Destiny stood up, feeling warm all over. She was used to being ogled but having Pack Stepanov’s eyes on her felt different. Of course, she wasn’t going to give Prince Alexander the satisfaction of seeing her ruffled. She lifted her chin, stepping purposefully into a beam of recessed lighting.
She’d selected a casual winter look for the evening’s performance and hadn’t bothered to change afterward. Her soft, cashmere sweater hung off one shoulder, but cinched at the waist with a wide belt so that it hugged her curves. She’d paired it with buttery soft leather leggings she’d have to peel herself out of, and furry stiletto boots. Not the ideal ensemble for strip billiards, but it would have to do. Slowly, she unbuckled thebelt, making a big show of dropping it to the floor. The prince grinned.
“I’ve gotta say, this is incredibly motivating.” He moved around the table, lining up his next shot. “I might never forgive myself if I don’t sink every ball.”
Prince Alexander potted another ball. He leaned back, eyes glittering with satisfaction. He waited.
Because Destiny knew the prince would expect her to go with her boots next, she held his gaze as she whipped her sweater over her head and tossed it aside. She wore a lacy camisole beneath, but between its fitted nature and low neckline, she was showing significantly more skin. The prince’s eyes widened slightly.
Destiny didn’t risk a look at Hunter or Greyson, but she could feel them watching her. Had the pheromones in the air grown thicker, or had her breathing just gotten too shallow? She wasn’t sure but she couldn’t think about it. She had to focus on the game.
She made an impatient gesture, urging Alexander to continue. The prince grinned at her, bending to take his next shot. A moment later, another solid ball dropped into a pocket, and the temperature in the room seemed to tick up a few degrees.
“Xander, do be a gentleman about this,” Greyson began, but he cut himself off with a strangled sound as Destiny pulled her camisole off.
In her bra, boots, and practically painted-on leggings, there was nowhere for Destiny to hide. So, she stood proudly, one hand on her hip, chin and chest held high. The room went completely silent and still. Destiny waited, letting their eyes roam freely over her body.
Slowly she walked toward the prince, carefully studying the table. His next logical shot should be pretty easy, if he couldavoid the striped ball that was on the edge of the best trajectory. His confident grin indicated he knew it too.
Destiny brushed past him, letting her breasts graze his arm. With a frustrated sigh, she rested her hands on the table’s edge, leaning forward slightly to watch the prince’s next attempt. She was acutely aware that the men of Pack Stepanov were tracking her every movement.
She glanced over her shoulder to where Greyson and Hunter now stood side by side. She fluttered her lashes and smiled. “If he sinks a couple more, I’m going to need your help getting out of these pants.”
Someone growled. Destiny’s stomach clenched in response, and she felt slick gathering between her thighs. Even though she knew exactly what she was doing, that didn’t mean it was all an act. She liked their eyes on her, liked knowing they were hungry for more. It turned her on.
Prince Alexander took the shot.
And potted a striped ball.
“Fuck!” he exclaimed, running a hand roughly through his hair. Behind her, Greyson groaned, and Hunter sighed. Destiny smiled.
The alphas watched her as she chalked the end of her pool cue with deliberate care. The prince joined his packmates, taking his place between them, and crossing his arms over his chest. His expression held a combination of frustration and excitement.
Destiny leaned over the table, arching her back and stretching like a cat before lining up the shot. She took her time, making sure they got a good look. If she was going to decimate their pack leader, she might as well give them a show while she was at it.
“Before I got my big break, my parents worked at a dive bar in Smyrna City,” Destiny said, potting her first ball. “They’d started out performing there, when they were still a local band just trying to make it big, but eventually they took permanent jobs.Mom and Pops were bartenders, Dad was a bouncer, and BD did a little bit of everything. They insisted on homeschooling me but couldn’t afford not to work, so they took me with them every day.”
Destiny took her next shot, banking a ball off the side and sinking two more stripes. She heard the prince gasp, but she didn’t look up. She rounded the table, choosing a more difficult angle than strictly necessary.
“Eventually, my folks got in trouble and the manager fired them, because the bar was getting well-known for two things: the bar staff’s underage daughter singing karaoke and hustling customers on the game tables.” In quick succession, Destiny potted every striped ball on the table. “Eight-ball, side pocket.”
When the eight-ball disappeared, Destiny turned to Prince Alexander with a triumphant smile. His mouth was hanging open comically, and his packmates looked nearly as stunned. Destiny sauntered over to face them, feeling tall even though she had to look up to meet the prince’s gaze.
“Strip, little princeling,” she said.
Chapter nine
Greyson
Greyson had never been so hard in his life.
With his entire bloodstream seemingly redirected to his cock, he was having an extremely difficult time remembering why he’d been so angry when Xander suggested this game. Whatever had brought them to this moment where Destiny Duvalle stood in front of him in barely more than her knickers while ordering his pack leader to strip had been a very good idea indeed.
Xander didn’t move for a long moment. Greyson hoped the git was learning his lesson. There was no excuse for the way Xander had treated their guest. He’d called Destiny an ice maiden but, though it wasn’t an entirely unfair assessment, Greyson would’ve called her “poised” rather than “cold.”
And there was nothing but fire in her piercing green eyes now.
She’d outplayed Xander at his own game and now she was challenging him, humbling him. The prince had been a propersod since the moment the beautiful omega had arrived. It seemed only fitting that he now faced the consequences of his behavior.
