Page 64 of Hot Knot Summer
I stretch deliberately, showcasing the muscles of my abdomen and am rewarded with a sharp intake of breath from her direction.
Two can play at this game. If I’m never going to sleep again without a hard-on while she’s in this house, then she deserves a little torture, too.
Let the games begin, indeed.
12
RIVER
“So, did her tits look as good as I’m imagining them?” I ask Levi, leaning against his desk with what I hope is casual nonchalance but is probably more like the desperation of a starving man outside a bakery.
Levi doesn’t even look up from his paperwork, the corners of his mouth twitching upward. “I made a vow not to discuss it, and I keep my promises.”
“Come on,” I wheedle, perching on the edge of his desk and deliberately blocking his view of the evacuation plans he’s drafting. “Just one detail. Hair color match the drapes? Any interesting tattoos?”
Finally, he gives me his full attention, that rare Levi smile spreading across his face—not the polite one he gives strangers, but the slightly wicked one that reminds me why he fits so perfectly in our pack.
“All I’ll say is this,” he offers, leaning back inhis chair. “Once you see her naked, you’ll never be able to unsee it.”
“You absolute bastard,” I groan, flopping dramatically across his desk and scattering his meticulously organized papers. “You think I didn’t hear you last night? The shower running at two a.m.? Don’t pretend you weren’t flogging the log after spending all evening eye-fucking her over pizza.”
Levi chuckles, not even bothering to deny it. “Seriously, River, she’s going to be the death of us. You have no idea what her scent can do when she’s close.”
“Oh, I have every damn idea,” I counter, remembering our encounter in the laundry room.
“Don’t let Atlas see you mooning over her like that,” Levi warns, though his tone is more amused than concerned. “He’s still pretending to be the responsible adult of this operation.”
As if summoned by his name, Atlas charges into the office. The effect would be more intimidating if I hadn’t seen him dancing in his boxers to 80s pop music just last week.
“While you two are drooling over Emma,” he begins without preamble. “Remember she specifically told us she’s not looking for any Alpha, let alone three.”
I exchange a knowing glance with Levi. “Right, because you weren’t flirting with her every second you’re next to her.”
Atlas runs his fingers through his already disheveled hair. “Fuck, okay,” he concedes. “She’s... affecting all of us,but we need to respect her boundaries. She just got out of a bad relationship, she was in a fire, and now she’s living with three Alphas who are all...” He gestures vaguely.
“Who all want to bend her over the nearest flat surface?” I suggest helpfully.
The look Atlas gives me could wither plants.
“Who all need to remember she’s not just some Omega. She’s Emma. She deserves better than being treated like a piece of meat.”
There’s a moment of silence as his words sink in. He’s right, of course. Emma isn’t just any Omega, she’s smart, talented, funny, vulnerable in ways that make my chest ache, and stronger than she gives herself credit for.
“You’re right,” I acknowledge, though I can’t resist adding, “But have you seen her ass in those sleep shorts? I caught a peek at it last night in the hallway. Because holy fu?—”
“River,” Atlas growls.
“Fine, fine,” I concede with a grin. “So what’s the plan for today? Besides us all taking cold showers and practicing restraint?”
Atlas’s posture relaxes slightly. “River, I need you to head out to the burned cabin. Police are meeting you there to go over the scene again. Use that eagle eye of yours for anything that might point to how the fire started. I have to attend another call.”
I nod, already mentally shifting gears. Fire investigation has always been one of my strengths.
“Levi, you’re with me,” Atlas continues. “We’ve gota job about a potential gas leak at the elementary school. Probably nothing, but?—”
“Better safe than sorry,” Levi finishes for him.
Ten minutes later, I’m sliding into my Jeep Wrangler Rubicon—lifted, mud tires, light bar on top, the works. It’s loud, impractical for anything, and drinks gas like I drink tequila, but I don’t give a damn. After years of having nothing to call my own, I’d splurged on something that matched the wild energy I could never quite tame. Something that could take me deeper into the wilderness I loved, faster and rougher than anything sensible.
