Page 96 of Nicky and the Night Owls, Part One

“Hey, Books! Do you think I could interest you in dinner at the pack house? We’re ordering Indian tonight.”

“That soundsdelicious.”

“You could bring your little potato prince if you want. He and Roscoe can have a sleepover!”

I couldn’t stop the laugh that sprang from my lips. “I can do that. What time should I come by?”

“We’re putting in the order at six. You’re welcome to come over whenever your heart desires.”

Spud hopped up next to me and sniffed the phone, rubbing his cheeks vigorously against the edge.

“Okay. I’m probably going to have a quick nap, and I’ll get through a couple chores before heading over.”

“Can’t wait!”

My heart was lighter when we hung up. I stretched out in bed, and Spud hurled himself down against my back. Setting my alarm for two hours, I curled up to get a bit more rest.

When I woke, I packed up a bag with some work clothing and did a few chores—dishes, vacuuming, and cat litter—and packed up Spud in his carrier to make the trip over to the pack house.

Relief and excitement clashed together as I stepped through their doors, immediately welcomed with a kiss on each cheek from Billie and Jasper. I let Spud free, and Roscoe galloped off of Hana's lap to greet him. We all watched our fur children sniff all over one another before taking off like bats out of hell.

Tony nudged Billie and Jasper out of the way to claim me for himself with a slow, easy kiss, holding my chin between his thumb and forefinger.

Gabe was standing watch over a simmering pot of masala chai on the stove. I slipped under his open arm and breathed deep of the combination of his alpha scent and the bubbling concoction. Being here was like a weight had slipped off my shoulders. It was too easy to fall into the rhythm.

Hana appeared in my field of vision and handed me a glass of water.

I couldn’t help but giggle. “Thank you.” I wasn’t particularly thirsty, but I sipped it anyway because it seemed to make her happy.

We ate dinner like one big family in the dining room, our order spread across the giant Lazy Susan in the middle when it arrived, masala chai poured into every cup. The chatter was ceaseless, someone always picking up the conversation the moment it lulled, and, even though I didn’t participate in all of it, it was nice to simply let the words wash over me. Hana talked to me a lot more than I’d been expecting, pulling me into a chat about gardens—the pack was contemplating some extensive landscaping come summer—and luckily I’d read enough books to keep up.

At eight-thirty, Gabe had to leave for his shift. He worked his way down the line, claiming a kiss from each of us on his way to the garage.

“Assembly line kisses are way cuter than they have any right to be,” I commented after the door had closed.

“That's just becausewe’reall cuter than we have any right to be,” said Billie.

The remaining five of us tucked in to watch a couple of episodes of a show I had seen when it first aired years ago, and, when I had digested, Billie stole me away upstairs to change for work for just long enough to leave me ruffled and needy, the knowing eyes of the others making me blush when I stumbled back downstairs in my work clothes.

I found Spud and Roscoe curled up in a ball together in one of the cat beds in the corner of the living room. “You be a good boy for everyone, okay? Mommy will pick you up in the morning.”

I kneeled to kiss his head, giving Roscoe a little love as well, before I got my own assembly line of kisses on my way out to the car. Hana still hung back, but she did give me a brief hug, which I counted as progress.

There were no lilies waiting for me at the front desk this time, and my shift went by in a peaceful blur, filled with program set up and bending the rules for the university students so they could inhale their espresso at the library tables while they studied. There was no Billie and Tony tonight, which worked out decently when I had to comfort one of the students who burst into tears from the exam stress. The beanbag corner made the perfect spot for her to rest and recover.

Morning blazed bright through the windows, and I double checked to make sure there was no black sedan waiting for me. I left the library with a pep in my step. When I arrived back at the pack house, Tony managed to coax me inside for some pancakes. Of course, pancakes made me extra drowsy, which made me even easier to convince to stay there to sleep.

I passed out, sandwiched between Billie and Tony, and woke only briefly when Jasper arrived home from the bakery and climbed in next to us.

I slept like a rock.

The pack was far too inviting. We lounged in Billie’s bed, indulging in fevered kisses and wandering hands. Being surrounded by the three of them was intoxicating. When the wandering hands ended up with the four of us naked, I just let myself experience it.

Tony slid into me from behind, Billie's mouth consuming my desperate sounds as eagerly as I consumed theirs when Jasper fucked into them. I lost track of who had hands where. Fingers dug into my hip and hooked under my knee, others kneading my breast as I drowned in the sensation and the fog of their combined scents saturating every breath.

I shuddered as Tony's movements slowed, and someone thrust their fingers between my thighs to tend to my clit. Tony groaned behind me as my cunt rippled around him, my body rapidly scaling the peak of pleasure.

“Fuck, baby girl.” Tony hissed in my ear and enclosed my throat in his hand. “This pussy is going to ruin me.”

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