Page 69 of Pack Me Up
I look up at the ceiling, Brittney’s heartbeat echoing against my own, and I could get used to this.
I belong here.
I run a hand through Brittney’s hair, tucking the wet strands behind her ear, and she sighs, soft and content. Cody kisses the back of her neck, his breath warm and steady. We’re a mess, all of us, but we’re a mess together.
We’re still locked together when the high starts to fade. Not just me and Cody, but all three of us. There’s no space between our bodies. Brittney’s skin is glued to mine by sweat, her hair tangled over my face, Cody’s breath stirring the back of her neck in a slow, even rhythm. I can feel her heartbeat: fast at first, wild as a bird, then slowing, like she’s drifting on some distant current back toward herself.
Somewhere at the edge of the room, I hear the others.
My knot is a living thing, pulsing inside her, holding us together. I feel every clench, every flutter.
Brittney shudders and lets out a long, shaky breath. She’s gone boneless, melting down my torso, but her fingers are still clenched around my wrist. I stroke her hair, slow and careful, and purr a little under my breath. It’s a soothing vibration. It works, I think.
“Breathe,” I murmur, lips brushing her temple. “Just breathe.”
She makes a sound that’s half-laugh, half-moan. “Can’t. Too full.”
Those are the first coherent words she’s spoken since her mini heat started.
Cody snorts behind her, but doesn’t say anything. He’s knotted, too, locked in as deep as I am, and the look on his faceis pure bliss. His hand covers Brittney’s lower back, holding her steady. There’s a red bloom of nail marks on her hip, a perfect mirror of my own grip.
We stay like that for a long time, three bodies fused together in the dark.
Eventually, Brittney’s breathing evens out. The flush fades from her cheeks. Her eyes go from glazed to glassy to, finally, clear. She blinks, dazed, and looks down at me.
“Hi,” she says, voice raw.
“Hey,” I answer.
She lifts her head, glances over her shoulder at Cody, then back at me. “That was… a lot.”
Cody grins, teeth white in the candlelight. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
Brittney buries her face in my chest, embarrassed. “Shut up. I’m gonna die.”
I hold her tighter, laughing. “Not today, hazel. You did amazing.”
Her scent changes, becoming less desperate and more normal. The wild, feral note of heat is still there, but now it’s threaded through with something else. Something softer. It makes me want to lick her from head to toe and scent mark her all over again, but the knot keeps me in check. It’s like the universe knows I’d lose all self-control if I could move.
Saint’s voice cuts through the quiet.
“Do you still want to bond before your heat ends?”
His tone is gentle, not a command. His eyes are softer than I’ve ever seen them. They’re still watchful but also full of something like pride.
Brittney stiffens, just a little. Then she nods, a tiny, sure motion. “Yes,” she says, and her voice doesn’t shake. “If you five want that, too.”
She twists in my lap, as much as the knots will allow, and exposes the smooth, unmarked side of her neck to me.
“You first, Hunter,” she says. “If you want.”
If? Like there’s any doubt.
I go lightheaded for a second, dizzy with the rush of possessiveness and gratitude and something I’ve never had in my life before, being chosen first.
I glance at Cody, just to be sure. He shrugs, all cool, but I can see the heat in his eyes. “You heard her,” he says. “Don’t mess it up.”
My teeth are already lengthening, the bite reflex ready. I pull Brittney closer, nose in her hair, and find the perfect spot just below her ear. Her pulse flutters. She smells like trust.
