Page 54 of The Packaged Deal
Jade
Ishouldn’t be this gleeful to watch my soon-to-be pack staring in horror at the romantic treat Adrian and I left them. Kandi reaches out for a post-it with her name on it, and her cheeks darken in the candlelight.
Ha. Gotcha, my sexy beta.
Sven snatches several up, reading them, but his face is impassive. No emotion shows as he reads one after the other.
Kandi reaches out and runs her fingers through the rose petals. The contrast between the two of them is night and day. Kandi is melting at the romance, the gesture, while Sven could be walking through a carpark.
“Great idea with the cameras. You’re right, we definitely needed to see it.” I shovel a handful of lightly buttered popcorn into my mouth and offer the bowl to Adrian. He glances down when it touches his arm but looks up at the screen without saying a word. It’s okay, we’re a work in progress. He’s not flinching at my touch anymore, and when I throw myself into his arms, he catches me.
He’s thawing. See, progress.
I can’t deny the tiny brief spikes of hurt, like the one that’s twinging with Sven’s lack of reaction, but I’m determined. You don’t meet your scent matches every day. So, mine are a little messed up, that’s okay, I’m a little messed up, too. This is going to work!
I lean into the alpha beside me, discreetly inhaling his scent. It’s like my favourite scent in the world. It brings a sense of calm and safety to my manic mind. I love the smell of water, especially rain.
Kandi follows the trail of notes, collecting hers with chuckles or a huge grin, but eventually, she opens the door of the room we’re sitting in and leans against it.
“Well, that was an interesting way to end a day.”
“I was going to get Adrian in a pretty thong and corset, but I didn’t think it’d go down well with Sven.” I snicker.
Kandi glances at Adrian. “I don’t know. I think he might have enjoyed it.”
My nostrils flare at the heat in her tone. She tilts her hips sideways, towards the door, and I find my gaze glued there. What does a woman taste like? What sounds would she make if I buried my face between her legs and took her clit in my lips?
“Earth to Jade? Come back, Jade.”
I blink and find both of them staring at me. “Oops. Sorry.” I feel exactly zero shame.
Kandi seems to know it, too. “I can see you’ve got Adrian wrapped around your little finger, so I’m going to be the bad guy here. You both need to march your sexy behinds out there and face Sven.”
I look at the screen, weighing whether I want to do that or not. “He looks mad.”
“Yeah, he probably is, but you still need to go and face him. I’m not doing it.”
I fold my arms over my chest and lean back in the chair, trying to get a read on how serious she is. “No. We made you a present. We get to enjoy it.”
Kandi covers her eyes, and I decide she’s either laughing or fighting back a scowl, either way, for some reason, she doesn’t want us to see it.
Adrian abruptly stands up. “I’ll go-”
“Don't you dare. If anyone’s going, I’ll go. I’m not scared of him.” I exhale and stand up. “I will sacrifice myself on the altar of love.”
“I’m not scared of Sven-” Adrian says in amusement.
“He’s just a big pussy cat-”
“He’s not at all. You’re so wrong,” Kandi says.
“It will be fine,” I say bravely and march towards the door. “Wish me luck.”
Adrian and Kandi stare at me as I leave. I can feel their gazes and have to hide my smile. It’s fun shaking these guys up.
I find Sven in the bedroom. He’s holding a stack of post-it’s, and he’s sitting on the bed. He looks devastated.
“This is not the reaction I was expecting,” I point out.