“Oh,” is all I can manage before Ben returns with the final member of Pack Muldoon hot on his heels.
“Noah, Violet. Violet, Noah.” Ben gestures back and forth between us and then settles himself in an armchair across the room.
Noah plops down right beside me, making a Violet sandwich with Miles. He smells like cedar and cayenne pepper, a scent that matches him perfectly. His hair is all brown, but his beard sports hints of auburn, giving it a mesmerizing depth.
And his muscles. Damn.
I’ve never seen a guy this well-built in real life. It looks like Noah could pick me up and carry me around with just his pinky finger if he wanted to. His V-neck T-shirt stretches tight across his chest, and I catch myself staring more than once as we make small talk.
“His eyes are up here,” Ben shouts from across the room, calling me out on my open admiration of Noah’s finely honed pectoral muscles.
“That one was a little better.” Miles leans in at my side to whisper. “That means he’s starting to get more comfortable with you.”
I smile at that. I want the guys to be comfortable with me, because then they won’t question me or my less-than-perfect motives for being here.
“If you’re wondering why Noah reeks of pheromones, it’s because he’s always working out. Always,” Ben adds. I had been wondering why, of the four, I could only scent Noah. If he’s constantly in a state of post-workout euphoria, that definitely explains it.
“Ignore them. They’re just jealous,” Noah says, his eyes narrowing at the others as if in warning before he turns back to me with a smile. “Now tell me, what’s your favorite food?” Ah, that’s right, he’s the chef.
“Lasagna,” I answer, knowing it’s one of the biggest pains to cook and wondering if he’ll still offer to make it for me anyway. Also I have a lot of lost time to make up for when it comes to pasta, pizza, sandwiches, and all other non-Mom-approved foods. Lasagna would be heavenly.
“I’ll need to head to the store to pick up a few ingredients, but, yeah, I can do that for you.” He takes a swig from his water bottle, rises slowly, and stretches his arms overhead, pulling up his T-shirt and showing off a tempting slice of torso.
“Are you leaving right now?” I ask in surprise. Noah is the first alpha I’ve been able to scent. I wonder if that means something. Perhaps I would have been able to smell Archer better if his entire room didn’t reek of sex.
Noah moves toward the door and grabs a set of keys from a hook. “Yeah, it takes a while to make, so I need to start now if we want to eat at a halfway decent hour. Want to come with me?”
A part of me does, but it’s at that moment Archer reappears, now fully dressed and looking absolutely pissed at the other guys.
“You’re not taking her off on your own. Not when we all need our time with Violet,” he says. “In fact, Miles has hogged enough of her time as it is. He can be the one to go to the store.”
Miles sighs but doesn’t argue as he makes to follow Archer’s command. Archer is definitely the head dick in charge here.
Noah sinks back onto the couch, and Archer comes to sit in Miles’s newly vacated spot.
“Just so you know,” the HDIC says in a strong and steady baritone, “now that you’re here, I will be one hundred percent faithful to you. I didn’t know you’d—”
I raise a hand to cut him off. “I know. And it’s okay. I understand. Really.”
The truth is I do understand, and honestly I’d prefer it if Archer kept messing around with other women—because it will make it that much easier to break his heart when the time comes.
* * *
NOAH
Miles takes his sweet time at the store and brings home cottage cheese instead of ricotta. That would be great if I were making a fucking fruit plate, but this is not a substitution that works for lasagna.
If Miles weren’t such a people pleaser, I’d think that he was trying to make me look bad in front of Violet on purpose. But more than likely, he just doesn’t care enough to know the difference.
So now instead of spending time getting to know our new omega, I’m back at the grocery store. And I’m pissed.
I down the rest of the juice in my hydration flask before getting out of the truck. This stuff is a concentrated blend of vitamins and other stuff I need, and if I don’t take it regularly I get messed up. The others are always teasing me about my special drink, but I don’t let that get to me. They have no idea what it’s really for, and I’d like to keep it that way. Especially now that we have Violet.
The grocery store is relatively quiet at this hour, which means I’m able to get in and out fast. Seriously, what the hell was Miles doing that took him so long?
Knowing my luck, Violet will already be asleep by the time I get back from this little excursion. I should have suggested an easier dish, something we already had the ingredients for. But lasagna is what she requested, and I’m not taking any missteps with this omega. I need her to want me just as much as she wants the others, whether I’m winning her over with my skills in the kitchen or skills in the bedroom.
What you put in your body is important—a plate of pasta, a fat dick... It’s all the same really.