Page 106 of Packed Up In Vegas

Callie shifted over to his lap, and every ounce of tension bled out of him. I couldn’t remember a time before Callie when I had ever seen Miles relax like that. He had been so fucking high-strung since the moment I’d met him. If anything was going to help, it would be having an omega snuggled up to him.

The live show was scheduled for six days from now, and not a single one of us had any clue if Callie’s heat would trigger at a convenient time. The show had been pitched to previous attendees, and even with the jacked-up ticket price, they had sold out almost instantly.

It was a huge relief that Callie’s plan seemed to be working. If the clip purchases and tips were good enough, we would have a decent chunk of change to pay for our next venture. We had discussed investors, but the nature of what we did was delicate, and if we weren’t beholden to someone’s opinion who was just there for the money, we could tailor everything to make potential performers more comfortable. We had all been putting out subtle feelers to other performers and had a handful who were interested in switching over once we got things up and running.

It was impossible not to think about the future. As much as I tried to focus on the here and now, I was keenly aware that by this time next year we had a high chance of being parents and having our own company. I hadn’t been this ambitious since I applied for med school. I couldn’t drop out of this plan, though, not that I was worried about that. Now that Callie was comfortable with the entire pack, it was like her essence had spread out and filled up every hidden crack within all of us. I felt whole in a way I had never thought I would experience.

“If you’re not working, can we go nest snuggle?” Callie asked.

“We absolutely can, sweetheart.” Miles scooped her up and I followed the two of them inside.

Callie’s purr was closer to a roar when we settled into the nest on either side of her. It was adorable how happy she was.

“Are you nervous?” I asked her.

“Not really. I like that I’ll have all four of you this time. I know what to expect, too. Plus, this time any bonding will be on purpose, and I’m not fresh off a crisis so I’m pretty sure I won’t flee down the road this time.” She said it with humor, but the last time she’d done that, it had scared the shit out of all of us.

“Yeah, please don’t. I want to keep you right where you are now or at least the closest approximation we can get on stage.”

We had to be mindful for the next few days so we didn’t accidentally trigger her heat early. None of us were entirely certain how responsive her heat cycle might be this close to the start, with her surrounded by scent-matched alphas. It was damn fucking hard, considering how delicious she smelled and how often one of us found ourselves with her curled up on our laps.

Self-control was the worst.

Miles pressed a kiss to her throat and Callie’s moan had goosebumps rising all over my body, my cock springing to attention.

“You’re making it so difficult to be careful, little dove.” My lament was halfhearted at best. Her leg tossed over my hip to pull me closer and she tipped up her face to accept my kiss. I moved as slowly as possible, both to try keeping myself under control and also to avoid spooking Miles.

Going away with Callie had broken some seal, and now that the dam had burst, there was no containing it. Our sweet omega had found herself bent over just about every piece of furniture in the house the past few weeks. Miles tended to follow her around like an enamored pup who had received his first treat. I didn’t typically think of my packmates as cute, but it was hard to use anything else to describe the wide-eyed wonder on his face every single time Callie came to him, or for him, as was often the case.

We passed the next few hours in the nest, trading Callie back and forth between us, and when Amir and Diego got home, they joined us. At least two of us were with Callie at all times over the next few days, her scent growing sweeter and stronger by the hour until just being in the same room with her had me hard.

The morning the show was due to start, we moved into the penthouse. Callie’s heat still hadn’t triggered, but she was so fucking close. If someone wasn’t wrapped around her at all times, she started to whine, and the last thing I wanted was for that sweet scent of hers to go sour with distress.

Miles started to pace and I headed that off immediately by transferring Callie into his arms.

“Deep breaths,” I ordered.

One of the other performers we trusted was our monitor this time since Miles would be with us. Luke poked his head through the penthouse doors. “People are starting to arrive.”

I sent Miles with Callie, Diego, and Amir to the bed so I could talk with Luke. “She’s not in heat yet.”

“Damn close, though, by the smell of it,” he replied. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it broke during the strip. Latest during the first knot. Do you guys need anything?”

“I think we’re okay.” We had been carb loading all morning and making sure all of us were well hydrated.

“Super weird being on this side of the door,” Luke said with a laugh.

“We really appreciate it.”

“You’d do the same for me.”

I nodded. He and the other alpha he usually performed with were on our shortlist of interested parties to switch over when the time came.

Hair and makeup came in after Luke, and they made sure everyone was tidy and camera-ready. They put Callie in pink this time—a white-and-rose-checkered dress—with a high ponytail and a matching flower at the base.

“I don’t look silly?” she asked.

“You look delicious,” I assured her.

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