Page 46 of Pucking the Enemy

“Can we play that?” she asked excitedly, turning to look at Phillip.

His face softened when he looked at her. “Of course we can. It’ll be nice to play with someone who isn’t a drunken toddler.”

“Oh, I’ll trounce you,” Hazel said simply. Phillip’s brow rose.

“I’m not so sure, sweetness. Phillip is pretty good,” I told the omega cuddled in my arms.

“We’ll see,” she said.

It turned out that Hazel was the Scrabble version of a card shark.

Roman and I leaned back on the couch with beers in hand, while Hazel and Phillip sat on the floor on either side of a Scrabble board. We tried to insist that they sit on the sofas or at the table, but they’d both insisted that the floor was the best place.

To ensure she was comfortable, we gave Hazel several different pillows, and she made herself a miniature nest on her side of the board.

“That’s not a word!” Phillip said, looking at the pieces Hazel was putting down.

“Look it up.” She shrugged, a small, pleased smile on her face.

Roman already had his phone out and had been checking on the words routinely over the last hour. He and I had long since given up on joining in on the game. Phillip and Hazel were locked in a battle of wits, and we were nowhere near their level.

Phillip kept giving her fervent glances, and every time, he looked more infatuated with her. He was doing his best to play it cool, but I could tell she had him, hook, line, and sinker.

“It’s a word,” Roman confirmed, looking up from his phone screen. “Does that mean our girl wins?”

“I think it does.” Phillip nodded.

Hazel shouted in glee, throwing her hands up in the air. “Victory is mine!” she declared, before letting out what I could only describe as a movie villain laugh. “Rematch?”

Phillip laughed. “I’ll take you up on that another day. Dessert should be here soon.”

Hazel pouted, but nodded. “I suppose I can stop for dessert.”

“I’ll put the board away,” Phillip said.

“Okay, I’m just going to use the little girls’ room.” Hazel tried to get up but wobbled, so I stood in a single graceful move and held out my hands to help her.

She smiled at me in thanks as she took my hands, pulling herself up. “Maybe the floor nest isn’t the best idea,” I said.

“But I like it.” She frowned, looking back at her pile of pillows.

“I have an idea, do you trust me?”

“In theory, I trust you. But from what I understand, you are the wild card of this pack, so trusting you could be a dangerous game.”

My pack mates laughed as I cocked my head to the side and pursed my lips thoughtfully. “You’re not wrong,” I admitted. “But I think you’ll like this.”

“In that case, I trust you,” she said, leaning up to peck my cheek. That wasn’t enough for me. Wrapping one arm around her waist and the other at the back of her neck, I pulled her in for a kiss.

She melted into my embrace, her lips just as forceful on my own. When I pulled away a few seconds later, her lips were swollen, her eyes hazy.

“I… uh. What was I doing?” she asked in an adorable, confused voice.

I preened. I had kissed her so well, she had forgotten what she was doing.

“Bathroom?” I supplied helpfully.

“Oh, yeah!” Hazel said, pulling herself from my arms and dashing out of the living room.

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