Page 109 of Roulette Rodeo
Talon shakes his head, and for once there’s nothing predatory or smug about it.
“Why would I be pissed that the Omega we risked our asses to save trusts you enough to let you take her virginity?” He says it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “You were the right call. Her connection was with you first, and technically, you proved to her she was worthy of the wait by saving her from a situation that I’m positive no other Alpha has dared tried. She’s going to have a bond with Shiloh before any of us. Only makes sense to let him be the one to claim her innocence. He has to be the one to walk for us to run,” he pauses and looks my way. ”And, I assume, she was?” He cocks his head, waiting for the confirmation.
That she was a virgin…keeping to her word.
I nod, suddenly uncomfortable under the focus.
“She’s most certainly a virgin. Or, well, was.” I pause, then add, “Not anymore.” The pride in my voice is embarrassing, but I don’t bother to mask it.
Crowne lets out a low whistle, but it’s not the same mocking one Talon uses.
“A hundred million dollars, and the legend’s true.”
“It’s truly an anomaly,” Talon agrees, making a sweeping gesture like a game show host. “A pack that gets to be a real first for an Omega. You know what that means?”
I set the mug down, more tired than I want to admit.
“It means we don’t fuck it up.”
Talon’s smile grows. “It means we don’t fuck it up,” he repeats, echoing me, but then gets serious in a way that makes me sit up. “We’re not like the packs in the city. She’s not a collectible, and she’s not a trophy. She’s family, now. You get that, right?”
I nod, slower this time.
“I get it.”
Crowne taps the tablet.
“And if anyone from the city comes sniffing around? We make sure she’s not an asset. We make sure she’s a person.”
There’s a beat of silence, the kind that fills up every available space in the room.
Then Talon claps his hands together, breaking the tension.
“Good. Now eat something before you pass out. Your blood sugar’s probably in the negatives.”
I roll my eyes because he makes it sound as if I’m a geriatric patient of some kind.
I reach for the stack of toast, which is more carbon than bread, but it’s food, and I’m starving. We fall into a rhythm, the easy banter of three guys who’ve known each other long enough to read the undertones in every word.
After a while, Crowne leans in, dropping his voice.
“So how was it?”
I level a glare at him, but he just sips his coffee, eyes never leaving mine.
“Was it better than with Sophia?”
The name is a live wire, but I let it hang. “It was… different,” I say, and that’s the only truth I have. “It was real. She wanted it. She wanted me... and I’m not used to that.” I think about it long and hard, and neither of them rush me as I gather my honest thoughts. “I’ve never been with a woman who genuinely saw me with eyes of awe. That admired my body not for what it could do, but for what I’ve been able to survive. She cared about knowing my scars and tattoos, even through intimacy, I can see how she holds and touches me, but not in a condescending way like I’m bad or tainted. It’s hard to explain, really, but the connection is raw. True in nature versus with Sophia…well…that shit felt fake as fuck. Maybe that’s why it could never bloom into something more, no matter how much effort I tried.
Talon lets out a low whistle, my admission clearly hitting hard.
“Hot damn,” he says, shaking his head. “Don’t let Rafe hear you say that.”
Crowne laughs, but it’s the kind that has a little sadness on the back end. “He’s not up yet.”
There’s a scrape at the back door, and I know before I turn around that Rafe’s about to make an entrance. He’s always precise, always perfectly on time, even if there’s nothing to be on time for.
The door swings open, and he’s there—black hair slicked back, face scrubbed, shirt tucked so neat he might as well be reporting for duty.
