42. Teddy
Chapter 42
I can’t believe that Vee got so much done in my nest. I mean, Kelly also did a lot with getting the room ready, and helping Sam with the drywall, and then washing all the blankets and linens and airing out my pillows…actually it smells a lot like she and Vee rolled around on them when they were unpacked. Of course, seeing as they left a couple of books in here, they probably just lounged here and read manga together. Even the thought of that makes me smile.
I still haven’t had a chance to get curtains ordered, and Sam grumbles when I ask him to help me hang some extra blankets over the windows. Something about damaging his new walls. Well, tough. He also says he needs to go shopping for wood for baseboards, but I don’t care about any of that right now. I think it’s wonderful just the way it is. I just need to get the blankets and sheets on the bed and it’ll be perfect.
Oh, and pillows, lots of pillows. Maybe I should take a few up to the master bedroom so that we can have them to sleep on and get everybody’s scent on them…but they can’t have them. I need them. They’re so cozy and soft, and I just want to drag my Pixie in here and burrow under all the pillows with me, and then kiss her and taste her. Being apart for almost a week was awful. I never want to deal with that again.
I spend the next few hours making and remaking the bed. The mattress they got me is so nice, just the right amount of soft. But I can’t get the stupid blankets right. It’s all nice and clean, but it just doesn’t smell right in here.
And why can’t I get the fucking wrinkles out of this goddamned blanket!?
My crying brings Sam into my nest, and just that is so much better. His masculine cedar and sawdust makes me warm all over. And I just want to ask him to roll around on the bed for the next few hours until it’s saturated with him.
Kelly’s at work, otherwise I’d ask her too.
But Vee’s here.
I bet he’d help.
Oh, but he’s still kind of wobbly.
Well, that means lying down and rolling around should be easy.
Right ?
Sam pulls me into his warm chest as we sit on the mattress on the floor. He grumbles an apology out for not making me a bed frame. And I want to throttle the big alpha. He built me a fucking nest, a perfect fucking nest that I love…but I need it to smell like him.
Would it be strange for me to ask him to take off his clothes so I could rub them around the clean sheets?
Shit.
He’s gonna think I’m a freak.
“Um…Sam, have we done laundry yet from our trip? I need…something. Maybe everybody’s pajamas. It doesn’t smell right in here, and I can’t….” Sam’s face had taken on a small sweet smile while I was trying to figure out how to ask for clothes, but as soon as I start crying, he pulls me into his arms, purring loudly.
I don’t fit in his lap as easily as Kelly, but hell, she’s not much more than travel sized to start with. His breath is hot on my neck, and when he scrapes his teeth over my skin, I’m pretty sure I just soaked the front of his jeans in slick. Blushing like crazy, I want to crawl into a hole and die, but he won’t let go. His voice is a low heated rumble. “Fuck, but you smell good, Omega. I thought we had a few more days before your heat started.”
It sends a needy little shudder through me, and then his beard is scraping over the other side of my neck, his lips a soft contrast on the tender skin. “Can’t wait to mark you.” Kiss. “Bond you.” Kiss. “Knot you until you’re nothing but a twitching pile of well satiated omega mush. ”
If this keeps up, that won’t be too far away. I dip my head so I can taste his lips, and moan into his mouth when he turns me so I’m straddling his body. He grabs my hips, grinding me down against the hard length trapped in his pants. My mind spins. I need to fix my nest, because it’s wrong. But I need my alpha, because he tastes and feels so fucking good that I might spontaneously combust.
He stands up, letting me slide off his lap so that he can unbutton my jeans, and push them down my hips. His hand is big and calloused and when he strokes me, I come undone. I should be embarrassed, but his pleased smile throws me for a loop. “You are such a good fucking omega for me, aren’t you?”
His hard kiss leaves my head spinning. “I want you Teddy…so fucking much it’s taking everything I have not to fuck you right now and leave my bite on that sexy body of yours. But it feels wrong for it to be just the two of us in here. Unless you want that. We can lock the door, nice and private. But I thought you might want Kelly, at least for that part. If you need me to, I can lock the door now and take you. We can break in your new nest all alone. I just don’t want you to regret it later.”
His lips capture mine again, demanding and possessive, holding me captive with just a touch. If this keeps up, I’m going to fucking be hard again in a few seconds.
After entirely too short of a time, he pulls away with a long groan. “Fuck…tell me you want me now, tell me you want me to fuck you in your new nest, and screw waiting for everybody el se. I’m losing my fucking mind with how goddamned good you taste.”
But when I put my hands on his chest and gently push him back, he goes. It’s fucking adorable to see my big gruff alpha with a pout like his favorite toy just got taken away, and it just makes me want him more. But he’s right, I would feel bad about it later. Because while this nest is wonderful, it’s not quite right yet, and the major thing missing is the scents of my pack.
I’m sure having a sexy little beta sprawled in it would help, too.
Sam
L ogic tells me you can’t actually die from a case of blue balls, but shit. Just because I brought up waiting for the rest of our pack, doesn’t mean I’m happy that Teddy agrees. I want Kelly there, definitely, because with the three of us there’s no effort, no jealousy. We just fit together.
Those boys have come a long way just in the last few weeks, and shit if I don’t consider them mine too…but I have a feeling we still got a long way to go before we can all ge t along as well as a pack should. Garret only defers to me because Kelly does, but as long as he keeps in his lane, we’re good. And Steve could be such a good boy, if he can keep his head out of his ass and learn to share.
Kelly having to go in to work and class today sucked, but I can understand her not wanting to skip. That girl’s smart as all get out, and I’m still trying to figure out what she’s doing settling for us. That being said, I know it’s not really a beta thing, but if she’ll let me, I want to bond her too. I want to be able to make sure she’s safe no matter what.
Getting that damned call from Joseph this weekend damned near killed me, and if we were bonded, I would’ve at least been able to check in and make sure she was ok…probably, I don’t really know how it works over long distances. Regardless, I just know that she’s ours, and I want to make sure she knows that we’ll do anything and everything we can to keep her happy if she’ll have us.
The cops showing up on my doorstep this morning was a bit of a surprise, but I guess we should have expected it. After all, some guy was killed in my fucking driveway. It’d be strange if they didn’t ask questions. I’m still waiting to hear back from my insurance about the shop, but I don’t know how the hell I’m gonna work now. Some of those tools were fucking antiques. Things I had picked up and collected from garage sales or the like. There wasn’t anything especially sentimental except that they were mine and they helped me start my business .
Sitting at the dining room table—trying to figure out how the hell I can take care of my pack—I wonder briefly where everyone’s at. The house is so quiet right now. Teddy was still in the nest when I left. Steve was stretched out on the couch—keeping his healing leg elevated—with Jake. Kelly should be home from class soon. And Garret was upstairs, going through boxes to figure out what needs to be put in a spare room, and what can go in the master closet.
Fisting my hands in my hair, I give a rough tug. It’s not like I have a ton of marketable skills. I could have made it pretty easy when it was just me and Jake. Cut back on the takeout and live off instant noodles for a few months until I get back on my feet. But that won’t work now. Jake’s medical bills, utilities, food…at least the mortgage is paid off, and we have a couple of months before it’s gonna be air conditioner weather.
Fuck me hard, what the hell am I gonna do?
I probably shouldn’t have spent so much on that fuckin’ coffee maker.
Even with Garret going in half.
Especially with no idea of how long their bank card’s gonna work.
But fuck it, can’t exactly put a price on someone saving our beta.
I bet she lost it when she got to work this morning.
The corners of my lips twitch at the thought of Kelly getting to work and not having to fight the coffee-maker-that-time-forgot. True, I got it for Xan mostly, and Gabe by extension. The fact that she’ll also benefit from it is just a bonus. I can just imagine her eyes lighting up. Seriously, I think if it wasn’t for that coffee shop at her college, she would have only had drip brew before now.
That girl has the tastebuds of a toddler. It’s both cute and infuriating that she refuses to eat anything green unless it’s slathered in some sort of canned cheese sauce. An involuntary shudder runs through me. I know I’ve heard of people hiding veggies and stuff in desserts, not like a carrot cake, but like broccoli and zucchini in brownies. She’s not a child, but if that’s what I gotta try to make sure she stays healthy, I’ll give it a shot. Hell, I’ll try anything twice, on the off-hand chance I screwed it up the first time.
I’m still deciding if I want to make tacos tonight, when Kelly gets home. It is Tuesday, and those are usually loaded with onions, lettuce, and tomato, so it might work out. She smiles at me when she walks into the dining room. “Did you see Steve and Jake asleep on the couch? I’m gonna go grab a picture to send to Teddy since he’s not in here. And maybe to use as blackmail later.”
Her smile is huge, if a bit evil, and I stand up to give her a big hug and ask how her day went. She holds her fingers up to her lips and tiptoes back into the living room for a moment, before sneaking back in and wrapping me in a warm hug. Burying my face in her hair, I spend time just breathing her in. It feels so good to just hold her, like Teddy, and just reaffirms how right I was to suggest we wait—even if it sucked at the time .
When I finally let her go and she draws back, I lean down to kiss the top of her head. I can’t seem to stop touching this girl. “So, how was work? Anything interesting happen?” I fully expect to hear about the new coffee machine. Which is why I’m surprised when she says that there was nothing major other than how late she was from having to talk to the officers this morning.
Doesn’t it work?
Shit, did I get them something broken?
I mean, it should be under warranty if that’s the case.
Still, I’ll message Xan later and ask.
I can go get a replacement if they need me to.
She said that Spencer was livid about the bruises on her throat. She had them hidden under her scarf, but apparently Officers Paul and Josh had told him about them. We’re both surprised to hear that he and Paul are in a pack together. Not that Paul told him much. But after she didn’t go to school yesterday—and the fire—Spence was worried enough to annoy the older alpha until he talked.
Paul finally admitted that Kelly was probably just sore and didn’t feel up to dealing with people. After getting that much out of his pack mate, he went to Josh—his best friend and Paul’s younger brother—to get more details. Which Josh gave him, under the strict condition that he didn’t tell anybody. So Spence was nearly in a panic, waiting in the parking lot for Kelly to get to school today .
“Oh, Sweetheart. How much longer for your birth control shot to start workin’? I’m pretty sure that Teddy’s heat’s about to start, and I need to know if we should stock the nest with condoms or…?” I let my sentence trail off, groaning when the scent of her arousal spikes the air.
Can we just skip dinner tonight?
I can carry Kelly to the nest, and Teddy and I can take turns feasting on her.
No, if his heat really is about to start, Teddy needs to eat to keep his strength up.
But if I happen to send her into the nest to deliver boxes of condoms, and they just happen to start to have fun, no one could blame me for joining.
I don’t know if I can get that lucky.
She snickers at me. “Are you sure this isn’t just some ploy to get me and Teddy into the nest together for sex so you can join?” She sees right through my fucking plan. But that’s not a no either.
“Well, if you’d rather stay here, I was just about to start on tacos for dinner…but if you do feel like going to check on Teddy, and would like to take some of the condoms with you…just if we’re still not sure that your shot is fully in effect. I’d be happy to come check on you in a couple of minutes to make sure everything’s working out.”
I know I’m probably smiling like an idiot right now, but she doesn’t seem to mind. She stands on her toes to kiss me on the chin. “Oh no, whatever shall I do? I guess I better go make sure that the nest has enough rubbers to make it through Teddy’s heat. It’d be a shame to run out at a crucial time like that.” She nips at my neck and I damn near lose it in my goddamned pants, because seriously, all the two of them have to do is look at me and I’m ready to go.