Landon frowns, leaning back in his chair with a furrowed brow. “But?—”
A sharp knock on my door cuts off his words, and we both look toward it. He pushes to his feet and crosses the room, swinging it open to reveal Mason.
His hair’s held back in a tidy bun at the base of his neck, the sides of his head with a fresh cut. And dressed in his signature‘I don’t give a fuck what people say’ripped jeans and a black ribbed tank top, showing off the necklaces around his neck.
Add in the many tattoos running down his arms and beneath his shirt and he’s the kind of boy you don’t take home to meet the parents. Not that any of that stopped Landon from befriending him in the seventh grade. Or my parents from taking him in and under their wing when his father skipped town and his mom struggled to put food on the table for him and his sister. Granted, he didn’t have the tattoos back then.
“You said you weren’t coming, Loser,” Landon says, smacking him on the shoulder.
Mason shrugs and holds up a four pack. “And miss Lake’s cooking? Never.” His moss green eyes meet mine, and he gives me a small smile. “I brought your favorite. Pomegranate Raspberry.”
Landon curls his lip at the wine coolers as Mase sets them on the counter. “BJ’s?”
“Apology BJ’s…you shouldn’t have,” I say with a laugh as I snag one from the pack.
“Apology?” Landon asks sharply, looking between us. He stands straighter. “What does he need to apologize for, Lake?”
Mason rolls his lips between his teeth and raises his eyebrows, while my pale skin flushes. Gah, I need to find my filter and put it back in place. “Uh, nothing. Joking.” I wave off his question with a floppy wrist and turn back to the sink, pretending to rinse the bowl I used for prepping.
Once I’m done, I twist the cap off of the fruity wine cooler and down half of it. When I set it back on the counter, my head spins slightly, but it’s just what I need to face the two of them after what happened yesterday. Turning, I lean against the counter and tune back into their conversation.
“—Seriously, you should have seen this omega. She was so hot, that I would have shared her just to touch her,” Landon says, balancing the counter chair on two legs, before guiltily popping all four of them back on the ground with a look from me.
“New topic please.” I lift the wine cooler and sip on it, avoiding looking directly at Mason. I do not want to see the interest shining in his eyes for some omega, especially after asking him if he ever thought about me in that way and being let downgently.
“There’s afor rentsign right next to the coffee shop on Main street,” Mason says, earning my full attention. He’s watching me when I meet his eyes, an excitement shining in his.
I sink my teeth into my lower lip as I absorb the words fully. My own excitement’s threading through me. “That would be the perfect spot.”
“Art and Tats.” He nods, already on my same line of thought.
We could share the rent and both get what we want. Between our normal jobs and the starting of a business, it would make sense to have both of us able to be there. I’d have to give up tennis lessons—which creates an odd pang of regret. Tennis lessons are just a way to be close to Dean. But this opportunity is my future. Our future.
“Yes!”
Without thinking, I circle the kitchen island and throw my arms around Mason. I’ve hugged him a million times. But this feels charged. A current runs from him to me, burning me alive as his pheromones hit me. A hint of marshmallows over a campfire, of chocolate melting on a graham cracker. And he tugs me even closer, swinging me around with our joined happiness.
When my feet touch the ground, my cheeks are warm, and I am pretty sure my nipples are hard against his chest. His hands release me in slow motion, dragging over my sides as if he doesn’t want to stop touching me. And I swear his thumbs brush the band of my bra, the swell of the side of my breasts. I may be inexperienced in the bedroom, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t experienced foreplay.
Landon clears his throat, and I tear myself from Mason’s arms and turn quickly back to the stove, muttering something about checking on the food. All while I’m light headed from his simple touch and still want to press my lips to his.
“It sounds like it will take a lot of money,” Landon says, seeming oblivious to the fact his sister was about to climb hisbest friend right in front of him. “I could help with funds. Then you two could focus on your shop.”
“We’re good,” Mason answers, and when I turn back around, his eyes are lingering on me in a way I don’t think they ever have before.
Rejecting what my own eyes are telling me, I grab a second wine cooler and twist the lid off. Before dinner’s complete, I have finished off bottle two, and I’ve got a nice buzz going. Turning on my music with a quick voice command, my hips sway to the beat as I pull down the plates and carry them over to the table. Landon and Mason grab the side dishes, and before I can pull out my seat, Mason is tugging it out for me.
As I settle into it, Landon scoffs, his eyes going between us. “What’s going on between you two? Apology wine coolers, hugging a bit too long, and now this.” He gestures at Mason as he releases the back of my chair. “Mase, what the fuck did you do to my sister that has you acting like a whipped alpha?”
I hide behind my third Pomegranate Raspberry wine cooler and don’t come up for air until Mason’s sliding into his seat to my left. Across from Landon.
“I didn’t do anything to your sister. Nothing you wouldn’t have done, anyway. Some rich omega was openly flirting with her at the dinner. I stopped it.”
I roll my eyes and set my wine down. The liquid makes my tongue freer than it would be normally. “His name is Chad, and he’s cute. I would fuck him.”
My brother’s silverware clatters to his plate, and I know he’s staring daggers into the side of my head without even looking his way.
“What? I’m just being honest. I could use a good fuck just as much as you guys can.”
