Page 41 of Pack Obsession

His lips quirk up in a knowing grin that tells me he sees right through my facade. He starts to step back but pauses, something shifting in his expression.

Before I can react, he cups my face again. His lips brush mine, soft and tentative at first, as if he’s giving me time to pull away. But I don’t want to draw away. Not this time. His kiss deepens, his tongue tangling with mine, and the power behind his kiss weakens my knees. This time, he’s gentler, almost reverent, as though he’s trying to tell me something without words.

When he finally pulls back, his expression darkens. His thumb traces my lower lip once, sending tingles down my spine before he steps away.

I can’t help but watch him as he moves to the door, my attention trailing over the broad expanse of his shoulders, lowering to that firm ass, lingering too long. I’m too weak not to gawk, and from his knowing smirk as he glances back, he’s well aware of my wandering eyes.

“I’ll let Nash and Axel know about tonight, sugar,” he says softly, leaving me with burning lips and my thighs squeezing together.

He moves toward the door with that fluid grace that he possesses. At the threshold, he pauses, staring back over his shoulder. “Your instincts are solid, Casey. Don’t doubt them so much.” Then he’s gone, the door clicking shut behind him.

I slide down the bed to sit on the floor, my legs too shaky to hold me. The room feels empty now, too quiet without his presence filling it.

“Get it together,” I mutter to myself, pressing my palms against my burning cheeks. “He’s just a man. They’re just men.”

As I head for the shower, hoping to clear my head, I know I’m lying to myself. Logan, Nash, and Axel are far more than just men. They’re quickly becoming everything I told myself I mightnever have, everything I never thought I deserved, seeing as I come from a broken family who has already lost so much.

That’s the most terrifying thing of all. The closer we get, the more it’s going to destroy me when I finally have to leave. When whatever this is builds to its inevitable breaking point.

Deep down, I know I’m already in too deep. Every touch, every look, every moment pulls me further into their world. They’re warriors, protectors, men who’ve seen and done things I can barely imagine. And here I am, a runaway, just trying to survive. Each day I spend with them only highlights how much I don’t belong in their world, even as my heart tells me I’ve already lost too much to set myself up for loss.

That’s what makes this so dangerous.

Chapter

Thirteen

CASEY

"How the hell did I get tricked into this?" Nash grumbles, staring at the blank canvas like it’s a bomb he needs to defuse. He looks hilariously out of place in Axel’s studio, his huge frame sitting on a small stool with a paintbrush in hand. Even his glasses seem more professor than mercenary right now.

The room itself is a surprise even to me—bright and airy. Covered canvases lean against walls, their secrets hidden beneath drop cloths. The air smells of paint, turpentine, and something earthier—oils, maybe?

Three easels are set up in a loose semicircle, and I’m perched on a cushioned chair in front of them, trying not to fidget, ready to be their muse for painting. A table nearby holds a ridiculous spread of cheese, fruit, and wine that I’ve been nibbling on. These guys don’t do anything halfway.

"Because you’re whipped and you can’t stay away from Casey," Logan states, his words making me blush as he rolls up his sleeves. Even that simple motion draws my attention to his forearms, and my mind flashes to this morning in the woods.The way those arms felt caging me against the tree, his mouth on mine...

"You’re whipped," Nash protests, fiddling with his brushes like they might explode. "I’m... tactically accommodating."

Axel snorts from behind his easel. "That’s a fancy way of saying whipped, bruh. Face it… one Omega bats her eyes, asking us to do a painting session, and suddenly, you’re both channeling Bob Ross."

"Hey, I asked as I thought it would be a good group thing to do, and everyone agreed," I butt in.

"I don’t even know who Bob is." Nash picks up a second brush like it personally offended him.

"How hard can painting be?" Logan examines his own tools with the same curiosity he probably uses on weapons. "Point and shoot, right?"

"Oh, yeah." Axel’s grin is wicked as he starts mixing colors. "Just like that. Maybe you’ll both finally find your inner peace. You’re so high strung, it’s giving me secondhand anxiety some days."

"Says the man who punched through a wall last week," Nash drawls.

"That wall had it coming. It was looking at me funny."

I can’t help but laugh. They’re so comfortable with each other, and clearly, they care for one another. It’s a real pack bond. My chest aches a little, remembering when it was just me and Kai against the world.

"Well, I’m only doing this for one reason," Nash announces, picking up a tube of paint and squinting at it suspiciously.

"Let me guess," Logan smirks. "The model?"

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