Page 57 of All Packed Up

Tate was waiting by the door, and she absolutely ate up the sight of him in a baggy long-sleeved shirt and leggings that were like a second skin, hugging tight to his lean muscles.

Two yoga mats were propped against the wall beside him, and he grinned as she drew closer. “Ready to freeze your ass off?”

“You seem far too happy about it,” she warned, but he just laughed and pulled one hand out from behind his back.

“What’s this?” she asked, taking the fabric from him on autopilot.

“It’s a heavier jacket in case you need it.”

Wendy didn’t, but she wrapped it around her shoulders anyway, cheeks flaring. “Thanks.”

The cold was… actually not that bad. There wasn’t a breeze, and with all her layers, she really didn’t even mind. The air was chilly though, biting at her sinuses and making her breath cloud the air.

They flapped out the mats, and Wendy listened to Tate’s soft, calm voice as he directed them through an easy vinyasa. She imagined it was one much easier than he was used to, but her breaths were clouding the air in big puffs. There was no hiding how exerting yoga was.

It might look like simple stretching, but as she followed Tate’s lead and listened to him explain the different ways to move her body, she realized maybe she hadn’t ever done yoga correctly before. Turning her head to the side, she eyed Tate as he counted their breaths in downward dog.

Those leggings were a sin. Honestly. Tate’s ass was clearly one honed and firmed by his form of art—yoga.

“What does this practice focus on again?” she asked on an exhale as he twisted them up in another shape that made her hips breathe for the first time in forever. But then they moved again, and her thighs burned. She felt less stretchy relaxed and more on fire from her muscles doing actual work.

“Your favorite. Thighs,” Tate answered with a grin.

Chapter 14

ARLO

Arlo glanced over the list he and Griffith had compiled. The guy was smart.

“Have you always been this handy?” Arlo asked, following Griffith out of his and Tate’s room. Wendy wasn’t the only one without a bed, and when Griffith pitched the idea to him, Arlo was quick to agree. It would probably make Wendy feel less awkward about it if both rooms were getting a new bed and not just hers.

“Not always, just since I’ve been living alone. Kind of have to figure your own shit out here if you need anything. Repair guys cost too much to drive all the way out here. And this way, I can trust it’s done the right way.”

Ah, someone who liked control. Predictable. And relatable.

“You’re making it seem so easy,” he remarked.

“YouTube is the best thing that ever happened to me,” Griffith said, and Arlo barked out a laugh.

He’d watched his fair share of how-to videos. When he and Tate had accidentally broken the coffee table once—don’t ask—they’d spent hours watching videos learning how to fix the damned thing.

Griffith rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “Would you like to come to the store with me? You’ve helped out so far, I could probably use an extra set of hands.”

Arlo nodded. Call him irrational, but he wanted as much of a hand in this project as he could get. Was that because it was Wendy’s bed? Because it was something that would mean a lot to her?

Arlo understood why she was nervous. What omega wouldn’t be nervous around three basically complete strangers while going through her heat?

Even if Nic was the only one she was interested in, Arlo still wanted to make this process as easy as possible for her.

He didn’t know all the details, but he still remembered the sound of Wendy’s sniffles, the bitterness to her scent when she’d had her moment in their apartment. He’d seen the way she’d drawn in on herself when that bastard had been overwhelming her with the bond. What kind of alpha wanted to hurt their omega like that?

If Arlo could be part of getting her away from the pack who’d hurt her, that was enough for him.

No one deserved to go through something like that. Least of all someone as soft and sweet as Wendy.

Arlo followed Griffith through the house, taking note of tools and marking down other things they might need for this project.

“The less trips we make into town, the better,” Arlo agreed. “We can try to get everything we need in one go.”