Page 62 of All In

“Should we just take over the rooms we had last time?” Gunner asks, tilting his head to peek into my room.

“Yes,” I say, moving to close the door.

“What about me?” Tanner asks. “I’m beat.”

“The room across the hall is empty. That will do for now.” I slam the door in their faces before Nova or Haze can barrel in to leave a trail of dog fur.

I turn around to find Laken sitting primly on the edge of my bed.

My eyebrows rise.

“Do you need to finish bandaging my ankles?” she asks.

I shake my head. “It might be time to give them a little air, so they don’t stay moist.”

She laughs, making her hair fall around her face. “God, that’s a terrible word.”

“I’m afraid the remaining room choices are limited, but?—”

She smiles. “You thought you’d make up for last night by offering to share your bed with me?”

“I was going to offer you the nest,” I clarify, trying to avoid staring at her legs as the dress she’s wearing rides up around her thighs. Prior to meeting Laken, I thought of myself as an utmost gentleman, but simply seeing her soft skin on display makes me question everything I thought I knew.

“My instincts won’t handle it well if it smells like another omega.”

“No omega has stepped foot inside that nest.” Nor in this bedroom, for that matter.

“So, you want me to sleep in there…by myself?”

My eyes narrow as I try to determine if she would rather sleep with Tanner. “Do you normally sleep in your nest in the weeks before your heat hits?”

She stands and slowly approaches.

There’s something about the sway of her hips or possibly the way her breasts jiggle, since she’s not wearing a bra, that seems to hypnotize my mind.

“If we’re not careful, I think we’ll go back and forth asking questions and never giving any real answers because we’re both too stubborn to say how we feel.”

I meet her eyes. “I have trouble communicating.”

“So do I.” She nods. “I have some traits that fall in line with ADHD. And a bonus side of anxiety that occasionally manifests as OCD.”

My heart races because I also have a fair number of compulsive behaviors myself.

“How about we just answer truthfully from here on out?” she offers. “I can accept your bluntness, as long as you’re honest.”

“I will end up inadvertently hurting your feelings.”

“Let me worry about that part.” She smiles softly, and it changes her entire face. “To answer your question about where I sleep before my heat hits, I live in a one-bedroom apartment that doesn’t have a separate nest. I’ve also never had a real heat before. In the past, I’ve always restarted a new pack of suppressants, so I only get a few days of breakthrough symptoms.”

“Truly?” My hand slides around her lower back.

“The first time my heat tried to start, they sedated me because of my age.” She shivers. “I still have vague memories. It was hell. I never want to go that route again.”

“Then, you won’t.” I find myself bending to nuzzle my cheek to hers.

She clutches my hips even tighter. “I think, because it’s uncharted territory, a full-blown heat makes me nervous. I’m a little afraid to be alone in case it sneaks up faster than it should. If you aren’t up for company in your giant, pack-size bed, then I’ll be happy to sleep on the couch.”

I growl.

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