Page 137 of Speechless
That’s what being loved properly will do to you.
I nearly sat up straight at the thought. The other day, the words hovered between me and Brooks. This morning I could have sworn Logan almost said them. Were we there yet?
It’s not like I could say it wasn’t normal, given how quickly Oceanand Isolde fell in love with their packs. And they didn’t evenknowthey were scent matched right away.
“That’s a nice picture,” he said softly.
“Yeah, it is.” I attached it to my message to the girls.
“Send it to me?”
I texted the image to him and watched him open it. He took my hand with his free one and wove our fingers together. “Mind if I post this?”
Since I met them, I’d barely thought about social media in any real way. I looked him up, jaw dropping when I saw he had almost five hundred thousand followers. Theo had more. “Um, yeah, I’m just following you first.” I swallowed. “No pressure.”
I was a reporter. I knew what could happen to people on social media. How unkind people could be. Hell, I’d been on the edge of feral when Ocean was attacked by fatphobic assholes all over the planet. It still pissed me off, but her husbands didn’t play when it came to her and people who spoke negatively about her.
“You’re worried?”
“Notworried, exactly. People can be mean.” I filled him in on Ocean’s experience. “Not worried, just aware that you look likeyouand announcing that you’re off the market might piss some people off.”
A rough, low chuckle. “They can fucking deal.”
He posted the image with a short caption.
My fucking Omega.Mine.
Both of our notifications began blowing up almost immediately. People were following me and commenting on the picture. Most of the comments were positive. The negative ones were in there too, but it was easier to ignore them than I thought.
“Good idea,” Theo said. The car slowed, and we pulled into the parking lot of a hotel. As soon as we parked Theo opened my door and pulled me out of the car. His phone was already in his hand as he tilted my face up and kissed me like we weren’t out in the open and in public. My mind went blank. Somehow I ended up pulling him closer and practically climbing him.
“My turn.” Brooks took his turn kissing me for a selfie, leaving me dizzy and breathless when he finished.
I slumped against the side of the car. “You need a selfie for social media, Aiden?”
“You think I have social media, violet?” He kissed my temple on the way to unload the back of the SUV.
A giggle escaped. “Yeah, I didn’t think that one through. I’m guessing the man who booby-traps his office probably doesn’t post his face on the internet.”
He pointed at me, confirming my conclusion.
“It’s too bad. The internet wouldloveyour pretty face.”
“The internet will have to survive.”
My phone was vibrating in my hand so much it felt like it was ringing. “I’m going to have to turn off my notifications.”
The picture Theo posted of us was borderline indecent. You could see his tongue invading my mouth. My hands pulling him closer. The chemistry between us jumped off the screen.
Swimming was the love of my life. Past tense.
I gasped. Theo watched me when I looked at him, like he expected my reaction.
“What—but…”
“Shh,” he said gently. “You’re not ready, sweetheart. That’s okay. It doesn’t make it less true. Don’t overthink it, okay?”
“I’ll try.”
