Page 85 of Feeling the Heat: Part Two
“I’m here to do this,” he says, stroking my hair as I scent mark him, uncaring about anyone walking by. “And to take you somewhere.”
I pull back reluctantly. “Take me somewhere? Where?” I love that he’s here, but I’m still worn out from the interview and the last thing I want to do is go somewhere fancy for lunch where it’s not polite to cling to your beta the whole time.
“It’s a surprise.” Jackson chuckles when my nose wrinkles. “Nothing stressful, I promise. The opposite, I hope.”
I trust him, but I’m tired and cranky so it’s difficult to wipe the frown off my face. “Alright. But if I don’t like it, will you take me home?”
Jackson leans down to kiss me, on the lips this time, soft and sweet and a stark contrast to the heat in his subsequent words. “Cami, I’ll do whatever you ask of me. Don’t you know I’m at my omega’s command?”
I shake my head at him as he steps back. “Quit flirting with me.”
He beams back at me. “Never.” Jackson threads his fingers through mine and leads me out of the office building toward where his motorcycle is parkedin a fire lane.
I frown at the sight. “Why didn’t you use the garage? You could’ve gotten a ticket.”
“Nah, I bribed building security to keep an eye out for me.”
“So you could save a whole what, five minutes max?” I didn’t realize how lazy a man who works out like it’s his second job could be.
He hands me the fancy helmet he got for me, making my stomach do a ridiculous little flip, then slides his on. “Someonewas determined to walk home on her own and I didn’t want to risk not getting to her before she left. You have impeccable timing, you know that?”
“I would’ve been okay,” I grumble, but my omega practically turns into a puddle at Jackson’s determination to keep me safe.
“I know you would’ve. But I also didn’t want the guys to get mad if you were gone by the time I got there to pick you up and therefore ruined the surprise.”
“Wait, it’s not just a surprise with you?” I wrap my arms around him, gripping tightly because I’m still a little nervous about riding on his motorcycle.
“Nope.”
“Are you going to give me any kind of hint where we’re going?”
He laughs. “Nope.”
It’s hard to be frustrated by the mystery when I’m holding onto him and focusing on not falling off the motorcycle. He’s cautious and takes things slow, knowing that I’m still nervous about the bike, and I’m finally getting into it when he pulls into a lot in a part of the city I’m unfamiliar with.
Cherry blossoms are in full bloom, lining a walkway from the parking lot. I try to spot a sign for what this place is, but there’s nothing. “Not abandoned pharmacy this time?” I tease.
“As much as I thoroughly enjoyed our time there, I doubt your alphas would condone more picnic bench fisting.”
My cheeks flame at his casual mention of what we did, but I snort. “Damn. I want to go home, then.”
His laugh is as warm and bright as the afternoon sun. “I’ll see if I can change their minds. There aren’t any broken down benches, but we do have a picnic blanket.” He leads me down the tree-lined path, which opens up into a small, adorably picturesque park tucked away between buildings. In the center of the grassy lawn is the rest of the pack, Dolly included.
My heart swells as we get closer and Dolly wriggles free from River, bounding up to us on her wheels, her ears flopping as she lets out a bark of joy. I crouch to greet her and she manages to lick me right on the corner of my mouth before Jackson scoops her up. I giggle and wave over to River and Ambrose, who have set up a veritable feast of a picnic on a giant pink blanket. Everything has been artfully arranged, and it’s so thoughtful that tears well in my eyes.
“Still set on the fisting?” Jackson murmurs, and I let out a startled burst of laughter.
I sigh. “I guess this is acceptable.”
It’s more than acceptable. This is the sweetest surprise I’ve ever gotten. Emotion swells inside me, these amazing men washing away the stress of the day to leave me with only gratitude and something I’ve been scared to put a name on with anyone but Jackson.
Love.
33
Camille’s heatwill be here soon. We barely made it through our picnic before she crawled into my lap and begged us to knot her right there in the park. If it hadn’t been out in the open, and there wasn’t a rowdy little dog wanting to get in the middle of things, we would’ve happily obliged. Despite what horny heat spike Camille demands, she’d have hated us for subjecting her to the possibility of being spotted and creating even more hubbub around her on social media.
Her heat is coming, and I hate that it’s taking away her choices. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled that she’s living with us, and the prospect of helping her through another heat now that we’re all together has my alpha already halfway into a rut. But Camille’s omega has been holding the reins for months, and I wish we had more time for her to relax into her new designation without the pressures of a looming heat.
