Page 151 of Mark & Don't Tell

“Oh, shit.” I stop and take in the scene again. “They’re not here to kick your ass?” I ask, pinching my eyebrows together.

“Definitely not,” the biggest—maybe an alpha—teenager says.

“You’re full on embarrassing me, right now.” Marco’s cheeks are bright red.

“Everything all good?” Vic asks, his chest brushing against my back as his arms come around my shoulders.

“Uh, yeah...” I lift an eyebrow at Marco, and he pulls a distinctly teenager go the fuck away look. “We’ll be waiting in the car,” I blurt, spinning and pushing Vic away. Kai and Linc squint at the guys, but I clear my throat and shake my head.

Once we’re in the car again, Vic asks, “What was up with that?”

“I think they’re flirting? At least, I hope it’s only flirting. I mean, I had sex when I was sixteen, but Marco is way younger than that and he’s an omega. Fuck. He’s an omega. I need to prepare him for all the things. Nesting. Heats. Knots. Oh god, I’m going to have to have that conversation with him, aren’t I?”

Linc pats my leg. “You’re rambling, bunny. Marco probably already knows about knots and heats and nesting. You can help guide him, but it’s not like you need to show him how a banana goes inside of a donut.”

“A banana in a donut?” I ask.

He frowns. “Yeah, you’re right, the banana might not fit. Maybe you could use a baby cucumber.”

“Please tell me this is not a real conversation,” I say, shaking my head.

“Quick, pretend like you’re texting someone.” Linc grabs his own phone, and the rest of us follow suit.

I open a random app and barely look up when Marco climbs in the back beside me.

“Really? You’re trying to scan a plant in the car?” He drops his bag at his feet and buckles in. “I know you guys were talking about me.”

“Only because I was panicking,” I say quickly. “Who were those guys?”

“Just a pack.” Marco flicks his head to the side, shifting the wet strands of his hair on his forehead. “You’re not going to make this weird, are you?”

“Weird? No. Absolutely not.” I chew on my cheek and glance at the guys. Kai is busy driving, and Vic and Linc are giving us the illusion of privacy by focusing on their phones. “Do we need to have the talk?” I whisper.

“They have a health class for that.” Marco glances away. “You’re making it weird.”

“Sorry. Just know you can talk to me about this stuff if you need to, okay? I promise I won’t use a donut and a banana.”

“What?” he asks at the same time Linc bursts out laughing.

“Lincoln said I should use those to describe how sex works.”

Marco gives Lincoln a horrified once-over. “That’s a crime against pastries.”

“I’m ashamed to admit I thought it was a good suggestion at the time,” Linc says with a chuckle. “But on a more serious note—you can talk to any of us too, okay?”

“Oh my god,” Marco whines. “This is so weird. Please stop.”

Kai catches my gaze in the rearview and mimes zipping his lips. I press mine together, and everyone falls silent, making the lack of music obnoxiously apparent. Vic, bless him, turns on some music, and slowly, the awkwardness fades away.

“Your team played so well,” I tell Marco a few minutes later. “You guys are great.”

He smiles. “It was amazing! Did you see that last touchdown?”

“Yes! I swear I was screaming so loud, those parents around us hated me.”

Marco rolls his eyes. “I was wondering who invited the banshee,” he teases, nudging me.

I chuckle, happy he’s letting the sex talk stuff go and not at all bothered by him calling me a banshee. In some stories, banshees can kill people with their screams, and if you ask me, that’s pretty badass.

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