Page 66 of Sincerely, Pack Pucked
“Nothing in particular planned. What about you guys?”
“We have the entire day off because we had an exhibition game last night.” Percy’s expression grew hopeful as he tucked a stray hair behind my ear. “How would you like to come to the penthouse for lunch? Spend a day with us, relaxing?”
I bit my lip for a moment, considering it. It was daunting to spend an entire day with them in their lavish home, if I opted for a more public setting, I would probably be even more embarrassed and unwilling to discuss certain topics. And conversations were a must.
“That sounds like a nice idea, but I’ve got to ask”—I held his stare, making a serious face—“what food are you offering me?”
Percy burst into laughter. “Whatever you want, my dear. We’ll order food from any restaurant in town or hand-make any food you desire.”
Damn, he was good.
We drove to the penthouse together, and even his car seemed obscenely fancy to me. A large SUV that was immaculately polished, with not a speck of dust or trash on the inside.
“Do you have any idea what you want for lunch?” Percy asked as we pulled into the underground parking lot and started getting out.
I shook my head. There were many different foods I would happily eat at that moment, but thanks to my pregnancy hormones,allof them seemed like a good option.
“Everything?” I said, scrunching my nose as I slid out of the car.
“We can do that!” a voice said behind me.
Turning, I saw Jasper approaching, wearing a white T-shirt and gray sweats. His blond hair was mussed, like he had just gotten out of bed, despite it being midday.
“Jasper!” I smiled, walking over to him. He embraced me in a bear hug, his sweet, doughy smell making my muscles feel all gooey and lax. “What are you doing down here?”
“I wanted to come see you before the others got the chance. First dibs, if you will. Also, Saint and Devin are in the security office. They thought it would be a good idea for you to meet the security team before heading up.”
They had mentioned the security team before, but I had purposefully avoided thinking about it. If I thought about the pack as celebrities or star athletes, I would get clammy and worried again. Most of the time, I was pretending they were normal alphas, and that was stressful enough.
“Do I really need to meet them?” I asked, my hand drifting to my stomach.
Percy came up behind me, resting his palm on the small of my back. “Considering we’re going to be in your life from here on out, it’s probably a good idea. Just so you’re not freaked out if you notice them out and about.”
My stare flared wide. “Do they follow you guys everywhere?”
Jasper shook his head, the corners of his mouth turning down. “They come along for games and for some outings, and they tend to follow Saint the most out of all of us, because he’s got the craziest fans. When they do follow us, though, theyusually stay in the background and keep hidden. Or they dress normally and come along as friends.”
“When the Chargers insisted that we get security, I thought it would be so claustrophobic.” Percy smiled at me, clearly trying his best to ease the tension. “But I barely notice them. They’re decent guys.”
I sighed, nodding lightly. “Fine…”
Jasper beamed, his energy always so upbeat. “Okay! Let’s go get this meeting done with, and then we can go to the penthouse and snuggle. I’ve got a really nice, fluffy blanket for the couch for us,” he told me, grabbing my hand and leading me toward the elevator.
My first instinct was to recoil from the hand holding, but then I thought about it for a second and realized I actually liked it. Holding Jasper’s hand and having Percy next to me, his palm still hovering on my back, was comforting. I didn’t feel stifled by the presence of two alphas. In fact, I felt embraced,cared for.
So, I followed along. The security office was in the lobby, down a small corridor.
The room was basically what I expected, except a little more relaxed. In the back of my mind, I was imagining a high-tech room full of screens, all dark gray in color, with blinking lights, like you’d see in an action movie.
In reality, it was just a room. It appeared to be an old office, with a few computers and two guys wearing suits sitting at their desks. There was no mistaking the men for regular office workers, though. I gulped, trying to focus on the comforting breakfast scents around me.
The security team was intimidating. For one, each of them was huge. They were both taller than my alphas, which, of course, meant they towered over me. Devin and Saint were chatting with them, and both their faces broke into smiles when they saw me.
“Hey, sweetness,” Saint greeted, walking over and pulling me in for a hug. As soon as he let me go, Devin was right there, stepping up for his own quick embrace.
The two strange alphas I hadn’t met before stood back, watching us with the blank expressions I’d expect from security guards.
“Spencer, Bear, this is Mable,” Devin introduced us, pointing to each of the security guards in turn as he said their names.
