Page 82 of Feeling the Heat: Part Two
“Oh, I’m fine! Great, really. I just wish Jackson were here.”
“Me too,” both alphas say at the same time, and with the same amount of wistfulness.
I sit up a bit to get a better look at them. “You do?”
“Well, yeah, he’s part of the pack. And it would make you happy.” There’s something guarded about River’s tone.
“It wouldn’t make you happy, too?” I ask.
To my surprise, River’s cheeks flood with color.
“Sorry, if this is a sore subject, I’ll drop it.”
Ambrose shakes his head. “Not a sore subject. A tricky one. But trust me, everyone here likes the thought of Jackson being in bed with us, too.”
River’s brows knit together slightly. “Everyone?”
The older alpha sighs, and there’s a silent exchange between them that ends with River’s eyes widening. “Really?”
“Yeah. When you were gone, some things…changed.”
“Changed how?” River asks, eyes going even wider.
Sitting between them as they have this strange half conversation, I feel like I’m intruding on their relationship. “Do you need a moment to talk? I can go, uh, grab some water or something.”
“No.” River’s voice is adamant.
Ambrose shoots him a chastizing look. “If you’re uncomfortable, we can talk about this another time. But you absolutely shouldn’t go anywhere right now.”
“Are you sure?” I’m very curious but it still seems like something I’m not a part of.
River nods.
Ambrose smiles and gives me a soft kiss. “Absolutely. We’re courting you. The goal is for you to be a part of our pack, which means you should know what’s going on.”
“And what exactlyisgoing on?” River prompts. He’s sat up now, his shoulders creeping up with tension.
“I’m attracted to Jackson,” Ambrose says, the statement matter-of-fact. “There’s a connection there that I never considered, and it’s not anything I need to pursue unless he’s also interested.”
My stomach flips and I have to swallow down my reaction. I know for a fact he’s interested because he told me, but I can’t betray his confidence. Butoh my god, I want to squeal. My omega is obsessed with the thought of their relationship deepening. She wants everyone to be connected as much as possible so our pack will be strong, and to her that means all of these men being as obsessed with each other as they are with me.
Or maybe that’s just a me thing, because media often shows omegas as jealous if they’re not the center of attention. But tonight has proven my omega is more than happy with sitting back and basking in them being connected on such a primal level.
“Do you…” River shakes his head and starts again. “He won’t be interested.”
Ambrose scoffs. “You haven’t been here. How would you know?”
“Because he’s straight!”
“People change. They discover things about themselves over time. The Jackson you met in college who was desperately trying to be as tough as an alpha and wouldn’t have let himself even consider the possibility of being with another man or an alpha, isn’t the same Jackson now. And even if he has no interest, you’ll never know unless you ask.”
Unlessyouask. Not unlessIask.
Does that mean…
“I can’t,” River protests, his expression pained.
Ambrose shakes his head. “You can. Or if you don’t want to, I can. But it’s going to come up, eventually.”
