Page 27 of Crushes and Confections

“She totally knows,” I said with a laugh. “I swear that woman knows everything in Holiday Hollow.”

“She’s more intimidating than my patisserie instructor in school,” Adrien said with a shake of his head. “Let’s go get a good spot for the auction. I don’t want to miss her. I’ll be damned if she’s going home with anyone else but us or Riley.”

He walked like he was on a mission and his determination stoked my own fire to find our beta and omega in the crowd. It wasn’t hard, their scents calling out like a beacon in the night.

It was clear Claire was backstage somewhere, but Riley was standing in the crowd, a beer in his hand as he talked to a group of guys, two alphas and a beta, who he was clearly very familiar with.

The sound of his laughter had me walking quicker, wanting to know what was funny, wanting to catalog every nuance that made him laugh so I could be the one to do so in the future.

The dark jeans he wore were slung tight over his ass and the deep blue shirt was open at his neck, revealing the swatch of bronzed skin where his golden necklace lay. The blend of masculine and feminine that he balanced seamlessly had my mouth watering.

“Hey!” he said excitedly when he saw us, waving us over. “I’m so glad you guys came. Let me introduce you to the Halston pack. This is Hunter, Boone, and Jack. I work with their omega Autumn over at the orchard. Guys, this is Vance and Adrien.”

I appreciated that he left the introduction at that, letting us choose which information we wanted to divulge.

“My sweet tooth precedes me,” the man Riley had pointed out as Jack said with a friendly smile. “It’s nice to see you again, Adrien. I may have my eye on one of your baskets.”

“Ah, so you’re the one who makes the chocolate our omega craves,” Hunter said, offering his hand to Adrien.

“Guilty,” Adrien said, with a nod of his head, accepting his handshake before the alpha turned and offered me one as well.

“I don’t think we’ve had the chance to meet yet, which considering I’m the sheriff is probably a good thing,” he joked.

“I can’t say that we have,” I said with a laugh. “I’ve just started to get out and about lately, so I’m afraid there’s quite a few people I haven’t met yet.”

“Well there’s no place quite like the Hollow,” Jack said. “I hope you guys stick around, it’s a great place for a pack.”

A beat passed as my breath caught, Riley’s eyes widening slightly as he shook his head subtly trying to tell us that he hadn’t said anything.

“We’re beginning to see that,” Adrien said, taking control of the moment. “Now if you’ll excuse us, we need to talk with Riley about the auction.”

“You basically just admitted we were a pack,” I said once we’d stepped away, Riley in tow.

“We are a pack,” Adrien said, his eyes narrowing. “What we do together is no one’s business but ours. But just because I’m protective of what we have doesn’t mean I’d ever deny what you mean to me, mon chéri.”

“Fuck,” Riley muttered. “My pants are way too tight for the two of you being so freaking hot. Are you trying to make Hunter arrest me for indecent exposure?”

“As much as I’d like to see you cuffed and hard for us, that will have to wait,” Adrien said. “Did you know Claire is going to be in the auction?”

“There’s no way,” Riley said, shaking his head. “She’s never agreed to do that before, she thinks it plays too much into some antiquated omega ideals.”

“Well, apparently, she’s gotten over that bit, or she’s just decided to torture us all because she’s on the docket for tonight,” I told him, watching the realization set in. “Have you seen her?”

He shook his head. “Not since this morning when we brought the goods over. She said she was going to get ready with Autumn and…of fucking course. She’s totally about to hand me my ass isn’t she?”

“What do you mean?” Adrien questioned. “I thought the two of you worked things out at our place the other night.”

“I mean we did, yeah,” Riley said. “But I…”

I stepped closer to him then, framing my body with his. “This okay?”

“Yeah,” he said softly.

“What happened? Honesty and communication, remember?”

“I’ve been too scared to make the next move, to take things further with her,” he admitted, not able to meet my eye.

My fingers met his chin, resting against his stubble as I turned him towards me so I could meet his eyes. “Have you told her why?”

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