Megan’s face lights up, and she turns to watch her man’s approach — just as Lucas, suddenly on his feet, blocks his way. “Holy shit,” I whisper.
All three of us hold our breath at the alpha showdown unfolding before us. Cody’s shoulders go back and his eyes go dark at the challenge. I tense, afraid he’ll try to push his way past. That would not be pretty.
He’s watching Lucas’s face, and then his mouth moves and I’m pretty sure he’s saying “Who the fuck are you?” A few more seconds, and his eyes land on the three of us, warming when he looks at Megan. He lifts his chin toward her and says something else.
Lucas turns slightly and looks at us, and my heart stutters. He’s in uber-alpha “do not fuck with me” mode, and it is so. damn. hot. Megan wiggles her fingers at Cody, both in greeting and confirmation, and I wish I could do the same to my guy.
Mine. Is that really how I feel? Am I claiming the twins, the way they want to claim me? I can’t deny that watching Lucas protect me is powerfully pleasing.
He turns back to Cody, and after a few more moments of conversation, Lucas stands aside and Cody joins us. “Ladies,” he says, looking down at us. His hand rests on Megan’s shoulder, his thumb stroking idly as he looks to me and adds, “Everything okay?”
I shrug. “It will be.” I’m more interested in the fact that Cody’s doing PDA with Megan, no matter how subtly. Maybe the three of them really are going to go public.
“Do you want to stay at the ranch for a few days?” he asks.
“Thanks, Cody.” I smile at him, touched. “I think the guys have it under control, but you could mention it to Lucas if you want to give him a backup plan.”
“I’ll do that.” He gives Megan’s shoulder a squeeze. “What did you eat, MegaMommy?”
She blushes an adorable shade of pink, and Tara and I grin. The Beasts’ nicknames for her are so cute. “I had the tempura,” she says primly. “No raw fish.”
“Good girl,” he says, with a teasing gleam in his eye, and her blush gets deeper. Can you blame me for developing a twin fantasy? “Are you ready to go?”
“Yeah,” she says. “We just need to settle the check.”
Cody turns at her gesture to see that the waitress has come up on his other side and has been waiting patiently for us to get our act together. “I’ll get it,” he says over Tara’s and my protests, taking the little tray with our bill on it.
“Thanks, Cody,” we chorus, and he grins at us. A few minutes later, we’re all ready to go, my friends and I giving each other hugs until next time. Cody gets hugs, too, before he stops to talk with Lucas on our way out.
The men who were in the booth on my left go past us, and I know they’re moving ahead to scope everything out before Lucas and I reach the street. A few moments later, Lucas says to me, “Let’s go.”
His hand comes to the small of my back, as it always does when he’s guiding me somewhere. We move toward the door, and I look that way to see Cody holding it open for Megan and Tara. But he’s not looking at them; his eyes are on me and Lucas.
Then he’s gone, and I have the funny feeling that he knows exactly what’s up.
I get my confirmation the very next day, when Megan calls to invite me to dinner at the ranch. “Bring your men,” she says. “Both of them. The Beasts want to meet them.”
My heart skips a beat and not in a good way. “Megan … I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“You know if you say no my guys will just go looking for them,” she says. “They’re curious. At least this way it’ll be in a controlled environment.”
“Oh god.” I resist the urge to beat my head against the wall. “This has so much potential for disaster. Like Mad Max: Thunderdome without all the leather.”
“I’m sure I could find some biker outfits or something,” she teases.
“Shut up. I’m throwing things at you right now. You better be ducking.”
“Ouch,” she says with a laugh. “See you tomorrow.”
On the way home that night, I tell Alex about the invitation. He frowns, glancing at me before returning his attention to the road. “We can’t socialize with you on the job, Zoe.”
“I know. Believe me, I know. Technically you’d be there as my guards.”
“And why do we both need to be there?”
I consider trying to evade the question, but that would only make things worse. Taking a deep breath, I stare straight ahead. “Because Megan’s men want to meet you.”
22
Ache In My Heart
Zoe
The car swerves. Just for a millisecond, but I feel it. “Excuse me.” Alex’s voice has an edge. “Did you say her men?”
“Yes.”
A pause, then, “You’re going to have to explain that.”
Fuck. At least it’s just Alex; better than trying to tell both of them at once. “You guys follow football?”
“Sure.” He shoots me another quizzical glance, but plays along. “We were hardcore Leopards fans growing up. No real time for it since we got out of the service, because we were busy getting the business going. And then things took off, and we were just busy.”
“Well, Brock and Cody Easton play for the Leopards. And they and Megan are … a thing. All three of them.”
A long silence follows. Then Alex says, very quietly, “Brothers?”
“Yeah.”
Another pause. “Twins.”