Chapter Nine

“What color are you doing your nails?” Ace asked as they came to a stop beside her car.

Captain and Marissa had already left, but Ace had stayed behind to take pictures for his boss, Audrey.

“I was thinking hot pink. Do you have a preference?” she asked innocently.

He lifted his chin higher into the air. “I like hot pink. Or red.”

“Whooo, you like red nails? Scandalous boy.”

“It would look hot with your all-black getup on the back of my motorcycle.”

“See, this is what I mean about you playing with my head. You draw me in, and then by tonight I bet you pump the brakes again. Or you’ll text me ‘I think we should be just friends who kiss in an abandoned gas station sometimes.’”

He chuckled, leaned his back against the driver’s side door of his truck, and looked out toward the woods. “Go to lunch with me.”

“That sounds very bossy.”

“You said you like bossy.”

Well touché, and she had no response for that. She did like bossy.

“Get in the truck, Corey.”

Her shoulders slumped forward at the sexiness in his demanding voice. “This is not fair.”

“I’m going to take you to lunch for meeting me out here. Then I’ll take you to get your nails done, my treat. You’ll get them painted bright red, and when we’re done, I’ll bring you back to your car. Get in.”

She resisted him for all of three seconds before she shook her shoulders in an excited shiver and murmured, “Yes, sir,” and then grabbed her purse from her car, locked it, and scrambled around the front of the truck. He appeared out of nowhere and opened her door for her, and now she was pretty sure she felt a full-blown crush consuming her.

He was biting back a smile. “Did you say ‘yes sir?’”

“It was an accident.”

“Careful with that,” he warned.

She scrunched up her face and clasped her hands in front of her chest. “Does it make you want to touch my boobies?”

“Get in,” he said, fighting a laugh.

“Yes s—”

“Don’t.”

She waggled her eyebrows at him.

“What do you need?”

She tilted her chin up and puckered her lips.

His hand went gently around her throat and he pressed his lips to hers, let the kiss linger before he pulled back. “You’re trouble.”

“With a capital T. Can I pick the lunch spot? I’m hungry for gravy.”

His lips were still mere inches from her, and she could feel the vibration of his laugh move through her. “Sure.”

“The restaurant is called Dingleberries,” she announced as she turned and scrambled into the cab of his truck. Gads, this thing was a million feet off the ground. Good thing she had been doing yoga. She sent a little thank-you to the heavens that her jeans didn’t rip at the crack.

“Did you just say the restaurant is called Dingleberries?” he asked, standing there with a confused look on his face.

“Sprinkleberries. Did I say Dingleberries?”

“Yeah, you did.”

She belted out a laugh. “I am so cute. Come on, stud muffin, momma needs biscuits.”

As Ace walked around the front of the truck, he was pinching the bridge of his nose like he was warding away a headache, but she could still see his smile, so she was probably good.

She pulled a water bottle out of her purse and put it into the cupholder, then pulled out some hand lotion, squirted it onto her palm, and rubbed it into her hands. When she was done, he was pulling out of the parking lot, but he slowed and stopped to watch her shove her little hand lotion into the glove box.

“What are you doing?”

“This is my side,” she explained. “Now if you try to make out with some hussy in here, she will find all of my stuff in here and know she isn’t special.”

He just stared at her.

She plucked a single hair from her head and slowly dropped it onto the floorboard.

“Oh my God,” he said, biting back a smile. “What is wrong with you?”

“So much. Do you like mimosas?” she asked as she scrolled the flavors they had available at Sprinkleberries Café. “They have blueberry. That seems like the manliest one they have.”

“No mimosa is manly,” he pointed out.

“Well, you’re going to have to pretend, because we are sharing a bucket of mimosas.”

“A bucket of…what?”

“Okay, imagine it,” she said excitedly, turning to him. “One bottle of champagne, a cup of concentrated blueberry puree—”

“Pure-what?”

“Puree. And two glasses, and we can do as much champagne as we want in each glass. Also, Gunner and Hallie are meeting us there.”

“Oh my God, Corey. Gunner won’t drink a mimosa either.”

“Wanna bet? This is their engagement celebration, and he is a good mate. He will understand that Hallie has needs.”

“So we’re meeting Gunner and his mate for brunch, and I’m going to be doing mimosa buckets with the Alpha of the Fastlanders?”

“Technically it was all planned already and a part of my self-care day, but you volunteered the second you bossed me around and said I needed to consume food with you, so you are on this adventure wagon now, mister. Buckle up.”

“I’ll get a morning beer for me and Gunner.”

“Fine. More mimosas for me and Hallie. Whoo, they have mango flavor.”

“You ordered a mango margarita with Owen yesterday,” he reminisced as he turned onto the main road toward Laramie.

“And I’ll do it again, don’t play with me,” she deadpanned.

He tossed her a fiery gaze and she held it, pursing her lips against a baiting smile.

He forced a laugh and shook his head. “Capital T.”

“You know,” she said, facing him as she settled her phone in his cupholder. “I was kind of dreading being the third wheel today with Gunner and Hallie, but now I think the brunch will be fun! She’s picking up her ring from the jeweler today, and I get to see it.”

“So they’re engaged like humans get engaged?” he asked.

“Yep, and next week they are doing a courthouse wedding, and I get to be Hallie’s maid of honor. We are going dress shopping later.”

“So that’s why you’re all dressed up,” he said, the lightbulb going off above his head. “You’re an adventure, aren’t you?”

“Not usually. Usually my life is really boring and every day looks like the one before it, but this week, yep. Adventuress. I like it. It’s exciting.”

“I like it too,” he rumbled.

When she looked over at him, his eyes looked so bright blue, and she hadn’t missed the growly tone to his voice.

“Hey,” she said, resting her hand on the forearm that was draped on the console. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s a lot of being around other dominant shifters. I have to start staying at Gunner’s place tonight. They are supposed to have the tents all set up for us. I’ve got a duffel bag in the back. It’ll be weird staying away from my territory tonight.”

“Have you already said yes to the Fastlander invite?”

“No. I have to tell Gunner by the end of the week.”

“Turn here,” she said, pointing to the street they needed to take a right on. “Are you going to do it?”

“I have no idea yet. I’m fifty-fifty on it.”

“Yeah, but you made an offer on Moosey’s BBQ. That feels like a decision.”

“Eh, I can still back out of that. I’m not saying no, I’m just…not certain yet.”

“I get it. I have an invite too,” she said softly. “I’m leaning toward no.”

He nodded and twitched his chin up ahead. “Is that it?”

“Yep! Oh gosh, it’s busy. Let me see if Hallie has a table for us already.”

Just got here. Are you inside?Send.

Hallie’s response was immediate. No! Got a table on the balcony!

Oh heck yeah. “You are in for a treat,” she told him as he turned into the parking lot. “Hallie got a table on the balcony. It’s the best seat in the house! It has a beautiful view of the mountains.”

He did that hot-guy thing where he backed the truck up, and then told her to wait there while he jogged around the front and opened her door for her. There was a mud puddle by her door, so he scooped her up and settled her on her feet on the other side of it.

“You’re late!” Hallie called from up on the balcony.

“Sorry! I picked up a hitchhiker!” she called.

Ace snorted.

Hallie held up a whole bottle of champagne. “I ordered mango!”

Ace chuckled and shook his head. “She knows you well.”

“Don’t be jealous, you are still my second-best friend.”

He ducked under a hanging pot of colorful flowers on the front porch and led her through the crowd waiting for a table, then told the hostess they had a table up on the balcony, and she pointed them toward the stairs.

Okay, it was really hot how he took charge and figured stuff out. She could just flit around and exist and be her happy little self. Who was going to mess with her? Ace was the size of a shipping container.

He offered his elbow when she slowed down on the stairs. “My heels are rubbing blisters,” she admitted.

“Want to take them off?”

She parted her lips to explain how that would be rude, but there was no one around the stairs, and he seemed to be honestly asking. So she dipped down and took them off, gathered them in one hand, and jogged up the stairs beside him much more easily.

Hallie was waiting impatiently at the door of the balcony. She was absolutely humming with excitement, and it made Corey so happy. She hugged her up tight, and then eased back enough to show her left hand.

“Oooh my gosh, Hallie!” Corey exclaimed as she held her hand and studied the gorgeous ring. It was simple and elegant. “Gunner, you did so good!” she called to Hallie’s mate, who was standing to do one of those mannish, back-clapping handshakes with Ace.

Hallie took a quick look back at Ace, then turned with a knowing expression on her face, and an over-exaggerated wink.

“Yeah, yeah, we had already met up this morning. I just dragged him along.”

She watched Ace squat down near Gunner and tilt his head to the side as they talked. Hallie had told her about that last night when they were girl-talking. Ace was presenting his throat to the Alpha as a sign of submission.

Gunner ruffled his hair and shoved his head, and Ace laughed loudly enough to reach Corey’s ears as he stood and took the chair across from Gunner.

All of the shifter dynamics were so interesting to her. As she made her way to the table, Ace pulled the chair out for her without even looking as he carried on the conversation with Gunner. And when she sat down, he pushed the chair in easily and slid his hand to her thigh, and oh goodness, now the butterflies were back. She just stared at his strong hand on her thigh, squeezing her gently.

She was careful on her bedroom partners, but if that man asked her to go to the bathroom right now, she would say yes and make a memory.

As if he could hear her thoughts, he turned a wicked grin on her and leaned over to whisper in her ear. “You want me. I can smell it.”

“What?” she asked, mortified, as she eased back to look him in the eye.

He clenched his jaw and dipped his gaze to her lips, then told her, “You’re going to drive me crazy, aren’t you?”

“Not on purpose!” she whisper-screamed.

He leaned back in and slipped his hand around her throat as he whispered against her ear. “I want you, too.”

Then he released her and went back to talking with Gunner and Hallie like he hadn’t just turned her into a stone.

Every coherent thought had left her dumbed-down brain.

“What do you think?” Hallie asked. “Corey?”

“Huh?” she asked, forcing her attention away from Ace’s perfectly-chiseled jawline.

Hallie was pouring champagne into two glasses. “About next Wednesday?”

“For?”

“The courthouse ceremony? They have an opening at twelve.”

“Oh! Oh. Yes. Yep. Absolutely, that works. I think I can take off work then. I have a million vacation days built up.” Her voice faded slightly at the gentle massage Ace was doing on her thigh. Be cool.

She grinned like a lunatic. “Marriage time.”

“Ace, quit distracting her,” Hallie said. “This is important, and you have her pupils blown.”

Slowly, Ace slid his hand off her thigh and to the beer the waitress had just brought, along with one for Gunner.

She tried not to pout. Hallie snickered and poured mango puree into her glass of champagne.

“Who’s that?” Gunner suddenly growled.

Ace had been sipping his drink, but put it down and scented the air. “Owen.”

“Shit, Captain is here too.”

The shaking of the balcony startled her, and Corey clutched onto Ace’s arm. “Use the fucking door,” he barked out, but Owen came over the balcony railing, apparently having already scaled the leg of the balcony.

“I don’t like people, kiss-ass,” Owen snarled at Ace.

“Why is my brother here?” Gunner demanded.

Owen gave an empty smile. “We decided to crash the Crew meeting, since we are going to be Crew.”

Gunner rolled his eyes closed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “This isn’t a Crew meeting. We’re celebrating our engagement.”

“Well, it’s a triple-date now,” Owen gritted out as he stole two chairs from an empty table just inside the balcony door.

“And even if it was a Crew meeting,” Gunner barked out, “you don’t have an invite, and neither does Captain.”

Speak of the devil himself, the railing groaned as Captain scaled the banister too. “Hey, broski.”

“I know our parents taught you better manners than that,” Gunner ground out.

“Says the guy who set his entire last Crew on fire.”

“I set…” Gunner lowered his voice and leaned forward. “I set their houses on fire. Not the Crew.”

“Nice,” Ace murmured, and took another sip of his beer.

“What’s an egg benedick,” Owen asked, frowning at the menu.

“It’s egg benedict,” Corey offered helpfully, popping the T. “Learn some culture, Owen,” she joked.

He scrunched his face. “Is this menu in English?”

“Turn the menu over. They got biscuits and gravy,” Hallie said as she poured two more glasses of champagne. “I hope you boys like mango.”

“I don’t want them to stay,” Gunner muttered.

“Well, Captain is your brother, so he should be here to celebrate with us, and you already said Owen is probably getting an invite.”

“I fuckin’ knew it!” Owen crowed.

“Shhhh!” Gunner hissed aggressively. “It’s not for certain yet. Damon has to approve, and he doesn’t fuckin’ like you.”

“Damon already gave me the invite,” Captain said, drinking the mimosa Hallie had handed him like a shot.

“What?” Gunner demanded, and now there was fury in his too-bright, bi-colored blue and silver eyes.

“Slumber party every night, broski,” Captain said harshly. “Just like when we were cubs.”

Gunner leaned back in his chair and slammed his fists on the table so hard, Corey was certain it would snap in two. She reached forward and steadied the toppling champagne bottle. “New rule,” she quipped. “No more talking business at the table. Crew shit stays out of this breakfast before you idiots break everything.”

“Fine,” Owen said, studying the mimosa Hallie had handed him. “There’s bubbles in this drink.”

Captain handed his empty glass back to Hallie for a refill. “I like it.”

Gunner was staring at his brother and filling the air with a constant growl while Hallie bit back a smile and poured the rest of the champagne into Captain’s glass. “We are doing a toast with this one, don’t chug it.”

Captain agreed. The second the drink was made, he lifted it up in the air. “Here’s to fuck-up Alphas who should’ve never been named Alph—”

“Downstairs,” Gunner barked as he stood.

“No!” Hallie yelled, hand on Gunner’s forearm. She swung around to Captain with fire in her eyes. “You are going to be my brother-in-law. Sit down!” She jammed a finger at his chair and waited until he slowly sat down before she continued in a softer voice. “You are going to be my brother-in-law. I’m going to need your help sometimes, and so will Gunner. If you want in this Crew, that’s the deal.”

Captain and Gunner were glaring at each other, but Hallie continued.

“You boys are all going to fight, I get it. But today is a special day for Gunner and I.” She shoved her hand in front of Captain and wiggled her fingers to catch the glint of the diamond ring in the morning sunshine.

Captain glanced down, and then back to his brother. “You could’ve done much shittier on the ring, I suppose.”

“See? There’s a nice compliment,” Hallie said in an optimistic tone. “And it didn’t kill you to say something nice!” She leaned closer to Captain and growled out, “Don’t ruin this for me.”

Captain huffed a long sigh, then lifted his mimosa. “To Hallie, and her terrible taste in men.”

Hallie plastered on a smile and lifted her glass. “To me and Gunner.”

Ace was standing next to her, arms locked on the table, eyes boring into Captain. When had he even stood? The tension roiling off him was palpable.

Corey reached over and rested her hand on the back of his calf. Ace looked to Gunner, then slowly sat down and lifted his beer with the rest of their drinks. “To Hallie and Gunner,” he murmured in unison with Corey.

The boys all downed their drinks, eyes on each other like it was some kind of unsaid challenge. It was Owen who pulled a face after he finished his mimosa. “What the fuck did I just drink?”

Corey and Hallie laughed, and then Hallie waved to the waitress as she came out. “Can we do another bucket of mimosas? We had a couple of friends join us.”

“Of course,” the waitress said softly, her wide-eyed gaze bouncing from one giant to the next. “You’re all very large men.”

“That’s what she said,” Owen muttered under his breath, and Captain snorted.

“They were raised in the wild, I apologize for them,” Corey told her.

“I have questions about the menu,” Owen said.

“No he doesn’t,” Corey interrupted him. “He wants a double-order of biscuits and gravy.”

Owen was frowning. “And add lots of bacon,” he said. He glanced over at Gunner, who was glaring at him. What, he mouthed.

Manners,Gunner mouthed.

“Oh, please. Thank you.” He gave Gunner a stupid look, and now Corey could hear it—the growl emanating from the Alpha again.

“Dude, you just ordered bacon,” Ace said to Owen.

“So?”

“So, you’re a boar shifter. Isn’t that like eating your own people?”

Owen leaned over the table and stuck up his middle finger at Ace. “They don’t serve bear meat.” His eyes flashed blue, and then he leaned back in his chair.

“I’m not a bear,” Ace said.

“Shit,” Owen said as he pulled a little notepad out of his back pocket and dragged a pen across the paper, marking something out.

“What is that?” Captain asked as Hallie ordered her breakfast from the waitress.

“Notes.”

“You’re keeping notes on us?” Captain asked, a frown on his face as he leaned over and read what was on the notepad. “Hey, Ace, so far he has that you aren’t a bear, you aren’t a boar, and you aren’t a flight shifter.”

It was Ace’s turn to sigh. He shook his head and ordered another beer before he ordered his breakfast from the waitress. When he was done with his order, he leaned closer to Corey. “What are you wanting?”

She pointed at the Big Farmer Breakfast, and he ordered for her. Now, she wasn’t one of those women who needed a man to coddle her, but she would fully admit she liked how he took charge and took care of her. Even if it was something simple and gentlemanly, she really enjoyed that caring instinct in him.

Out of all the shifters here, Ace’s manners were definitely the most refined.

After the waitress brought out another bucket of mimosas, this time with blueberry flavor, he reached over and grabbed Corey’s hand, slowly pulled it over to himself and rested it on his thigh, then leaned forward and started a conversation with Gunner about what he needed over the next week to prepare for their courthouse ceremony.

Okay. Okay! Ace liked physical touch. Perhaps it was his love language. She kind of hoped it was, because she was also very affectionate when she cared for a man, and she was absolutely starting to care for this one.

The boys calmed down after that. Sure, they still insulted each other literally the entire time, but Corey and Hallie found it funny as hell. They kept exchanging glances, and Corey didn’t remember the last time she had laughed this much. Her abs were getting a workout. And the best part of the breakfast? Ace touched her in some way the entire time. Even when they were eating, he pulled her chair closer to his and slid his leg over so that it rested against hers.

What kind of shifter was he? Something affectionate.

Did he realize that with every adjustment, with every touch, he was building a fire in her middle for him?

While he had been eating, he had cut a bite off of everything on his plate and set it on the rim of her plate for her to try, and didn’t even break conversation to do it. Just naturally shared with her like they’d done that a hundred times before. She did the same for him, and he slid a smile to her that made her heart thump erratically against her chest.

Oh, she was really starting to like him.

It wasn’t until the end of the lunch that she noticed Owen’s attention on her more and more. He stopped talking and watched her, leaned back in his chair.

“Enough,” Ace said, dragging his glare to Owen.

“She’s in heat,” Owen murmured, his eyes turning blue as he slid his gaze to Ace.

“It’s not your concern,” Ace assured him.

“If she’s presenting for you, means she’s getting attached,” Owen said. Clearly he was trying to start shit with Ace, but Corey didn’t like him talking about this stuff.

“Owen, cut it out.”

He shrugged. “Just saying, you were telling me last night you don’t know if you want to be in this Crew, but this morning you’re letting his animal drag you into it. Your head is getting foggy, isn’t it? Every time he touches you?” Owen narrowed his eyes. “That’s what happens with tiger shifters.”

“I’m sure that would be true if I was a tiger shifter,” Ace said blandly.

“Shit.” Owen marked out another guess.

“I might throw you off this balcony,” Gunner said, easy as you like.

Corey snorted. “I’ll give you ten bucks if you do.”

Captain blurred, and Owen yelped as he went sailing over the railing. His notepad flew into the air, and Owen disappeared.

“Oh my gosh!” Hallie exclaimed, rushing to the railing. “Oh. He’s okay, he landed on his feet. Well, don’t flip me off, I didn’t do it! I’m the one checking to see if you’re okay!”

Captain turned to Corey and held out his hand. “Ten bucks.”

Corey sat there with her mouth hanging open wide enough to catch a bee. “You just…you just threw him over the railing.”

A big smile took Captain’s face. “I would’ve done it for free, but you offered cash.”

“Good to know for next time,” Corey said softly as she dug a ten-dollar bill out of her purse and slapped it onto his palm.

Ace was sitting beside her stifling laughter, and even Gunner was biting back a smile.

“Give me my notepad!” Owen yelled from below the balcony.

Captain stood and chucked the notepad down as hard as he could. “Give me your wallet. You’re paying for your meal.”

A wallet came sailing up to Captain, who caught it easily and took out some cash, then threw it back down at Owen. “Bye now, drive unsafe.”

He threw the cash onto the table, then pulled out his own wallet and added a fifty-dollar bill to the pile of cash. He turned to Gunner and told him, “Your Crew is going to be the worst Crew in the history of Damon’s Mountains.”

Gunner glared, one eyebrow cocked at his brother.

There were ten loaded seconds of the Walker brothers staring at each other, and then Captain said, “Fuck it, I’m in. See you tonight.” And then he hopped over the balcony railing and disappeared like freaking Batman.

Gunner rubbed his hand down the three-day scruff on his jaw and leaned onto the table, then looked at his mate with an exhausted expression.

“It’ll be fine,” she assured him.

“Lie,” Gunner and Ace both said at the same time.

“Who else are you thinking for the Crew?” Ace asked.

“Damon wants Wreck.”

Ace threw his head back and laughed. “Fuck that. That’s a horrible idea.”

“The worst,” Gunner muttered darkly.

Hallie took a sip of her mimosa. “I mean, I think all of these applicants are questionable.”

Gunner ran his hand through his hair and draped his arm on the back of her chair, leaned his own chair back on two legs, and stared at the view of the mountains. “Yeah, well, welcome to the new C-Team.”