Page 47 of A Pack of Honey
It's not until I'm fully smushed and content that I realize we're facing the side of the barn… which isn't the most glamorous view. Until…
The side of the barn lights up with the vintage gold Warner Brothers studio logo, and the melodic voice of Barbara Streisand singing “You're the Top”starts to play from speakers. I can’t help the squeal of delight that burst from me. Every man chuckles, and I feel them all relax against me as if they've been holding their breaths to see my reaction.
Cole squeezes me tighter while Hunt leans up and kisses the column of my throat he can reach, and Luca slides an arm around my middle. The antics of Barbara Streisand and Ryan O'Neal play across the screen. I giggle all the way through, eating popcorn and enjoying some commentary from the guys.
Jess decides he would have let Barbara's character fall from the hotel window ledge because "She deserved it for climbing out there."
Cole decides he would have dumped Ryan's wife character when he met Barbara because "It's clear they're mated."
When the end credits roll, Barbara sings the same song she came in on, but is now joined by Ryan's musical accompaniment. I'm full of happiness.
"Thank you guys so much for this. I love it."
"Anything for you, Pretty Girl," Luca says. And his voice sends a bolt straight to my core. I perfume, and everyone stiffens up again before Hunt slides a hand down my leg and around to my inner thigh. Cole growls in my ear, skimming his mouth along my throat before lightly nipping there.
I've had this idea ever since that day on the beach when they'd chased me all over the water. Then it was just playing, and the water kept my perfume masked, which kept the guys from going into a rut. But it's different here, with no water to keep my perfume in check. I've had dreams about chasing. Me, running through the private and secluded forest around my property. Them, chasing me in a state of rut. Slick coats my panties at the thought of those dreams, and from the low growls erupting around me, Everyone can tell.
"What are you thinking, Sunshine?" Jess asks, ever the direct one.
My omega wants to.
Iwant to.
"I'll show you," I say coily, extracting myself and pretending I might give them a strip tease. I can already feel the steel rod of Cole’s length pressing up against me before I stand. Looking back down at them, I see that everyone is in a similar state of arousal. Their alphas are all close to the surface.
"Whoever catches me first, gets to fuck me first."
And that's all the warning I give them before running into the tree line.
Sunny
Myheartthundersinmy ears in time with my pounding feet. I thought I'd gotten a good head start, but a roar from too close behind me tells me that I'm not going to get as far as I'd hope. Darkness makes everything around me hard to see, but with the light from the full moon and my knowledge of these woods, I make it through without getting turned around.
I swing behind a boulder that I used to play Queen of the Forest on top of as a child and crouch low. My legs burn, and my breaths come in ragged gasps. I cover my mouth to try to stifle the sounds, but I know I can't stay here for more than a moment. They can scent my sweat and perfume, and definitely my dripping slick.
I've never been more turned on than I am at this moment. Every nerve is on fire, and every brain cell is on high alert. I am acutely aware of each inch of my body, from my slick core to my pebbled nipples grazing against my shirt. I hear a twig snap and freeze. Slowly, I peer around the boulder. A dark, hulking shapestands in the distance, faintly illuminated by the moonlight cutting through the trees.
I carefully pry a rock from the soil before me and lob it far to my left. As soon as I hear the alpha move toward the rock, I begin loping in the opposite direction. I'm trying to be quiet and careful until a voice behind me makes me nearly jump out of my skin.
"Where are you going, Little One?" Cole's rumbling voice asks. If he can talk, he hasn't tipped into a rut yet. I glance at him, smile with all my teeth, and then run. And I really do try, but I don't hear pounding feet from Cole chasing me. I don't hear any feet before something large and solid knocks into me from the right. As we tumble to the ground, a big hand comes up to cover my head so that I don't bash it.
I look up expecting to see Cole but it’s Hunt. Even in deep rut, Hunt is so careful with me. Besides this subconscious protection, though, I see none of that caring when I look into his blown black pupils. They're so wide I can't see his honey-colored eyes. He growls in my face, his hard length pressing through his clothes and into my thigh. He grinds up into me, and I can't help but perfume.
"Hunt, back up," Cole's bark echoes across the trees.
Hunt snarls at him, but backs off of me. Propping myself up on my elbows, I look directly at Cole. His pupils are wide, but not like the others. His alpha is tugging on him, but he's holding on for his pack as the head of the dominant alpha.
"You say stop, and I'll make sure they stop," he says firmly.
I narrow my eyes. "You're not going to join them?" I glance at the noticeable bulge snaking its way down the thigh of his pants.
Cole reaches down and squeezes his length through his jeans. "Not today, Little One. Someone needs to stay conscious. Need to make sure we're all safe." As the dominant alpha, he ensuresthe pack’s safety, including in the first ruts. It's his driving instinct in this situation.
"If you want to stop, say so," he repeats. His voice is a light bark.
"Yes, alpha," I agree with a slight wink.
"Brat," he mutters.
