Page 48 of Pack of Crooks

“A moody, but fun, fourteen.”

He hums. “Ah. Hormones.”

“They’re the worst.” I consider a pair of black slacks, shrug, and drape them over Ezra’s forearm. “What about you guys? Do you have any siblings?”

“Me and Kill were only children. Maddox. . . had a sibling.”

I want to ask Ezra what happened, but that feels kind of shitty. Maddox will share when he’s ready. “And now it’s just you guys?”

“Pretty much. We’re a unit. No one fucks with us.”

“I wish I could say the same,” I confess.

Ezra inches closer. “You know, now that we’re courting you, no one fucks with you either.”

My eyes skip to his. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch.” He searches my face. “Love shouldn’t come with conditions. You know that, right?”

“Is this love?” I ask with a laugh. We just met.

“Not yet, but you know what I mean. We’re courting you. It should come as no question that we’d kill to protect you.”

They already have, and I’m certain they’d do the same for Lottie. This pack takes care of their own. I chew on my cheek, unsure of what to do with the devotion they’re providing. I feel unworthy. Like I’m not bringing anything to the table but complication after complication.

“Hey,” he murmurs, catching my chin with his thumb and forefinger, tipping my face toward his. “You deserve good things.”

“Can you guys read minds?”

He smiles. “No. It’s the trauma.”

Laughing, I bite my lip and wonder what I can give this pack in return. If I deserve good things, so do they. “I have an idea.”

My heart pounds against my ribcage as I rush into a fitting room when the attendant steps away. The guys are hot on my heels, slipping in before anyone notices. With trembling fingers, I lock the door and turn around, adrenaline pouring through my system.

Chuckling, I glance at the guys, who are all grinning too, hyped up on the same thrill, all of us reveling in the high of doing something wrong. But wrong as it may be, it feels so right. I guess that’s what happens when you grow up being forced to break the rules. Nothing is normal unless it’s chased by fear and adrenaline.

I’m glad the guys seem to be enjoying themselves as well.

Ezra and Maddox hang up the outfits I’ve chosen and the pack takes a seat on the bench, each of the men studying me with a mixture of intrigue, excitement, and a touch of lust.

Right. This is meant to be my way of giving them something in return for being so good to me. Pushing off the door, I stand before them and rip my shirt off. I toss it at Kill. The material smacks him in the face, and he catches it, burying his face against it and breathing in with a groan.

What a little scent slut. I love it.

Throat dry, I undo the button of my shorts, hold Ezra’s gaze, and slide them down my thighs. I toss them over and he snatches them, a little more discreet about smelling them, but he still breathes my scent in, making my stomach flutter. There’s something about a pack being so into my perfume that gives me a giant ego boost. Only in my bra and underwear—a mismatched set but no one seems to mind—I turn, giving them a full view of my backside while I pick out a dress. One that Maddox liked.

With my pulse hammering, I slide it off the hanger and turn, making my way toward him, strawberries and musk tainting the air. He’s already purring before I hand him the dress.

“Will you help me, kitty?”

His eyes spark with amusement. “Of course, sunshine.” Leaning forward, he places the dress at my feet so I can step in. I rest my hand on his shoulder, marking him with my scent, and then put my first foot in. He kisses my thigh. I bite down on my tongue to keep from releasing embarrassing noises that would make me seem like a virgin.

I place my other foot in the dress and he slowly pulls the material up, the back of his thumb coasting up my legs, dragging over my ass cheeks, and gliding up my back as he stands. Goosebumps chase his touch, and my body screams with need. My eyelids flutter closed.

“Arms,” he says, voice deep and rumbling.

I gaze up at him towering over me and slide in one arm after the other, cheeks warm and my mind on anything but trying on outfits. He reaches behind me, tugs me against his body, andcarefully zips the dress up, holding my stare until he finishes and his fingers thread into my hair.