Page 76 of In Control

“He’s obsessed,” Liam mutters.

Gabe giggles. “He stole her underwear. He’s more than obsessed.”

“He what?” I gasp.

Gabe waves me off. “Esra has always been intense. It’s what we love and hate about him.”

I can’t argue with that.

“I think he’ll come around,” Liam says. “When he realises this is different. When he sees it’s nothing like …” He glances at Gabe and trails off.

“I agree,” Gabe says, scooping cream off the top of his drink with his finger and sucking it into his mouth in a manner that has my cock stirring. I’m taking him home after this meeting. “He won’t be able to help himself.”

“I’m not so sure.” If it were just his concerns about his career or just his fears because he’s been burned before, I could see it happening. But both these issues together … “I don’t want to lose him.”

Gabe lowers his cup onto the table. “Not happening. I’m keeping all of you and I’m having Sophia too.” He flicks his gaze between the two of us. “You can never accuse me of being one of those pampered, spoiled omegas, but on this I’m insisting on it.”

“You deserve to be spoiled and pampered,” I say quietly.

“I do,” he tells me, his tone back to its light, teasing manner. “And I also deserve to do some pampering and spoiling and that’s what I intend to do with our girl. So where do we start? I’m thinking we hit her with the full force of our charm and take her out together.”

We spend the next thirty minutes discussing where we’re going to take Sophia and then become distracted contemplating all the things we’d like to do to her. It’s lucky we’re tucked away in a quiet corner of the cafe because the conversation takes an X-rated turn.

Soon, we’re all sitting back in silence sipping our coffee and imagining those things.

“Esra is missing out,” Gabe mutters under his breath.

He is and I know it won’t be the same without him. Pleasuring Sophia as a pack, a complete pack, is the ultimate fantasy. Plus the man is a demon between the sheets. I’ve seen him plenty of times with our omega. I’d like to see him with our girl too.

But it’s not only Esra’s absence that’s been weighing on my mind. I haven’t forgotten my promise to Sophia.

“There’s something else we need to discuss,” I say, placing my empty cup down on the coffee table. “Someone has been sending Sophia letters.”

“What kind of letters?” Liam asks, his scent peaking.

“The only type of nasty letters a woman ever gets. The kind calling her all sorts of delightful things – whore, slut, slag.”

I see every fibre in Liam’s body tightening, the alpha in him responding to the threat. Gabe’s face pales.

Liam’s voice is an octave lower when he speaks. “Does she know who they are from?”

“She does. But she’s not saying.”

“Why?” Gabe shuffles on his sofa.

“I don’t know. Says it’s nothing she can’t handle.”

“We can sort this for her,” Liam says.

“That’s what I told her, but Sophia is the kind of girl who will dig her heels in all the harder if you push her.”

“We’ll look into it, though?”

“Yes, I already am.” Not that I’ve found anything out so far.

“Ro,” Liam growls, “I’m telling you now, whoever is sending her those letters is going to need a surgeon a lot better than me to mend all their broken bones.”

I growl my agreement.

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