PHOENIX WAS PACING Kenzie’s office again. No matter how hard she’d tried to stop or how much Kenzie had threatened her, she couldn’t keep her body still.
She needed fresh air.
She glanced over at Kenzie. But Phoenix needed to stay here and watch over the human.
Maybe Sawyer would switch with her earlier than scheduled. Kenzie was his mate after all.
“Okay, I give up,” Kenzie said from her desk.
“Huh? What?”
“You’re driving me nuts. Something is off with you today.”
“I’m sorry,” Phoenix said.
“Is everything okay with Dante?”
Phoenix smiled and stood still for the first time in the past hour. “Yes. Better than okay actually.”
“Hmm. Well, you’re obviously distracted. Your distraction is affecting my concentration, so we might as well get out of here early. Thank God I have a light day.”
“Sorry,” Phoenix said lamely again.
“Meh. We all have bad days. Let’s go get something to eat since I worked through lunch.”
Phoenix and Kenzie walked out of her office. They passed by several people with Phoenix barely paying attention. She was just concentrating on getting out of the hotel.
When they passed by one of the usual security guards, Kenzie said, “Whoa, that was weird.”
“What was?”
“You didn’t see it?”
“No. What?”
“Bill smiled at you and totally checked you out. Before today, I could have sworn he was a robot. That man doesn’t do anything but stand against the wall and scowl.”
“Oh.”
Kenzie rolled her eyes. “‘Oh,’ she says.”
Once outside, they went to Kenzie’s favorite restaurant, which was a couple of blocks away.
They walked inside, and when they got away from people, Kenzie leaned forward. “Did you take a sexy pill today? Every guy on the way here was checking you out.” She stepped back and scanned Phoenix. “Or maybe it’s the new clothes I picked out for you.” She snapped her fingers and fanned a hand in front of her face. “That’s right. I’m that good.”
“I think you’re hallucinating,” Phoenix said. “I didn’t see anyone checking anyone out.”
“Whatever. You’re in denial.” The two of them approached the counter to order. “What do you want?” Kenzie asked Phoenix.
“I’ll just have a salad.”
Kenzie turned to the cashier and ordered their food, and then she spun back to Phoenix. “Oh my God, you’re dying, aren’t you?”
Phoenix scowled at her. “No, I’m not dying. Why would you say that?”
“Because you are not a just-a-salad girl. You usually eat three times as much as I do. And I’m pregnant.”
Phoenix shrugged. “I’m not hungry, okay?”
Kenzie looked worried. “I was joking about you dying, but seriously, are you sick?”
Phoenix did a mental scan of her body. “I don’t feel sick. I’m a little warm, but it has been warmer outside lately.”
Kenzie put the back of her hand on Phoenix’s forehead, and Phoenix batted it away.
“You’re warm, but you’re not fever warm,” Kenzie said as their food was brought to the counter.
The two of them went to a table, took a seat, and ate their food.
Kenzie looked at her phone as they were finishing up. “Say, we have an hour or so to kill before Sawyer’s done for the day. Since I’m not going back to work, do you want to go to Naya’s with me?”
Phoenix barely held in her groan. So far, she had managed to avoid going with Kenzie to see Naya and her babies. Phoenix hadn’t seen them since the hospital. She’d even managed to get out of Naya and Vaughn’s welcome-home party.
“Sure.”
Kenzie raised her eyebrows. “That’s a lukewarm response if I ever heard one.”
What was she supposed to say to that?
Phoenix couldn’t tell Kenzie that it depressed her to be around the new family. Even with Dante promising to take her during her heat, that didn’t change how Phoenix felt because she wasn’t pregnant yet. It lessened the blow, but the envy was still there. It was hard enough, being around Kenzie almost every day, but that was easier because she wasn’t even showing. Naya and Vaughn’s babies were going to be right there in front of Phoenix.
Not wanting Kenzie to feel bad or deny Kenzie from seeing her best friend, Phoenix said, “We’ll go. Like you said, I’m off today.”
Kenzie beamed. “Wait until you see them. They are soooo cute.”
Phoenix could hardly wait.
Vaughn woke from a deep sleep, sweaty, disoriented, and horny as hell. He put an arm out and felt for Naya, but her side of the bed was cold. He sat up and looked around. The blinds were closed, and the alarm clock said it was still daylight.
Lately, Vaughn and Naya had been sleeping all wonky hours because of the babies. They didn’t really have a sleep schedule anymore.
Vaughn got out of bed, adjusted himself in his boxers, and wiped the sweat off his bare chest. Damn. There was morning wood, and then there was morning wood. He didn’t know why he was so hard.
He glanced in the special crib Naya had purchased to keep the babies beside her when she slept, but it was empty. Vaughn frowned. She was supposed to wake him when both babies were up. He didn’t want her feeling like she needed to do this alone.
Vaughn opened his bedroom door and was hit with a wave of lust. A shot of pain sliced through his groin.
“Fuck.”
There was a female shifter in the house, and she was in the beginning stages of heat. No wonder he was so horny. He thought maybe it was because Naya wasn’t cleared to have sex yet, so it had been a while since they had done the deed. But this heat thing was going to be a shitstorm if he didn’t get whoever was downstairs out of his house.
Stupid biology didn’t care that he was mated and in love with someone else. It would demand he try to impregnate the female in heat.
Vaughn stumbled down the stairs because his hard-on was starting to throb—and not in a good way.
He heard voices coming from the living room. Naya’s and Kenzie’s. But that didn’t explain who the female shifter was.
“Naya,” Vaughn called as he started coming around the corner.
“Shh. The babies and Phoenix are sleeping,” his mate said as he entered the room.
Kenzie’s eyes widened at his appearance. “Holy boner. Jeez, Vaughn, is that thing licensed?”
Vaughn ignored her. “Phoenix. Phoenix, get up.”
Naya stood. “What’s wrong?”
Vaughn had to catch himself when he doubled over.
Naya cried out and grabbed his arm. “Vaughn, you’re scaring me.”
He smiled at his mate. “Don’t worry, baby; I’m not going to die. Phoenix is in heat. And we need to get her out of here.” Another blast of pain went through him. “My body is just responding to hers. It wants me to…you know…mate with her.”
Naya stood up straight. “Over my dead body.”
Vaughn laughed through his pain. Man, he loved his mate.
He glanced past Naya to see Kenzie jump out of her chair, on full alert. She sat next to Phoenix and tried to shake her awake.
“Holy shit, this explains why all the guys on the street were checking her out.” She paused, as if she realized how that sounded. “Not that Phoenix isn’t pretty. I didn’t mean it like that. It was just that every guy was practically panting as she walked by.”
Vaughn waved her off. “We all know what you meant.”
Kenzie shook Phoenix harder. “Phoenix, get your ass up.”
No movement, except for when Kenzie moved her.
Vaughn stood up straight, took in a deep breath, and got out his future alpha voice. “Phoenix Kaplan, this is your future alpha talking. Get up. Right. Now.”
Phoenix flew into a sitting position on the couch, hitting her head against Kenzie’s.
“Motherfucker, that hurt,” Kenzie said.
Phoenix held her head and looked around the room. Her eyes were slightly glazed. “Ugh, it’s so hot in here,” she said as she started to take off her shirt.
“No!” the three of them yelled.
“Come on, Phoenix, let’s get you out of here,” Kenzie said as she helped the female up.
Phoenix struggled on her feet, so Naya went to help.
Kenzie looked over at Vaughn. “Can you call Dante and warn him that I’m coming?”
“Dante?” Naya asked, confused.
“Yes. I don’t have time to explain. Just let him know I’m coming.”
“But you’re not supposed to be alone,” Naya pointed out.
“Shit,” Kenzie said.
Vaughn waved her toward the door. “I’ll call Dante to tell him you’re on your way. Then, I’ll call Sawyer and tell him to meet you there.”
“I’ll help you to the door,” Naya said. “I wish it were night, so I could go with you.”
Vaughn grabbed his cell. “Yeah, I’m sorry, too, Kenzie. But the farther I stay away, the better.”
Kenzie smiled at them. “No problem, guys. Thanks for your help.”
Vaughn took his phone upstairs and made his phone calls. He had no idea what was going on with Phoenix and Dante, but Dante apparently was not surprised when Vaughn called him.
He was just hanging up the phone with Sawyer when Naya walked into their bedroom with the baby monitor since the twins were sleeping downstairs.
“Are they gone?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said, putting the monitor on the dresser. “And the babies are still sleeping. The commotion didn’t bother them in the least.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. “Good.”
Naya moved closer to him, and he held up his hand.
“Baby, you gotta stay away from me. It’ll be a while before the effects from Phoenix wear off, and you know I’ve already been having a hard time with staying away from you as it is.”
Naya smiled that secret smile that she reserved only for him and pushed her long dark hair off her shoulder as she walked closer. Vaughn backed up until he hit the bed and fell over.
“Don’t you remember what last night was?”
Vaughn tried to think. He had worked last night, but that was all he could come up with. “No.”
She wiggled her eyebrows at him. “I went to the doctor.”
This had him sitting up with concern. “Are you okay?”
“I’m more than okay,” she said as she stalked toward him and whipped off her shirt. When she reached the bed, she pushed her pants and underwear off with one quick movement.
Vaughn was pretty sure his penis was going to fall off if he didn’t get some relief soon. If he hadn’t already been hard from Phoenix’s hormones, he would have been going full mast now.
God, his mate was beautiful.
Vaughn swallowed. “Does this mean, you’ve been cleared for sex?”
Naya pushed him back on his elbows and grabbed his boxers. “It does.”
Vaughn dropped onto the bed. “Hallelujah,” he rejoiced to the ceiling.
This news couldn’t have come at a better time.