Page 79 of Scrum Heat

She sucks in a breath.

“But I know it’s fast,” I continue. “There’s no crazy rush, or anything. We’ll go slow if you need, or fast if you want. Whatever pace gets you there feeling safe.”

She’s quiet for a second.

“The others…” she whispers.

“They want you too.” My voice is steady. “We haven’t sat down and said it out loud, but we all feel it. Jax already smells calmer when you’re around. Finn’s smilingconstantly.Rory’s started looking at you like you’re a puzzle he wants to solve with his teeth. And me?”

I pause, brushing my thumb tenderly along her jaw.

“I’m feral for you, Frankie.”

She’s flushed again—though this time, it’s for anentirelydifferent reason.

“I don’t know if I’m cut out for pack life,” she admits. “What happens if I mess it all up?”

“You won’t,” I say. “It’s not all on you, you know. We’re equally responsible. But… I kind of feel like we’re all already yours—that we have been since that very first day, really. We’re just waiting for you to realize it.”

The silence stretches again, but it’s softer now.

I shift, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “You sure you’re okay?”

Her eyes flick up, and I know she hears what I’m actually asking this time.

The comments. The negativity. The weight of all the bullshit.

“I’m trying to ignore them,” she whispers. “And most of the time, I can. But on the big videos, I scroll too far, or I see something I didn’t mean to—and then it just sits with me.”

My jaw tightens. “I’m looking into it,” I tell her. “You know this isn’t normal burner behaviour, right? Especially not on sports videos, for god sake. There’s a pattern going on—something more to it—but it’s covered well.”

“You don’t have to—”

“Iwantto,” I interrupt. “If you’re going to be part of this pack—ourpack—then you’re going to be protected. That’s the whole point, right? You don’t go through shit alone.”

She blinks, then swallows. “That’s… really hot,” she says, her voice wavering a touch.

I smirk. “Told you I was talented.”

She laughs. Her eyes shine, and I lean in again.

This kiss is slower,deeper. Her lips go soft as her body warms. She’s still knotted, still held. Stillmine.

It’s not a claiming—not yet—but itisa promise.

And I plan to keep it.

Chapter Nineteen

Frankie

“You didnot,”Harper gasps, a chip frozen halfway to her mouth. “Frankie! In thelocker room?!”

I bury my face in my hands and groan into them. “Pleasekeep your voice down.”

We’re sat on a patch of grass just off the training field, sunshine on our faces and snacks spread between us. I’ve got an iced tea in one hand, Harper’s working her way through something aggressively cheesy, and my dignity is currently decomposing somewhere between the goalposts.

“Oh mygod,” she hisses again, grinning.“Frankie!”

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