Page 24

Jensen

T he whole week dragged by so slowly.

We spent the better part of the week planning the perfect date. An outdoor concert where there would be plenty of food trucks.

There was a little of everything to do, and we had organized for Joey to have a sleepover with her best friend, so we had the entire evening to ourselves.

“Do you think she’ll like it?” I asked as I changed my T-shirt for the tenth time.

“It looks like a really good event. I’m sure we’ll all find something we enjoy,” Gideon said as he stood, leaning against my doorframe.

Glancing at the mirror again, I grimaced. Nothing seemed good enough. “I can’t believe I’m nervous.” I laughed. “It seems silly. I never get like this.”

“We’re all a little anxious. It’s because we really like her. We haven’t pursued someone as a group for years.”

“She’s…fuck, she’s something special,” I muttered. Gideon had told me how Bethany was firm in wanting to be there for Joey, and if anything, that made me even more obsessed with her somehow.

From a distance, the sound of the door opening and closing grabbed our attention.

I grinned at Gideon. “Showtime.”

We both headed downstairs, pausing when we saw the sight in the doorway. Cullen and Bethany were wet—and not the fun kind.

“Shit, is it raining?” I asked. Bethany’s hair fell in soggy tendrils around her face, and her clothing was sticking to her like a second skin, making my cock perk up.

“No, we just decided we wanted a dip in a lake,” Cullen said sarcastically, making Bethany giggle.

“It’s pouring,” she told me, scrunching her nose adorably.

Fuck.

Well, that was going to be a problem.

“Why the long face?” Beth asked. Her eyes widened. “Am I dressed okay?” She looked down at herself as we joined her in the entrance hall. “Sorry I’m drenched. I couldn’t find my umbrella.”

“You look perfect,” Cullen assured her.

And she did. Wearing a pair of strappy, heeled sandals and a pale pink dress with long sleeves that floated around her thighs, she looked incredible. Her blonde hair was braided and pulled back into an updo.

“So, what’s the plan for tonight?” she asked.

We looked at one another, silently communicating.

Gideon was the first to say something. “Well, I think our plans may have just been canceled.”

“Oh no. Why?” Beth said, her face falling.

I couldn’t help it. I burst into laughter. “The plans were to go to an outdoor concert that had food trucks. Outside, as in the open air…”

Beth’s mouth dropped open as she looked back toward the doorway, where we could hear the rain hammering down. “Ah, I can see how that would be a problem.”

“I’m so sorry—I should have thought about this,” Gideon started to say, but Bethany waved him off.

“Don’t apologize. While you are very impressive, Gideon, I don’t think you can control the weather.”

Cullen snorted. “If he could, he would.”

“I don’t doubt that,” I agreed.

Gideon deflated. “We will reschedule. I promise, Bethany.”

She smiled brightly. “There’s no need to reschedule.”

My heart dropped. Was she regretting giving us a chance?

Shit, we needed to fix this.

This was our first official date, which meant we should be spoiling her with flowers, food, and a good time. Bella had been so demanding, and our plans were already pretty casual for us.

Joey’s mother would have been pissed if our plans had fallen through.

The temper tantrum was always brutal. Her rage would be felt throughout the house for days.

We’d only put up with it because we had a daughter with her.

Even though I wanted to avoid that more than anything, I would rather Bethany be angry then give up entirely.

“Bethany…” Cullen started, but she turned to him, still grinning.

“You’ve told me time and time again how good a cook you are. I think it’s time you use some of those skills, and we can utilize that amazing theater room of yours.” She beamed at us. “I may need to towel off first, though,” she said, looking down at her damp clothing.

Perfection. Bethany Wells was utter fucking perfection. She took the canceled plans in stride and even suggested a pretty fucking amazing alternative.

Gideon grinned. “A movie night does sound like a good idea.”

Pulling Bethany into my arms, I kissed the top of her head. “You’re too damn sweet.”

She grinned up at me. “You won’t be saying that when I am demanding all the desserts.”

Bethany padded upstairs to grab a towel and dry herself off to the best of her ability. I followed her while Cullen got to work in the kitchen.

“Do you want a change of clothing?” I asked as I handed her a clean towel from the linen closet in my room.

She chewed her lip thoughtfully. “That may be for the best. My shorts are fine, but my dress is pretty soaked.”

“I’ll grab one of my shirts.”

I would take any excuse to have her wearing my clothing.

I didn’t know why I expected her to disappear into the bathroom to dry herself off, but she started to pull her dress off right then and there in my bedroom.

Noticing my wide eyes, she asked, “Do you want me to go to the bathroom to change?”

“No! Do you want to go into the bathroom and change?”

She snorted delicately. “Jensen, I think you can handle seeing me in a bra after everything we did during my heat. Or am I reading the room wrong?”

Her scent clouded somewhat, and it dawned on me that she was doubting herself. “Oh no, no, no, I very much would like for you to change here. Tonight isn’t just about that, though. We really want to spend time with you.”

A slow smile spread across her face. “Okay,” she whispered, before gripping the hem of her dress and pulling it over her head, leaving her in a pair of tiny black spandex shorts and a matching T-shirt bra.

It wasn’t a particularly sexy set, but on her, it was everything.

Frankly, she could make a potato sack look good.

All too soon, she was tugging one of my T-shirts over her head. It fell to her knees and swamped her, but there was something about her being covered in me that was so pleasing to my inner alpha.

“Well, now I’m hard.” I laughed, running a hand through my hair.

“Sorry.” Beth shrugged, but her expression was far from apologetic.

Minx.

Turning to look in my mirror, she started pulling bobby pins out of her hair. Several strands had already been falling out, thanks to the rain, so she brushed it out with her hands until her golden waves were flowing down her back.

Once she was done, I followed her downstairs. Barefoot and wearing my clothes, she fit in perfectly.

We met in the kitchen, where Cullen was already pan-frying something that smelled delicious.

“Nice outfit.” Gideon smiled, handing her a glass of wine.

She giggled. “I suppose it’s a good thing I’m not wearing a dress anymore, considering the last time I wore one around Cullen, he called me a cheap whore.”

All amusement fled from me when she said those words so casually.

Cullen froze, his eyes wide.

“He did what?” I growled.

Bethany nodded. “At the restaurant. When he interrupted my date? Didn’t you tell them about that?” she asked Cullen.

Gideon looked furious. “Why on earth would you do that?” he growled at our pack mate.

Bethany shrugged. “The dress was a little short.”

Oh dear fucking lord.

In a flash, Cullen was across the kitchen, sweeping her into his arms and depositing her onto the kitchen counter. He stood between her legs, his hands on either side of her, so she was essentially trapped.

“Okay, you and I need to have a conversation about that night,” he said, completely ignoring us. “You didn’t look like a cheap whore. You looked fucking phenomenal. So much so, in fact, that the moment I laid eyes on you, all rational thought left my brain.”

“That would insinuate that you have rational thoughts to begin with,” I murmured.

He ignored me and continued, “You looked so good, and I was trying to be respectful because you work with my daughter. But I realized you were on a date with that lowlife. I couldn’t help myself.

I followed you to the bathroom, and before I could even think, I was grabbing you and kissing you.

Fuck, the things I wanted to do to you in that dress, Bethany.

If I had my way with you, you wouldn’t have been able to use your legs for days. ”

Bethany’s mouth was open as she gawked at Cullen, clearly shocked at his tirade. “But…”

“I needed you out of my restaurant fast. Otherwise I would have hiked that little dress up and used my tongue to show you just how much I appreciated it. So, yes, I was an asshat and I very much regret that, but let me reiterate—you looked like sheer perfection, nothing else. Is that clear?”

Bethany nodded while Gideon and I watched in amusement. We would berate Cullen later for his stupidity, but for now, we would leave them be.

“I think your pasta is boiling over,” Bethany whispered.

“Shit!” Cullen hissed, dashing over to the burner, making us all laugh.

Thirty minutes later, we were all settling down in the theater room with several bowls of pasta and a variety of takeout menus.

“How many desserts are too many desserts to order?” Beth asked thoughtfully as she thumbed through a leaflet. I had the remote in hand and was scrolling through the various movies and TV shows available.

“Order as many as you want,” Gideon said, sitting down on the couch next to her. She didn’t even flinch at the proximity.

“There’s got to be a limit. I cannot be allowed free rein on dessert menus,” she insisted.

“Honestly, we can each eat several desserts, easily.” Cullen passed her a fork for her pasta. “Get as many as you want, and I can assure you they won’t go to waste.”

Her eyes widened as she took in the menus. “There’s so much to choose from,” she muttered.

Gideon grinned, shaking his head. Reaching over, he plucked the menu from her hands. “Eat your pasta first,” he said, passing her the bowl.

She glanced down at the dish as he handed it to her, frowning. “What happened to my mac and cheese?” she asked, scrunching her nose.

Cullen smirked. “I added broccoli and chicken. I’m sorry, but there was no way I could serve you a meal with zero protein or veggies.”

He couldn’t help himself; the urge to care for Bethany was overpowering, and Cullen was very firm in his belief that a meal needed to contain protein and veggies to be balanced and healthy.

No matter how much he wanted to please her and give her everything she wanted, we still had to look after her.

“Okay, I can accept the broccoli. Broccoli and cheese are a nice combination, but chicken? Really?” Her little nose scrunch was adorable.

“It’s good for you,” Gideon said.

She turned to him, sticking out her tongue before snatching up her fork and taking a bite. “It’s delicious,” she admitted, chewing slowly. “Even if you did desecrate it with extras.”

I had to put a hand over my mouth to stop myself from laughing loudly. The look of righteous indignation on her face nearly sent me over the edge.

“Hush and pick what you want to watch,” Gideon said.

I never thought such a simple date night could be so perfect.

We insisted that Bethany pick the TV show, and in protest, she had chosen a trashy reality TV show. It was pretty obvious she expected us to object, but when I had excitedly put on the show, beaming at her as I pulled her in for a hug, she had simply stared at me in abject horror.

None of us really relished the idea of watching a reality show, especially not the trashy dating ones, but twenty minutes into the first episode, we were hooked.

“But that guy isn’t her type on paper,” I whispered as two of the contestants chatted.

Cullen hummed thoughtfully. “I’m not so sure. Big knots are everyone’s type.”

“You would know.” Bethany snorted lightly. She was nestled into my side, her head resting on my chest. As soon as she settled, Gideon had picked up her feet and placed them on his lap, his hand resting on her leg, always keeping her within reach.

Cullen was on the other sofa, watching us enviously.

When the third episode finished, we all glanced at one another.

“We have to keep watching,” I whispered.

Bethany bit her lip. “Just a few more minutes, maybe? They left it on a cliffhanger!”

Gideon grinned. “Whatever you want, sweetheart.”

She grinned at him. “Perfect, but first, I need a pee break!” she declared and extracted herself from our grasp.

“The dessert should be here any minute as well, so that’s perfect timing,” I said.

When she came back from doing her business, Cullen pounced, grabbing her lightly around the waist and dragging her onto his sofa. “My turn!”

Bethany glared at him playfully but settled into his arms without argument.