“Oh my God,” Adelaide breathes. “The rain is so cold.”
“Just run.” I get her into the passenger seat of my truck, slam the door, and sprint around to my side. By the time I’m in, my shirt is glued to my back and the rain is drumming on the roof like someone’s throwing gravel at us. Adelaide laughs, wiping water off her cheeks.
“That was insane.”
I turn on the engine, blasting the heater. “Gonna get you warm.”
North and Ace pull out ahead of us, and I follow them. The windshield becomes a blur of water, the wipers can barely keep up, and the trees are being thrown around on either side of the road.
“It’s the middle of the morning, and it looks like night.”
“Yep, it’s a shitty storm.” I reach over and rest my hand on her thigh, just above her knee, because the contact helps us both. “How are you, really?” I ask.
“Sore but also very calm, and not a sign of my heat.” She’s grinning at me, pushing hair behind her ears.
“Four days of three Alphas in rut. That’s a lot.”
She pinches her lips to one side. “Of course my body is asking for a break, yes. But I have never in my life wanted anythingmore than I did every single second of the last four days. And I never expected that.” She watches me driving. “But now, I might need a few days of no sex.”
My mouth drops open in elaborate outrage. “Adelaide.Fine. Just pussy-licking, as I hear that’s very soothing after a few days of heat. And not sure if you’ve noticed, but I have an especially long tongue.” I stick it out, touching my nose with it.
She bursts out laughing. “That’s impressive. I can’t do that.” I’m watching her attempting to, and end up swerving on the road.
She grins. “So, you can’t tell meyou’renot sore either. All that thrusting, friction, and knotting.”
I bellow a laugh so hard I nearly hit a puddle sideways. “You got me, you got me. I’m also negotiating with my anatomy.”
“See?”
“Okay, deal, only a few days of no action. I’ll allow it.”
“Oh, wow.”
“I’m a generous man.”
She’s laughing, and I’m gripping the wheel tight as we hit a sheet of rain that lifts the wheels by a fraction and lets them down again over a pool of water on the road.
I pull off the main road onto the private coastal lane that leads to our house. The trees press in close on either side. Water is sluicing down the road in actual rivers when I spot our front gate at the end of the drive.
“Power’s definitely out,” I mutter. “Gate’s not responding to the fob.” I pull up close in our driveaway and jump out. The rain hits me like someone threw a bucket. I unlock the gate with my physical key and haul it open against the wind, which does not want me to. Then I jog back and jump into the truck, and we drive through. I leave it open for Ace and North.
I park close to the garage doors and realize I don’t have those keys on me. Fuck.
“Inside. You’re drenched,” I say as I kill the engine.
We scramble out and sprint for the front door. By the time I’m done fumbling with my keys, the rain is coming in sideways. Adelaide is plastered to my shoulder, laughing breathlessly and trying to shield her face with one hand, which is not helping at all. I finally get the key in, turn it, and shove the door open. We tumble inside together, soaked through, and I slam it shut behind us.
For a second, I just stand there, breathing hard and grinning at her.
“My mascara is gone, my hair is ruined, and I look like a raccoon in a rainstorm.”
I glance at her slowly. “That’s fine. I’ve always wanted a hot little porch raccoon.”
A laugh breaks out of her.
And then I stop.
The air in the house feels wrong. Every nerve in my body lights up at once. The old wiring. The thing I thought I’d retired.
