Page 114 of Knot That Serious

Raj turned toward them, waving once before winking at them. Across from them, Eli put her head in her hands, but she was smiling.

“I’m looking,” Jack promised, and swallowed.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Beckett asked.

Jack glanced over at him, squinting. “It depends. Are you thinking…”

“We could be a pack,” Beckett said.

Jack blinked at him.

The waiter returned with their food, and Jack was still staring as the waiter walked away, though he mumbled a “thanks.”

Beckett laid a hand on his thigh under the table. “Are you… alright?”

“A pack,” he echoed.

Beckett looked… nervous, he realized. The alpha swallowed, averting his gaze before returning it with a short breath. “A pack,” he said softly, and squeezed the hand on Jack’s thigh. “Eli and Raj, you and me. It’d be perfect.”

“We don’t even know anything about him!” Jack hissed.

Beckett rocked his hand back and forth before sipping his wine. Then he tilted his glass back and kept going, throat working until he sat it, empty, back on the table.

“I mean, we know he smells nice. Eli likes him. He didn’t take advantage of her that day when she was all upset after your fight, and! And—” he emphasized, cutting off whatever Jack was about to say, “so soon after her heat. You know she was still throwing pheromones out all over the place.”

“The bar is the floor, then?” he asked tightly.

Beckett rolled his eyes. “No, that’s not what I’m saying. I just mean, if he makes Eli happy, he’s invited, okay?”

Jack frowned for a minute, turning the thought over in his mind. “I’m thinking,” Jack admitted.

“Well, let’s think and eat at the same time, hm?” Beckett suggested.

They ate, and traded bites because Beckett’s food always looked better, for some reason. They passed on dessert, because Eli and Raj looked like they were wrapping up.

“Nothing is more important than Eli’s happiness,” Jack decided, once they were making their way out of the restaurant.

Raj had offered Eli his arm when they’d stood, and now he was opening the car door for her. He spotted them from the curb and waved.

“I think this is where we lose them,” Beckett guessed. “Because I may love you, but I’m not interested in a car chase. I think our love life is plenty spicy without that.”

Jack chuckled and pinched Beckett’s side, lighting up at the casual confession.

“What’s he doing?” Jack asked, referring to Raj, who was leaning through the driver’s door, his palms braced on the top of the car and the side while he spoke to Eli. Even through the dress shirt, Jack could spot the muscles, and he swallowed.

“I don’t kn—oh, no, is he—” Beckett gasped.

“He’s totally coming over here,” Jack hissed.

They watched Raj stalk closer, dressed head-to-toe in black. As he neared, Jack kept having to lift his gaze until finally, Raj stopped with just a few feet between them, hand extended. He was at least a few inches taller than Jack and Beckett both. “Good evening,” he said, voice just as deep as Jack feared.

“Hey,” Jack croaked out, and shook his hand. His grip was friendly, not too tight.

“Wanted to give you the heads-up that we’re going to the laser tag arena. You know, if you wanted to follow.” He held his hand out to Beckett next, whose cheeks were pink as he took it.

“Uh…” Jack said eloquently.

“I just mean, if you’d like to officially join us, I’d be okay with that. Since you’re probably going to be watching from afar anyway.”

---