Page 111 of All Packed Up

Griffith growled in warning, and Arlo chuckled before lifting his hands innocently and backtracking.

“How does one mansplain how to cut carrots?”

Nic choked on a laugh. “Is that why the carrots were different shapes in the soup?”

Grif crossed his arms. “Maybe.”

“You’ve done it now,” Tate warned, shaking his head.

“Done what?”

“Pissed off an omega. And right before her heat cycle?” Tate eyed the other alpha doubtfully, and Nic hid his laugh by wetting the sponge and adding soap before he began to do the dishes. The whole house was so much quieter without the hum of appliances, and as Tate and Grif tried to brainstorm Grif’s way back into Wendy’s good graces, Nic did the dishes by candlelight while Tate dried.

It wasn’t until Nic was already seated in the living room, Wendy lying against him on the mattresses, that he realized he never found out what the two alphas’ plans were.

“Sorry I worked so much today,” he told Wendy softly.

She shrugged a shoulder. “S’okay. I had fun in the kitchen getting on Griffith’s nerves.”

Nic snorted. “You knew what you were doing.”

The expression she shared with him was one of pure mischief. “I know.”

The alpha in question entered the living room holding two tubs in his hands. “So, I have this ice cream that’s going to melt if the power doesn’t come back on. Does anyone want to eat it before it goes?”

“Yes!” Wendy cried, sitting up on the mattress like a corpse rising.

Nic chuckled. Twenty minutes ago she never wanted to eat again.

Common sense told him to keep that thought to himself.

She cleared her throat. “I mean, after such a stressful day of cooking in your kitchen, some sweet treat therapy would be amazing.”

Grif rolled his eyes at the dig as he handed the omega a spoon before going around the room. Their gazes met while he handed it to him, and Nic got lost for a second. It wasn’t fair that he was so easy when it came to Griffith. Averting his gaze, he waited for the ice cream tub to make its way around him. They passed the ice cream around much like they’d passed the joints around the night before.

Tate groaned dramatically as he tried his first bite, drawing all their attention to him.

“I haven’t had ice cream in…” He blew a raspberry as he shook his head. “I don’t even remember.”

The alpha wasn’t shy about digging back in, scooping for that perfect bite before he lifted it to his lips and bit down, sliding the silverware out one shiny bit at a time.

“I totally wanna be that spoon,” Wendy whispered in a daze.

Nic’s lips twitched as the room’s attention darted from alpha to omega, and Wendy’s cheeks lit up.

Clearing her throat, Wendy’s gaze bounced to him, and Nic let his smile widen. He wasn’t going to argue if she wanted to continue what they’d begun this morning.

“I’ll… uh. Be upstairs,” Wendy said as she stood from the mattresses to make her way toward the stairs. The only full bed left was her nest, and she grabbed a candle to light her way.

Grif continued to dig at his ice cream, and Tate seemed frozen to the spot. Arlo was grinning this knowing little smile from beside the fire, and Nic just wanted to watch it all unfold.

Wendy sauntered across the room, her sweet pheromones beginning to intensify, to sweeten in that way that meant she wanted. Tapping Tate on the arm as she passed, she murmured something for his ears only before continuing up the stairs.

She disappeared from sight at the top of the landing, and Nic let his gaze fall to the alpha she’d placed a claim on for the night.

“Well?” Nic urged.

“I—uh…” Tate trailed off, spoon hanging from his limp hand as it fell to his side.