Jones and Peterson turn out to be a pair of pleasant alphas who seem thrilled at the prospect of playing tour guide to Jessica and Luke. Especially when Jax discreetly mentions that the team will be covering all expenses for the evening.
"You sure about this?" I ask Jessica quietly while the arrangements are being made. "You don't even know these guys."
"They're professional athletes, not axe murderers," she points out. "Besides, Luke is in hockey heaven right now. I couldn't drag him away if I tried."
She's right. Luke is currently engaged in an animated conversation with Jones about some play from three seasons ago that apparently was controversial.
"And what about you?" I press. "Will you have fun?"
Jessica's smile softens. "I'll be fine, Lex. More than fine. It's been ages since Luke and I had a ritzy date night." She squeezes my arm. "Go be with your hot pack. We'll compare notes tomorrow."
I flush at her phrasing but can't quite bring myself to correct her. They're not "my pack." Not yet. Maybe not ever. But the possibility hangs in the air, tantalizing and terrifying in equal measure.
"Okay," I agree finally. "But text me if you need anything. And don't let Luke embarrass himself too badly."
"No promises on that last one," Jessica grins, then turns back to the group. "It's settled! You boys can borrow my sister for theevening. Just have her home by midnight, or she turns into a pumpkin."
"A pumpkin spiced latte, more like," Aidan murmurs, then immediately turns red when everyone looks at him. "I mean, because of her scent. Not that I've been thinking about it. Or her. I mean, not in a weird way?—"
Jessica looks quizzically at him, but I haven't exactly had a chance to tell her about the whole scent matching thing. Maybe because it feels like it's too impossible and bringing anyone else in will pop that magical bubble and bring me back to reality.
"Quit while you're behind, rookie," Zayn advises, clapping him on the shoulder. "We'll finish getting ready and meet you out front in ten?"
The suggestion is directed at me, and I nod, suddenly nervous about what exactly I'm agreeing to. "Sure. Twenty minutes."
As the pack heads back to the locker room to change, Jessica pulls me into a quick hug. "Have fun," she whispers in my ear. "And remember, no more than two hockey sticks in the net, max."
"Jessica!" I hiss, mortified.
"What? Five hot hockey players, all apparently obsessed with you? I'm just saying, pace yourself." She winks, completely unrepentant. "And I want details. Not graphic ones, but you know, the general gist."
"I hate you," I mutter, though we both know it's a lie.
"Love you too," she sings, already turning to join Luke and their new tour guides. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"
Given that Jessica once skinny-dipped in the fountain at her college graduation party, that doesn't exactly narrow things down.
Twenty minutes later, I'm waiting in the VIP exit area, trying not to fidget nervously with my sweater. I've touched up mymakeup and let my hair down from its practical ponytail, but I'm still wearing jeans and my modified Grizzlies sweater. Not exactly club attire, if that's where we're headed.
The doors swing open, and the pack emerges, all five of them looking unfairly good in casual but clearly expensive clothes. Darren spots me first, his face lighting up in a way that makes my heart skip.
"Ready?" he asks, offering his arm.
I take a deep breath, pushing aside the lingering uncertainty. "Ready," I confirm, linking my arm through his. "Though I have no idea where we're going."
"That's part of the fun," Zayn says with a smirk that somehow manages to be both irritating and charming. "Trust us?"
And that's the question, isn't it? Do I trust them? These five men who claim I'm their scent match, who want to integrate me into their already complicated dynamic?
"Yes," I say finally, surprising myself with how much I mean it. "I trust you."
With the night, if nothing else.
The smiles that break across their faces, five variations on the same theme of genuine pride, tell me I've made the right choice.
"Then let's go," Darren says, leading me toward the exit where a sleek black SUV waits. "The night is just getting started."
Chapter
