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Bailey-Rose: The Complete Duet

Page 28

by Elizabeth Knight

“Just a little overwhelmed,” I answered. It wasn’t the whole truth, but it wasn’t a lie, either. I simply didn’t feel up for another deep soul-searching conversation.

Yun-Sun plucked the tablet out of my hands and set it on the coffee table. “Then I think it’s best for you to relax. We are in no rush. These next fourteen days are all about enjoying time together as well as preparing the house. It should be fun to plan out your room, so if it feels like too much work, come back to it later.”

“That sounds like a good idea, but when this movie is over, I get to pick the next one,” I said, leaning against Yun-Sun’s shoulder.

“You got it, Care Bear,” Warrick assured me with a wink and thumbs-up.

Wriggling around, I tried to get comfortable, but with the height difference between Yun and me, it made it challenging. He must have gotten irritated with all the shifting because the next thing I knew, he scooped me up and settled me between his legs. My head now rested on his chest, and I was securely nestled as he tucked one of the blankets around me. The final touch was for him to loosely wrap his arms around my waist and drop a kiss on my head.

“Better?” Yun-Sun inquired, a smile in his tone.

Peering up at him, I grinned. “Perfect.”

“Sweetheart, can you promise me something?” Yun-Sun asked, and I nodded, urging him to continue. “Don’t ever be afraid to ask any of us to snuggle if you need a hug or any other physical contact that will help you settle. Believe me when I say we’re all craving the chance to hold you at any opportunity we get right now. I have no idea if that will shift for either of us as our bond grows, but for now, it’s all I can do to control the urge. If I had it my way, you wouldn’t be walking anywhere around this house. I would carry you just to keep you close. Anyway, all I meant to say is as we learn about each other and what you need from us, never fear asking for it outright.”

I’m not sure Yun-Sun had any idea how lethal words like that were. If he kept talking like that, I would be madly in love with him by tomorrow, if not in the next hour. Okay, I was half in love with him already, but I couldn’t tell what part of that was the high of finding my matches or not. Either way, this Alpha was proving himself to be one hell of a lawyer with that silver tongue of his.

“I’ll try, but I’m not the best at asking others for help,” I admitted.

Yun-Sun pressed a tender kiss to my forehead. “It’s okay. We’ll just be checking in a lot more until we can help you realize asking for something won’t upset us. Honestly, I’m not sure there is much we would ever say no to.”

“If it’s dangerous or the chances of her getting hurt are way too high, then I have zero issue saying no,” Gareth interjected. “Otherwise, Yun is right. We want to give you the fucking world, baby girl. You deserve all that life has to give, and we plan to make that happen.”

These Alphas were determined to make me melt into a puddle of goo. If I ever had hopes of keeping my heart protected, they were quickly fluttering away like the butterflies in my stomach.

“Hey, Care Bear,” Warrick called, nudging my knee with a finger. “What do you think about spending the afternoon with me tomorrow? I’d love to take you to the bar, show you where I work, then maybe we can go out for dinner?”

I started to say yes but then paused to look at the others. “Is it okay for me to just spend time with one of you?”

Ulysses snorted. “Rosie, just because we’re a pack doesn’t mean we need to do everything together. I think it’s important for you to have a relationship with us all individually as well as a group. When we all go back to work and fall into a routine, having an individual relationship with each of us will help make you more comfortable. Some days Warrick will be around more or Vili if he chooses to work here instead of his office. Not to mention when the time comes for us to be intimate, we might appreciate some alone time with you.” He pointed out with a smirk on his face. “However, I want to be clear that none of us have a problem if group activities happen, but none of us are romantically interested in anyone but you.”

At the mention of being intimate, my body started to tingle as I remembered what happened between Ulysses and me this morning. Then my imagination went wild at the prospect of the others joining in. It was extremely common for packs to have intermingled relationships. Obviously, not always as was the case with my own pack, but it usually happened that a romantic pairing would occur between Alphas and Betas before they found their Omega.

The real question was, would my poor little heart be able to withstand that much stimulation? Guess there was only one way to find out, and I would be more than happy to experiment, given the opportunity.

“Thank you for telling me that,” I said once I realized an awkward lull had gone on for far too long. Turning my head, I looked at my sweet cinnamon-candied Alpha. “Warrick, I would love to spend the day with you tomorrow. Although I should warn you, I’ve never been to a bar before, so I hope I don’t embarrass you.”

“Oh, Care Bear, you could try, but I don’t get embarrassed by much,” Warrick assured me. “Once you’ve seen how drunken idiots act, you realize you’re not doing so bad at life.”

The others murmured their agreement on that nugget of advice.

“That just leaves what you’d like to do about tonight,” Yun-Sun pointed out. “We can hang here, have dinner, then head back to your parents’ home to sleep. Otherwise, you can have your pick of beds to sleep in with or without the Alpha who uses it.”

“Hmm… I didn’t really pack to sleep over,” I murmured as I plucked at my lower lip in thought. “Although if we aren’t going anywhere until the afternoon, we could swing by the house.”

“I have idea,” Vili declared in an excited voice. “We spend evening here, then return to your home to sleep. This way we all get to have breakfast together before you go. While you have fun, we will pack your clothes to bring here. No more problems.”

Each of them pinned their gaze on me, waiting for whatever answer I was going to give. “You shouldn’t have to pack up all my things, especially when I’m not even there. Wouldn’t that be awkward?”

“Because why?” Vili challenged. “Soon you will have all the things here. Eventually, we will see you in the clothes or in no clothes at all. Why be odd?”

“I-I have no answer for that,” I admitted once I failed to have anything else to say. “Okay, if you four are fine with doing that while Warrick and I are gone, I won’t stop you.”

Vili and Warrick cheered then high-fived each other reveling in the excitement. Seeing them so happy about me moving in gave me the boost I needed to get back to my search. Crawling over Yun-Sun, I grabbed the tablet and let the delicious-smelling pastry of a man settle me back between his legs. A contented sigh escaped me as he stroked his fingers through my hair as I dove back into my search.

When dinnertime rolled around, we ate out on the patio, which is also when I discovered they had a pool set off to one side. I loved being able to swim and float for hours during the summer. It was something I’d always been able to enjoy since it wasn’t as taxing on my heart. Their personal chef made a delicious stir-fry with chicken and steak over a bed of fluffy rice. The guys all had a beer or glass of wine with their meal, but Warrick made me a special mocktail to enjoy.

“This, m’lady, is called a strawberry breeze,” Warrick announced as he set the fizzy drink in front of me. “I thought tomorrow it might be fun if I teach you how to make a few different recipes. That way, when you visit me at the bar, you don’t have to feel left out and get something tasty. Who knows, maybe I might even make up one and call it the Care Bear after you.”