"What if they target your place?" I ask instead, because that seems like the most legitimate concern. "If someone's coming after me, won't they just follow me to wherever I am?"
Tank chuckles—a low, dark sound that sends a shiver down my spine for entirely different reasons than fear. "I have tons of haters and enemies. Comes with the territory when you spend a decade doing the kind of work I did. But no one is ever stupid enough to target an ex-military bodyguard's place of rest." His eyes glint with something dangerous. "It never ends well for them."
He says it casually, like he's discussing the weather. Like the implied threat of violence is just a minor detail, barely worth mentioning. And then he winks at me, like sharing a private joke.
I should probably be concerned about how much that turns me on. I'll examine that later.
His thumb comes up to trace my bottom lip, the touch feather-light and devastatingly distracting. "You smell so fucking good today," he murmurs, his pupils dilating slightly. "Different. Better. What changed?"
My heart rate spikes. Because I know exactly what changed, and I've been building up to this conversation all morning.
"It's probably the pheromones," I say, trying for casual and landing somewhere closer to breathless. "I, um. I kind of stopped my suppressants. So my scent is probably more... prominent."
The reaction is immediate.
Tank goes completely still beneath me, his hands tightening on my hips. Behind me, I hear Elias's sharp intake of breath. Theair in the room seems to thicken, charging with an electricity that makes my skin prickle.
"Wait." Elias's voice is careful, controlled, like he's trying very hard not to react until he's certain he heard correctly. "You actually stopped them? Your suppressants?"
I nod, suddenly nervous. I lift my head so I can see his face—he looks stunned, his usual easy confidence replaced by something raw and unguarded.
"I decided..." I take a breath, trying to find the right words. "I decided that maybe this can actually be official. Whatever this is between us. And I... I kind of want my heat to be with you. All three of you. So I figured, once Valentine's Day is done, it'll probably be heat week, and..." I trail off, my confidence wavering under the intensity of their stares. "Yeah. That's. That's what I was thinking."
Silence.
I feel my face heating up, embarrassment creeping in. "Unless it's too soon? I know we haven't really talked about—I mean, we said we'd figure it out after Valentine's Day, and I'm kind of jumping ahead, and maybe you're not ready for?—"
Elias kisses me.
Not a gentle kiss. Not a sweet, reassuring press of lips. This isconsuming—his mouth claiming mine with a desperation that steals my breath and short-circuits my brain. His hand fists in my hair, tilting my head back, giving him better access to devour me. His tongue slides against mine, and I hear myself make a sound that's embarrassingly close to a whimper.
By the time he pulls back, I'm gasping for air, my lips swollen and my thoughts scattered.
Before I can recover, Tank's hand grips my chin, forcing my head down so he can reach my mouth. And then he's kissing me too—deep and thorough and utterly possessive, like he's trying to brand himself onto my soul through sheer force of desire. Hisfree hand slides up my back, pressing me closer, and I can feel every hard line of his body against mine.
When he finally releases me, I'm dizzy. Actually dizzy, like I might need to hold onto something to keep from floating away.
"That's—" I manage, my voice coming out as a croak. I clear my throat and try again. "That's a yes, then?"
Tank's eyes are nearly black, his pupils blown so wide there's barely any color left. "That's a 'you can't be saying such things in a public place, Sweetness.'"
I become suddenly, acutely aware of our surroundings. The private room. The glass walls. The Alphas in the main gym who have a completely unobstructed view of everything that just happened.
I glance over my shoulder and—yep. There they are. A collection of gym-goers who have completely abandoned any pretense of working out and are now openly staring at us through the glass. Some look intrigued. Some look envious. Most look varying degrees of irritated, their Alpha instincts probably screaming at them about an unclaimed Omega being publicly ravished by two other Alphas.
Except I'm not unclaimed. Not anymore. Not if what just happened means what I think it means.
Elias chuckles, the sound strained around the edges. "Mmm, we should probably take this to the car before we get kicked out. Or before someone out there decides to challenge us for you."
"Let them try," Tank mutters, but he doesn't actually sound opposed to the idea of leaving.
I turn back to face him, my cheeks hot, my body thrumming with a restless energy that I don't know how to contain. "I should probably get off your lap."
His grip tightens on my hips. "Give me a minute."
I blink down at him, confused—and then understanding dawns. "Oh." My face, impossibly, gets even hotter. "Oh."
Elias bursts out laughing. "Can't exactly walk through the gym like that, can he?"
