Wolf's Pack (Wolves Next Door #3) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,137

spot. Elena squeaked adorably when her heel sank further than she expected, so I swept her into my arms and kept walking, refusing to let Pax leave us behind. He chuckled, but Elena wrapped her arms around my neck and leaned in.

"You smell good," she said.

"Oh, I will not stop you from getting closer for a better smell."

So she did. I could feel her breath on the shell of my ear and her fingers pressing against the back of my neck. At that moment, I knew it was going to be a very long dinner, yet I still wanted it. I wanted to do more than throw her in a bed sometimes. I wanted this, her complete attention on only us.

When we reached the little grassy area, I set her down and spread out the blanket. Pax put the cooler in one corner, then helped Elena down. She'd taken a spot in the middle, which was perfect. While Pax started looking for our food, I went for the wine.

"Our glasses," I said as I began to work the corkscrew into the top, "are very fancy plastic. Our wine, however, is your favorite white."

"I completely packed this backwards," Pax groaned, pulling out a tray I recognized. "So, Elena, hold this for - "

Just as he leaned toward her, the cork came free with a loud pop. The problem was that the angle was aimed right at him. He ducked. The tray of cupcakes tipped. Elena yelped as the food tumbled toward her and wine began to well from the end of the bottle. And of course, the cupcakes landed right on her, icing side down.

One hit her calf. The other her thigh, just above her knee. The last smushed into her dress and slowly slid down the side. Wine gushed over my hand before I was smart enough to lift the bottle again, and the whole thing was ruined. All this work, all of our careful planning. Everything had just fallen apart in the first five minutes we were alone.

Then Elena began to giggle. "Dessert first?" she asked, swiping at the icing on her dress.

Pax's eyes dropped to her leg. "Oh, you have no idea how tempting that offer is." With a laugh, he dropped to his hands and knees to lick at her knee.

But that only made Elena laugh more. She tilted her head back and didn't try to stop it. I could see the tears welling up in her eyes, and my lips curled in response. This wasn't funny, but something about her was just so infectious. Then she grabbed the cupcake from her lap and pushed it at Pax, smearing his nose with what remained of the icing.

"And Trent's covered in wine," Pax chuckled. "Yep, we officially suck at dating."

"But it's my favorite white," she giggled, leaning far over to grab my hand.

That, she pulled to her lips, sucking at my sticky finger. She had to pause to laugh again, but she looked happier than I'd ever seen her before. I'd been so focused on being perfect for her that it seemed I'd overlooked the most important thing. Elena never asked us for perfect. She tackled insanity on a daily basis and made it look elegant. This woman asked for almost nothing in return, yet I'd been shooting for the moon just so I could keep up.

The sound of her childish laughter was the most beautiful thing I'd ever heard. The sight of Pax licking at her knee was so very fitting. The simple fact that our date was now a complete disaster and possibly the best night of my life? I didn't think. I didn't give myself time to change my mind. I simply opened my mouth and the words fell right out.

"I love you, Elena."

If anything, her smile grew a little more. "Yeah?" she asked. "I just made a mess of our date!" And she started giggling again.

"A tasty one," Pax said as he shifted to sit beside her. "And I love you too. That's why we wanted a moment alone, so we could finally tell you that."

"Both of you?" she asked, looking from me to him. "And you waited to tell me together?"

Her smile faltered, but the look that replaced it wasn't her being upset. It was the look a woman had when she was overwhelmed with happiness. Then Elena reached up for me, all but calling me to her, and I obeyed. Dropping to my knees beside her, I leaned in to caress the