Page 27 of Pack Apollo

"Well, let's get a move on before Roz ends up having to wait a long time on us," Brent says.

"Not like he hasn't made us wait forever on him before," Palmer says, rolling his eyes.

"Weren't you ever taught that two wrongs don't make oneright?" I chastise him lightly.

Brent chuckles as he rolls off to the side of the bed, and I catch that dimple on Cordell's cheek with his grin as he says, "You're never going to get away with anything again, man."

"Besides, weren't you starving five seconds ago?" I ask, rolling off the opposite side of the bed. Almost straight into Palmer's arms where he's perched. For a moment his eyes do a double take once the robe opens and exposes skin all the way up to my hip. One look and I know for a fact that he'd forget all about food and take me right here in Brent's bed in front of him and Cordell. I wouldn't be able to stop myself from perfuming if I tried. My honeysuckle seems to intertwine itself between all of the threads of their scents, combining it into something that makes my head spin.

Cordell stiffens at the door and stands up straight from his leaning posture as his nostrils flare a tiny bit. I hear more than see Brent as he takes a deep breath before grinding out, "You should go get dressed, love."

Once I'm behind the closed door of the bathroom, I can breathe right. Pressing my forehead against the door to cool it off, I can hear Brent fussing at Palmer quietly, telling him not to start things we can't finish right now. Then, I hear several sets of footsteps recede and the room goes silent. I'm not sure if he's saying that because we're on a time crunch to meet Roz or because he thinks I'm not open to it. Either way, I'm glad he had the wits about himself to pull us out of the stupor. The last thing I want to do is ruin Roz's big night.

The guys were right, saying I wouldn't need to dress any kind of fancy for their restaurant choice. Palmer drives Brent and me to one of the hangouts I've heard some of the other students talking about going to over the weekend. Apparently, rumors are true, there are theme nights and it's completely random, so you don't ever know what night you're getting. I'veheard of trivia, karaoke, and pay per view fight nights. Honestly, I'd love to come to one of the latter. I bet the atmosphere is completely unmatched.

"Here's a sweatshirt in case you get cold," Brent says, handing me a soft, grey sweatshirt smelling of fruit cereal as we step out of the car. I have to fight the urge to bring it to my nose to smell it.

After reading the stuff from the center, I can't help but ask, "Is this really for the cold or are you hoping I'll wear your scent?"

His cheeks turn pink as Palmer snickers and mutters, "Busted."

"Would it be okay if it were both?" Brent asks.

My answer is to pull the material over my head before sliding the sleeves up to rest on my forearms. It's a little big, because, let's face it, Brent is a big dude, but I like it. It's comfy and smells like him. A smile lights his face, and I reach up on my toes to give him a quick kiss.

Palmer walks a little ways in front of us and holds the door open as we walk inside. I don't know where I'm going, but they do. I follow along as they lead us to a table set somewhat away from all the others in the room. Roz is already seated with a drink in front of him and gives us a short wave. He doesn't seem as upset to see me tonight as he was the other day, which may or may not have something to do with Brent's sweatshirt that his eyes keep dropping to.

Palmer and Brent take seats next to each other on one side of Roz, leaving the other one open. Not one to be rude, I take it.

"And, how is Ms. Bardot this evening?" he asks, using Brent's name for me. Oddly enough, I can't choose which one says it better. Brent’s comes off as more of a light tease whereas Roz's tone makes me want to do bad things with him.

"I'm good," I tell him, burying those feelings down to deal with later. "I think I fell in love with your bathroom, though."

He smiles, and I have to say, it's glorious. I blame it for the next words to pop out of my mouth. "You should do it more often."

Brent and Palmer burst out laughing, making it turn into a grin.

"Are you always in a good mood when you win cases?" I ask curiously.

He takes a sip of his drink and nods, "Yes. Especially when it's a case that I've been working on almost every day for months now. It was a big win for me and for my firm. Now, we need to get you some drinks."

Holding a couple fingers in the air, he signals for the waitress to come over for our orders. Cordell and Jake make it just as she's about to walk away and get theirs in last minute.

It’s rowdy in here tonight and loud, too. We caught karaoke night, so people are drinking a few rounds before getting up to sing some of the most random songs off key. Only a few of them didn’t sound like cats fighting outside. Then again, I guess that’s what the liquid courage is for. Better them than me, though. The way I could get up on a bar and dance until my legs gave out, but I refuse to sing. Especially in front of a crowd of this many people.

Brent raises his glass, “I propose a toast. To all of the hard work Roz has put into his case these long months and it paying off.”

“Here, here,” Palmer agrees loudly, clapping a hand on the table with his drink raised in the other.

“And,” Cordell adds, “To Pack Apollo for it’s offical courtship of Billie Bardot.”

He catches me completely by surprise and my smile drops instantly. This is a night to celebrate Roz, not infuriate the alpha.Color me surprised again when he raises his glass and doesn’t appear the least bit vexxed. Palmer beams at me from across the table, as does Brent. Jake is the only one with his glass raised but looking at the table. He doesn’t look angry, but he doesn’t look happy, either.

“Cheers,” Roz says before tipping his glass back.

After much food and many drinks later, Palmer and I are the designated drivers of the night since neither of us were drinking. I haven’t been behind the wheel of a car in a couple months, and I’ve never driven anything as pristine as Cordell’s sleek, expensive car, but he, Jake, and I all make it to their house without so much as a scratch on it.

When we get there, they all part ways, calling out good night in one way or another. Both Cordell and Brent coming over to kiss my cheeks.

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