48. Kelly
Chapter 48
G arret’s arms are warm around me, and I’m pretty sure I could fall asleep curled up in his lap. His erection is totally poking me in the butt—which is odd, because I thought guys usually had more of a resting period required between rounds of sex. Maybe it’s because the room is full of Teddy’s scent, or it’s an alpha thing. I sort of understand that. It makes me all tingly and breathless, but I’m just so tired.
And hungry, apparently. My stomach lets out a loud rumble, and I want to curl into a tiny ball and hide from embarrassment. Three sets of eyes snap to me. Even Garret raises his face from where it’s buried in my neck, leaving soft little butterfly kisses over his bonding mark. When my stomach decides to protest again, his arms dip under my legs and he stands abruptly, holding me like a princess. The surprised shriek I make doesn’t sound princessy at all.
Sam and Teddy watch us leave as Garret carries me out into the hall and down to the living room. He wraps me in a blanket before settling me on the couch and heading towards the kitchen. I remember a few minutes later about the unfortunate soup incident of their first night here, but then he’s coming out of the kitchen with a plate and a glass of water.
“Sorry, I…I don’t really cook. But I can make peanut butter and jelly…on wheat.” His smile is both nervous and adorable. Also, I happen to like PB&J.
“Thank you,” I say, taking a huge bite. And I can feel his pleasure as it thrums through our new bond. “Oh, but what about you? You need to eat, too. And don’t tell me you don’t. I’ve been with you all day.”
He blushes and nods, scurrying back to the kitchen and returning a short time later with his own sandwich and water. He snuggles against my side for a moment as Jake creeps ever closer along the cushions. My big fuzzy protector is staring intently at my sandwich, and while I know that peanut butter is one of Rufus’s favorites, I haven’t really talked about that with Sam. I need to make a note to ask about what kinds of treats Jake can get for being such a good boy.
He notices me staring at him and starts to wag his tail. While he still has to wear the cone when he’s unsupervised, he’s tolerating it much better now. He snuffles at my fingers when I reach over to scratch his ear, grumbling quietly when he doesn’t find any treats, but enjoying the attention anyway. Garret finishes his sandwich and pats his thigh as he stands up. “Come on, you great floppy beast, let's get you a bathroom break and a treat, then you can rest while I take Kelly back to the nest.”
Treat is apparently the magic word as Jake flops off the couch and follows my alpha into the kitchen. The back door opens and closes and then I hear, “Kelly…what kind of dog treats do we have?” It’s a good thing I just put down my water, otherwise I’d probably spray it out my nose. As it is, I choke, trying not to laugh, because I don’t know how he expects me to know. It makes me wonder if they ever had pets growing up, or since then. Probably not.
I make it into the kitchen with my now empty plate and glass right as Jake scratches at the back door. Garret rifles through the pantry, a worried expression on his face. “Isn’t he supposed to have…like, dog biscuits or something? I promised him a treat, and he’s going to hate me if I can’t find anything.”
I doubt Jake could hate anyone, but I’m not opposed to cheating to ease some of the panic filtering through our new bond. Grabbing a handful of kibble from the tote Sam keeps it in, I pass it off to Garret, who eyes me skeptically. “This is just his normal food. He’s not stupid enough to think this is a treat.”
Of course, when I let the big dog in, he runs straight to Garret, prancing back and forth in front of the alpha. Garret holds his hand out and Jake gobbles up the bits of kibble without a chance to taste them. “See.” I wrap my arms around his waist when he comes over to wash his hands. “It wasn’t time for a meal, so any food is a treat. I’ve seen him hoover up his food in under a minute, but we can’t be sure if he even knows what it tastes like.”
Garret dries his hands, spinning in my arms, before leaning down to kiss me sweetly for a moment. “Should we get back to the nest, maybe bring some bottles of water? I hope they ate already, but I can make more sandwiches if anybody’s hungry.” He waits for my answer, but I can’t help smiling and laying my head against his chest. Just breathing him in for a few minutes. From what I’ve heard, heats can get super intense, so the guys will probably need at least a reminder to eat and drink for the rest of this week. I’ll also need to call work and email my teachers since I have to miss Thursday and Friday.
He purrs into my hair, and I just want to melt against him. Finally, I sigh. “We can take in some bottles of water. I don’t think anybody’s gonna be up for a sandwich right now, maybe in a bit.” He nods and takes my hand, following me back down the hallway. He’s carrying three bottles to my two, but the nest is quiet when we get there. Do we knock? Just walk in? There must be heat etiquette I’m not aware of.
After a moment, Garret reaches around me and turns the knob. All three of the guys are still near the end of the mattress, though they look like they’ve scooted up a bit. They’re also all asleep, with Sam still plastered to Teddy’s back, while the omega uses Steve as a pillow. Garret takes the water bottles from me and sets them by the door before picking me back up and carrying me to the other end of the bed. He steps lightly up onto the bedding, carefully watching the rest of our pack, before laying me down and cuddling up behind me. Now that I have some food in my stomach, and a warm purring body wrapped around me, it only takes a moment for my eyes to drift closed and sleep to claim me again.