Page 89 of Pucking the Enemy

“Judging by the thoroughly fucked state of you, Sebby boy has finally let his feelings be known, so we thought that deserved a celebration.” Roman shrugged. “We got cake.”

My hair was rather wild… was what we had been doing really that obvious? I should have taken a shower.

“You got cake?” I asked dumbly.

Phillip nodded. “It felt appropriate.”

“Has anyone ever told you guys that you are mentally unstable?” I asked, trying to contain my smile.

“Many people, Duchess, many people. We felt this was the best way to welcome him to the family.” Roman nodded sagely. “Now, do you want cake or not?”

“Well… I’m not going to say no to cake.”

Chapter 31

Hazel

Running my hands over the ruffled skirt of my dress, I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the inevitable judgment and parental displeasure I received every time I visited my parents.

“Ready for battle?” Seb asked. He had offered to drive me to dinner, knowing better than to hope for an invitation.

They weren’t exactly a loving and welcoming bunch, my family. We were pulling into their drive, much to my displeasure. The drive had passed by with Seb and I taking turns picking music and teasing one another about our choices.

I only picked the cheesy disco music to irritate him. Instead, it had the opposite effect, and he was dancing in his seat the entire drive to my family’s home.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” I sighed, grabbing my clutch bag.

“Just call me when you’re ready to come home,” Seb said, leaning over and quickly pecking my cheek. I wanted more than a peck, but we both knew there was a good chance one of my parents or their staff was lurking around, watching us.

He called the Kingswood pack house home.

I suppressed a grin at that. Home. He wasn’t wrong. The pack house felt more like a home than any family house or dorm I had lived in.

“I’ll text you.”

His smile warped into a frown as he looked at the front of the house. “Is it just me, or are there a lot of cars parked out here?”

“There are,” I groaned. “I bet they’re business associates of my parents. I knew they wouldn’t ask me to come over unless they were trying to impress some work friends.”

“Sounds like you’re in for a fun night. Just say the word, and I’ll abscond with you. We can go get ice cream.”

“Don’t tempt me with ice cream! That’s just cruel.”

“I never claimed to play fair. Go, endure your parents for a few hours, and I’ll take you for ice cream after. How does that sound?”

“Deal!” I opened the truck door, hopping out to face the inevitable.

I approached the large front door flanked by two white columns, noting my distinct lack of emotion as I trudged up the stairs. There should have been some emotion upon returning to my family home, but instead, I just felt… empty.

The entire building could burn down tomorrow, and I wouldn’t shed a tear.

“Hazel!” My mother answered the door, wearing a skintight cocktail dress that probably cost more than most people earned in a year. Her fake blonde hair was perfectly blow dried, not a single strand out of place. “Couldn’t you have put on a little makeup?” she asked in an exasperated voice.

“I did, Mother. It’s just not heavy.”

“It’s too late to do anything about this now, you’ll have to do. We’ve got people for you to meet. Come,” she instructed, throwing my coat toward a staff member and dragging me into the large reception room. “You’re already late.”

I wanted to defend myself—after all I had turned up at the time she had told me—but I knew such protests would fall on deaf ears.

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