8. Ellis

8

Ellis

M y sister’s pack house isn’t far from our place. Life has been a bit of an adjustment for all of us after everything that happened in Paris, and Emily’s life has been equally flipped upside down and reassembled. I could write a whole book on just the couple of weeks right after Paris that led to my sister living here with a wrap-around porch and too many Christmas lights hung around the banisters.

Before we’ve even pulled in the driveway, the front door is swinging open and Meggie is bounding down the steps with a giant smile.

“Shit,” Oz mutters.

“Keep the dog down,” Harrison snaps.

“Her name is Cinnamon,” I remind him. I grab the dog’s collar and pull her away from the back window. Poor little thing gives me a confused look before I throw my body half over her to keep her contained.

“Distract her,” Harrison says to none of us in particular.

McQuinn hops out of the car before it’s even stopped and runs to our girl. He swoops her into his arms and spins her around so she’s facing away from the car. She’s chattering excitedly, like she wanted to tell us something and couldn’t even wait until we got inside, but I can’t hear any of the conversation.

Harrison parks and the rest of the guys pile out while he meets my gaze in the mirror. “You got this?”

Guess I’m on dog duty. “Yeah, just keep her inside so I can sneak Cinnamon around back.”

The guys try to usher Meggie back inside, but she’s got her hands on her hips. With the car door open now, I can hear her saying something about Emily and her pack being obnoxiously cuddly and wanting to go home and be with her men. Fat chance we’re letting you straight in the car, sunshine.

“Ellis is clearly ready to go too,” Meggie says, motioning toward where I’m still sitting in the car.

Shit. Okay. Guess we’re gonna have to adjust this plan.

“Can you be a good dog, Cinnamon?” I pull her down off the seat to the floor. She gives me the most adorable puppy eyes I’ve ever seen. “Oh, don’t be like that. I’ll only be gone a few minutes.”

Carefully, I maneuver around Cinnamon and out the door before shutting it and silently apologizing to the sweet mutt.

“I need to pee,” Oz announces, a little too loud. “We gotta go inside.”

“Me too,” I add, hoping this will get Meggie back in the house.

“You can pee at home. It’s like a brothel in there right now. You’d think a certain someone was going into heat, but noooo.”

“Like you’re one to talk,” Nils teases.

“Are you feeling jealous, omega?” The smirk on Dante’s lips curves in a way that tells me exactly what’s about to happen. He flashes me a quick look before he grabs Meggie by the shoulders, spins her around, and pushes her back against the car in a passionate kiss.

Shit, does he really want me to get the dog out right now? Harrison gives me a pointed look and waves his hand. While Meggie’s distracted, I sneak around the back of the car, open the door on the other side, and take hold of Cinnamon’s leash.

A quick glance at Dante and Meggie tells me they’re still heavily making out. Nils is holding open the side gate, so I make a dash for it. Cinnamon barks and my heart rate spikes. I throw a look at Meggie, but she’s so wrapped up in Dante she doesn’t seem to notice the noise, or maybe she thinks it’s Declan’s dog, Gunner, barking.

Declan is waiting for me in the backyard as Nils closes the gate behind us.

“Hey.” He greets me with barely a smirk, but that’s ok because he gives Emily and his pack all his smiles. I’m used to his closed-off demeanor, but then his gaze slips to Cinnamon and his jaw drops. “She’s—”

“Right outside with Dante,” I hiss. “Thank you for taking her. Her name is Cinnamon. I’ll text you guys about getting her to our place for Christmas morning. If you could maybe give her a bath before then or something… we’d owe you one.”

There’s another bark, and this time it’s Gunner. Wet black nose pressed against the window, Declan’s dog is locked on Cinnamon.

“You’re sure this is ok?” Nils glances between the two dogs.

Declan looks like Nils insulted his mom, or maybe his face always looks that way? He really is the strong, silent, brooding type. Without dignifying Nils’s question with a response, he reaches out to take Cinnamon’s leash.

“Right,” Nils nods. “Ok. Thanks again.”

Declan gives us a single nod, then we turn and head for the gate.

When we get back to the car, Dante has Meggie so worked up her scent permeates the air despite the breeze. I’m instantly hard, and it’s clear the rest of my pack is too.

Dante’s eyes catch with mine as he kisses our girl. I nod.

“Alright, omega.” Dante pulls back and brushes Meggie’s nose with his. “Let’s get you home so we can show you exactly how much we missed you.”

We don’t bother saying goodbye to Emily and the rest of her pack. The plan was always for a quick Meggie-Cinnamon swap, and we’ll see them on Christmas.

Meggie sits in the back with me on the way home, and I keep her on edge the whole drive. I love teasing our girl, getting her good and worked up. We haven’t fooled around in a car since her heat in Paris, and it’s bringing back all kinds of good memories.

My fingers lazily stroke up and down her leg, tracing over any of the bond marks I can reach.

“Are you going to just toy with me the whole way home, or are you going to make me come?” Meggie says, lust coloring her cheeks.

“I’m going to play, sunshine. You should know that by now.”