Page 73 of For All My Effort

I was desperately trying to push out of Han’s hold, a sort of haze covering my mind with my only thoughts about Jackson and the potential danger for him downstairs.

“Shit, fuck, Hannah, I didn’t mean it like that.”

Han was trying to turn my waist and I was getting nowhere in my attempts to separate us. His grip around me tightened moments before he started purring, my body physically relaxing, slumping against his chest.

“Jackson is fine,” Han said. “I promise. I meant I was worried about you, not him.”

“Me?”

Han didn’t get time to answer. The same stomping steps made their way back up the stairs. That time, when I tried to scramble from Han’s lap, he let me.

I climbed my mate, wrapping my arms and legs around him as best I could the moment I saw him. He was wearing a thin tank top he must have put on to answer the door, although his sweat had soaked into the fabric. I took a deep inhale, needing his scent to calm me, to tell me that he wasn’t injured. Instead, I was hit with a strong sense of anger. Considering he was holding me tightly, I knew it wasn’t directed at me.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, my face so close to his neck that my words came out mumbled against him.

“That was an assistant to Representative Adam.” Each word seemed to be pulled from him, his grip becoming impossibly tighter around me. “He would like to meet with us tonight.”

“Why?” Han’s voice was right behind me, his hand rubbing up and down on my back.

“Apparently, he wishes to speak with Hannah’s alphas about a mutually beneficial agreement.”

“Zeke is in a session right now. It’s a multi-hour piece, he won’t be home for a few more hours.”

“I know. I explained all this. The prick isn’t showing up until after dinner.”

Lifting my head, I turned to look at Han, admitting, “You were right.”

****

Dinner had been a strangely loud and hectic affair. My mates were going over every possible topic that could be brought up at the meeting about to happen. What we should say, how we should respond, reminders about what specifically not to say.

A lot of it was not so subtly aimed in my direction.

Neither Zeke nor Seb was happy that we hadn’t called them right away to tell them, but the decision was Jackson’s to make as first alpha. He also made the decisions about who would take the lead in the upcoming conversation.

My job was to be a perfect little omega. I was told I wasn’t allowed to demand why Adam was an insecure asshole who asserted his power and dominance over the other designations. Or point out that his beliefs were so obviously wrong that it was why he didn’t have a pack omega. Neither was I allowed to admit my true reasoning for being at his restaurant nor my opinions on anything he said about my presence there.

Only Zeke wasn’t dressed up for Adam’s appearance. My other mates had a form of social obligation to look nice for the male, and even I’d been encouraged by Jackson to wear something semi-formal to keep up appearances.

I was sitting between Zeke’s legs, his hands drawing aimlessly around my thighs and up my stomach carelessly. My scent was a mix of annoyance and arousal, the latter thanks to how close to my core Zeke’s fingers were getting.

“I still think we should refuse,” I told my alphas.

Zeke and I were in Han’s bedroom as the alpha finished getting fancy. The door was open, though, ensuring both Seb and Jackson could hear me. Sebastian peeked his head around the door to give me an unimpressed look.

“You’re telling me that if we cancelled right now, you wouldn’t be desperate to know what he wanted?”

That earned a glare from me. “Maybe. It might be worth the killing curiosity to keep his scent from my home.”

Seb snorted, the sound so uncharacteristic from him that I knew how blatant my lie truly was. I wanted Adam to come. I had grand imaginary plans for what I’d say to him. How I’d yell at him and get him to change his mind. Not that I would—I’d learned my lesson about grand proclamations from the reporters. I was meant to be behind the scenes, blending in with crowds, a voice unidentifiable but raising the volume of others.

I stuck my tongue out, ignoring the heated look Seb gave me before he disappeared to finish getting ready.

Jackson came to the doorway, not entering Han’s private space. He was dressed in a nice pair of black slacks and a black shirt that he’d left unbuttoned at the top. The look was serious and sexy. On anyone else, the outfit would make him seem like he was trying to blend in, but there was no hiding Jackson, and his clothes were a testament that he demanded attention no matter what fabric was covering him.

“You going to be a good girl, rebel?” Jackson asked.

I couldn’t even pretend to glare at him, simply taking him in. If any good came out of this meeting, it would be seeing my mates looking this good. “I’ll be good so long as he is.”

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