Page 26 of Want It All
‘So what are we doing today?’
I frowned at Sebastian. ‘Heathcote gave us work to do.’
‘Rosebud.’ He slung an arm around my neck; my cheeks went hot. ‘Class is cancelled. It’s the end of summer and beautiful outside. We’re young, and theoretically carefree. We can study tonight. We’re doing something today – you just have to choose what.’
‘Why is this my decision?’
‘Because you’re the prettiest,’ Sebastian purred in my ear, and my breath hitched, even though that wasn’tremotelytrue.
I tried to ignore the twist of loss I felt when he moved away. ‘I haven’t been for a walk through the gardens yet,’ I made myself say, ‘Or down to the beach.’
Tristan glanced out the dining hall windows, then brought up a weather app on his phone. ‘It’s a perfect beach day. Overcast and warm, but not too hot.’
‘Dad said there were bluebottles last week,’ Byron commented, his gaze following Tristan’s. ‘You might not be able to swim.’
‘I don’t mind,’ I said. ‘I just want to see it. And maybe …’ I trailed off.
They waited; Tristan cocked his head to the side, watching me.
‘Just get away for a bit,’ I continued in a rush. ‘I’ve never really been able to do that.’
Byron frowned, but Sebastian’s expression was one of understanding. ‘You know Tris has a car here, right?’ he said, and I blinked at the use ofacar overhiscar, orthecar.How many cars did Tristan Grace own?‘We can take youaway anytime, anywhere you want to go. Further down the coast, or north towards Sydney, or inland towards Braidwood or Canberra. We could even drive to Melbourne one weekend, though it might be a flying visit. Whatever you want, Rose.’
I inhaled, because that was a lot of possibility, far more than I’d ever considered. ‘Thank you,’ I said quietly. ‘That’s really nice.’
Tristan stood. ‘But today, we’re going to the beach.’ Suddenly, he was all alpha; his shoulders rolled back, and his voice took on a tone that would make a high school teacher proud. ‘I’ll make us a picnic to take. Byron, you get drinks and sunscreen. You two –’ his eyes swept over Sebastian and I ‘– go get ready.’
I opened my mouth to protest – I could help with the food or something, surely – but Sebastian caught my hand and tugged me to my feet. ‘Nope,’ he said under his breath, like he knew what I was thinking. ‘Trislivesfor this. And by this, I mean doing stuff. Usually it’s for me, but today it’s forus, so sit back and enjoy it.’ He grinned. ‘That’s thepointof having alphas.’
Tristan was already striding towards the kitchens, and I pitied whoever was on duty. When Tristan saidpicnic, I didn’t think he meant a few packets of chips and some apples.
Sebastian pulled me from the dining hall, leaving Byron to clear the table. ‘I’m so glad we’re doing this,’ he said happily. ‘I’ve been studying my ass off, and Tris has been worrying about me studying. This is the perfect break.’
‘You’ve been studying?’
‘Only every spare moment. Heathcote really freaked me out.’ He glanced at me sidelong as we climbed the main staircase. ‘No one’s ever been quite that …blatant… about their bias before. And I want the Banksia Prize. I don’t want to let Heathcote fuck that up for me.’
I pondered his words as he dropped me off at my door, and what he’d said stayed at the front of my mind as I dug myswimsuit from my wardrobe and dressed, then found a change of clothes, a towel, and my sandals. Despite what Tristan had said, I slathered myself in sunscreen and packed it in my tote bag, too.
When I’d finished, Sebastian was waiting outside in a t-shirt and board shorts. He tugged my bag from my hands, ignoring my protest, then led me down the stairs. ‘The alphas are getting changed. They won’t be long.’
We waited for them outside the manor’s mouth-like double doors. The air was warm and fresh, and I felt something inside me relax. I hadn’t realised how much I’d wanted this; I’d probably needed it foryears. For all that we liked to pretend, beneath the layer of clothing and conventions humans were just animals; we all needed to see the sky and feel the breeze on our face, at least every now and then.
Byron and Tristan arrived, and a few minutes later we’d walked to the end of the drive and were stepping outside the sandstone walls, using a small iron gate I hadn’t noticed when I’d arrived. The groundskeeper, Harry, waved at us from the shade of a towering blue gum; I waved back, and we meandered along a rocky path towards the cliffs.
The cliffs lay around two kilometres from Banksia. I could just catch a hint of salt in the air and hear waves rolling, the sound carried by the strong breeze. Tristan led the way, Sebastian behind him. I followed, and Byron walked behind me, pausing when I stopped to snap some pictures of the landscape on my phone, trying to capture the glittering water stretching to the horizon, framed by bush. Being bookended by the two alphas felt a little like being chaperoned, but I wasn’t about to complain; my omega was preening.
We didn’t talk much; the breeze made conversation difficult, and I was unfit enough to be slightly out of breath as I navigated the rocky path with sandalled feet. My awareness flittered between the path, the view, and theotherview – Sebastian andTristan’s broad shoulders and backs. If I was being completely honest, my gaze might have drifted down a few times, too. It was a view I shouldn’t have been looking at, but surely there was no harm in just looking, especially when I was doing it respectfully.
Mostly respectfully.
There was harm, though, because I was looking at things I could never have, but after today, I’d know that I wanted them.
Sebastian looked back and shot me a grin.
Warmth spread through me, seeping through every limb, into every joint, and –
I was in trouble.
