33. Jesse
Tara rolled onto the couch—and subsequently onto me—with a move that made the air vacate my lungs with a soft oof. Her shower-damp hair was pulled into a messy bun on the top of her head, a few strands framing her face in an adorable array of dark brown streaks.
“That was so fun,” she sighed, wiggling up my body to get comfortable. She rested her chin against her hands, folded on my chest as she looked up at me adoringly. “It’s so fucking hot when you take control like that.”
I laughed, my face feeling warm. “Is it?”
She nodded. “Though to be fair, you’re hot all the time. This was just like… extra hot. Unregulated artisanal hot sauce levels of heat.”
“You’re ridiculous,” I chuckled, my arms wrapping around her slender frame to cuddle her closer.
“She’s right though,” Charlie said as he breezed in from the kitchen, carefully balancing three cups of tea. Inky ran out after him, winding between his legs hopefully.
That damned cat had Charlie as pegged as Tara had me, that big dumb alpha was about the only person in this house who would be willing to give her a treat.
“You know, we’re supposed to be taking care of you, not the other way around,” I said as he offered me a steaming mug. I shook my head, blowing on the hot liquid before taking a careful sip.
I groaned—perfectly steeped, with just a touch of honey. “Literal perfection.”
“You are taking care of me,” Charlie argued as he handed Tara her mug, moving to sit across from us. It was way too far away for my comfort, and from the way Tara shifted in my lap, I would say she agreed. “You didn’t throw me out on my ass the second we were done, so…”
“That was never the plan,” Tara said, blowing ripples into her tea to cool it. “We just needed to work out some pack tension.”
“Then what was the plan?” Charlie asked.
“Well, that obviously,” Tara said pointedly, smirking. “Especially the crying and begging… but mostly, to talk.”
Tense silence fell, I wasn’t even sure if a trip to Board City could help us now.
Tara sighed, rolling off of me to stand with a little grumble. I couldn’t help but smirk at the slight wobble she had in her step.
“Okay, you two need to quit this.”
“Quit what?” Charlie and me said at the same time. We shared a glance, that I broke as quickly as I could, averting my gaze.
I didn’t miss that we were coming off as petulant as children, but I wasn’t going to acknowledge it either.
“You know what,” Tara snapped, crossing her arms over her full chest. “Refusing to talk about the problem. Acting like babies. If I could do it for you, I would. But I can’t and now it's time for you to get it together.”
I sighed. She was right. This was silly.
“I’m sorry,” Charlie said, drawing my focus. “I shouldn’t have lied to you. I really didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“You’re my best friend,” I said, letting the bitterness I felt seep into the words. . “And you lied to me. One of the closest people in my life.”
“I know, I was being selfish. There’s never been anyone in the world I wanted more than the two of you, and I thought if I told you, either of you, I’d lose you both. So I hid it… I mean what was I supposed to say? Hey, Jesse I’ve been jerking off to your girlfriend for a year.”
“I mean, yeah,” Tara chimed in unhelpfully.
“Listen, I know now I made the wrong choice. And I can’t fix that, but I can promise I won’t make that kind of decision again.”
I nodded, blowing out a breath. “I believe you. It’s just… hard. You’re… you .”
His head tilted. “What do you mean?”
“You’re a tall, handsome alpha !” I snapped irritably. “I couldn’t compete with that.”
“What are we competing over?” he asked seriously.
I went to answer before coming up short, my mouth opening and closing.
What were we competing over? Tara ?
If I thought she’d have left me over an alpha, I wouldn’t have invested so much. Wouldn’t have fought so hard. I never minded being a beta either, maybe in the beginning of my streaming career when I worried about being singled out, but I made plenty of friends who proved to me that those worries were unfounded.
And it wasn’t like she’d ever said anything that made me feel like I wasn’t enough for her, or like she wanted something else.
She was just… Mine. The same as I was hers. The same way we were Charlie’s.
A small, embarrassed laugh escaped me. “I guess nothing.”
Charlie licked his lips, cutting a look at Tara. “Either way, I’m really sorry. And I promise to never lie to either of you again. Even if it's super embarrassing.”
“I forgive you,” Tara said, climbing into the alphas lap. “But damn, I think you’ll really regret that. I can think of all kinds of ways to embarrass you.”
“Oh, no… anything but that…” Charlie mocked softly, cuddling her close.
I swallowed. “I forgive you too, for the record. Just don’t do it again.”
Relief washed over our alphas face, an arm opening for me to tuck under. “Come here.”
I got up to join them in the chair, wondering if our combined weight was enough to be a danger to its stylish mid century legs. Charlie dragged me against him, and I looped an arm around Tara for good measure, burying my face in her cherry and lime scented hair for a deep inhale. “I love you.”
“I love you,” Tara and Charlie returned with soft smiles.
Gentle, amicable silence encircled our little family, the continued tension of the last few weeks dissipating as we enjoyed each other's company.
Tara giggled, breaking the silence.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“We all have fruity scents.”
“What?” Charlie asked with a little laugh.
“I smell like cherry lime, Jesse smells like lemons and you smell like blueberries, big boy.”
I smiled at that. “I guess we do. Maybe it’s fate.”
“It feels like it,” Charlie said. “Only explanation I have at least. Meeting either of you. Finding Tara again after I dropped the ball.”
“Fumbled the bag,” she corrected with a smirk.
“Major bag fumble,” I agreed. “But better now. The way it's supposed to be with all three of us together, my fated pack.”
“Damn right we are,” Tara said softly. “We couldn’t be a pack without you, Jesse.”
I buried my face in the side of her neck, inhaling her deep cherry and lime scent. “Wanna Smash?”
“I am so tired,” Charlie complained.
“No, like the game?” I laughed.
“Oh, then yes.”
“Dibs on Rosalina.”