I head into my bathroom and splash my face with cold water. I wish I had time for more, but that would be rude, and I still need to get something for Teddy to wear. Drying my face, I head to the closet, pulling out a ratty T-shirt and a pair of work jeans. I have several solid button ups I wear when I work out in the shop to save me from flying woodchips, but it can get fucking hot out there too, especially in the summer. Always better to dress in layers so you can take shit off if you need to.
I snag a black jersey and a pair of basketball shorts out of a drawer. I don’t play basketball, but they can be comfortable to lounge around in.
Heading back downstairs, I knock on the door that Teddy went into earlier, but there’s no answer. I crack it open and hear the shower going in the bathroom. Forcing myself not to look and see if he left the door open, I toss the change of clothes on the bed and leave before I can give into temptation.
Walking back into the front room, I hear humming in the kitchen and turn that way. Kelly’s in there, her butt sticking out as she leans far into the fridge. Those cutoffs she has on hug her ass beautifully, her long lean legs tilting her hips from side to side as she hums a tune I can’t catch. She straightens up and lets out a tiny scream, almost dropping the armload of sandwich stuff she’s holding.
“Crud, I’msosorry! I wanted to do something nice for y’all cause you’re letting us stay here for a bit so I don’t get into trouble. I already texted Steph, but she says Brice is gonna help her with the decorations since he brought the flowers. If you’ll just let me stay for a couple of hours, I’ll get outta your hair.” Her smile is sheepish, and she still has quite a bit of glitter smeared up her neck, but she pulled her hair down from earlier and it curls in ringlets down her back. She’s wearing a scrunchie on her wrist.
Not sure how I can tell her I want her, both of them, to stay for a lot longer than a few hours.
“I appreciate it, really. But Teddy’s in the shower, if you need more time to clean up, feel free to do so. I can make us up some food if you tell me what you like.” I step forward, helping her spread out the sandwich stuff on the counter and taking a look at her choices. I admit I do the bachelor thing most of the time, it’s just not worth putting in a lot of effort for myself. Usually if I want something hot, I just hit the diner down the road. Most ofwhat I eat are sandwiches, so I keep a variety of fixin’s on hand, including the lunchmeat she found in the fridge. Seems like she only found the bread I left out on the counter, whole wheat. Maybe I should ask if she wants something else from the pantry.
She smiles up at me, and I take a step back so I don’t close the distance between us. She still has traces of Teddy’s snickerdoodle mixed with her touch of lilac and I have to grip the countertops behind me to keep myself from leaning down and running my nose along her glittering neck and getting a solid hit of her scent. She swallows a few times before speaking again. “Sorry, Momma keeps trying to teach me how to cook, but the most I can do is a sandwich, a grilled sandwich, or a decent burger…Do you have a grill? Daddy’s been trying to teach me how to do pancakes…but that’d probably be kind of heavy for lunch.” I know I look skeptical when she huffs. “I’ve only set myself on fire, like, three times, ok. And my eyebrows grew back just fine.” I have to hide my smile at her adorable look of outrage.
“Sorry, Sugar, I don’t actually have a grill at the moment. I don’t cook much for myself, so I never bothered gettin’ one. Maybe if Teddy is gonna be staying for a bit we can get one so you can come over and not set yourself on fire?” Her tiny self-depreciating smile makes my chest ache, and I watch as her fingers twist together before she starts to stammer.
“Sorry, I just…I’m kind of accident prone. It’s not on purpose. But like you saw today.” She points down at the bright pink bandages on her knees.
How did I forget about that? Oh yeah, I was busy trying to stop my own nosebleed. I reach up and unconsciously rub the bridge of my nose and her face falls, she looks mortified. “Oh…I am so,sosorry about that. I never even asked if you were ok. Are you ok? That was totally my fault, I couldn’t get that stupid dooropen, and then it did, and I just fell over, and it hit you. I should have asked sooner…”
She’s rambling, but fuck, her blush is adorable, and I reach out to touch her chin, tipping it up so she’ll look at me. Her continued apology tapers off as our eyes meet. “I’m ok, Sugar. It was a hell of a shock at the time, but I’ve had my nose broken more than a few times, this was nothin’.” Her smile is sweet as she tentatively reaches towards my face, her fingers tracing the bridge of my nose, there’s no real pressure as she feels along the ridge that’s been busted at least a half dozen times. Her hands feel so good on me, and I wish I was free to explore her as well, but she’s a guest. I reluctantly step back when I hear the door to Teddy’s room open down the hall, feeling a small twinge as her hand drops back to her side.
“So, I might have stuff for burgers, or I can run down to the store if you’ve got your heart set on ’em. Otherwise, a sandwich sounds mighty fine to me. It’s still pretty early, so we could do quick sandwiches now, and then maybe burgers for dinner if you are gonna be here that long?”
Please be here that long.
Chapter 6
Buckling the leather cuffs back on my wrists, I walk back into the kitchen. I’m not sure what I missed, but the pheromones coming out of here could knock me over from the living room. Even though Kelly’s a beta, her scent calls to me like nothing before, and she smells both nervous and turned on.
Sam smells embarrassed, and I worry I read the whole situation wrong. I shouldn’t have kissed him earlier. He tasted so fucking good though, I just couldn’t help it. Fucking omega hormones. I thought he wanted me too. He seems like he’s attracted to me, and I was walking around half fucking hard all day wearing a shirt that was saturated in his scent.
Running my hands over my face, I wonder if I’ve made a complete ass out of myself. If I ought to just try to change my plane ticket home and camp out at my parents’ house alone for the next week or cut the whole vacay short and head back to the omega center. It’s gonna be a boring break alone, but shit. I can’t stay with Brice and his pack, I want to stay here…Hell, I don’t feel like I ever want to leave.
But I’m not about to stay some place I’m not wanted. Learned my lesson on that one the hard way with Vee and Garret. Fuck, I haven’t even seen them since my designation came in. Their dad found out and refused to let me near them. That’s not something I want to think about right now though. I misshimso fucking much sometimes.
Tiny arms wrap around my middle and the subtle scent of lilac teases my nose as Kelly burrows her face into my chest. She’s bigger than most omegas, still tiny by comparison, but she’s countered by the larger sturdier weight that’s suddenly at my back. Fuck, being between the two of them feels so good. I can’t even remember the last time I got a solid hug. Not one of those obligatory hugs that your family has to give you when you haven’t seen them in forever, but an actual hug. It feels so right with these two.
I lean my head back against Sam’s shoulder, hoping he doesn’t pull away, and stroke my hand down Kelly’s hair. I want to tell them how good they feel, but I’m worried about scaring them away with my freaky omega bullshit. I’m not sure if that’s what this is, but fuck, I don’t want it to end. Kelly’s face tilts up to mine, “You feel really good. Sorry, I don’t mean to keep invadin’ your personal space. This just feels…” Her words taper off, and I tilt her chin up so she can’t hide away.
“Right?” I hope that was how she was going to finish her sentence.
Please, fuck, let that have been it.
Her eyes widen, but she just nods before she buries her face in my chest again, and I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. One of Sam’s arms loosens from my waist, and I dread that he’s going to pull away. Instead, it comes around my jaw, pulling my face to his, and returning the kiss I gave him earlier. The angle is awkward, but it’s still so fucking good.
Kelly
Today has been so danged weird. I mean, I was super happy to get to be in Candice’s bonding ceremony. Never got my free cake though, bummer. But then things got so tense, and now…well…now something is poking me in the stomach.
I’m not completely naive, I mean, I know the general mechanics, and I’ve had a couple of beta boyfriends in high-school, but only really Sal since I started college. Teddy is bigger than any of the betas I was with, and it’s kind of a shock. I guess he could just be reacting to Sam behind him, but his arms pressing me tight against his front make it feel like he wants me. Maybe he wants us both?
I know alphas and omegas are often in poly relationships, it’s just never something I thought about for myself. Growing up, the plan was always college, and if I happened to meet a sweet beta guy there that I hit it off with, then great. This…this is not the plan, but it feels so right, like I’m supposed to be here.
I press my face against Teddy’s chest and breathe in his snickerdoodle scent, I can barely catch Sam’s cedar and sawdust because my nose is pretty smooshed right now, but the lowrumble I feel moving through Teddy and into me makes me feel like my bones are melting. Heck, everything’s melting, if what’s going on in my shorts is any indication.
I shouldn’t be doing this, I just met Teddy, and while I’ve met Sam repeatedly over the years, he never gave any sign that he thought of me as...well, at all really. Maybe it’s just how close I am to Teddy now, I’m getting purring fallout or something.
