His voice has a gravely edge from just waking up. “Groceries should be here soon.” He nods, staring into his cup like he’s deep in thought. “Paul is…not wrong in his assessment.” Well, that’s a ringing endorsement. His hand comes up to stop me before I can snark. “You are attractive, Sarah. You’re smarter than you let on. You put up a tough front, and I have no doubt you could deliver if necessary, but I don’t think you want to. And that’s not just because your chosen animal companion is a small, soft creature that requires the ability to be tender and gentle. I think you like soft things too, as much as you don’t want to admit it. It’s not just your omega nature; it’s the fact that you’ve had to be hard for so long that you need a rest, a place for respite. A place whereyou can be whichever version of yourself that you feel like at any given moment, whether it involves carbs or not.”
He chuckles quietly to himself, like he’s the only one in on a joke. “Regardless, I don’t think even you could misunderstand that we find you attractive, in all your variations. When I state that we would like to court you...well. This is a formal request, of course, feel free to refuse if you feel so inclined.” He delivers the words easily, but his shoulders are tense, and the coffee in his mug vibrates slightly with the shaking of his hands.
I pull back from Greg, looking around at the other alphas in the room. They’re both staring at me, and I turn my face up to Greg to avoid eye contact with them as well as gauge his reaction, but he’s just grinning like a smug bastard. My big beta leans down, rubbing his nose against mine. “I don’t want to move to Mississippi.” He sighs, letting his shoulders drop. “But you know I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth…even—ugh—back to the South. But I’m still going to avoid my family and pretend we’re in Los Angeles if they call.” Wait, his family lives around here…he has family? How have I not heard about this before? “They aren’t here; they’re a bit farther north. Border of Arkansas and Tennessee. You know I don’t do country music.”
My breath comes out in a choked snort at his reasoning. “Meh, that’s fair. Just as long as you’re with me, I’m good.” His arms give me enough room to turn and face the alphas in the room. “While we’re on the subject of courting, let me just say that we need to have a discussion about maintaining your omega during her heat. I never really was a fan of bukkake films, and waking up feeling like I’ve been stuck in one for three days is off-putting. Do you have any idea how many times I had to wash my hair to get it to lay back down?”
Paul laughs around a fork—I guess he finally got his own breakfast—while Al snorts into his coffee cup. Spence has his hand raised like he wants to ask a question, but Paul is the onewho finally speaks. “You don’t remember Spence knotting you in the shower on Sunday or Wednesday? Sugar, you scratched the shit out of his chest and he almost lost his balance. After that he had to turn you towards the wall to keep your stubby little nails out of his skin. Greg was there. He helped wash your hair while you were…indisposed.”
Well…damn, I always wanted to try shower sex, and now I don’t even remember it…Shit. The one on campus is too small but maybe I can talk Greg into trying soon while I’m coherent enough to enjoy it. He’s grinning at me like he knows exactly what’s on my mind, that or he’s enjoying watching me pout. I wave my hands at all of them. “Ok…fine, just…next time maybe we can have some wet wipes or something on hand. You know, just in case.” None of them are smiling now, and Spence leans so far towards us that he slides right off the edge of his barstool. Of course, he's not going to fall, his feet already reach the ground.
The big alpha’s voice is choked as he rises to his full height, looming over Greg and me. “Does that mean…that…that…we can try…to make this work? That you’ll stay?”
Ah…shit.
“No…no I have to go back, I mean, all my stuff’s there. Even if I wanted to stay, I have things I have to take care of, and there’s paperwork. I was only supposed to be here for a week. I have to have permission from my alphas or my family to move off campus. Not to mention John.” All the males in attendance stiffen at the name of my briefly forgotten scent match. “Fuck, why couldn’t I have met you last year before all this shit…Not you, Pretty Boy, you’re perfect.” I pat Greg on the chest.
Spence’s shoulders droop, and his voice is sulky. “That’s stupid. It should be your decision what you want to do with your life. They’re stupid.” While I can appreciate the sentiment, and it certainly scores points in his favor to think that way, it’sstill illegal. But before we can tackle the intricacies of omega protection laws, the doorbell rings.
Paul puts his empty plate in the sink before heading for the hall to the living room. “Brace yourself, Sugar, it’s time to meet the family.”
Fuck!
Chapter 83
The next couple of days are a whirlwind of activity. Sarah shuttling between our house and Sam’s. We want to spend as much time with her as possible, but it’s going to take some work to set up a suitable room for her bunny too. Spence did finish getting the nest cleaned and then got the sheets back on, but he’s letting her do whatever else she wants for blankets and pillows.
I’m not surprised that he’s turned the whole room over to her so readily—he’s walking around with a perpetual smile at this point. I’m worried that when she goes home in a few days, he’s going to spiral like I did after Elaine. The main difference is that I knew Elaine didn’t want me, and Sarah seems open, if not enthusiastic, about us. It might just be all the other things she mentioned, like getting permission to come back, or dealing withher family…or her scent match. I know from experience how hard that is.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to her coming back, hopefully for good. Long-distance relationships can be hard, not that I have experience with that, but I can imagine. It’s nice that Greg seems happy with us courting her. He seems to be under the impression that the whole thing was his idea, and maybe it was from their end, but I know Spence has been enamored of her since before they actually met. He only mentioned her twenty or more times when he heard her voice on the phone last year.
Al isn’t as reticent about the situation as I was worried he would be, not that he seems super enthusiastic like Spence or my own cautious optimism. It’s more like he’s waiting to wake up. He expects that something will change her mind, either returning home to her scent match or possibly just realizing we don’t have much to offer her. From what I’ve seen of the girl, though, that’s not something she’s ever even considered. She just wants someone who will accept and love her the way she is. I don’t think I know her well enough to love her yet, but I can see how easy it would be to do so.
However, she leaves on Sunday, and none of us, including her, have any idea how long it’ll take her to be able to return. It’s disconcerting knowing that she’ll be gone for an indeterminate amount of time, with only Greg to make sure she’s taken care of. Based on what I’ve seen, she worries about a lot of things and doesn’t always eat properly. Not to mention her fierce little attitude might get her in trouble with some alphas who visit the campus. My chest rumbles with a deep growl at the idea of any harm coming to her. I understand that she’s been doing things on her own for years, but it doesn’t change the fact that she’s ours now and we want to make sure she’s safe and happy…for aslong as she’ll let us. I could try to blame it all on alpha instinct, but it feels more than that.
Each of my pack took the week off for heat leave, so none of us are expected back at our respective jobs until Monday. It’s Saturday and Spencer is busy rearranging the bedroom attached to the nest…again, in hopes of giving her bunny more room to run. I’ve told him repeatedly that they’re leaving tomorrow, and it would be better to put his focus on converting one of the extra rooms into a space for the rabbit to have entirely. Still, he wants to surprise Sarah when she returns from Sam’s house with the last of her things. She and Greg will be staying here tonight with the bun, before we follow them to the airport tomorrow. Spence is spinning out on nervous energy, and other than just letting it run its course, I don’t see many options.
Al is in his room working. He says he has papers to grade, but I can barely concentrate at the moment with my mind so muddled. I don’t know how he’s able to get any real progress made. That’s why I’ve relegated myself to cleaning in the kitchen and preparing dinner. I’ve already sorted out the pantry and found places for all the snacks that Spence bought for her heat. Adding in the things that Al ordered afterwards, we shouldn’t need to grocery shop for at least another month. Though I’m sure we’ll all be tired of protein bars and Swedish Fish by that point.
I’m currently chopping potatoes to go with a roast I put in the oven as soon as I woke up. It should be melt-in-your-mouth tender by the time they get here for dinner. I still feel like an ass for the pepper kerfuffle last week, but she did ask for the recipe for her aunt—her Tia, she said, and that’s going to take some getting used to—so despite its lack of cheese, I’m glad she enjoyed it. Shit, this doesn’t have cheese either. I’ve already started the rolls, so I can’t incorporate it that way either. Maybe for dessert…does cheesecake count?
“Spence! I need you to run to the store for me!” The sound of approaching elephants heralds my biggest packmate’s arrival at the bottom of the stairs. He’s covered in sweat and red-faced. “Did I interrupt something there, man?”
He looks puzzled, so I continue. “Anyway, can you go over to the store and pick up a cheesecake from the freezer section? I don’t think I have time to make one from scratch, but I’ll look up a recipe and send you an ingredient list for that as well. Take Al with you if you need a ride.” Our pack leader needs to get out for a while anyway; he’s been hiding away in his room whenever Sarah isn’t here, and it worries me that he might spiral.
Spence looks like he’s ready to pout, so I pull out my ace. “Sam also sent me a list of what her bunny likes to eat, so I need you to pick me up a cluster of mint while you’re there. If they don’t have that, cilantro’s fine. I doubt they’ll have any carrots with the green still on.”
That gets Spence on board, and he grabs a couple of paper towels, wetting them from the faucet before wiping his sweaty brow and cheeks. “I was moving her bed.” That stops me in my tracks. Yeah, he could have just scooted it a couple of inches one way or the other, but I know the guy. Before I can demand clarification, he adds, “I wasn’t moving it far…but I realized I hadn’t cleaned under it, and what if there was something gross in the carpet? I didn’t want Shaggy getting hurt. So I had to take the whole thing apart and lean it against a wall so I could vacuum properly.” I close my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose as I can only guess at where this story is going.
“But then, once I got it cleaned I figure it would be a good chance to rearrange anything I needed to, which meant I had to move her dresser over to the nest…then I cleaned where it was…so it just made sense to move all the extra furniture in there so I could do it right.” Dear lord help me. “But I got the floor cleaned, so I was moving stuff back…but then I thought, what if her bedwould look better facing the window, so I had to move it around again. I think it’s done, though.”
“Spence…that’s a memory foam mattress…do you have any idea how much that thing weighs? It took all five delivery guys to get it in there.” He blinks at me like I’m the slow one here.
“Yeah…that’s why I was sweaty. But it looks really nice now, and she can wake up to a view of that big tree in the backyard. I know it’s not much right now, but I think once summer hits, it’ll be really pretty. I was just about to throw her sheets in the washer when you called.” I wave my hand at him, trying to get him to do it now. They don’t need washing; they were washed when we first moved in and set the room up a couple of months ago, and no one else has been in there, but if it gives him a purpose, then fine.
My breath comes out in a deep sigh. “I’m sure it’ll look great. Just hurry up, please. I don’t know how long it takes to makeorthaw a cheesecake. And I don’t want to have to have dessert at midnight.” He nods frantically before he walks away, and I hear him hollering for Alistair from the bottom of the stairs. That big lug is lucky he hasn’t given himself a hernia yet…or ruptured something.
Chapter 84
