Page 53 of Bound By Alphas 1: Bound

The casual suggestion sent a bolt of heat straight through me. “You’re incorrigible.”

“You have no idea,” he agreed cheerfully, gesturing toward the door. “Shall we?”

We found Cade and Logan in the foyer, engaged in what appeared to be an intense conversation with Drew. All three looked up as we approached, and I didn’t miss the way their eyes tracked between Keir and me with laser-like focus.

“Look what emerged from the art cave,” Drew announced, gesturing to me like I was a rare specimen at a zoo exhibit. “A month of hibernation and he rejoins society for racing games.”

“I wasn’t hibernating,” I corrected. “I was creating. There’s a difference.”

“For a month?” Cade asked, his voice carrying that particular note of authority that always made something in me stand at attention. His eyes performed a head-to-toe assessment that felt more like a caress than a clinical examination. “You’ve lost weight.”

“Thanks for noticing,” I replied, trying to ignore the flutter in my stomach at his obvious concern. “I’m trying this revolutionary new diet called ‘avoiding awkward supernatural family dynamics.’ Really melts the pounds right off.”

Logan’s eyes darkened as they swept over me, lingering in a way that made my skin heat. “Avoiding doesn’t seem to be working out so well at the moment.”

“I was ambushed by Drew and his video game posse.” I shrugged. “Resistance was futile.”

“Finn’s quite the racing champion,” Keir interjected, his hand settling possessively at the small of my back. “Though I ultimately prevailed.”

“After cheating,” I added quickly. “He used psychological warfare and illegal touching tactics.”

“Touching tactics?” Logan repeated, his voice dropping to a dangerous register that made my pulse jump.

“He distracted me during the final lap,” I explained, feeling heat rise to my cheeks at the memory of Keir’s hand on my thigh. “Total violation of racing ethics.”

“All’s fair,” Keir reminded me with a grin that made my stomach flip.

“In video games?” Cade asked, his expression hungry in a way I’d never seen before.

“And war,” I replied, attempting to break the strange intensity of the moment. “And probably taxes, though I wouldn’t know since you guys handle all that.”

Drew snorted, clapping me on the shoulder. “And on that note, I’m going to round up the others for dinner. Elena made her famous lamb, and I’m not missing out.”

As Drew disappeared down the hall, I became uncomfortably aware that I was now alone with all three brothers—something I’d been carefully avoiding for the past month.

“How was the town thing?” I asked, desperate to fill the silence with something other than the weird tension crackling between us.

“Productive,” Cade replied, still watching me with that unnerving intensity. “The shipping contracts are settled.”

“Great.” I nodded, as if I had any idea what that meant. “Good shipping. Very important. For… ships.”

Logan’s lips twitched. “Very eloquent analysis, Finn.”

“I’m an artist, not a businessman.” I shrugged. “Words are your territory.”

“Speaking of territory,” Cade said, his gaze shifting to Keir. “What’s this about you ‘prevailing’?”

Elena appeared in the doorway. “Dinner.”

As we moved toward the dining room, Keir leaned close to whisper in my ear. “This is going to be fun.”

“Your definition of fun needs serious recalibration,” I muttered back, though I couldn’t quite suppress the shiver his breath against my ear produced.

The dining room was already buzzing with conversation when we entered. Sophia and Mia had strategically positioned themselves, leaving empty chairs on either side of them. The moment we entered, Sophia waved to Cade.

“Cade! We saved you a seat,” she called, patting the chair beside her with a smile that could only be described as dazzling.

Not to be outdone, Mia caught Logan’s eye. “Logan, there’s room here,” she said, gesturing to the empty chair next to her.

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