Page 28 of Pack Giroux

One twin leads me downstairs to the other waiting at the car just as he said he'd be. We pile into Kinkaid's SUV with me sitting between them in the back.

Kinkaid turns in his seat and opens his mouth to say something but catches sight of my legs and has a complete brain fry moment like Grady upstairs. I'm chuckling behind my hand as his heated gaze lifts to mine.

"Hi, I'm Kinkaid," he says, having to clear his voice. "I'll be your driver for this evening. Where are we headed?"

The twin at my left answers, directing him to a restaurant downtown. The name sounds familiar, but I can't remember why. Doesn't matter, though, because as humorous as I've found his and Grady's reaction to my legs, I seem to be having the same one to the scents surrounding me in the tightly fitted backseat. Not only is Kinkaid's allspice hitting me like a ton of bricks, but the twins smell like freaking pie.

Emerson has more of a citrusy lemon tart smell to him. Whereas Jameson is all sweet, blueberry. Both smelling good enough to eat. Throw in Kinkaid's allspice and I feel like I'm standing in the kitchen cooking the pies myself and waiting for them to come out of the oven to eat. I wonder for a second what it'd be like with all five of them in here. Throw in sunshine and warm vanilla to the mix, and I might very well pass out from it.

I try to keep my limbs to myself not touching them, because I'm not sure I can trust myself at the moment to not lose my mind. As we pull up to the restaurant, I realize where I've heard the name.

"This is your normal place," I tell Kinkaid, leaning forward into his space.

He flicks his eyes over to me and then down to where the v on my dress is showing an ample amount of cleavage and back up again. I swallow hard, wanting more than ever to kiss him,but I don't want to do that to the twins since this is their date. My gaze holds a promise for later and he grins wider.

As we step out at the curb, the twin claiming to be Jameson helps me out of the car and offers his elbow again. The pretend Emerson moves to my other side and that's how we walk into the restaurant. If the ritziness of the decor didn't speak volumes for this place, the clientele certainly would. It seems like every single woman is dripping in diamonds and every single man knows the twins. They don't stop us, but offer a nod or wave in our direction.

We make it to our table and fake Emerson pulls out my chair for me. When we sit, I'm offered the menu. As I open it, I realize that it's all in French. A small fact that reminds me that everyone in here likely went to private boarding schools to learn the language as I was being raised on a mutated form of God. I was fine with the stares as we walked in, but I can't take them now, wondering if they know that I'm playing pretend as much as the alphas sitting with me.

Setting the menu down, I stand, quietly telling them, "I have to go to the restroom."

"Down the hall and to the left," one of them tells me. Since my chest feels constricted, I can't even bother to tell which one of them says it.

Casually walking in the direction they point me, I try my best not to run and draw more attention to myself. As soon as I'm inside one of the private bathroom stalls, I pull my phone out of my small purse that I was thoughtful enough to bring.

Kinkaid answers on the second ring. "The twins boring you that much already that you need me to come rescue you?"

For a moment I can't breathe, and it's long enough that he worries, his tone changing. "Marnie, love. What's wrong?"

"I can't read the menu," I squeak out. "What am I doing here, Kinkaid?"

I can tell he's smiling on the other end. "Nobody can read that menu, love. Well, maybe some can, but most just guess and get surprised when duck or something worse lands on their table."

"There's duck?" I ask with another squeak. "I don't want to eat a duck."

He chuckles lightly. "Just tell the twins to order you what they're having. Neither of them like the weird stuff. Also, if it makes you feel better, they can't read the menu either."

I laugh with him as my panic calms. "Thank you."

"Anytime," he says, pausing before adding. "And Marnie?"

"Hmm?" I reply.

"You're there because two of your potential pack wanted to do something nice with you for an evening," he says. "Nothing and no one matters other than that."

"Even if I don't fit in?" I ask softly.

"You do fit it," he says, matching my tone. "You fit right in the middle of us where you're meant to be."

I stare up at the light to keep from crying. Thanking him again, I hang up before the tears start flowing. Stepping out to the sink, I fan my cheeks to try to get the redness to go away.

"I'd be fanning myself, too, if I was here with the Slade twins," a woman in a bright-red dress says coming out of one of the other private stalls. She runs a finger across her lips that are the same shade as her dress. I don't know what her intent is by talking to me but I don't give her the pleasure. I give her a half smile and walk back out to our table.

"You okay?" pretend Jameson asks.

I nod and ask him to order me what they’re having just as Kinkaid told me to. Fake Emerson narrows his eyes at me. He doesn't realize that he gives everything away in every facial expression.

While we wait on our food, we talk about their lives. How they have rich parents who traveled so much that they were never home. And how they met Kinkaid first in the pack when he was working at a restaurant in New York. Then Kinkaid's work brought him out here where they followed and came across Raine and Grady. The five of them have been inseparable ever since. We talk about them all the way through dinner, then the conversation takes a sharp U turn.

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