Brody looks at him. “Which step?”
“Underwear.”
“Of course.”
“The shower was three minutes. Point is, after all that effort, I’m attending this wedding and I’m going to have the best time doing it.”
Jakob unfolds his arms and refolds them. “I flew nineteen hours. I’m staying.”
“Nobody’s leaving,” Brody concludes.
Jakob’s gaze shifts to me, and for the first time, his stillness doesn’t feel distant. He steps closer, then offers me his hand. “Jakob Holland,” he says, his voice low and husky enough to drive my pulse into a frenzy. “I’ve heard lots about you from Brody, so it’s nice to finally meet you.”
I stare at Jakob’s hand for half a second too long before I accept it. His grip is firm without being too much, and the second his fingers close around mine, my body has the absolute nerve to notice the strength in it. The steadiness. The way his thumb rests once against my knuckles before he lets go.
“Claire, which you already know,” I manage nervously.
Jakob’s mouth softens at one corner. “It’s good to meet you properly.”
Corey leans toward Brody. “Fuck, man, have you been watchingBridgertonon the plane?”
Jakob doesn’t look away from me. “If I had, I’d have kissed her hello with one arm around her waist and her dipped back in my arms.”
My lungs stop doing their one job.
Katie, standing beside me and watching this whole disaster unfold with open delight, tilts her head. “Maybe you should.”
I gently nudge her with my elbow. “Katie, don’t encourage them.”
“I’m your agent. Encouragement is literally my job.”
“No, your job is contracts.”
“And chemistry.”
I straighten, trying to steady my breathing. “This is all amazing, but I can’t go in there with three men I’m dating,” I say, looking between them like my life has become a math problem with abs.
“They’re an actual pack,” Katie says. “Anita’s here with one of her Alphas. You’re just… overachieving.”
“Anita brought one. I have three.”
“Quality and quantity. You’re an inspiration.”
Corey points at Katie. “I like her.”
“You would,” I mutter.
Brody steps closer, not touching, but close enough that every inch of me becomes aware of him. The memory of his mouth flashes through me so sharply I almost forget we’re standing outside a wedding venue where my entire family is waiting to witness my downfall. Then Corey shifts on my other side, restless and grinning, in a suit he apparently may or may not be wearing underwear beneath, and Jakob stands opposite me, quiet and composed.
This is a lot, and some reckless, secret part of me likes it.
“You wanted to make your ex regret walking out,” Brody says, his voice low enough that it seems to slide beneath thepanic. “What better way than showing up with a pack who chose you?”
The wordchosemakes me way happier than I should be with the stress and awkwardness I’m facing.
“I can’t do this.” My fingers tighten around my clutch. “My family’s in there, and I intended to arrive with one person, quietly, and then vanish like a normal woman who has not accidentally collected Alphas on the way to a ceremony.”
I glance behind me, and there are too many people beyond the entrance—voices, stares—and too much expectation is pressing down on my skin. The familiar spiral winds up in my ribs, and for a second, I already feel myself shrinking.
