I put a hand on my hip and answered Bas with an arched eyebrow. "You better let them head up to the lodge, Alpha Dog. They look cold."
Dead silence for a fraction of a second, then Bas's face split into a wide grin and his rich laughter sent a chill up my spine. The rest of them broke ranks and laughed along with him. They went ahead of us and I got a view of their supple, white asses as they filed up the porch steps into the lodge.
Bas put his arm around my shoulder and kissed the top of my head. "You hungry? I've got enough to feed a small army."
I spread my fingers across his chest leaned into him as we walked up to the lodge together. "I'm starving."
The lodge became a different world when Bas and I walked up the steps together. The last time I was here, he'd kept the pack away. The place had been warm, inviting, cavernous, and quiet. Now, with the bustle of a dozen hungry werewolves, it became a mess hall. A frat house. Their rich laughter filled the great room as they clanged plates, muscled each other aside, and helped themselves to the heaping pots of food. Bas had turned the place into a Chinese food buffet. My stomach growled in protest, and for an instant I felt more animal myself as Eli handed me a plate and shot me a wink.
"Better hurry," he said. "Once Alec gets through here, there might not be anything left."
Alec had at least four inches and twenty pounds on Eli. He reached over Connor's shoulder and swatted Eli in the ear. Then he palmed the egg roll Eli had just put on his plate. The two of them disappeared into the crowd of men, swearing as they went.
Bas had a hand at the small of my back. He leaned down and whispered in my ear, sending a skitter of warmth across my skin. "Sorry. It's a lot to take in when you get us all in a room like this."
I laughed and reached up to touch his face. It really was. They'd all covered themselves in various states of dress. Mostly low hung drawstring sweat pants or jeans. A few of them had even taken the time to throw shirts on. But, the room swam in brotherly insults and testosterone. I did a mental count. Including Bas, there were twelve of them.
"Are all the packs like yours?"
Bas reached over me and landed a dollop of white rice on my plate. He licked his thumb and held up the metal lid on a pot of almond chicken. I took the serving spoon and plopped a heap of it on top of the rice. Bas gave me an approving nod. Though I wouldn't win any eating contests with this bunch, I had a big appetite for my size.
Bas took a seat at the head of the long granite bar. I sat at his right. Eli sat on my right and Connor took the chair directly across from me. The room filled with a cacophony of clanging forks and laughter. All Bas had to do was clear his throat and everyone fell silent.
"Guys, thanks for heading up here on short notice. I wanted to formally introduce you to Abby. Abby Winslow, this is, well, everyone."
I lifted a hand and nodded. Connor gave me a lopsided smile, his mouth filled with wonton. A few whistles and cheers rose from the other end of the table and I lifted a fork and waved down there. Then Bas attempted to introduce me to all of them.
There was Connor, Eli, Curtis, and Alec. I'd half met them already. Finn, Davis, and Toby sat further down from Connor. Callum sat on the other side of Eli and reached over him to give me a proper handshake. His warm grip sent gooseflesh up my arm. It wasn't a shockwave like I felt when Bas touched me, but on an elemental level, I understood the sensation now. My body seemed tuned to weres. Callum had thick, dark hair and bushy brows, but his eyes were the most striking feature about him. One was palest blue, the other dark sable.
Beyond Callum sat Aaron and Ben. They were the youngest of the group, I guessed in their teens. Eli filled in some of it, whispering in my ear that they were twin brothers. At the far end of the table sat the oldest of the group. Seth. He had long, wiry gray hair and a grizzled countenance with wisdom in his deep-set, blue eyes. I put him at sixty, maybe older. He too waved a fork at me, and I gave him a mock salute which made him smile as he chewed.
The table discussion stayed light. They talked about business at the store, a recent hunt Seth took Aaron and Ben on. They asked me questions about my life, my family. And I told them, holding nothing back. Something happened that evening that I didn't expect and was hard pressed to explain. From the moment I sat down at the table, it felt like I belonged there. Each and every member of Bas's pack seemed to accept me as though I'd been part of this group all along as they included me in jokes, offered me seconds, and patted me on the back if I cracked a joke myself. Connor reached across the table and forked a piece of chicken from my plate he saw I wasn't eating. It seemed familiar, brotherly, still, I felt obliged to lob a clump of rice at him in protest. He laughed and caught it neatly in his hand.
And then there was Bas. As the men talked and joked, he sat back a bit, surveying the group and the conversation. His eyes twinkled in the light when they caught mine. He pressed his foot against mine under the table then rubbed my leg. As much as I enjoyed the company at the table, I wanted it to be just the two of us as well.
He didn't say anything to the others, but they seemed able to communicate on some preternatural level. The instant Bas's eyes caught mine, the conversation began to wind down and Aaron and Ben stood. It seemed they had drawn cleanup duty, so they began clearing plates as the others excused themselves. Some went back outside. Others started to head down to the basement where Bas told me he kept a game room. Each of them nodded and smiled, politely asking for leave and wishing me a good evening. Eli rose and actually gave me a kiss on the top of the head as he excused himself.
Then, it was just Bas and me with the younger guys in the kitchen. He threaded his fingers through mine and warmth flooded my chest. I felt a little coltish at first. Bas's eyes changed as he managed to somehow transmit his arousal through his fingers even. If the rest of the pack could sense his desire to clear the room, surely they understood his other pressing needs as well. And my own.
Bas leaned across the table and placed a chaste kiss on my forehead. "Why don't you head on up? I'll join you in a few minutes. I've got a couple of things to talk over with the boys."
I reached up and clasped Bas's hand to my chest. "Don't take too long, you. You give me all of this good food and excitement and I can't promise I won't just fall asleep on you."
"Oh, I think I know how to help you get your second wind, baby." He shot me a wicked wink that sent a thrill through me, then he headed out onto the porch where Alec and Seth had congregated.
Aaron and Ben gave me good-natured smiles from the kitchen where one of them washed dishes while the other dried. Be still, my heart.
I went into the master bedroom at the top of the stairs and waited for Bas. He'd already turned down the sheets and warm, honey-scented candles were lit throughout the room. I walked into the bathroom and turned on the bathtub faucet. I planned to sink beneath the warm water to wait for him.
It had happened so quickly. Just a few weeks ago, I didn't know this man. Now, I seemed to feel most at home when he was nearby. I suppose I should have been scared of this. I'd spent my whole life watching my mother jump feet first into relationship after relationship. She'd upended our lives more times than I could count, all because of her flavor of the month guy. But with Bas, it just didn't feel like that. Even as I thought it, I realized maybe that's exactly what my mother always thought too. Still, my body called out to his. Even this place had started to feel more like home than anywhere else I'd ever been.
I peeled off my clothes and folded them neatly on the bench against the bathroom wall. The water had just reached the top of the tub. He had a bottle of scented bath oil against the ledge and I poured that into the steaming water. Then, I stepped into heaven, sinking beneath the water.
I might have fallen asleep. The water soothed me, wrapping my body in warm silk, the flickering candlelight hypnotizing me. Then, brighter light flooded the room as Bas opened the door and stepped in.
"Mmm," was all the speech I could muster.
Bas shot that dazzling smile at me as he peeled off his own jeans and shed his t-shirt. Wordlessly, he stepped into the tub, facing me. I ran my hands across his chest, letting the tiny auburn hairs tickle my fingertips as he sank down beneath the water. A tiny wave sloshed over the side of the tub, snuffing out two of the candles. Bas leaned forward and kissed me, tasting like salt and honey himself.