Page 10 of Crossing the Top Line

Tori doesn’t move, eyes still glued to my face. They’re as big and round as dinner plates, and only now do I realize all the color has drained from her cheeks. As her hands clutch a bowl of something, there’s the slightest wobble to the dish. Her mouth is a thin line, expression nearly unreadable. I open my mouth to respond to Ashely’s question, but my roommate beats me to it.

“Elijah Jokinson, and these are my roommates, Oliver Astrauskas and Spencer Black,” Eli says, closing the distance between us and her with a few confident strides.

My body refuses to move, even when she turns her attention to Eli, shifting the bowl in her hands to one hip and taking his outstretched hand to shake. I’ve spent years trying to push this omega from my mind, only to have her dig her heels into my memories. I’d rationalized and made excuses and downplayed everything about Victoria Strauss, just so I could sleep at night. We were two ships passing in the night, and I needed to move on, I’d told myself countless times. All that mental work I’d done to forget her unravels now that we’re in the same room again. And what’s worse is my instincts roaring to life as Eli turns her hand over and kisses her knuckles.

A rumble like thunder fills my ears, my vision going hazy with rage. No. She’smine. My omega. Mine. Mine. Mine.

A hand on my chest, hitting hard enough to knock the wind out of me, snaps me back to reality. Oli is glaring at me, shoulders tight. I don’t know how I’d never noticed how wide his shoulders are, or how his eyes flash like a live wire when they narrow in anger.

“Do we need to discuss this outside, Black?” Oliver snarls, so low I’m not sure anyone else in the room hears him.

I blink, all my anger flooding away. He’s been the picture of calm, cool, and collected ever since I met him. He’s never even called me anything other than Spencer or Spence, even when I nearly knocked his teeth out with my stick the other day. I’d almost forgotten that he’s an alpha with how even keeled he’s been. But this is a firm reminder of exactly how dominant alphas can be. And I’m not stupid enough to challenge him over this, especially while we’re guests in someone else’s home.

“Let me help with that, Tori. I hope we haven’t missed the boil. I’ve never been to one before,” Elijah says, either not noticing the posturing his roommate was doing or intentionally ignoring it.

I look away first, only catching the back of Tori and Eli as they head deeper into the house.

“What the fuck, man?” Oliver hisses under his breath, his hand still firmly planted in the middle of my chest.

I try to find the words to explain myself, but I honestly don’t know what I could say to make myself seem like less of an alpha-hole. Tori and I might as well be strangers, and I nearly went feral over another alpha touching her. Thankfully, before I have to explain anything, Oliver goes on in my silence.

“I’ve let this shit slide before, but you don’t get to act like Eli owes you anything, or that you’re something special—”

I snap my eyes to him, brow furrowing in confusion. He’s worried about…me and Eli? I let out a sigh of relief and try to take a step back, but Oliver fists his hand in my shirt, not letting me leave. I study him for a heartbeat, trying to see him like I would an opponent. His shoulders are tense, jaw clenched, amber eyes sparking like a bed of hot coals. He’s entirely focused on me, not even noticing when Ashley leaves us alone. I’m willing to bet most of my sizable paycheck that this attitude is more than a guy looking out for his best friend. I’d seen the way Eli looks at me when he doesn’t think I’m paying attention, but I don’t know them well enough to consider asking about it. And right now, I’m not about to correct his assumptions if it keeps him from the truth.

I reach down and pry Oliver’s fingers from my shirt and smirk. “Eli flirts with everyone, dude. Maybe we should try to keep him focused on hockey instead of any pretty face that happens to cross his path,” I say, slowly and intentionally.

Oliver blinks at me, but understanding dawns only a few heartbeats later. He drops his hand and lifts his chin, assessing me down his nose before nodding. I smirk and jerk my head toward the sound of music and conversation.

“Glad we could come to an understanding. Now let’s get to the party before Eli starts to think we’re up to something and gets jealous,” I joke.

Oliver rolls his eyes. “Eli isn’t the jealous type,” he says.

But I am. I can hear the words he doesn’t say. At least we have that in common. Though the objects of our jealousy might be slightly different.

Turns out, we needn’t have worried about Elijah missing us. When Oli and I walk out onto the back patio, we find Eli holding court, talking with Dallas and Henri, making them laugh nearly constantly. Smart move, getting in with the de facto captain and his linemate. Good to know he’s got at least some brain behind that deceptively handsome face. I glance around the yard, assessing the current mood. And almost like magnets, my eyes are drawn to the food table and the group that’s working on setting out the various bowls and dishes. Ashley has a baby on her hip, Hailey, if I remember correctly, working with one hand while Nathan and Tori chat with her.

“Tex, how’s the grill going?” Tori calls out, either not noticing me and Oliver or intentionally avoiding looking at us.

“It’ll be ready when it’s ready, darlin’,” Dallas calls back, a fond smile and roll of his eyes accompanying the words.

Interesting. I follow Oliver as we head toward a group of Adirondack chairs, settling into a pair of them, the other two taken by Owen and Caleb.

“Glad you could make it!” Caleb exclaims as he notices us sitting with them. “And just in time. Tori and Ash are nearly done.”

Owen offers me a beer from his cooler, and I accept it with a grateful smile. It’s not from one of the local microbreweries, but it’s cold and wet, and that’s good enough for me right now. I’ll go back out to the car and grab the bottles of gin and tonic water I brought later.

“Who is Tori, exactly?” Oliver asks seriously.

I look over at him and find his eyes trained on Elijah’s back. He’s found his way over to the buffet table and is chatting animatedly with Tori, and she’s smiling brightly at whatever he’s saying. God, her smile is just as beautiful as I remember.

“Tori is the first line of defense between us and the public,” Owen starts, taking a long pull from his beer after speaking.

I crack mine and take a drink, watching her. Her face is thinner than I remember, but not in a negative way. She looks healthy, with a light tan and a sheen of sweat that makes her glow. She’s dressed in a simple T-shirt and high-waisted shorts, leaving her long, sun-kissed legs on full display.

“What does that mean?” Oliver questions, turning back to Owen.

“She handles the team’s social media accounts. Has for as long as I’ve been here. And she’s part of the rotation that manages the pressers,” Caleb explains.

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