Page 73 of The Omega Lesson

“How are you feeling, babe?” Mattie asks as he slides his hands around my waist. “’Cos right now I feel like I’m on top of the world.”

“You do?” I ask, breathing a sigh of relief. “No regrets?”

“Only if you have them.”

I shake my head, smiling as Noah comes over to us with a bottle of champagne dangling from one hand and a black leather case in the other. “Come on, lovebirds. I want to fluff our plumage before we head out.”

I shoot Mattie a wary look, but then we’re trooping into a bathroom styled in black marble, pale green subway tiles, and what I suspect are solid gold taps.Vegas, eat your heart out…

While I’ve been gawking at the décor, Mattie has snatched the champagne bottle off Noah and taken a generous slug. When he catches me staring, he gives me a cheeky shrug. “It’s not like I have school in the morning. Besides, I’m in a celebratory mood.”

“Of course, you are, Bratty Boy,” Noah purrs as he nudges me over to the longest vanity I’ve ever seen. “Our gorgeous girl went and slayed a dragon for you today.” He slides a velvet stool towards me, and I raise my brows as he starts pulling things out of his leather case. “She deserves to be painted inallthe glory.”

“Hmmm,” I murmur, sinking onto the stool. “Why does that sound so dirty?”

Noah grins and waves a bottle of pink hair dye at me. “I just thought you might as well make the most of your freedom.”

I grin. There’s the familiar guilt in my belly about leaving my students and the other staff in the lurch, but then I catch the soft smile on Mattie’s face. “What do you think?” I ask him. “You like me in pink?”

“I like you in anything, babe,” he says, “but I wouldn’t say no to wrapping my hand around your pink locks again.”

I flush at the heat in his eyes, and Noah fans himself with one hand, while grabbing the champagne bottle with the other. He tips back a long drink, then pushes it back at Mattie. “Don’t fry my brain, grasshopper. I’ve got magic to perform here, so why don’t you go find some trouble elsewhere?”

“No problems, master,” Mattie replies with a cheeky bow, tilting the bottle back so we can see the long, golden line of his throat as he swallows. When he’s finished, he grins at us with flushed cheeks and pouty red lips, then snaps off a salute. “One serving of trouble coming up!”

“Not too much trouble!” we both splutter at once, but Mattie just gives us a jaunty backward wave.

As Noah works his magic, the other guys come by to see what we’re up to, and Mattie drifts in and out with enough snacks for an army. We decide that raiding the fridge is appropriately PG trouble, and I settle into my pampering with a happy heart. When the hour is up and Noah has washed out the dye and given me a head of sleek pink locks, I smile at my reflection in the mirror. I’m not sure what kind of trouble we’re really going to get up to tonight, but I figure I look like a girl who’s ready to have a good time.

Especially when Ben unveils a dress sent up from one of the casino boutiques. It’s a cocktail sheath with pale silver sequins that goes perfectly with my softer hair and the stunning bonding ring on my finger. There’s also a silver clutch in the dress bag, and a pair of Dior slingback pumps. Stylish, worth more than my first car, but not too hard to walk in.

I’m given custody of the champagne bottle while the guys get changed, and then it’s my turn to fan myself. Like their outfits for the tennis tournament, they’ve decided to wear a uniform of sorts, all in dark jeans, blazers, and Off-White graphic tees. We could easily be headed to the fanciest club in Vegas, and I’m suddenly glad I spent three hours getting ready.

But before we leave, I take a moment to step into Jack’s arms. We barely got to talk in the helicopter, and I’m still hankering for my hit of his chocolate scent. “I don’t know what’s going to happen after today,” I murmur into the warm column of his throat. My bond mark isn’t as big as Ben’s but it’s right there, for anyone to see, and I feel a wave of possessive satisfaction roll through me. “I just know I need you tonight.”

He chuckles and runs his tongue over his mark, which is also on full display in the slinky dress. “Can’t wait until we learn to sync our alpha sides and spend a day just biting each other.”

I groan, thinking of that huge bathtub in the other room. “Do we have to go out? I can think of a lot of entertaining we could do right here in this suite.”

Ben’s hands slide around us, his long arms pulling us both against his chest. “Keep licking each other and there’s going to be a lot of disappointed kids downstairs.”

“Kids?” I repeat, blinking through my haze. “What do you mean?”

He jerks his head towards the door and we follow, catching up to Mattie and Noah who are necking next to the elevator. We all pile in and Ben hits the button for the mezzanine. “The new entertainment area is an interactive aquarium. I wanted to make the casino more of a family-friendly space, and who doesn’t love fish?”

I feel a pang in my chest as I think of Bree, but then we’re stepping out of the elevator to the flash of cameras, and a ballroom full of well-dressed people. One entire wall is a sea of fish, everything from leafy seadragons, to stingrays, and cruising sharks. “Sorry,” Ben mutters, “but we have to schmooze with the grown-ups before we can go pet the starfish.”

I snort, but accept a glass of champagne from a server. The guys steer us through the crowd, and my heart starts to beat faster at all the attention. There are a lot of powerful alphas in the crowd, but for once, I don’t feel out of place. With my pack gathered around me, I might be receiving a lot of curious looks, but there are plenty of envious glances, too. Especially when their gazes drift to the bite marks on my neck.

“Nosy fuckers,” Noah murmurs in my ear, then pulls me in for a hot, slow kiss that makes my toes curl. There’s another round of camera flashes as he runs his tongue over his bonding mark, smacking his lips like it’s the best thing he’s ever tasted.

“What was that for?” I ask breathlessly when he’s finished.

“Couldn’t help myself,” he murmurs, squeezing my hips. “And it never hurts to give big brother a taste of what he’s missing.”

I jerk in his arms, my heart lifting as I spot Travis standing close by. But my good mood quickly sours as I recognise the guy beside him. “Oh, shit. That’s Anton.”

“Your brother?”

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