Page 17 of Scrum Heat

I gesture vaguely toward the chair. “He… whittled me furniture.”

“I know,” Finn nods. “It’s his version of a cuddle.”

It’s then that Theo wanders in, his dark hair a tousled mess of bad decisions and better genetics.

“What’s all the yelling?” he mumbles, scratching his perfectly honed abs. “Are we finally voting someone off the island?”

“Someone scented my mug.”

He steps in close, bends down toward it, and sniffs while I stubbornly keep hold of it.

“Oh yeah. That’s definitely Rory.”

“How do you know?”

“Because it smells like dominance issues and unresolved rut tension,” Theo grins.

Rory enters the kitchen half a beat later. He doesn’t so much as look at me as he heads straight for the toaster.

“Rory,” I say his name through gritted teeth. “Youscentedmymug.”

He places bread in the toaster, presses the buttons down, and only then does he speak.

“It was clean.”

“What, and that’s anissue?!”

“Frankie,come on,” Theo holds up a piece of bread like it’s a peace treaty. “We’rea bunch of alphas nesting you by committee. It’s going about as well as you’d expect.”

I drop onto the kitchen island stool and rest my forehead against the cool surface.

Enter Finn, warm and gentle as he slides a plate toward me. “Here. Have some banana bread,” he says softly. “It’s hormone-stabilizing.”

I stare at the bread. I have to admit, it smellsdivine.

“It has almond flour, and walnuts, too,” he adds.

Theo drops into the seat beside me, sprawling wide, all smug grin and predatory lounge.

“I don’t bake,” he announces, flexing his hands, “but Idoemotionally sabotage and then apologize via neck rubs.”

I blink at his hands. Then blink again.

My god: they’rehuge.

Jax returns to the room and sets a mason jar of lemon water in front of my plate. “Hydration,” he says.

That’s it. Justhydration.

My chair creaks slightly, and I take a bite of the banana bread to distract myself from the realization that I am completely surrounded. My eyes flutter to a close as soon as it hits my tongue. It’s stupidly good; all soft and sweet and full of sincere intentions.

“I hate all of you,” I mumble through a mouthful.

“You don’t mean that,” Finn laughs.

Jax leans against the counter, his muscular arms folded. “How are you feeling this morning?”

Wow.He can speak in a full sentence after all. Who knew?

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