Chapter 32
THIRTY-TWO
Jagger
She wants to stay. That has to mean tonight went well, right?
Obviously, we messed up the cooking, but thankfully, Nash managed to salvage the situation. Like always.
After the initial questioning, I almost started to feel like the Stellas warmed up to me. Maybe we can actually be real friends one day. Once I’ve earned their trust, which I fully intend to do.
Standing in the hallway, I’m increasingly aware of her scent; it seems to have filled the entire house. Fuck, how I want to live in a home surrounded by her scent every day. Everything, including my mood, always feels so much better when she’s close.
“Do you want anything else to eat?” Tae asks her. “There’s plenty.”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to eat anything else for a year.” An adorable smile pulls at the corners of Delilah’s mouth. “Can we watch a movie or something?”
“I’ll find a good one.” Tae scampers off to grab the projector while Nash mumbles something about needing to quickly check a pipe for leaks, leaving us alone.
“Thank you for introducing me to your friends,” I murmur. “I know it’s a big deal to you.”
“You made it through the night,” she jokes. “I’m pretty sure they weren’t kidding about the blender.”
Since our bakery date, she’s been acting differently toward me. I’m seeing more of the Delilah I met last year, the one who was carefree and hadn’t had her heart broken. I want to coax her back to me, prove to her that she can trust me enough to open up again.
“Although I’ve received my fair share of death threats, I can’t say I’ve ever been threatened with a blender before.”
She giggles, her nose scrunching in the cute way it does whenever she laughs.
“So…” I begin, nerves threatening to strangle my vocal cords. “Do you think it, uh, went well?”
“Even better than I could have hoped.” She kisses my cheek, shooting warmth through my body.
“I know I don’t deserve to be part of your life, but—”
“Shh.” She places her index finger over my lips. “For tonight, why don’t we just focus on the future? We’ve got a long way to go, but I think we’ve both spent long enough dwelling in the past. Do we have a deal?”
I grab her hips and yank her close, making her squeal. “Deal.”
“Delilah, come pick the movie!” I’m just about to kiss her when Tae’s yelling interrupts us.
“To be continued?” Her cheeky smirk has my cock springing to life.
“Most definitely.”
How did I get so lucky?
“Whoa…” Her eyes widen at the enormous cinema screen Tae lowers from the ceiling when we head into the living room to join him.
“Pretty neat, huh?” He motions to the sofa. “You get the best seat in the house. The rest of us are going to be fighting over who gets to sit next to you, but as I’m the one with the remote…” He plops himself down at Delilah’s side as soon as she sits down. “I call shotgun!”
Instead of feeling a flash of jealousy like the first time I saw them together, I’m full of contentment when I see her cuddle up into him, rubbing her soft curls against his chest.
Nash returns, groaning when he sees the title. “Really?”
“It’s Delilah’s favorite,” Tae lies teasingly.
“Oh.” Nash rubs his shaven head. “I… Uh… Maybe I need to give it another chance.”
She giggles, playing into it. “You really should. It’s a cinematic masterpiece.”
He settles into the seat on her other side while I take the armchair and Tae hits play.
The movie is absolutely terrible. Judging by the frown on Nash’s face, he’s finding it hard to suffer through, which only makes it more hilarious when Delilah and Tae animatedly pretend that it’s the best thing they’ve ever seen.
If Delilah’s legs weren’t draped over Nash’s lap, I’m sure he’d be complaining much more.
“Okay!” We’re halfway through when Nash finally can’t stay quiet anymore. “This movie is ridiculous! He’s chasing after her in a snowstorm wearing shorts! That’s unrealistic. I don’t understand what you guys see in this movie.”
Tae manages to keep a straight face while Delilah fails spectacularly, bursting into a fit of gleeful laughter. “Okay, I have a confession…” Looking guilty, she nibbles on her bottom lip. “It’s not my favorite. And I admit, it’s probably one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen.”
“You’re so easy to mess with, Nash.” Tae tosses a pillow at him.
Nash grabs the cushion, cocking his arm in preparation of throwing it back. “Oh yeah?”
Tae knows what’s coming, springing up to grab another pillow. But he’s too slow, stumbling when Nash launches the soft pillow at his face.
“You deserved that.” I chuckle as it whacks him.
Nash wields another cushion while Tae covers his face. “Okay, I surrender!”
“Is this what it’s always like with you guys?” Delilah asks.
“Us winding Nash’s serious ass up all the time?” Tae dares to peer out from behind the cushion. “You betcha, cookie. You better get used to it because, if you haven’t noticed, we all like having you around.”
Her eyes light up as Tae hurls the cushion back at Nash. He misses him by an inch, and it bounces off Delilah’s shoulder.
“Uh-oh.” I grin as Delilah picks up a cushion of her own. “You’re in trouble now.”
She hurls it at Tae, but he jumps out of the way, so it strikes me instead.
“You better buckle up, rainbow,” I warn her. “You’re definitely asking for trouble.”
She dashes behind the sofa for cover, and when her head peeps up, I throw—although at a fraction of my usual force. It narrowly misses her. She darts toward the chair to grab another pillowy weapon, but I catch her first, wrapping my arms around her waist, holding her prisoner.
“There’s nowhere to run now,” I murmur into her ear.
“Maybe I don’t want to run.” Her voice comes out more sultry, changing the playful energy to one of deep lust.
I spin her and tip her face up. Her mouth finds mine, kissing me with less caution than the last time.
It feels different, like she’s stopped holding herself back.
I thread my hands through her curls, holding her face as her lips part for my tongue, and she lets out a low purr.
That sound is everything. My inner alpha jumps to attention, the noise awakening my claiming instincts.
“Delilah.” I grind my erection against her, wanting to rub myself all over her and get lost inside her. “You’re…”
My sentence trails off into her needy mouth, demanding more.
With her warm, tiny hands sliding underneath my T-shirt, I completely forget that Tae and Nash are in the room.
Fuck, I want to strip her naked, ravish her in front of the open fire, and spend hours exploring every inch of her body, apologizing to every part of her for wasting a whole year.
When Tae clears his throat, she pulls away with a breathy moan. “How about we move to somewhere a little more comfortable?” he suggests.
“We’ve…” Nash keeps his hands in his pockets. “Built a nest.”
“A nest?” Her mouth forms a perfect O. “Here? For me?”
“It’s still a work in progress.” Nash shifts from foot to foot. “But after last time, we all jointly decided that you’re never going to sleep on the sofa or floor again. You need a proper place to rest.”
We’ve spent hours remodeling the largest bedroom upstairs. Nash even knocked through a wall to expand it farther, in hopes of making it perfect. We spared no expense. I’d spend every cent I have if it means making Delilah more comfortable.
“We all helped,” Tae chimes in.
He was in charge of the soft furnishings. He has the best taste out of the three of us and has spent hours folding blankets and plumping cushions to get them exactly right.
“Come on.” I take her hand. “Let us show you.”
I lead her up the stairs with my packmates following close behind, pausing at the nest door. “After you.”
I brace myself for her reaction as she gingerly opens it and steps inside.