Page 111 of Ember

“Keep doing that, and I’ll find a place to drag you off to.”

He gave me a heated look. “Who says I don’t already have a supply closet in mind?”

I was very tempted, but public sex did nothing for me. Too…exposed. I squinted at him. “Go back to work, alpha. You’re distracting me from my own job.”

“Fair enough, my amor.” He stood up and leaned over, his tropical scent invading me. He pressed his mouth against mine, and for a moment I lost myself into the kiss.

It wasn’t just about lust or desire. I needed his mouth; I couldn’t picture not being able to touch him like this. His mouth was soft, and he tasted a little salty, and I lost myself in the feel of him.

I could do this forever, I thought. I feathered my fingers over his cheek, touching the smooth skin. Knowing he would never hurt me, never a lay a hand on me in anger. I wasn’t afraid of him or of any potential future where he would use his words or body to hurt me like so many alphas had.

I trusted him. I froze, and he sealed the kiss. I made a small noise. I didn’t want him to stop and leaned forward enough that he returned the kiss.

We kissed until I was out of breath, and then I leaned my forehead against him. It felt like a miracle to trust this man, to trust anyone but Ember and her family.

Maybe if I could trust him, bonding was on the table. Someday, in the future.

I rubbed my cheek against his. “Go back to work. Bring me snacks later,” I said, my voice hoarse.

“Anything,” he said. The romantic bastard used a tone of voice that made it clear he wasn’t just talking about food.

I sighed. “Me too. I…love you too.”

There. Some feelings. He deserved as much.

His face lit up and he kissed me again. “I love you too. You’re making it very hard to go back to work.”

“Pretty sure Logan is going to come looking for you in a minute,” I said, still rubbing my cheek on his shoulder.

“You want to make that bet?” He gave me a saucy grin.

I shook my head. “My boss will have my head if I don’t finish this. Or, worse, make me come into the office more.”

“All right, all right.” He stepped back, dragging his hand down my arm. “I’ll return to work and check on you later.”

True to his word, he let me work in peace. The conference room was small, and with the door shut I didn’t hear the sounds of the restaurant as much. Alejandro brought me a steady supply of drinks and food and then went back to work.

It was a nice day, and my instincts settled. I could see myself going between Cosmic Bonds and the restaurant until I got used to the house. Maybe I could even crash the studio, I pondered.

It took until later in the night, after we were all tangled in one another’s arms in Rian’s nest, for me to realize that I was searching for my place in the pack, for who I was when I was around them. I knew who I was around Ember, but the other men were question marks.

Slowly, I was carving out a place with them, forging connections that Ember brought to me but didn’t require her presence.

It was sort of nice, as strange as it was.

Chapter 43

Rian

Icame home early, my head filled with half songs and tracks for the album we were recording.

I’d expected to be alone, but when I walked into the living room, Alejandro was there. The coffee table looked like a paper explosion, with lists and menus scattered everywhere.

“This is a nice surprise.” I tossed my laptop onto the armchair. “Did you get free from work early?”

“I did,” he said. He was still wearing his work clothes, so a soft T-shirt with black-and-white checkered pants. He looked yummy in them, and I didn’t bother resisting the urge. I walked straight over to his chair and climbed into his lap.

“Hi.” He grinned. “I had overtime, so the boss took pity on me and let me go.”

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