“No. Who I sleep with, whether it’s any of you, none of you, or Stan the doorman downstairs, is my business. No matter what my history was. Believe me when I say that I’ve gone through years of therapy to be able to stick up for myself like this, so don't push me.”
The three of us nodded our agreement and I mimicked crossing my heart, please when the glimmer of a smile returned to Tibby’s face again.
“Now that the lasagna is in the oven, who wants to help me butter up the garlic bread?”
I couldn’t help myself, “I’ll butter your bread any day, Tibtib.”
Tibby’s laugh echoed through the dining room as she led us back to the kitchen to finish cooking dinner.
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We had just sat downaround the table when Theo’s phone, which was in his pocket, pinged. He pulled it out and glanced at it before he stood and headed for the front door.
After yelling at the three alphas earlier, I couldn’t help but feel a little bit guilty. They had gone out of their way to open their home to me and offer me protection and I had been rude...however, I also knew that if I didn’t stick up for myself now, then I never would. It pissed me off when people spoke about me like I wasn’t an adult who could make her own decisions. The academy had been doing that for eight years and it tended to grate on a person.
Matteo winked at me as he set a wooden bowl full of salad on the table before heading back into the kitchen to grab the breadbasket. Matteo had it clear that he liked me and, quite frankly, I liked him too. He was way better than how I had imagined him during the times that he serviced my heat. He was friendly and a little bit silly at times, I had a feeling that he was the person who broke the tension between his two more intense alpha counterparts. Much better. Every time that I chanced a look at him, the memory of him being inside of me, knotting me, calling me a good girl, came unbidden in my mind. I needed to get a hold of myself, and quick, or else I’d just end up embarrassing myself.
I definitely wanted a repeat of that, but I was afraid of causing issues in Theo’s pack.
I still couldn’t figure Theo Nilsson out. He was so completely different from the young FBI agent who had carried me out of Hezekiah Jordan’s compound almost nine years ago. That man had smiled easily and had calm blue eyes, and neatly trimmed blonde hair. In my mind, Theo Nilsson had been what I’d pictured whenever someone had mentioned finding their ‘Prince Charming.’ I had put a lot of weight into my first memory of Theo, comparing him to every alpha that I met during my time at the academy. He was the first person to take me away from the hell that I had been living in while at the compound, my first crush, my first protector.
Almost a decade later, the Theo sitting in front of me was nothing like his younger self—not that that was a bad thing—he was still just as handsome, though it was more rugged now. His blonde hair was shaggier now and his chin was covered in stubble. Theo also showed signs of being older now, there were lines spreading out from the corner of his eyes and I didn’t know if that was smiling or from stress—probably both. The thing that kept throwing me off, however, was how closed off he was now. The FBI agent who had saved me had been open, friendly, and a little bit silly as he comforted me while we rode together to the hospital. He had shared stories about his packmates and his life. Theo also didn’t work at the FBI anymore and I couldn’t help but wonder if all FBI agents had such short careers. I wasn’t sure how old Theo was now, but he couldn’t be older than forty...so why was he not working as an FBI agent anymore?
I had so many questions about Theo Nilsson but, unfortunately, those would have to wait because Theo re-entered the dining room with Jacob Collins in tow.
Agent Collins was as clean-cut as they come, his dark brown skin was clear of any blemishes or lines and his hair was kept short and was densely curled. I could tell, just by looking at him, that he was fastidious about how he looked because his hair was evenly lined around his forehead and ears. His dark eyebrows were neatly trimmed and framed a pair of eyes that were the color of a darkly roasted coffee bean. Along his jaw was just the slightest hint of stubble and the shadow of a mustache underneath his long slender nose, though something told me that he usually kept himself clean-shaven.
Collins had been completely buttoned up in a suit and tie earlier, but the jacket was missing now and the tie was hanging loosely around his neck as he dropped the black duffel bag that he was carrying on the floor. Judging by the redness of his eyes, Collins looked absolutely exhausted.
Aria’s expression brightened as she greeted the beta with an affectionate hug, “Cobb!” She said, using a nickname for him that I’d never heard before. “Welcome back!”
I watched their interaction like a hawk. When they were all together in the conference room earlier I had been too distracted to pay close attention to them. They definitely had some kind of history, a tension that made them dance awkwardly around each other as if they didn’t quite know how to interact with each other anymore. I was a nosy people watcher and I’ve spent almost nine years sitting in the coffee shop at the academy watching people on the street outside live their lives. I loved creating soap-opera-esque storylines for the people walking by in my head. In my opinion, it was much better than television.
I knew, right away, that I would not have to make up any storyline for Pack Simmons and Jacob Collins. It had already been written long before today. Theo hovered behind the shorter man and I could see the desire and pain in his eyes as he looked down at the beta.
Aria finally released Collins with an affectionate smile, which Collins quietly returned. “Ria you act like I didn’t just see you a couple of hours ago.” He, much to my surprise, teased before his eyes traveled over Aria’s shoulder and landed on me.
“Ms. Sinclair, how are you feeling?” He asked and I wanted to tease him for calling me Ms. Sinclair, but I didn’t know him well enough for that yet. Besides, I had a feeling that the beta lived and breathed formality when it came to his job...and I was currently his job.
“You can call me Tibby, Agent Collins.” I offered, going instead for the friendly route. “I made lasagna. Are you hungry?”
“Starved, thank you, Ms...Tibby.” Collins replied, looking uncomfortable with using my first name, how cute. “And you can call me Jacob if you like.”
I smiled, pleased that he wasn’t going to be stubborn about calling me Tibby. “I like.”
Matteo entered the dining room again, carrying the breadbasket and open bottle of red wine which he held high as he cheerfully greeted Jacob.“Yo, Cobb! I was wondering when you’d be here. I was worried that you were going to try and work until you dropped.”
He set the wine and bread down on the table before tugging Jacob into a hug. Matteo’s hug was much more aggressive than Aria’s and he slapped the beta’s back for good measure before stepping back and leaving Jacob looking dazed.
Aria clapped her manicured hands together and announced, “Let’s eat!”
We all sat down around the table together: Aria at the head, Theo next to her, and Jacob next to him. I sat on Aria’s other side with Matteo next to me, his pumpkin spice scent curling deliciously over me as I used tongs to put salad on my plate.
We collectively tucked into our meal, the table filling with a silence which was a bit odd to me. As far as I could tell, the three alphas usually chattered amongst themselves, silence was definitely not their strong suit. Why were they being so quiet? Suddenly, a nasty thought wheedled its way into my brain. What if they didn’t like the lasagna? Which was crazy,everyoneliked my lasagna. It was my signature meal, dammit.
