Page 24 of Knotty Escape
“Oh,” my voice trembles, and I swallow thickly as he ushers me into what must be his room based on the scent of balsam and cedar, shutting the door behind us.
“Relax, beautiful. I’m not going to strip you naked and ravish you. Yet.” My eyes go wide, and he heads for a wooden dresser across the room. His room is styled with a low-sitting king bed, with the teak-toned frame against the dark green of his walls. The black bedding looks slept in, and the needy part of me wants to crawl into the space and leave my own scent behind. “Unless you want me to, of course,” the wink Wes sends me over his shoulder makes me giggle despite my nerves. “I’m just teasing you. Here, so you’re more comfortable.” He hands me a neatly folded pair of sweatpants, which forces me to release my death grip on my purse.
“Oh, thank you.” Omega instincts can be so annoying. Because why the fuck does his offer of comfy pants make me want to leap into his arms and snuggle against his chest? Or lick it. Either sounds good. Both sounds best.
“Let's go steal you a few more items, hmm?” Wes nods his head toward the door, and I follow close behind him, lifting the pants to my nose and taking a deep breath. They smell like him, and I release a very needy omega whine. “I don’t wash them if I only wore them once,” he says, like he knows I was just sniffing them. I jerk them away from my face, but smile at the thought that he’s worn these already, and that's why he chose them for me.
“They were folded in your drawer, though?”
“Well, I don’t just leave them lying around if I’m going to wear them again,” he snorts as he pushes through Harrison’s door. The room is just as I remember from the other night, withwhite walls and just large enough for a king bed with a side table. The navy bedding still seems to hold traces of my scent, making the needy part of me that wants to claim these alphas, content. “Harrison has some nice hoodies that I’m sure you’ll like,” the alpha says as he pulls open his packmate's closet door. “Let's see, how about this light blue one?”
“Okay,” I agree, taking it from him. When we leave the room, I expect him to take me to River’s room next, but instead, we head into the living room.
I try really hard not to pout. River’s scent is missing from my collection of alpha clothes, and I feel silly for wanting more than they’re offering. I should be grateful for what Wes has just given me. I am. It’s just…incomplete.
“You can change in the bathroom,” Wes nods to the open door across from Harrison’s room, a sly sort of grin on his face that gives me pause. I shake it off and turn to make my way to the bathroom.
“Wait,” River barks, just three steps in, and I turn to face him. We stare at each other for a moment that feels significant for some reason. Then I watch as he tugs his shirt off over his head and holds it out for me. Like the greedy omega I am, I snatch it out of his grasp before he can change his mind.
“Thank you.”
“Knew he’d do that,” Wes chuckles, and River shoots him a glare.
“I’ll be right out,” I murmur and hustle into the bathroom, eager to be covered in their scents. I change out of my clothes and into the guys’ quickly, loving the feel of them against my skin. Once I’m changed, I take a quick picture and send Wendy a text.
Lila: I’ll be staying with Harrison and his pack for a few days.
Wendy: Oh shiiiiit, get it girl!
Lila: They offered to help me through my heat, and I accepted.
Wendy: Aw, I’m like a proud mama.
Lila: Would a mother be proud of this? Riding out a heat with a pack of alphas you barely know?
Wendy: Hmm. Well, my mother would just be happy that I’m happy. She wouldn’t want details though, unlike me.
Lila: Fair. I’ll text you after. Love you.
Wendy: Love you more.
I stuff my phone in my purse after filling out the HR form for emergency heat leave for my job. I almost forgot about that.
When I head into the living room, the guys are sitting on the L-shaped couches, so I take a seat beside Harrison.
“Do you have any board games?” I ask as I take my seat, not loving the silence in the room. Are they uncomfortable being themselves around me?
“Yeah!” Harrison practically lights up as he jumps off the couch, pulling me along with him. He tugs open a large cabinet and reveals their collection.
“We should play strip poker,” Wes teases as he joins us in our search for a game, and I snort.
“I was thinking something more wholesome,” I shrug. Not really, but I have no idea how to play poker, so I imagine I’d be naked very quickly. Something I’m sure I’ll be soon enough. Until then, I’d like to try to get to know the three of them a little better.
“I can turn any game into an excuse to take our clothes off,” Wes says with a wiggle of his brows, and I can’t help but laugh. “Oh, while I’m thinking about it, should we introduce her to the flamingo? She should meet her competition.” This earns Wes a punch to the arm from Harrison.
“Shut the fuck up, Westley,” Harrison grumbles, and I try really hard to hide the fact that I’m laughing too.
“Let's play this,” I shrug as I reach for a box.
