Page 105 of The Pack Next Door
“Promised, remember?” Jace leant down to stare at me. “I got the tally done, and you said you’d have dinner and breakfast with me. Well, I’m a man that lives up to his promises now, as you’re about to see.”
I sucked in a breath, ready to let him know that this wasn’t needed, but he closed the door firmly, winking through the window at me before sauntering off through the hotel foyer door.
Bastard.
He made sure he had the last word, something he was well aware of, leaving me to stew in the car. Maybe he thought I’d follow after him, yapping at his heels like a noisy pup, but thewolf and I were in agreement. When I put the car in gear and took off, she didn’t fight me.
Up until I returned to my apartment.
Gideon had done his best to erase all evidence of their presence here, but a mop couldn’t exorcise their ghosts. Memories flooded back the minute I stepped inside the door. Of panting while bouncing on Mads’ dick, of Jace feeding his cock past my lips. Of Gideon’s curious restraint, his eyes the only indicator of how I was affecting him. They burned into me, right as my hand wrapped around his knot. It was almost as if I could feel them touching me as I dropped my bag onto the hall table then kicked off my shoes, but I stripped off my clothes to step into the shower, not their arms.
But what would it be like if I did?
That thought came unbidden as I rubbed soap all over me, trying to scrub away the tension of the day. It didn’t swirl down the plughole along with the soap. It stayed with me as I finished showering, then again as I scrubbed my hair dry. The sound of my phone ringing was the only thing to break the train of thought. As I snatched it out of my bag, I felt adrenaline rise, sure it was one of the Whitlocks ringing to push me harder.
Instead, I grinned when I saw who was FaceTiming me.
“Hey, how’s it hanging?” Candy asked the minute I accepted the call. “Tight, wet, and not done yet?”
“Bloody hell…”
Laughing was a relief I hadn’t felt in days.
“So still in Hicksville, panting after your neighbours, or have you gotten to the part where you’ve been railed by three wolf shifters behind a dumpster?”
“Candy!” That muffled exclamation could only come from Riley. She appeared in the corner of the screen, looking concerned. “Look, I’m really sorry about that. I wish I could saythe troll doll would be more professional, but that would be a lie.”
“It’s fine.” I waved my hand. “You should hear what she comes out with after a few Long Island iced teas.” I shifted focus to Candy. “And Moon River isn’t Hicksville.”
“A place where there’s no UberEats, and the population thinks TikTok is a dance the Devil created to corrupt our youth?” Her eyebrow quirked upwards. “I beg to differ. So?—”
“I’m back home.” I moved the phone to give them a view of my apartment. “Mum’s not out of the woods, but as she’s stubbornly refusing help…” I paused for a second, remembering my own refusals today. “I made sure she’s got a friend staying with her and am in the process of trying to locate a nurse who can drop in and check on her.”
Something else I needed to add to my very long to-do list. My hand rubbed at my forehead, a dull headache starting to throb.
“Your face is doing that pinchy thing.” Candy peered at the screen. “It shouldn’t be doing that if you’ve been enjoying multiple orgasms. Riley is like one hundred times more tolerant after she goes through her heat.”
“So I only want to choke you most days, rather than every single one?” Riley shot back.
They were friends as well as colleagues. It was either that or fight it out in the laboratory Thunderdome style, until one left alive.
“I’d wear your hand necklace with pride, Mummy…”
Candy’s moan was cut off as Riley took the phone from her.
“I just wanted to touch base and see how you were going? Did you try the heat suppressants? If they aren’t effective, there are other options.”
“We can explore that next time,” I replied. “My heat has broken.”
“I knew it!” Candy crowed in the background. “Briar got knotted.” She danced past the screen. “Briar got knotted!”
“Is she doing the Macarena or something?” I said.
“Best not to ask.” Riley focussed back on me. “So the heat broke naturally? Interesting. Usually it takes longer to resolve.”
“Well, it might be because I had help.” Suddenly both of them were quiet. “I came back to town and my… the Whitlock pack followed and they… helped me. In my apartment, not behind a dumpster,” I added quickly.
“No way!” The phone was wrenched from Riley’s grip and Candy’s face swam into view. “So are you mated now?” She peered at my neck.
