As if summoned, Damon walked in the door, tucking a towel around his waist, but I still managed to spy a stray drop of water sliding over the tightest set of abs I’d ever seen. He smiled lazily at the attention, then moved closer.
“Taylor said the meat’s nearly ready.”
“Thanks,” she said, setting her wine glass down and grabbing several bowls, taking them outside, which was my cue to start doing the same. A hand snapped out, pinning mine to the bench and Damon waited until the door had totally slammed shut before he edged closer.
“What were you ladies talking about?” he asked.
“The insanity that is my life,” I replied, looking at him over the rim of my wineglass before taking another drink. Once it was empty, I set the glass down on the counter. “Sophie thinks I should just date the lot of you and have my fun. Keep it all light and fluffy.”
His grin was immediate, bright and dazzling.
“Is that what she thinks? I’m liking Sophie more and more. You gonna be able to do that, Lils? You could have one of us at your door every night, ready to take you out, show you a good time, while the others look after Evie.”
Could I? My eyes rolled up to meet his, the bright green boring into mine.
“Any relationship you have with me is completely separate from the one with my daughter,” I growled. “You need to tell your brothers that. You can’t opt in or out when it comes to Evie. I won’t go anywhere with anyone if it means jeopardising things for her. She’s calling you Dad.”
His smile faded then, and something else replaced it.
There was no reckless boy standing before me now, not if his expression was anything to go by. As his eyes bled to silver, an unwavering intensity rose. He stared and he stared and wouldn’t let me look away.
“She’s mine.” His beast was talking now, his voice deep and distorted. “I’m not going anywhere now. We have to find a way for the cub, to look after her so everyone’s happy.” He nodded then. “But we will.” Then he leant in, taking up the space between us, his mouth hovering over mine. “She knows we belong to her, just as she belongs to us.” His head tilted to one side. “You’re the one that’s sitting on the fence.” He grinned slowly, revealing one fang, then another as he did so. “Need to convince you. Need to wine you and dine you and sixty-nine you until you accept your place at the centre of everything. Our mate.”
It felt like my breath was frozen in my chest until I heard the door slide open. I sucked in oxygen noisily, then ducked out from under Damon’s arms to see Ben standing there.
“Everything OK, Lils?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said hastily, waving a hand.
“She will be.” I was yanked back and against Damon’s chest, Ben watching with keenly observant eyes the way his brother held me. “Jasper knows his way around the shop now. He can look after it for a day while Lily skives off with me.”
“You planned this?” I said, turning around in Damon’s grip.
“We’re wolves, baby,” he said with a feral grin. “Wolves hunt as a pack.”
Chapter 35
Damon had let me go then, everyone converging outside around the table as the food was served. I picked up a plate for Evie, ready to fill it with nutritious foods she’d eat, not just the bowls of snack food, but the guys were already on it.
“You like chicken, Evie? Ben asked, and she nodded enthusiastically, so some grilled thigh fillets were added to her plate.
“Some steak for iron,” Jasper said, plopping a small piece on her plate. “You eat rare steak, don’t you, Ev? Wolves like their red meat bloody.”
She bared her teeth at him theatrically, but the giggles gave away as vegetables started being added to the plate.
“Dad… Dad… Daddy!”
She eyed the growing piles of salad and grilled veggies with alarm, something that made me smile smugly. They wanted in on the dad thing? Let them navigate this. Evie seemed convinced she could subsist on meat and salty, fatty carbs if left to her own devices.
“What?” Ben said, shooting her a sidelong look. “We’re omnivores and we need lots of vitamins and minerals from vegetables to grow big and strong.” He glanced down at his own plate as an example.
“But what about Damon’s?” she said, and the other man paled a little.
He’d grabbed a bunch of meat and some grilled potatoes, topping it off with a bread roll. I chuckled as he hastily picked up the salad tongs and dumped a bunch of greenery on his plate.
“Gotta be a positive role model,” Jasper said with a smirk, looking down at his own nutritionally virtuous plate.
“Or the cub could just eat what’s put in front of her.”