Page 21 of Ready or Knot
“Yeah, she wanted to make sure you’d asked us, too.”
Logan huffs. “Don’t see why I need your approval. You’re my pack mates, not my damn parents.”
I set down the tablet. “Asked us what?”
Carter turns in his seat, holding up his phone to show me the text.
Hey, Logan seemed really frazzled. Just wanted to double check he made sure it was ok with you that I stay at the hotel tonight.
I don’t want to intrude. It’s just that the dorm is empty and packed.
My eyebrows raise, and I attempt to rearrange my mind so that I can actually enjoy her presence tonight.
“Are there enough beds?” I ask when Carter turns back around.
Logan grunts. “You really think I would tell her she can stay if there wasn’t enough space? Good God, Jude. What has climbed up your ass the last week?”
“Same thing that’s climbed up yours,” I mutter, tilting my head and shutting my eyes. “You just handle it with excessive humor and extra workouts.”
“Don’t forget calling her in the middle of the day, too,” Carter says. A hard smack sounds from in front of me a moment before Carter curses. I shake my head and do my best to tune them out for the rest of the drive, focusing instead on the remembered sensations of Faedra’s soft skin and silky hair. Logan groans from the driver’s seat, but I ignore him, using the time to become excited for my Omega.
* * *
The sight of her knocks the breath from my lungs, and I can’t help but stand on the curb like a dumbass teenager, staring at her from across the patio. Her skin is aglow under the warm lights of the hotel, the oversized shirt she’s wearing falling off one shoulder, highlighting the curves of her collar bone and throat. Her freckles stand out against her pale skin, and her hair is pulled away from her face. She glances up as Carter closes his door and Logan chats with the valet. My chest clenches as she smiles, a carefree moment that radiates joy. Carter starts across the space, and I follow close behind, closing the distance between us as if we are magnets unerringly attracted to each other.
“Hey,” she says, shy, her cheeks darkening with a quick blush. I hold out my hand, a silent request for the garment bag folded over her arm, and she hands it over after a brief hesitation. Carter hesitates, eyebrows furrowed, and Logan steps up between us a few moments later, not pausing as he pulls Faedra into his arms.
“Hi, Red,” he murmurs, and Carter looks over at me, eyebrow raised.
What I wouldn’t give in this moment to be the outgoing man that Logan is.
She pulls away from him and turns to me, blushing again.
“How are you?” I ask in lieu of another greeting, offering my arms, and she moves into me without pause, settling her palms across my upper back and pressing her cheek against my chest. I can’t help but brush my lips across the crown of her head, and she relaxes further into me, her Omega nature responding to the physical touch.
“Tired,” she admits before pulling away. “I know we talked about going out. We still can if you want. Santa Monica is beautiful.”
Carter shakes his head. “Only if you want to, Faedra.”
Shaking her head, she steps into him, too, a rueful smile playing at her lips. He takes her bag from her as she pulls away, slinging it over his shoulder before grabbing the handle of his suitcase.
“Let’s get checked in and settled, then,” Logan offers, leading our group—pack—into the hotel.
* * *
“You’re sure you’re alright with me taking that entire half of the suite?” Faedra checks again, like she has the last three times since we settled on the sleeping arrangement.
An unspoken agreement between us guys means that we’re not bringing up knotting until she’s in Denver. And that means there’s no way I can sleep in the same room as her. Some men might have better control, but I don’t, and I’m honest about it. Logan and Carter seem to understand, too, because they adjust so that it doesn’t just look like me that has a problem with sharing a space with her.
Logan nods. “It’s fine, Red. One of us was going to end up sleeping out here anyway. Now Carter and Jude just get to relive their undergrad days. No big deal.”
She smiles, closing the door to the connected bedroom after setting her bag carefully on the ground just inside the threshold and turning off the light.
“Feel free to grab whatever from the minibar,” Carter says, coming back into the living space, running a hand through his hair. He’s swapped his business casual for a pair of grey sweats and a thin blue shirt that stretches across his chest. Faedra looks him over, her eyes skating over him twice before she clears her throat and grabs a lemonade from the small fridge.
It strikes me that she doesn’t scent despite her obvious attraction. Especially when she scented twice at the party strong enough for me to notice it, and that was in a room filled to the brim with people, diluting exponentially any reaction she gave. Logan tilts his head, glancing at me, and I raise my eyebrow in silent question. He shrugs and runs a hand through his hair.
Sitting next to me on the couch, she takes a deep breath and a long swallow from the drink. Logan settles on her other side, and she smiles. Carter grabs the small bottle of whiskey offered by the hotel for a small fortune and pours three tumblers, neat. As he hands one to me, Faedra breaks the silence.