Page 28 of Pack Favero

“Ladies first, sweetheart. That oaf can wait a little longer. It’s not as though he isn’t ever fed,” Lazarus quips from his place in the kitchen where he’s gathering plates.

He places them on the coffee table just as Alek releases me, and the big Viking man flashes me a grin before darting toward the boxes of pizza that cover three quarters of the coffee table. As soon as he’s near the boxes, Alek picks up a plate and asks, “What toppings do you like, little lady? We have a bit of everything because we didn’t know what you’d like.”

“What are my options?” I ask, grinning so wide my cheeks hurt.

“Chorizo and chicken with a barbeque base, your plain and trusty tomato and cheese, the treasonous ham and pineapple, or a filthy meat feast that I will devour whole unless you want some,” he answers, eyeing it all like he doesn’t even know which to choose. Well, other than the ham and pineapple. He sneers at that box, then glares at Barnes like he’s the one thatchose it.

Glancing at the man still holding my hand, I shake my head. “You ordered the disaster pizza, didn’t you?”

“Don’t hate on the Hawaiian pizza, Freckles,” he teases just as Lazarus draws near.

Leaning in to kiss my cheek, shocking me enough that I inhale sharply and breathe in a lungful of pink pepper and pears, Lazarus lingers for a moment before pulling away. There’s amusement in his eyes when I start perfuming like a leaky faucet, but he lowers his voice to drawl with his crisp, English accent, “I’m pleased you came tonight.”

Blinking rapidly and trying to figure out how to get my heart to stop beating erratically and my perfume to shut the hell off, I clear my throat and croak, “Same. Me, too.”

Lazarus chuckles, a sexy rumble of a sound that does nothing to help the perfume situation I’m currently suffering, and he winks before U-turning and heading back to the living room. To Alek, he says, “Put one of everything but the bloody pineapple on her plate before you eat it all.”

Alek grumbles but does as he’s told, sending me a dramatic eye roll in the process just as the twins meander over to greet me next, each of them offering me tight hugs that I try to reciprocate while Barnes still holds on to my hand.

“You look great, pretty girl,” Ford mutters in my ear when he hugs me, pressing a swift kiss to my head before pulling back.

“Stunning,” Mac shyly agrees, hugging me the moment I’m released from his brother. He kisses the opposite side of my head and pulls back with a matching blush to mine, and I giggle, feeling absolutely ridiculous for the bashfulness I can’t help but feel.

Before I can offer compliments to the guys in return, Barnes tugs me into the living room and says, “Sit. Get comfyand dig in. I’ll grab the drinks. You want anything in particular, Freckles? We have beer, sweet iced tea, Earl Grey, or I can make you a coffee.”

It doesn’t take much for me to decide, and I grin as I say, “I’d ruin a beer right now, thank you.”

Silence greets me and when I turn to look at the others, I find them grinning back at me, Alek looking positively smitten. “A woman after my damned heart. Nothing beats a beer with pizza.”

“You know it,” I laugh, accepting the plate filled with pizza. Eyes damn near bugging out of my head, I blurt, “How the hell am I meant to eat all of that?”

The guys all laugh as they start helping themselves, and Alek shrugs, “What you don’t eat, I will. See, win-win.”

“If you say so,” I appease, still laughing, feeling almost high with happiness despite the night only just starting. If this is anything to go by, though, I just know that this pack will bring this level of happiness no matter the day. The idea alone holds so much hope, appeal, and a bone-deep need that I decide right there and then that I’m going to give this a go. I’m jumping in with both feet, I’m taking Mom’s advice to the limit, and I’m not going to hold back when it comes to the five men currently finding their seats to surround me, settle in, and eat our fill of pizza while we talk about anything and everything.

The night might just have begun, but it’s one of the best damned nights I’ve had in my entire life.

***

Laughing at Alek crossing his arms and demanding we play a different game after his third loss of Monopoly, the twins kicking all of our asses every time, I stand and stretch my back before declaring, “I need the restroom before we find a newgame to crush you at.”

“Oh, mean. Look what you’ve done to her. You’ve all created a monster,” he playfully spits, glaring at each of the guys before his eyes fall onto me. “And to think I was going to let you use my gym.”

I shrug, smiling as I walk to the ladies room. “That’s fine. I guess you don’t really want to know how I managed to do the splits standing up. And, on that logic train, I suppose you don’t want to know what other positions I can get up to, either. Your loss.”

Stunned expressions and wide grins answer me, and I laugh as I walk away after that particular mic drop, the beer I’ve consumed stripping me of my filter and inhibitions. I might not be drunk, or tipsy, but what I’ve consumed has been enough to ease me into the night with very little effort. All night, we’ve all been bantering, joking around, and teasing. I’ve loved every single second, especially when I hear Alek loudly whisper, “Did she just make a saucy joke?”

“She certainly did,” Lazarus confirms, and I hear the smile in his voice before I disappear into the downstairs restroom to go about my business.

I’m not in there long, but when I emerge, Barnes is on the phone with Lazarus hovering nearby, the twins are on the back porch holding a beer each, and Alek is scarfing down more pizza as though he hasn’t had anything to eat all night.

“You’re not full?” I tease, stepping toward my beer and taking a sip once it’s in my hand.

“It takes a lot to fill me, and I have to maintain all of this, baby,” he jokes, gesturing to his immaculate physique with a piece of pizza while giving a flirty wink.

Ah, so I guess we’re playing these games now. Alright.Game on.

With a boldness that surprises even me, I eye him slowly,taking in the loose sweats that still somehow hug his thick, muscled thighs, and the snug shirt that displays every dip and divot of his toned body. As soon as I’m done and ignoring the heat in my cheeks, I meet his gaze head on and quip, “I’ve heard working out with a partner is always fun if you do it right.”

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