19. Back to Normal
Chapter nineteen
Back to Normal
M y heat was over and I felt like shit. Not only was I hungry and dehydrated, I'd pissed off my new pack. Just when I thought I might be able to make this work, it had all come crashing down. They wanted a bite.
I dragged myself to the bathroom and showered the worst of the grunge off before filling the tub and sinking into it. The water was as hot as I could stand it and my skin rapidly turned red, reminding me of the shrimp I'd made for dinner last week.
Hugging my knees to my chest, I stared at my toes under the water. When I was with the Orion pack, I'd always made sure to keep my toes pretty and painted in their favorite colors. I didn't even know what these guys' favorite colors were.
There was a tap on the door and when I didn't answer, Angel opened it and poked his head in. "You need to eat, babe. Ali brought some food up."
"I'm not hungry," I muttered, keeping my head bowed so he wouldn't see the tears dripping into the bathwater.
"I don't care, you're going to eat anyway. You just went through a demanding heat and your body needs to recover," he said sternly, his alpha voice creeping in. "Either you eat in the tub or you get out now and let me feed you out here."
I growled, but he was right. I needed to eat.
Finally, I pulled the plug and stood, finding Angel right there with a huge towel.
He wrapped me up and helped me twist my hair into another towel before leading me out of the bathroom and to my bed. The other men were gone and a tray sat on my nightstand, filled with an assortment of foods.
"Sit down and let's get you back in fighting form," Angel said, gesturing to the bed.
As soon as I was settled, he sat down by my hip and lifted the tray, popping out hidden legs so it sat over my lap.
"What looks good?"
I shrugged. "Can't go wrong with bacon."
"That's my girl." He lifted a piece of crispy bacon and held it to my mouth. After he'd fed me the first piece, he picked up the next.
"You don't have to actually feed me," I pointed out.
"I enjoy it. Humor me," he said with an easy smile.
"Fine."
By the time my belly was full, I'd eaten just about everything on the plate, except the greasy sausages. Angel set the tray aside and climbed into bed with me, pulling me into his chest so he was spooning me.
His warm body felt comforting and the anxiety I'd had while in the bathroom faded to mere background noise. When he started purring, I relaxed even more. Grabbing his hand off my stomach, I brought it to my nose, inhaling his chocolate scent deeply.
"You're calmer now, good," he rumbled. "We need to talk."
Instantly, my body stiffened and I dropped his hand. Frozen, I waited to hear him tell me they were done.
"Stop panicking. You're ours whether you want a bond or not," he assured me. "I want to talk to you about what you want from life. You said you like writing and I hope you're getting to do some of that, but are there other things you want to do? Places you'd like to see?"
"Um, not really. I just figured I'd always do what my pack wanted," I told him.
"That sounds really boring and unpleasant. Did you know that Tiago's hobby is working on his motorcycle? Max likes to hike and rock climb. I enjoy skiing."
"I've never been skiing. Or hiking for that matter," I said, twisting in his arms so I could see his eyes and judge for myself how truthful he was being. "And I can't swim."
"Are those things you want to do?"
"I think . . . I want to try them," I said. "Definitely swimming."
"This house could use a pool," Angel mused.
"You can't put in a pool just because I want to learn to swim! I could go to the YMCA or something," I pointed out.
"True, but what if you love it? We could all enjoy the pool together."
"Isn't that expensive?" I ventured.
"In case you hadn't noticed, we have money. Our trucking company does extremely well."
"The agent at the center said you guys were on the wrong side of the law . . ." I watched him carefully for any sign that he was upset by my words.
Angel just grinned. "Well, I think at least five of us have been in jail at least once. And yes, some of our cargo is not quite on the legal side, but it's nothing you need to worry about."
"You don't traffic people or drugs, do you?" I had to know what they were into and there were some hard lines for me.
"Baby girl, we do not traffic people and we do not sell drugs, or carry them for that matter. It's going to sound ridiculous, but some of our best customers are counterfeiters."
I frowned. "Fake money?"
"Nothing that fancy, we transport copycat handbags and shoes. The kind that bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars. It's not a noble cause, but it pays well and we can always claim we didn't know if something happens."
"So, it's not dangerous?"
"Not at all." He leaned in and kissed me. "What else do you need to know about us?"
Relieved that I wouldn't have to deal with any of them in jail again in the future, I immediately knew what else I wanted to ask. "What's your favorite color?"
"Orange," he said, without hesitation.
"Really?" I stared at the sculpted man in front of me. "That's not what I thought you'd say."
"You thought I'd say black or navy blue?" He raised an eyebrow. "I think I'm a little more interesting than that, sweetheart."
For the next few minutes, I grilled him on all the basic things I'd want to know from someone I randomly met. Where he grew up, what his dream job was, and his favorite food.
He humored me and responded to each one. "Seattle, crab fisherman, and lobster with garlic fettuccine."
When I ran out of questions, he wrapped his arms tighter around me and pulled me in close.
The heavy meal and the events of the past few days were catching up to me, so I snuggled closer to his chest and breathed him in as he purred for me. And with the warmth and a full belly, it didn't take long before I drifted off to sleep in Angel's arms.