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I grab her ass, pulling her into my chest. “We’re bonded. You’ve got to stop stressing over money. It’s setting off my impulses.”
“That’s easy for you to say. I have a three-hundred-dollar budget to shop for all three of you, and that’s if I put off shopping for my family until I get paid for the tour.” She stares at my chest, refusing to meet my eyes.
“You can shop online for your family and have everything shipped to them. It won’t make it before the holiday, but we’ve had a lot going on.”
“Yeah,” she agrees, spinning under my arm and scanning the shelves. She sidesteps a couple of men doing their last-minute shopping.
“What do you plan to get for me?” I ask close to her ear as she studies a mini jukebox display.
“I don’t know. You should probably go have a seat and let me browse,” she snaps.
“Don’t stress, sweet girl. I’ll be on the wall of shame with the other husbands.” I kiss her cheek and swagger over to toss myself down on one of the empty chairs.
ChapterTwenty-Seven
Tinley
Istand up from squatting and bump into an older man’s walker. “Ohmigod, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s all right. Merry Christmas,” he says, shuffling off.
“You too.” My shoe taps against the carpet. I need to swap out who I’m with, so I can shop for Warrick. He hasn’t taken his eyes off of me, and I’m starting to get irritated.
There are so many people, and I’m majorly frazzled. Everyone’s scent seems especially harsh, and I’m still having cramps. My period should be here any day, which really sucks. I frown even harder as my gaze falls to the floor. If I spend all my money on gifts, then I won’t have any for necessities. We haven’t even been bonded a month. Sponging off their success feels like a terrible way to prove I really love them for them.
I bring what I picked for Warrick to the sales associate at the front and head back to find my alpha.
“Ready?” he asks.
“Yeah, I also need to find a pharmacy before we head back to the hotel.” I’d rather be prepared this time. It’s a miracle the press hasn’t found us yet. I think it’s smart to take advantage of that while we can. I still have some stuff left from last month, but what they got wasn’t what I normally buy. I guess I’m picky.
“Come on, let’s get going.” Warrick stands, and I have to crane my neck up to meet his eyes.
“Sorry about the crankiness. It’s busy and that always sets off my sensory issues.” I swallow thickly.
I’ve been tuning out the blaring Christmas music to the best of my ability, but this is the third time this song has played while we’ve been here. I truly don’t understand how the staff handles it. Then there’s the smell, and yeah. It’s just a lot all at once, and it’s overwhelming my senses.
“Never apologize for being overstimulated.” Warrick kisses my forehead and plants a hand on my hip, guiding me to the counter. We wait our turn and finally step up when the woman from earlier waves us to a different register. I grab my purse and dig around for my card, but my jaw falls as the sales associate slides a card and receipt towardmy alpha.
“You didn’t,” I say, but I already know he did.
“I’m taking one worry off your plate. That’s all.” Warrick rocks on his heels, shrugging like it’s no big deal.
“I was going to pay for that,” I hiss, and my tone sounds shrill even to my own ears. The woman looks between us with wide eyes, and I force a polite smile. “Thank you.”
“We’ll finish this disagreement at the hotel,” he murmurs, handing back the signed copy.
I’m so annoyed that I think it’s giving me indigestion. I’m sure War can feel it in the bond as he collects the bags.
The security guy holds the door open as we head out.
The blast of cold air makes me shiver, but I’m more focused on Ramsey and Fitz. They’re acting strange as they meet us outside of the small boutique. I’m not quite sure what’s off, but they keep glancing at each other, and they’re blocking their emotions in the bond.
“The car is back.” Fitz takes off toward the SUV. It pulls to a stop and we climb inside. The heat is running, but I’m still shivering as we take off.
“We need to make another stop before we head to the hotel,” Warrick says from the back row. I have no idea how he and Fitz ended up back there together, but they did.
“Really?” Ramsey turns to face me. “Is it an emergency?”
