Page 7

With two days to think and rethink our decision to be here, we decided to take a break from watching the door in anticipation of Elliott’s arrival. Instead, we threw on our trunks, grabbed some drinks, and have been lounging by the pool for the last two hours. Our pack needed this—not the vacation, though that’s a plus. Whether West and Barrett’s plan works out or not, I’ll consider this trip a win for the sole reason of spending quality time with my brothers. We needed some time away from normal life. Away from technology and civilization. Away from the pressures of watching our closest friends find their Omegas and settle into the pack life we’ve been longing for these last few years.

Of course, that’s the elephant in the room. The Omega we’ve had our sights set on should be here any time now. Elliott’s flight was supposed to arrive yesterday, but nature had other ideas. Maybe that was for the best because we were wound so tight, one small spark might’ve sent us all up in flames. Honestly, knowing Elliott, it would’ve been more like her chucking a grenade. While her ability to run circles around my pack is amusing, I’m also just a little tired of the routine at this point. I simply want to hold her in my arms and beg her to be mine. No big deal at all.

“So what’s our plan?” Raff asks.

The words have an undercurrent of anxiety, though his body language is anything but. His arms are out of the water and spread along the pool deck with his head tipped back toward the sun.

“Did you put sunblock on? That pale ass skin of yours is gonna burn if you didn’t.”

Nix is the de facto leader of our pack and resident mother hen, mostly because of age but also because he brought us all together. He collects people like he collects championships, his instincts so damn astute that he follows them as effortlessly as some of us breathe. He has this ingrained need to care for others, and I’m grateful he chose me. I was just some no name minor league hockey player when Nixon happened upon one of my games. He introduced himself after we won, bought me dinner, and suddenly I had talent scouts coming to see me play. I found myself with not only a contract for a professional team, but also a pack.

I relive that day sometimes when I need to remind myself how far I’ve come—an adopted Alpha, with few prospects and no money to put himself out there, to a man whose wealth goes far beyond the money in his bank account. I have a pack who lifts me up and reminds me I’m valuable, unselfishly giving me the simple comfort that comes with having people who care about you unconditionally. I’m a lucky bastard.

The redhead sends Nix a dirty look. “Fuck off. You’re worse than my mother.”

“And she’d never forgive us if we let her son toast himself to a crisp. Have you seen that woman when she gets angry?” I shiver playfully.

Raff’s mom is the Omega we all wish we had. Loving and kind, involved in her pack’s life, and accepting of everyone. Probably why Raff’s such a huge mama’s boy, which is also the key to that hint of ooey gooey sweetness inside him that he’d deny if asked. It’s always visible in the way he treats women, especially Omegas. Hell, we all wanna make Mama Sorensen proud. Even Nixon, who comes from a large family where everyone did their part to support each other, looks up to her as his unofficial matriarch. There’s just something about the woman that makes you want to be worthy of her approval—kind of like another Omega our pack is dying to impress.

Raff chuckles. “Curse of the red hair.”

Nix climbs the steps out of the pool, running his hands down his face, then his entire body freezes.

“Ah, hell. One furious Omega incoming, boys. Prepare yourselves.”

Except there’s no time to prepare. The door in one of the glass panels blasts open, and Elliott storms out like a tornado ready to tear apart a town. Her long dark hair is in loose waves that fly through the air in her wake. She’s wearing some kind of cream sundress, with a barely there two-piece top that ties behind her neck and leaves a tiny triangle of skin exposed above her belly button. Even in heels, she barely comes up to my chin, but damn, do they do miraculous things to her legs. I give myself a precious few seconds to take her all in before I force myself to look away for my own safety.

“You have ten minutes to remove yourselves from this villa, or I won’t be responsible for any damage to your balls when I kick each one of your asses out the goddamn door.”

“Aww. Is my honey bear angry?” Raff murmurs, a smirk plastered on his freckled face.

Boy’s got a death wish.

Elle’s eyes narrow as her head slowly swivels to face him.

“Ignore him, sweetheart. I know you’re upset, but?—”

“Upset? Upset doesn’t even begin to describe my feelings right now, Flint. Murderous and dick crushing are probably more accurate.” She stomps her foot, and even as I cover my junk, I can’t help but think she’s the most adorable creature I’ve ever seen, which is definitely not something I would even consider saying out loud right now. “And don’t you call me sweetheart!”

“Elliott, just let us explain.”

“What is there to explain, Nixon? Why you’re conspiring with my friends to invade and ruin my working vacation? Why you can’t seem to get it through that thick head of yours that I’m just not interested? Or why you can’t seem to leave me the hell alone?”

Well. That about kills any argument we may have wanted to make, now doesn’t it? It seems pretty clear that Elliott Mitchell doesn’t want us. I swear my heart sinks into my toes.

“Maybe we should all take a second to calm down,” a voice behind Elliott says.

“Who the hell are you?” Nixon growls, taking a step toward the furious Omega.

When the stranger steps out onto the patio, I get my first look at the man behind the voice. He’s tall, but shorter and leaner than Nixon, though still muscled, with dark blond hair that looks like he’s run his hands through it more than once. Dark glasses frame eyes that are too far away for me to make out the color, and sit above a full beard that surrounds thick lips. When his hand runs up and down Elle’s back, and her shoulders relax ever so slightly, I’m surprised I don’t immediately feel jealous or possessive. No, instead there’s interest flaring in my gut, and that’s never happened before.

“I’m Sy. Elliott’s assistant and escort for the duration of the vacation.”

“What the hell does she need an escort for when she’s got us?” Nixon snaps at the Beta.

“It’s resort policy that all unbonded Omegas have a Beta escort?—”

“And since that doesn’t apply to any of you, feel free to pack your shit and go,” Elle snarls back.

He ignores her outburst. “My job isn’t to be her shadow, but rather a neutral party that’s available upon her request. Especially if group events become overwhelming.”

“We’re not leaving.” Nixon crosses his arms over his chest.

She mimics his posture. “Then I’m not staying.”

I sit forward, elbows hitting my knees. “Where are you going to go? The concierge told us they’re completely sold out for the week.”

“So help me God, I will book the next flight out of here. West Carter should be afraid for her life when I hit the mainland.”

The Beta pushes his glasses up with his middle finger, then leans down and whispers something in her ear, his hand landing on her opposite hip. The scowl on her face disappears, her eyes go soft, and she visibly recenters herself with just that simple interaction. I’ve never even witnessed West or Cadie reel her in that fast.

“Her assistant, huh?” Raff stands up in the shallow end of the pool, his sights locked on the not exactly platonic contact. If the added flare of spice in his scent is any indication, his relaxed demeanor has given way to something between stressed and possessive. “Looks pretty cozy to me.”

“And what if it is?” Elle smirks and turns toward the Beta, her hands sliding up his stomach to his chest until they’re skimming along behind his neck. “What if I told you he fucked me six ways to Sunday when we were trapped in our hotel room last night in the one bed we shared?”

Nixon and Rafferty growl, but I stand, watching the interaction and imagining the two of them together. My dick seems to like the idea. A lot.

“You are playing with fire , baby doll.” Nix’s hands are fisted at his side, and now I’m worried we might have a full out Royal Rumble right here on the pool deck.

She shoots him a look over her shoulder. “You know I do so like my Betas, Nix.”

In a few short steps, I’m standing between Nixon and the Omega who doesn’t realize how close the Alpha is to saying fuck it all and throwing her over his shoulder, Beta be damned.

Sy slowly clasps Elle’s wrists, removes her hands from his neck, and tugs her into his side.

“Look, Elle and I are close friends. We’ve never crossed that line, and I don’t want to start this week off on the wrong foot.” He glares down at her, his lips pursing in disapproval. To my surprise, rather than biting his head off, our prickly Omega looks appropriately apologetic and a little bit embarrassed. “Elliott is here for research on a new column she’s being tasked with at CDN. She really needs this to work if she wants to get the recommendation for her transfer to Arizona. Can we call a temporary truce and promise to cohabitate together peacefully in order to make this happen for her?”

“What kind of research?” I ask, studying the stunning Omega.

Her sigh shoots straight to my dick, right along with the slight blush on her cheeks, but obviously I don’t point that out. I’m not overly aggressive when it comes to women in general, but around this particular woman, I’m definitely the shy guy.

“It’s a relationship column where readers write in asking for romance advice.”

“Let me get this straight,” Raff begins, and I’m tempted to walk over and cover his mouth before he says something we’ll all regret. “They’ve tasked you , the Omega who despises feelings and packs, to give relationship and love advice to the hopeless romantics of the world?”

She rolls her eyes. “I know. Fucked up, right?”

Nixon and I share a look, shocked despite ourselves. Where are the claws and the sharp retorts? Could it be the Beta’s presence is soothing enough to tame her even when facing our fiery redhead?

“Then you understand the importance of what she’s looking to do here?” Sy asks.

I’m scratching the scruff on my face as I contemplate exactly what her plan of attack is. “But what exactly is she looking to do, and how will this help her with the column?”

“West and Cadence seem to think that this is the perfect place for me to act out some romantic situations in order to use the experiences in my responses to readers.”

“Then use us instead,” Nixon asserts, staring her down in challenge.

She snorts. “Yeah, not gonna happen, cupcake. I’ll take my chances with the unsuspecting fools in the wild.”

“Why, honey bear? You scared you might like what we have to offer?” Raff throws out.

For the briefest moment, I see her confidence wobble.

Maybe she’s not as immune as she seems.

But that vulnerability is replaced with a wide smile that lights up her green eyes.

“Nah, hot sauce. I’m worried you might.” She turns to Sy. “I’m going to check out the Omega suite upstairs and try to decide what we should do.”

Without waiting for a response, she heads into the villa, leaving Sy and a trail of orange creamsicle behind in the Alpha pheromone fog that’s lingering despite the gentle ocean breeze. The Beta stands there, looking between the three of us, his scent mixing with Elle’s in a way that’s more enticing than should be.

Nixon takes another small step forward, and I place my hand on his chest just in case he gets a wild hair up his ass to make a mistake that will cost us too much. “I’m not sure what your agenda is, Beta boy, but that girl’s been ours since long before you came into the picture.”

Rather than look worried or afraid, he grins and a dimple appears in his cheek. His hands slide into the front pockets of his slim navy dress pants, the light gray v-neck stretching taut across his chest.

“Really? Because I didn’t get that impression.”

“You’re seriously going to challenge us right now?” Raff murmurs dangerously.

“I’ll challenge you until I hear Elliott tell me I don’t stand a fucking chance. Until then, she’s fair game, boys. Good luck. You’re going to need it.”

With that, he turns and walks inside, closing the door behind him.

For a second, I stare after him, a little shocked a Beta had the balls to stand up to our big hulking brute of a packmate, but also really fucking turned on.

Running my hand through my hair, I look over at Nixon, then Rafferty. “Well, that went swimmingly.”

“Fuck,” Nix curses, dragging his hands down his face. “That woman gets under my skin in zero seconds flat, and I can’t control my reaction. The harder she challenges me, the more I want to fuck that smugness right off her beautiful fucking face.”

“Ditto, brother.” Raff picks up his glass of whiskey and shoots it back. “That Beta’s going to be a problem.”

I grimace. “So are all the other men she finds to help with her research .”

“What do we do?” Nixon asks.

For a moment, we’re silent, each of us considering the options and all the ways this could play out. I don’t want to see her hanging off another man’s arm any more than the other guys, but part of me thinks it might be the only way to prove to the stubborn Omega that no one else gets her like we do. No one else can care for her the way we can. Not even the Beta.

“I think we give her twenty-four hours. Max forty-eight. Let her see what she’s up against and how ineffective this entire plan is. Then we swoop in, the white knights ready to rescue their damsel in distress and help her achieve her goals.”

Raff chuckles. “I dare you to call her that to her face.”

“Seconded,” Nix quips.

“Fuck you both.” They laugh, but it doesn’t last once the reality of the situation drops down on us again. “Are we in agreement? Let her test out these scenarios until she realizes the futility of her plan? Then she’ll have no choice but to come running to us for help.”

“And if she runs to the Beta instead?” Raff asks.

“We cross that bridge when we come to it.” Nixon puts his arm out, hand flat in the air. “I’m in.”

Raff heaves a dramatic sigh, but he stretches his arm out until his palm touches the back of Nixon’s hand. “Fine. But I still say this is a horrible fucking idea.”

My hand lands on top of theirs. “I’m in. This is our chance, brothers. We can’t blow it.”

We all nod, and the tension starts to ease now that we have a plan. Whether we’ll actually be able to sit back and watch her make googly eyes at some dumbass without wanting to bash his face in remains to be seen.