Page 156 of Saddle and Scent
We moved in a stilted half-step, our bodies out of sync at first, but I didn’t let him back off. I kept my eyes on his, guiding him around the clearing. At first, I thought he was mortified, but after the third pass he relaxed. His hands settled at my hips, not tentative, but like he was learning the way my body fit against his.
I shifted on purpose, leaning back, and the sweatshirt slipped off my shoulder, revealing the thin strap of the lingerie beneath. The black lace against my skin was so different from the faded cotton, it should have looked trashy. Instead, Callum’s eyes went dark and intent.
He said nothing, but his thumb drew slow circles on my bare hip, sending sparks up my spine. It was the first time I’d worn something like this for anyone—hell, it was the first time I’d worn it for myself. The power in his gaze made me brave.
When the song changed, I let the sweatshirt fall a little farther. Wes wolf-whistled. “Bell, you keeping secrets under there?”
“Maybe,” I said, spinning away from Callum and striking a pose in the fairy lights. “If you want to see, you have to join me.”
All three hesitated, then closed in around me like they’d rehearsed it.
Wes reached first, tugging at the hem of the sweatshirt. “Can we?”
I nodded, heartbeat wild. I was blushing so hard I felt it in my scalp, but I didn’t care. Tonight was about more than just looking sexy for them—it was about feeling safe enough to be seen.
They peeled the sweatshirt off together, careful not to mess up my hair. The temperature dropped a full five degrees, goosebumps racing across my arms, but the way they stared at me made it feel like midsummer.
The black lace clung to every curve, making my boobs look way better than I remembered, the ribbon at the back a promise waiting to be untied. I felt like a goddess, or maybe a magician pulling off her greatest trick.
“Wow,” Beckett breathed, his eyes wide and reverent.
Callum just muttered, “Jesus,” like he’d been punched in the gut.
Wes grinned like a maniac. “Bell, you are full of surprises.”
I decided not to tell them how nervous I’d been, how I’d almost chickened out. Instead, I reached down and slid the pajama pants off, revealing the matching set underneath. Mylegs shook a little, but I flexed my toes against the cool stone, grounding myself in the moment.
They looked at me like they were seeing me for the first time. Not the mess, not the project, not the work in progress—but the woman, the Omega, the girl who wanted to be wanted.
“Holy shit,” Beckett said, then, a little softer, “You look perfect.”
I laughed, a little wild, and spun for them. “No more hiding.”
Wes snaked an arm around my waist and whispered, “We should christen the swing. For science.”
He was joking, but the look in his eyes wasn’t. There was heat there, and hunger, and something else—something that said this wasn’t just a one-night thing, or even a summer thing. This was our future, right here, right now, and I didn’t have to be scared of it anymore.
I beckoned them over to the swing. “You coming, or what?”
Callum moved first, Beckett and Wes close behind. I took my spot in the middle, both hands out, and let them crowd around me.
The moon was higher now, the fairy lights twinkling like a thousand tiny promises. Beckett poured us each a shot of whiskey, and we toasted to nothing in particular, just the chance to be together without bullshit or shame.
After the first round, I tilted my head back, catching the faint glimmer of stars between the aspens. “You know what I want to do?”
“Anything,” Wes said, eyes already a little glassy from the drink.
“I want to dance with all of you. At the same time.”
Beckett let out a low laugh. “That’s not dancing, Bell.”
I shrugged, wicked. “Call it what you want.”
I dragged them all up, one by one, and we stumbled around the grass, tripping over the stones and the roots, our feetfreezing but our bodies warm, pressed close together. At some point, Wes spun me and I crashed into Beckett, who caught me by the waist and lifted me clean off the ground. Callum pulled us back in, anchoring the chaos, and the three of them ringed me in so tight that all I could do was laugh and lean into their touch.
It wasn’t elegant, or practiced, or even particularly sexy. But it was ours.
And when I finally lost my balance, taking all three Alphas down with me in a pile of limbs and wildflowers and silk and skin, I knew I’d never been happier in my entire life.
