Page 116 of Rut Bar

“How are you so calm?” she asks as I work the shampoo into her hair.

“Because I know what really matters to me and it’s not that shithole club that was stealing your idea.” I cup my hand over her forehead to shield her eyes as I rinse the suds from her hair.

“It went up so fast,” she says, dazed.

I squish the conditioner into her hair and use the excuse of soaping her body up to run my hands over her curves. “It did. You’re surprisingly good at arson.”

“That’s not funny,” she moans. “I didn’t mean to do it. I didn’t know you were lighting a cigarette.”

“It was an accident. Accidents happen. Nobody was hurt. It’ll be fine. They’ll get a check from the insurance company. That’s what insurance is for. You know what you should do… You should have the next dance routine be about firefighters.”

Vee gasps and smacks a hand against my wet chest. “That’s not funny!”

But she smiles, and that’s all that matters to me. “What? You don’t want to capitalize on the news?”

“And draw more attention and get arrested?” She snorts. “No thanks.”

“As if I’d ever let you go to prison,” I tell her, paying special attention to her boobs while I coat her in suds. Does she really think I’d ever let her take the fall for something?

“What do you mean?” she asks. Water droplets gather on her eyelashes when she blinks up at me.

“It means I love you and you don’t have to worry about it.” Before she can argue further, I silence her with a kiss, and then I finish washing her clean of paint splatter.

She’s my girl. We only have to make things official. I know that day is coming. All I have to do is to be patient and not push her too far, too fast, like Brendan said. We’re perfect as a pack.

And my familyprotects their own, and someday soon she’ll be a part of it. I’ll destroy the evidence in the morning and make sure the car doesn’t smell like smoke. The only thing she needs to worry about is acting surprised when she hears the news and picking out a bigger nest.

ChapterThirty-One

VERONICA

“Explainto me why we’re here again?” I ask, looking up at the store’s enormous sign. Nested.

I do most of my shopping online, so I’ve never actually been inside a brick and mortar one before. It’s a forty-five minute long two-point-four mile drive during the most infuriating traffic I’ve ever seen. Why would I bother when I can click a button and have it delivered within a few business days instead?

“Because we’ve dicked around for eight weeks and your heat is next month. You need a real nest,” Anthony says. “So that’s what we’re getting you.”

“What’s wrong with the nest?” I ask. Now that I’ve all but moved into Jamie’s house, I’ve slowly taken over his bed, one blanket and pillow at a time. Sure, it’s cramped with the four of us, but we manage. I enjoy sleeping in a puppy pile of limbs more than I thought I would.

“It’s sad. Trust me, I’ve seen what it’s supposed to be like and that’snot it,” Anthony says, ignoring my unamused glare in response.

“This is the first day off we’ve all had together in weeks and you deserve nice things,” Brendan says, trying to smooth things over. He does that a lot—plays middleman or mediator.

The Omega Rights Act Day thirty percent off sale means the store is packed. Through the window, I watch two omegas nearly come to blows over a stuffed pillow shaped like a blushing cactus. Everyone always worries about alphas going into rut and fighting, but they’ve clearly never watched two nesting omegas brawl over the last discount plushie.

“This is pretty,” Jamie says, pointing to a blanket in the display window. It’s textured, but still soft looking, and the color is a blue ombre that reminds me of ocean waves. “Can we get this one?”

Anthony lays a hand on the small of Jamie’s back. “Let’s let Vee pick, okay?”

“Oh, right. Sorry.” Jamie appears sheepish as he tucks his long hair behind an ear.

“It’s okay.” I reach for his other hand and give it a squeeze so he knows I’m not mad. “I think it’s pretty. We can get that one.”

“Shall we?” Brendan asks, getting the door and holding it open.

Walking into Nested during a holiday sale is what I imagine going into battle is like. The four of us have to jostle our way inside. You’d think that having two huge alphas with me would help clear us a path, but it does the opposite. Omegas stop to stare, especially at Jamie. A few give my men very obvious once overs, pointedly searching for bite marks around the necklines of their shirts. A pretty blonde practically eye fucks Anthony.

The urge to bare my teeth and hiss at her like an angry cat bubbles up inside me. It’s hard to shove the instinct down.They’re mine, I want to snarl. I settle for giving the worst one, the blonde, the stink eye until she fucks off toward the register with her armful of pink throw blankets.

---