Page 151 of Scrum Heat

He holds my gaze for a beat too long, then slowly sits on the edge of the bed and starts pulling off his socks.

Rory groans. “You too?!”

Jax shrugs one shoulder, already pulling down his shorts, leaving only his underwear. “Better for proximity.”

“Towhat?” Rory mutters.

Jax doesn’t answer; because it’s obvious, isn’t it?

Me.

And now I’m standing in my doorway while three extremely hot, extremely smug, extremely half-naked alphas get comfortable in my bed like it’s part of the post-match routine.

Theo’s still curled on the pillow; Finn is all stretched out with his abs on full display; and Jax is already lying back, arms behind his head, eyes half-closed.

And Rory?

Rory just sighs.Hard.

“Any last protests?” I ask, slipping under the covers, squeezing myself somewhere between warm bodies and complete moral defeat.

Finn pulls me down first—one arm under my back, one leg tossed lazily over mine. Theo slides in behind me, tucking his face against my neck.

“If I fall asleep here, I want to be woken with toast and kisses.”

“Do you want tea with that delusion?” I murmur.

“I want snuggles and compliments. Rory?”

“No.”

“I think Jax’s knife collection is softer than you.”

Rory stands there for a second longer, pinching the bridge of his nose like he’s debating whether to parent us or join us; then he sighs.

“You’re all insufferable.”

Finn grins. “Get in, Captain.”

Rory groans again, but he climbs in anyway. There’s no grace to it—just limbs and warmth and soft sounds of exhaustion.

My bed is not technically designed for this many rugby players, and yetsomehow, it fits.

They make space for me, and around me; tucked close and careful, like I’m something sacred.

“Do you think the OSC is still watching us?” Theo asks quietly, voice muffled against my shoulder.

Finn snorts. “They’d have to pay forthiskind of content.”

Jax’s hand slides up my spine and rests there. “They can’t see what matters.”

“They saw it today,” I whisper.

Because it’s true: they did. We held it together, we played, and we won.

Andthis? This right here?

This is the reason why.

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