Lola & the Millionaires: Part One (Sweet Omegaverse #2)(36)

“Another drink?” Leo asked, nuzzling against my ear.

I leaned my hips back against his, warmth pooling in my center as Leo’s hands squeezed my hips. I set my glass down on the counter and eyed it briefly. That was my second of the night, and if Leo ordered me another I’d be at my third, my usual self-prescribed limit. But would it be so bad to be buzzed? Leo wasn’t going to let anything happen to me, and even if he was looking in the other direction…

My eyes slid across the room to where most of Leo’s pack were clustered together in a private booth. My gaze landed on Wes, the big alpha in charge of protecting Rake, and he twitched, staring down at his own glass of alcohol, one that hadn’t seemed to diminish at all in the hour we’d all been at the party. With Rake tucked between Cyrus and Caleb, the three of them together a beautiful blend of fashion styles, Wes’ attention seemed to be drifting more towards me. It didn’t feel predatory, more like he was so used to being protective and now I was the object of his focus.

“I’m gonna wait a bit,” I decided, turning to face Leo. “We can sit with them, you know.”

He didn’t even ask who I meant, his stare immediately flicking over my shoulder to where his pack was. “We could go dance too. I don’t want you to feel stressed tonight.”

“Thank you,” I said, leaning in to kiss his chin. “But I think it’s weird that we’re avoiding them. If I get uncomfortable, I’ll let you know. Why don’t we ask them to dance with us?”

Leo’s smile was slow and sultry. “Gorgeous, you’re going to do a terrible job of discouraging Rake if you let him see you dance. You dance like sin.” I blushed and shook my head, but Leo’s fingers squeezed my hips again, drawing my attention back to him. “But if you want to let go with us both a bit, the others will make sure no one gets so much as a glimpse.”

My lips pursed as Leo and I stared at one another. Was he saying what I thought he was saying?

“No one can resist Rake for long,” Leo murmured, his gentle stare stripping me down to the secrets I tried to keep even from myself.

“I like him,” I admitted, and Leo nodded. “But I’m not here with you, just to—”

Leo’s head dipped, mouth slanting over mine, and for a minute I let go of any thought of alphas or omegas or designations at all. It was just Leo and I, his clean scent washing away my anxieties as it filled my lungs.

“Never doubted that,” Leo said, his forehead against mine. “Just know that I’m not going to discourage you from getting closer to anyone in my pack. Especially not Rake. He and I share more than an alpha. We’re, you know, lovers too.”

I nodded and kissed him again, holding on to the moment of us. Just us. I didn’t know if I had it in me to relax with Rake, to open myself up and let down some of the densely constructed walls I’d been sheltering in. But I knew that my longevity with Leo would likely wither if I resisted any connections I had with his pack.

“You have me, Lola. Either way,” Leo said.

“Okay. Good. Then I don’t want to be a wedge between you and your pack,” I said, stepping back and pulling one of his hands into mine. I tugged him in the direction of the booth, and Leo followed, smile stretching over his purple-stained lips. He’d wiped my lipstick away once already, but this time I thought I’d let him leave it.

“There’s my conquering hero,” Cyrus said as we reached the table.

I smiled and leaned back against Leo’s chest as I realized that maybe I’d been a little bit preemptive about dipping my toes in with the pack. The table was strong with alpha and omega pheromones and Wes was a massive revelation. I hadn’t caught much from him before, but the sweet sex and sea mist fantasy that was curling around me was such a surprise, it left me weak in the knees.

And Rake said betas weren’t hounding this alpha?

You don’t chase alphas anymore, remember?

I did remember, vividly. But I was definitely…appreciating Wes’ scent at the moment, although I couldn’t bring myself to look at him at the same time, as if he might be able to read my reaction on my face.

“Where’s Matt?” Leo asked.

“With Carolyn,” Rake said, nose wrinkling briefly, he glanced at me. “That’s Matt’s girlfriend. She’s lovely, but she says Matt’s enough testosterone for her in one sitting.”

Meaning she took Matt without his pack. Rake’s slight pout stiffened my resolve to try and not monopolize Leo away from his pack so much. Even now, Caleb was looking at the pair of us like someone had placed a buffet of confectionary treats in front of him after he’d just found out he was diabetic.

“I was going to drag Leo out to dance with me, but I could use some backup,” I said.

I didn’t miss the sudden surprise over their faces, although Rake recovered fastest, pushing softly against a stunned Caleb’s shoulder.

“Count us in,” Rake said, all about shoving his alpha out of the booth. Cyrus followed with a grin, but Caleb paused as he stood off the bench.

Leo’s alpha was a full head taller than me and he bowed slightly in front of me, blonde hair falling into his pale eyes.

“You’re sure?” Caleb asked, as quietly as he could in a hall full of pounding music and fashion industry moguls shouting at one another to be heard over the melee. I realized then that Matthieu wasn’t the only one with an accent. Caleb was British on top of being stupidly handsome.