his pack?”

I slump down on the bed beside Bea. “That he doesn’t have one?”

“Oh.” Bea frowns. “Like your boss.”

“Like my boss.” I dip my fingers into Bea’s jar and pinch a pickle. No one is going to see my underwear and no one is going to kiss my mouth. Who cares if my breath smells like vinegar? “But you don’t need to worry about me. Ava has set me up on a date with Pack Sensible on Friday.”

“Pack Sensible … I haven’t heard of them.”

“Oh, because that’s my silly name for them. They’re Pack Winston.”

“I still haven’t heard of them, but sensible, is that what you need? Is it what you want?”

I sigh, flopping back on the bed. We’re meant to be leaving in thirty minutes. I need to get myself ready. But I find I can’t move. “I don’t know. I’ve been holding out for something more than sensible and it hasn’t come along. I think it’s worth seeing whether sensible is actually what I need. Then if it isn’t, I’m going to buy myself a cat.”

“A cat sounds more interesting than Pack Sensible.”

“I bet Pack Sensible are very good at cuddles and hand holding and arranging nice dates, like strolls through the park.”

“All those things are great,” Bea says, “but how about the other stuff?” She gives me a knowing look. After all, it was me who taught her quite a bit about ‘the other stuff’.

“That I don’t know.”

Bea strokes my cheek. “Want me to do your makeup? I am a dab hand at a sultry smoky eye. It’ll look great with that underwear set.”

“No one but me is going to see that underwear set.”