I sit there at the table, and Jake presses his cold wet nose to my leg again, looking betrayed that I didn’t share with him. But he scrambles away when Sam’s voice raises. “C’mere Jake, got some dinner ready for you too.” He looks upset when he sees only kibble in his bowl, but goes to town on it anyway, little hard chunks scattering around as he crunches away. Sam washes his hands and comes up behind me.
“You want to get a shower too, Sugar? Before bed?” I nod and smile up at him, but the exhaustion has hit, and I feel like myhead's stuffed with cotton. Sam offers me a hand up, and I cling a little even after I’m standing, feeling uncoordinated and half asleep already. “You gonna be ok in the shower, Kelly? You look a little wobbly there, girl.” I nod a bit and start marching towards the bathroom before remembering all my stuff's out here. I spin around to get my shampoo and start to go down, only to face-plant against Sam, who rushes up behind me, arms outstretched to catch me.
“Do you need some help? You look pretty unsteady there.” I shake my head, my eyes feeling like they’re rattling side to side in my skull with the movement, but it switches to a nod as I start to tilt sideways just from the headshake. Sam picks me up, cradling me against his big body, and then grabs my new box of soap and the shampoo and conditioner I brought from home. He carries me up the stairs towards his room, and I melt against him. He feels so good, and I am just so tired.
We get back to the master bedroom, and he sets me down on the bed before taking off his shirt and jeans, standing there in nothing but his underwear. Then he goes to the bathroom to start the shower. He walks straight out to the closet and pulls out another T-shirt and a pair of shorts before he helps me stand and slide out of my shirt, shorts, and panties. He fumbles a bit with my bra clasp; I hear a low growl rumble out of him after a little while of his big fingers trying to manipulate the tiny hooks. He had such an easy time with them earlier, I don't know if it's a different angle, or maybe he's tired, too. Regardless, his growl soons changes to a snarl of triumph a second before my last bit of clothing falls to the floor..
Once I’m stripped, he picks me back up and carries me into the shower. Opening the glass door, he steps inside, testing the temperature of the spray against his forearm before he sets me down on my feet, and tilts my hair back under the spray. He’s still wearing his underwear, but I can feel his hard lengthpressed against my stomach as he pulls me forward and lathers shampoo in my hair. He doesn’t say anything about it, and I waver from side to side as he moves me where he needs me to go, rinsing the shampoo and then conditioning my hair. Soaping me up and scrubbing all the glitter off my arms and shoulders while my conditioner takes effect.
After I’m completely rinsed and cleaned, he turns off the water and holds my hands while I step out of the shower. He grabs a fluffy towel off the rack and blots my skin dry, more gently than I ever bother being with myself. I usually just wipe down quickly and wrap my hair up to keep the cold water from dripping down my back. He mutters a curse to himself before calling out the bedroom door. “Teddy, you up here? I’m drippin’ all over the place here.” Teddy comes in wearing a pair of Simpsons sleep pants and nothing else. The fog in my brain shifts enough that I want to lick him.
Well, we didn’t have dessert, and he does taste like cookies.
I giggle at my own thoughts as my guys exchange a look over my head. Teddy takes my hands, drawing me back into the bedroom, still wrapped in a towel with my wet hair dangling down my back. I try to pull back towards Sam, but Teddy just leads me until he can sit on the side of the bed with me in front of him. “He didn’t want to make you uncomfortable by being naked, Kelly. But now his briefs are soaked, and he didn’t want to drip all over the rug. Let him get himself cleaned up, then he’ll be in for snuggles, ok?” I nod limply, my head feeling like it’s on a spring.
Why am I so tired after eating?
Is it just all the stress from today catching up?
“Do you want me to bring your luggage up so you can have your own pajamas, or will these work?” Teddy nods to the clothes that Sam brought out earlier and I don’t want him to leave, so I just point at the men’s clothes that are available.
He puts my hands on his shoulders and holds the shorts up so I can step into them before shimmying them up my legs and under my towel. We really can’t do the shirt without me flashing him, not unless I want it soaked by my wet hair, so I whip the towel out from around me and bend over to twist it around my head before I can drip all over the place.
Unfortunately, when I try to straighten out, my body just laughs at the effort and I end up sprawled across Teddy’s lap, his arms holding me tight. My nipples are hard from the burst of cooler air, and he groans when I press against him. His face drops close to mine and he nuzzles under my jaw. “I want you, Kelly, but I think we both need rest.”
He’s not wrong. I finally manage to stand up and he helps me get the shirt on over my towel wrapped hair. It falls mid-thigh, and I could probably sleep without the shorts, but I don’t want to wake up horny and try to jump an alpha or omega in their sleep. So, I leave them on.
By the time Teddy has gotten my hair unwrapped and we fluff it out to dry, Sam comes out of the bathroom. Teddy picks me up and deposits me in the middle of the bed before climbing in behind me, snuggling up against my back with his arm draped over my waist. His rumbly purr vibrates through my whole body and makes me melt. I try to argue that he needs to be in the middle so Sam can purr for him.
Then Sam is cuddled up to my front, his arm draped over my waist too, holding Teddy’s hip on the other side. His loud alpha purr starts up, and the whole bed shakes a little with it. My mind tries to protest that Teddy's the one who needs to snuggle, but I can’t make my mouth work to get the words out. My eyes blink slowly, taking in the big alpha in front of me. I blink again, trying to wake up to get Teddy to trade me places, but my eyes won’t open. I don’t remember anything after that.
Chapter 16
Iwake up to the sweetest beta pressed against my chest. One hand tucked under her chin, the other hand holding onto my chest hair. Which is slightly painful, and most likely what woke me up. She murmurs something in her sleep and yanks again.
Yeah, that will definitely open your eyes.
Shit.
Last night hit her hard. I think all the confrontation, grocery shopping, then a big dinner knocked her for a loop. If she isn’t feeling better today, I’ll take her and Teddy both to the doctor. I look over her shoulder, taking in my omega. He looks so much better this morning. He isn’t as pale, and he’s smiling in his sleep as he buries his face against Kelly’s hair. I hear a small murmur as he pulls her closer against him, causing her to yank against my chest hair again. If this keeps up, I’m gonna have a bald patch there.
Stroking my fingers over her jaw, I make quiet susurrations—trying not to wake either of them up—but to get her to at least relax enough to let go so I can slip out. It’s bright outside. I forgot to close the curtains, and I need to get up and let Jake outbefore he has an accident. Her fingers finally loosen enough for me to escape, and I slide out of the bed, not bothering to put on anything more than my shorts so I can take care of Jake as soon as possible.
I open the door and almost trip over the big lug. He’s laying sprawled on his back in the hallway. His eyes pop open and he wags at me, his legs flailing in the air as he tries to roll over. “C'mon, bud, let's get you outside,” I murmur quietly to him, patting my leg when he finally manages to get upright. He follows me downstairs, only looking back at the bedroom door and whining once. By the time we reach the back door, he’s practically wiggling in circles around me.
I open the door and barely manage to get the screen unlocked before he pushes it open and bolts outside, running back behind the shop to take care of his own business. Leaving him to it, I wander towards the kitchen, headed for the coffeepot. I can get that running before I start on breakfast. It’s a good thing Kelly picked up all the staples yesterday so I actually have stuff to cook this morning.
I don’t usually bother for myself. It’s easier to just fix something fast. But I need them to know I can take care of them. I grab out all the ingredients to make stuffed French toast and strawberries. I remember hearing Brice complain about not getting anything but decaf, and I don’t have that. So, I also pull down my sampler box of tea and put the kettle on. According to Brice, omegas are supposed to avoid stimulants if at all possible due to hormone fluctuations. I like tea well enough, but sometimes I need my fucking caffeine fix.
I just finish mixing up the cream cheese for the French toast when I hear Jake scratching at the screen door. It’s still cool enough to leave the back door open, and no one comes around that way anyway. I let him in and he scrambles to his food bowl, glaring at me when he beats me to it since I haven’t filled it yet.“Sorry, buddy, I’ve been kinda busy.” I pat him on the head and pour a big scoop of kibble into his dish. He’s already scarfed most of it down by the time I finish washing my hands and get back to chopping.
The strawberries are sliced and cream is whipped when I make my way upstairs. Teddy's still holding tight to Kelly, and he’s purring in his sleep. Part of me wants to wrap myself around both of them again and go back to bed. But after yesterday, my main priority is making him feel secure. I sit on the bed beside him, and he pulls her closer as his body rolls towards the dip in the mattress. Running my fingers over his forehead and through his hair, I’m glad to see his fever's completely gone. He nuzzles against my palm, but when his tongue comes out to lick my fingers and nip at my thumb, I know he’s just faking sleep. Probably to keep snuggling our beta.
I lean down to give him a kiss and his mouth opens for me as soon as our lips touch. He lets out a low moaning whine, and I’m suddenly rock fucking hard in my sleep pants. Which donothingto hide my erection. He chuckles quietly, murmuring against my lips. “Feel free to come back to bed, Sexy. I’m sure we can think of a good way to wake up Kelly that she would enjoy. Plus, open up a few of those boxes she got last night, try them out.”
I can’t stop my loud bark of laughter, and Kelly jolts straight up in bed, looking around groggily. Teddy glares at me as I pull back, but there’s no real heat in it. “Sorry guys, breakfast is just about ready, and I didn’t want your food to get cold.”
He grumbles at me a bit, but swings his legs out of the bed beside me and sits there for a minute, getting his bearings. Kelly circles the bed, running her hands over his forehead and through his hair as well. “Are you feeling any better?”
