Page 100 of Pack Owned
“Maybe he’s fucking his wife? Who knows but wearing out a hole in my carpet isn’t going to solve anything.” Liam reaches out, pulling me onto his lap. He tucks my hair behind my ear, then holding onto the side of my neck, pulls me to his mouth, kissing me until I sag against him. “Better?”
“Yeah,” I murmur against his lips.
His fingers slide under the hem of my shirt, leaving a trail of warmth and electricity as they trace over my skin. I shiver, rocking my hips back and forth, feeling the friction of his erection in his pants straining to reach me. His tongue circles with mine and he growls in appreciation, making my underwear slick.
“Fuck! Mother fucker!” Dane booms from downstairs and it’s as though someone has poured ice-cold water on me. A second later, Liam’s phone buzzes so hard it slides off the console.
Liam sighs against my mouth. “Guess we’ll go see what’s going on.”
Quickly, I hop off Liam and straighten my shirt. Together, we head downstairs.
Ryker is already there and he gives me a grim look that has my stomach tightening.
Dane sees us and his brows pinch. “There’s a hang-up. Charlie’s out of the country in Guam. That’s why it took most of the day before he got back with me.”
“So?” Liam shrugs. “We fly to Guam.”
“And let every Alpha in the airport and on the plane see and smell her? Fuck no.” Ryker shakes his head.
“You’re rich. Throw money at a private jet.” Liam picks up an orange, offering it to me and when I shake my head no, he starts peeling it for himself.
“It’s not that simple.” Dane rakes a hand through his cropped, dark hair. “He’s there on business. The place is crawling with Nexus head honchos from all over the fucking world for conferences that he can’t skip. Going to be Tuesday before he’s done and back.”
“Shit.” My knees threaten to buckle and I sit at the kitchen table to keep from falling down. “That’s five days from now.”
“Hey, it’s okay,” Liam peels off another piece of the orange’s skin. “We just lay low here and wait it out. Then hop over to Charlie and get the paperwork done. Simple.”
“Liam’s right.” Ryker strides over, kneeling in front of me and taking my hands in his. “It’s just a few more days.”
Might as well be an eternity because it’s like I can’t catch a freaking break. But I let out a breath and nod. “Okay.” And with Nexus watching the house, we need to be extra careful.
CHAPTER 32
KAYLA
Three whole days and I’m going stir-crazy. Wasn’t a problem before being stuck in Ryker’s mansion, but now knowing that we’re so close to getting Nexus off our asses and being free, it’s tangling me up inside. And I don’t even want to take a chance by wearing helmets and going out with Ryker on his bike. It’s too risky and even when we thought we were alone, that old man caught us.
I want to finish the romance novel I started days ago and head to the library. Finding it on the couch inside, I sit down and start to read. But something’s off, it’s not comfortable.
Grabbling the pillows, I haul them over closer to the shelves, where the scent of musty books fills me. I lean against the pillows except it’s not quite right either. Maybe it’s cause I know I’ll finish this book in less than an hour.
I stand up and search the shelves. My fingers glide over the spines of romance novels and I think about how Ryker buys these in honor of his sister and my heart squeezes in my chest.
Choosing four novels, I haul the stack of books to the pillows, leaning against them, trying to get comfortable, but it’s not working
Must be my anxiety about the registration with Charlie, the uncertainty of it all. It’s enough to drive anyone crazy.
“Damn it,” I mutter and bolt out of the room. Down the hall, in my own space, I snatch the tube of pink lipstick from the vanity—a new favorite that makes me feel like less of a mess.
How Dane bought every pink shade in the grocery store for me when they didn’t have mine.
Swiping it across my lips, I relish the smooth glide and the faint berry scent.
Back in the library, lipstick in tow, the silence is louder than ever. I survey my little construction—pillows, books, but it’s still not right. It’s missing the warmth, the presence of...them. My alphas. There’s no escaping the fact that the ache I feel isn’t just about Charlie or the damn registration. It’s deeper, primal.
“Get it together, Kayla,” I scold myself, though the tremble in my voice betrays the sternness I’m aiming for. I eye the empty spaces where more pillows should be, where their scents should mingle with mine, creating a cocoon that speaks of home and safety. And heat—my impending heat—that threatens to sweep me away like a riptide.
I shake off the thought, focusing on what I can control. One by one, I grab more pillows, hauling them back to the library with a sort of desperate determination. Each addition is another layer between me and the chaos waiting outside these walls.
