Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Leon and Jace exchange a look when Quinn and I return, and if the big sniff Jace takes of me is any indication, we both must still reek of sex.

“Eli took off,” Quinn says when we pick up our clubs.

“Thought he might.” Jace takes his shot, then sips some water he brought along. He passes it to me and nudges my arm with his elbow. “It’s nothing personal, Tiff. He’s just a tough nut to crack.”

I guess I can be content with that answer if it’s coming from Eli’s own brother, but I still feel like I missed a golden opportunity to get inside his shell. We scared him away, and that tugs on my heart more than I expected.

As much as Leon tries to help me with my putting form, I’m still seven points over par when we reach the last hole. Quinn and Jace have been ribbing each other, but I notice they don’t give Leon a hard time. He’s certainly the one in charge.

Quinn isn’t too far behind me with six points over par, and he snaps his fingers. “Next time, we’ll kick their asses,” he promises.

“Should we go to the bumper car place?” asks Jace. “To drive around and hit each other?”

Quinn is practically vibrating. “Oh my god, please , Tiff? Those cars can go surprisingly fast.”

“Sure.” Maybe I didn’t manage to save the princess at the end of the golf course, but I’ll have my own happy ending—I hope. “But don’t go crying to your mom when I win.”

Leon hoots. “Confidence!” His hand trails over my hip and the curve of my ass. “Hot.”

I can’t help but notice when the dad playing the course with his two kids behind us gives me an odd look. I’ve been so caught up in having fun with the guys that I didn’t think how we must appear, with each of them finding excuses to touch me and competing for who can sneak in a kiss.

Maybe I should play it cool. I hadn’t really considered what people might think of us out in public, and my stomach feels a little sour as we head for the bumper cars.

Jace makes sure my helmet is on tight before we hop into our vehicles. Quinn takes off first, but I’m close behind him, and I slam into him from behind. Little does he know I have experience racing to and from the coffee shop every morning. Quinn glances over his shoulder with wide eyes.

“So aggressive!” He grins wickedly and veers toward me as I try to sneak by, which tosses me into the wall. My car bounces off again, though, and then I’m zooming away. Jace tries to catch up, but I block him from passing.

I finish the course in first place after ruthlessly bumping and slamming into the others. When we park at the end and take off our helmets, Jace is gazing at me in awe.

“You’re a terrifying driver,” he says, stooping down to push some of my curls away from my face and peck me on the cheek. “My life flashed before my eyes.”

When we head out, Leon takes my left hand in his, and Quinn scoops up my right. I feel warm all over, as if for once, I fit right where I belong.

By the time we get to the restaurant for dinner—an event which I hadn’t realized was in the plan, but the guys insisted they “take me out somewhere nice, since it’s a date and all”—my stomach is demanding to be fed.

“I didn’t realize mini-golf used so much energy,” I say as Leon pulls out my chair at the table for me, and I’m surprised at the place they picked. It’s upscale, with things like clams on the menu. I feel a little out of place.

“It’s all that focus!” Jace says. “You have to keep your eye on the prize.”

We order a few different dishes to share, and it feels good and right to watch Jace and Quinn bicker over who gets the one piece of garlic bread that came with our mussels. They end up playing rock-paper-scissors to pick the winner. As we sit and talk, Leon’s arm curls around my back, his fingers slipping under my hair at the base of my neck, and it electrifies my skin. On the other side of me, Jace runs his hand down my thigh, his grin as playful as it is enticing.

“Maybe tonight,” he says into my ear, “I can take you in my wolf form, too.”

It’s like hot water pouring down between my legs, and my thighs clench together. I have to admit I’ve been wondering how tonight will go, and I think Jace just cleared up one question for me. He breathes in deep, and then chuckles.

“What are you saying to her?” Quinn arches his eyebrow, leaning toward us from across the table. “I just got a good whiff of Tiff, and it was delectable.”

My face instantly heats, and Leon lets out a big laugh.

“Do you want us?” he asks, lowering his voice as he leans closer to me. “Think you can take Jace’s big werewolf cock tonight, love?”

Holy shit. That spark bursts into a flame, and I glance up as Jace squeezes my thigh harder. I wonder what he looks like in his transformed state. I suppose I’ll find out.

“It’s amazing you guys can smell that much,” I say, changing the subject. “Even when you’re in human form?”

Jace grins. “I can smell what you ate for breakfast. I can smell that you stepped in bubblegum at the golf course. And I can smell the second your pussy gets wet for us.”

The three of them are grinning at each other like idiots, clearly pleased they managed to get me riled up at the dinner table in a nice restaurant. But I’m thinking about how Eli left, and how much I wish he was here enjoying this with us instead. Maybe it would be too awkward, though, with the way the guys are acting.

Jace leans toward me and whispers in my ear while we eat. “You all right, Tiff?”

I don’t want them to think I’m not having a great time, so I plaster on a smile. “I’m fine.”

All three of them exchange a knowing look.

“Don’t worry about Eli,” Leon says, rubbing soothing circles on my back. “He’s always been like this.”

“You mean moody?” Quinn says.

“Thoughtful,” Jace corrects him sternly. I’m surprised to see Jace has a sharper side. “Reserved, maybe.”

I think about this as we finish eating. When the guys have wolfed down every piece of food in sight, Leon whips out a card.

“Where would you like to go after this, Tiff?” he asks, sliding it to the waiter. “Think we could all fit on your bed?”

My eyes must go huge because the three of them laugh. Leon tangles a finger in my curls and tugs my face toward his, then plants a rather charged kiss on my lips. When he’s done, I lean back against my seat, a little stunned. Then Jace tugs on my hand.

“Me, next,” he whispers in a sultry voice. When I turn toward him, he strokes my cheek, then leans in for a much more tender one. All I have to do is think about how he and Leon took me in their human forms, and what it might be like with them in his changed one, and Jace groans against me.

“We should get out of here,” he murmurs in my ear. “I can’t stand how good you smell.”

That’s when I hear a familiar raised voice somewhere in the restaurant behind me.

“I can’t keep doing this!”

I spin around so suddenly that I bonk Jace in the nose with my head. It can’t really be him? Here ?

“What is it, Tiff?” Jace asks, rubbing his face.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper hastily, searching the faces of the other people in the restaurant. That’s when I spot Mr. Bosley sitting at a table on the other side of a low wall, right across from “Mrs. Smith.”

Maybe they are having an affair. I can’t make out anything that she’s saying.

“Someone’s going to catch on, Beatrice,” Mr. Bosley says, a little quieter now. “I have to stay low for a while.”

Once more, I can’t make out her answer, but he groans in frustration. “I know, I know. But it doesn’t help either of us if I get caught.”

Fuck. I have to get out of here before he sees me. I grab Leon’s hand in mine.

“We’re done, right?” I ask quietly. “We can go now?”

He frowns. “Yeah, just got the receipt.” His eyes follow mine to the other table, where Mr. Bosley sits with a face as red as a ripe tomato. “Who is that?”

“Someone we need to avoid,” I say, but it’s already too late.

“Beatrice” is standing up, sliding her purse on over her shoulder, lips pressed into a thin, angry line. As she passes by our table on the way out of the restaurant, she notices me sitting there with Leon’s arm around me, Jace’s hand on my thigh. She quirks an eyebrow.

“I’m glad it’s working out with the boyfriends again. But, Ms. Dockett, I advise you to seek other employment.”

With that, she strides past and out the door, letting it fall closed behind her. Mr. Bosley jumps to his feet to chase after her, and all I want is to hide underneath the table. I push away Leon and Jace, but it’s too late.

“Ms. Dockett.” He arches an eyebrow at me. “You’ve been enjoying yourself tonight, have you?” His gaze travels around the table at Leon, then Quinn, then Jace.

“S-sure,” I say tentatively. “It’s a nice place, and the food is good.”

“You certainly have some interesting company.” A cruel grin is slowly spreading across his face, like a hawk staring down a rat. He laughs. “I’m honestly surprised to find you’re that greedy. No wonder you’re so sloppy at work.”

My breath is coming shorter and faster, but I can’t seem to compel my mouth to open. I’m frozen as Mr. Bosley cocks his head to the side. The pleasure he’s getting out of my shame is clearly monumental.

“Who knew my shy little assistant had such an active social life ?”

I could simply keel over right here and that would be better. My throat tightens, and my cheeks ache from where a heavy stream of tears is building up behind my eyes.

“Who the fuck are you?” Leon says, rising from his chair. Mr. Bosley shrinks back as Leon reaches his full height. I forget sometimes just how tall they are, how broad and, in the wrong light, menacing.

“I’m Ms. Dockett’s employer,” my boss says firmly, though his body language is anything but confident in the face of someone Leon’s size. Jace’s eyes widen, and his eyes snap over to me. I’m struggling to breathe just sitting here. Jace snakes his hand into mine and squeezes it.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, employer .” Jace can barely disguise the distaste in his voice.

Leon takes a step toward Mr. Bosley, who responds by taking one backward.

“I’m going to politely ask you to leave now,” Leon says, anything but polite, “and if I don’t see your backside in three, two…”

Mr. Bosley nods rapidly, his eyes flicking from Leon to me, as if I’ll step in and save him. But Jace’s hand in mine steadies me. Quinn’s on his feet now, too, and walking around the table so Mr. Bosley is now standing off against both of them.

“This is the fucker?” Quinn says, curling one hand into a fist. “This is the guy you’ve been complaining about?” I reach out and grab his arm.

“Don’t,” I whisper. “Please.”

Quinn’s hand loosens in mine, but he doesn’t take his eyes off my boss.

“I’ll be going, then.” Mr. Bosley’s eyes are huge as all three of them bear down on him. He shoots me a quick scowl. “See you at work, Ms. Dockett .”

Then he turns around and scurries out the door.

As hard as I’ve tried to hold them back, the tears break free the moment he’s gone, and I stumble into my chair at the table as they pour down my face. Leon, Jace, and Quinn all rush to my side. Quinn leans in to wipe some tears from my face, but I jerk back at his touch. Everyone in this restaurant must be staring at me, thinking the same thing as Mr. Bosley.

I suddenly get up from my chair. I shouldn’t be here. This is all too much.

“Tiff?” Leon asks. More and more people are staring at us as I cry harder, my breaths coming so fast that my head is starting to feel light and heavy at the same time. Leon grabs my hand in his and pulls me toward the exit. “Tiff. Come with me.” His voice drops to that familiar, commanding tone. “Right now.”

I have nothing to hold on to except him, except those confident words, so I cling onto them and him as he guides me out of the restaurant and into the cool night air. I’m gasping, struggling just to get air into my lungs. I stumble, but Leon’s holding me up.

“Please, love. Try to take longer breaths.” He imitates what he wants, inhaling deep and then waiting to exhale again. “I’m right here. Quinn and Jace are right here.”

But that only makes the tears run faster. It’s humiliating, all of it, in every possible way. Mr. Bosley surely thinks I’m a slut, and for fuck’s sake, is he wrong? After what Eli caught Quinn and me doing, just a few hours ago?

That’s why I scared off Eli. I’m sure of it. He hates me now, for the same reason Mr. Bosley does.

“Tiff.” Leon brings me into the soft curve of his arm. “It’s all right. Nobody’s watching.”

I close my eyes and let Leon’s voice seep into me. I imitate his slow breathing, trying desperately to get my throat to open again. His hand runs in soothing circles up and down my back, and the intoxicating smell of him is so close, I finally feel my contracting diaphragm start to release.

“There we are.” He draws me in to his chest, still stroking me.

Quinn gently pats my hair. “Fuck,” he mutters. “That asshole.”

Now that I can almost bring oxygen into my body, all I want is to lie down and cry some more about what tomorrow at the office will be like, now that Mr. Bosley’s caught me.

I’ll never, ever live this down.

I sag into Leon’s arms, but he easily holds me up. He leads me to the truck and Quinn opens the door, setting me in the passenger seat while Jace gets in on the driver’s side.

“My car,” I whimper, because I don’t want to have to come back for it in the morning.

“Leave it,” Leon says. “One of us will get it.”

Quinn buckles my seatbelt and hops into the back of the truck. Soon Leon returns and gets in on the other side, and Jace puts the truck into gear.

I fall back against the seat as we head on down the road, away from my apartment. I don’t know where we’re going, but I don’t care.

I’m so fucked. My job will never be the same again.