The attempt at humor should have fallen flat, but something about his delivery, about the warmth in his dark eyes, made the corner of my mouth twitch.
I sat down and sank into the cushions, which were even softer than they looked. The blankets surrounded me; the fire crackled warmth in my direction, and for the first time since arriving at the penthouse, I felt my body start to truly relax.
Theo settled beside me, close but not touching, his large frame taking up more than his fair share of the couch but not crowding me. He reached for the remote on the coffee table, andthe overhead lights dimmed, leaving just the firelight and the soft glow of accent lamps.
“I have something you'll enjoy,” he said, his voice holding a hint of mischief as he navigated through a streaming menu on the large television mounted above the fireplace.
A comedy appeared on the screen, something I vaguely recognized from posters I'd seen at bus stops. Lighthearted, silly, the kind of thing designed to make people laugh without requiring deep thought.
Perfect for someone whose brain felt wrung out from emotional exhaustion.
Theo hit play, and the opening credits started rolling. Movement on my other side made me glance over. Kade had settled on the opposite end of the couch, leaving a space between us, respecting boundaries even in this cozy setup.
Lucian appeared from the kitchen entrance carrying a large tray. The smell hit me first—butter, salt, and sugar, sweet and savory mixing in a way that made my stomach suddenly remember it existed. He set the tray on the coffee table in front of us, and I saw glasses of fizzy drinks and bowls of popcorn, glossy with melted butter, and several smaller bowls filled with different candies. Chocolate, gummies, something that looked like caramels.
“Help yourself,” Lucian said, settling onto the other couch at the side of us. “We weren't sure what you'd like, so we brought options.”
My hand reached for one of the popcorn bowls without conscious thought, drawn by hunger and the comfort of familiar food. I pulled it into my lap, felt the warmth of it through the ceramic, and took a handful.
Then, Theo leaned forward, grabbed a small bowl of M&M's, and before I could react, tipped a generous portion of the colorful candies directly into my popcorn.
I stared at the bowl, then at him, my eyes wide with something between horror and disbelief. “What are you doing?”
His grin was pure mischief, the expression making him look younger, less intimidating. “What? You've never tried it before?”
I shook my head, still staring at the contamination in my bowl. Sweet and salty mixed together, chocolate and butter, it seemed wrong on a fundamental level.
“Trust me,” Theo said, his voice dropping to something more serious despite the smile still playing at his lips. “Just try one bite. If you hate it, I'll get you a fresh bowl.”
I looked down at the popcorn studded with candy, then back at his face. He was watching me with such genuine enthusiasm, such open hope that I'd like this thing he wanted to share, that I couldn't bring myself to refuse.
Picking up a piece of popcorn with an M&M stuck to it, I brought it to my mouth, and bit down.
The candy shell cracked first, releasing the chocolate inside. Sweet and smooth, it melted almost immediately against the heat of the buttered popcorn. Then the salt hit, mixing with the chocolate, creating a flavor combination that shouldn't work but somehow did. The popcorn's crunch provided texture contrast to the melting candy, and the butter tied everything together into something that was simultaneously indulgent and comforting.
A sound escaped me before I could stop it. A soft moan of pleasure, muted but unmistakable.
The room went absolutely still.
I froze, the realization of what I'd just done hitting me like cold water. My eyes snapped up from the bowl, and I found all three Alphas staring at me with expressions that made my breath catch.
Kade's hands had tightened on the armrest beside him, his knuckles white with pressure. Lucian had gone rigid in his seat, his ocean eyes darkening to something more intense. And Theobeside me... Theo's entire body had tensed, his jaw clenched, and when I met his gaze, I saw something predatory flickering behind the warmth.
Want. They wanted me. All three of them, responding to that small involuntary sound with the kind of focused intensity that prey animals recognized instinctively.
My eyes went wide, my heart rate spiking, and for a moment, the comfortable nest of blankets felt like a trap again.
But none of them moved. None of them reached for me. They just sat there, frozen in place, clearly fighting their own instincts, their own responses to what my moan had triggered.
The moment stretched, taut and charged with something I didn't fully understand but felt all the way through my body.
Then Lucian moved, breaking the frozen moment with deliberate casualness. He shook his head, reached into his own popcorn bowl, and flicked a kernel directly at Theo's face.
The popcorn hit Theo's cheek and bounced off, tumbling down to land on the blanket draped across his lap.
“Really?” Lucian said, his voice holding exaggerated exasperation. “Neither of you could control yourselves at a snack table if your lives depended on it.”
Theo blinked, the predatory intensity draining from his expression, replaced by something like sheepish amusement. He reached down, grabbed the popcorn kernel that had landed on his blanket, and threw it back at Lucian with terrible aim. It went wide, hitting the back of the couch instead.
