Chapter 48 Vann
VANN
I’ve been away from my omega for too long.
The second our game is over, I’m searching the stands for Raven even though I know she’s not here.
Her publicist had something else planned for her, so she couldn’t watch.
I’m glad, because we played like shit. Thankfully, Germany was worse, so we won, scraping a victory out at the last moment, leaving them with the bronze.
I rush through cleaning up, and head to Raven’s hotel. Tonight, she’s mine. As soon as Foster opens the door to her room, I tuck the envelope I’m carrying under my left arm and punch him in the gut.
“What the hell was that for?” he snarls.
“For making my mate come without me.” I shake out my aching hand. The man’s abs rival Rhodes’. Honestly, I’m not that mad about how things went down this morning. But after spending all day without seeing Raven, I’m jittery and needed to hit something.
Foster glares at me, but lets me pass. I spot Raven and stop dead in my tracks.
She’s wearing a flirty long sleeved dress in a cerulean blue, the skirt falling just above mid-thigh, the ruffles hinting at what’s underneath.
I nearly choke on my tongue as I take in miles of bare leg, her cute little feet wrapped in shearling boots.
She coughs, and I realize I’ve been gawking too long, but can you blame me?
My girl has her hair down in waves, and light makeup on. She doesn’t need any in my opinion.
“Stunning.” I breathe out the compliment.
Her eyes drop to the gift-wrapped envelope in my hands.
“Yeah, it’s for you,” I say in response to her open curiosity. But instead of giving it to her, I tuck it behind my back. “But you can’t have it yet.”
She rolls her eyes and grabs her coat. “Where are we going?”
Foster takes her jacket and helps her into it with an attentiveness that makes me examine the other alpha more closely.
After this morning, it’s clear there’s something going on between them.
Actually, it was pretty clear even before that.
I don’t really care one bit if she wants him, as long as she wants me, too.
“She won’t need that,” I say motioning toward the coat. “We’re not leaving the hotel.”
Foster frowns. “You couldn’t come up with anything more creative than the hotel restaurant?”
“We’re not going to the restaurant.”
I hold the door open for both of them. As Foster walks past, I jostle him with my shoulder. “So, big man, maybe we should get to know each other.” The door closes behind us and we head toward the elevator.
The bodyguard grunts. “We really don’t need to.”
“Oh, I beg to differ, Rambo. If we’re gonna be sharing our girl here—”
Raven chokes and whips her head toward me, eyes wide and cheeks pink. I realized how that sounded, and hold up my hands, palms out. “Oh, wait, I didn’t mean it like that. Actually, maybe I did? I could be persuaded.”
Foster scoffs a laugh. “Probably wouldn’t take much.”
I beam at the alpha. “See? That’s the spirit! So where you from?” The awkward small talk continues as we take the elevator to the basement level.
When we get downstairs, I direct them down a long hall toward a door marked staff only.
“We can’t go in there,” Raven says.
“Oh yes, we can.” I open the door, and the chef greets us with a smile and a hearty, “Buonasera!”
Raven smiles at the man before looking at me with a question in her eyes.
“A buddy of mine in college knows the hotel’s head chef from a study abroad program.
He’s gonna teach us to cook spaghetti bolognese and tiramisu.
” I attempted to say the dish names in my best Italian accent, which is not great.
The stereotypical hand motion probably didn’t help.
But Raven laughs, which makes any embarrassment worth it.
The chef already has some of the food chopped and prepped, but he puts me to work sauteing the meat for the spaghetti while he shows Raven how to layer the lady fingers for the tiramisu.
Maybe I didn’t think this through. I didn’t imagine her spending time with a handsome older Italian chef rather than me.
“Go,” Foster whispers, stepping up beside me.
“What?”
He takes the spoon from me. “Go help with that. I’ll do this.”
“Thanks, man. You’re alright, you know that?” I pat his chest, then hurry over to the other station where Raven and the chef are working. I come up behind my omega and wrap my arms around her middle, leaning my chin on her shoulder. “So, what are we doing over here?”
The chef looks a little panicked for a minute until he realizes Foster’s keeping the meat from burning.
He hollers something to Foster in Italian and the bodyguard responds in turn.
Damn, that’s hot. I wonder if he spoke Italian while he and Raven were doing whatever they were doing this morning. Man, I hope so.
The chef bounces between stations, giving us each instructions as needed, and we manage to laugh our way through cooking the classic dishes. It’s fun being in the kitchen with Raven, domestic in a way that gives me all kinds of dreams for the future.
Once our meals are beautifully plated, the chef guides us to a private room typically reserved for parties. I already set it up with candles and flowers. Everything an omega could want from a romantic dinner. But it’s not quite perfect yet.
I let Foster pull out Raven’s seat while I take the only other chair. “Sorry, big guy, but I need a moment alone with our girl.”
Foster checks in with Raven and doesn’t leave until she gives him an apprehensive nod. She won’t be nervous with me when this is over. By the end of the night, I’m going to prove to her I’m not the kid I was back in high school.
“I’ll be in the hall just outside.” Foster points to the only door in the room. “Scream if you need me.”
“If she’s screaming, it won’t be a threat. But feel free to take a peek anyway.” I wink at the burly bodyguard.
Raven sighs as she stands, then kisses him on the cheek. “I’ll be fine, sir.”
Foster goes very still, gaze slowly moving over Raven in a way that has her cheeks as red as the sauce on our plates. I expect the guy to make a comment about the honorific, since he clearly enjoyed it, but instead he just kisses her forehead and walks away.
Raven stares after him for a beat before sitting down.
I pour us each a glass of champagne. “Sir, huh?” Just because Foster didn’t comment on the way Raven’s eyes heated with that endearment, doesn’t mean I’m not going to. “You planning on keeping him, birdie?”
“Yes.” Raven meets my eyes with a hard set in her own. I’ve never seen her so confident. “You’re not my only scent match.”
Oh. Shit. I sit up straighter, looking at the door Foster left through. Guess that explains why we’ve all been so fine with the big guy.
“You planning on keeping us?” I ask, the words a little shakier than I’d like.
She looks down at her plate. “I haven’t decided yet.”
Her uncertainty levels me, but I lift my champagne flute in the air.
We need to lighten things up. Of course she’s not sure yet.
That makes sense after everything we put her through.
I don’t want her to feel bad or pressured.
I want her to want this. And if that takes time, well then, I’ll put in the effort to get there. “To new beginnings.”
Raven tentatively taps her drink against mine and takes a sip.
“Eat first,” I direct when Raven glances at the gift I set down at the corner of the table.
Rather than picking up my fork, I watch her bring a bite to her plump lips, the little bow parting as she takes in the food. A flash of Rhodes swallowing down my cock this morning briefly clouds my vision. Man, I wish she could have seen how good he looked on his knees. Someday soon.
Raven moans when her lips close around the fork and the flavors hit her tongue. Her eyes roll closed as she chews and swallows. Oh fuck, yes. She makes another humming noise before opening her eyes and taking another bite.
To keep from jumping across the table and kissing her, I shove a generous forkful of the pasta in my mouth and nearly choke on the overly large bite.
When I’m sure I’m not at risk of dying, I concentrate on the flavors and nearly moan.
My next words are muffled from the food I’m still chewing.
“Fuck, this is good, birdie. Excellent job.”
We don’t talk while we eat, both too wrapped up in the incredible flavors of the dish. Once our plates are clean, Raven eyes the massive envelope.
I hand it to her, as tired of waiting as she is.
She takes the package and tears open the top, pulling out the stack of papers inside. I spent a good portion of the afternoon before our game at the office center in the Olympic Village printing out each page. I cross my fingers, hoping this helps her understand.
“They’re letters,” I say in explanation even though I’m sure she can see that.
She flips through the stack. “They’re all to me.” Her nose wrinkles as she continues turning pages. “How did you have time to write all these in the past few days?”
“I’ve been writing these since the summer after high school.”
Raven stiffens, her hands stilling, no longer shifting the papers.
“Every time I felt frustrated that I couldn’t track you down or get ahold of you, I’d write a letter.”
“There was a reason I changed my phone number.” She glares at me, and I suddenly remember the multiple times I prank called her in high school and the two times I drunk dialed her and probably said some very inappropriate things, although the details are fuzzy.
“Read,” I say, wanting to brush off the memory. That’s not what I want her to be thinking about right now.
She scans the pages with a deepening frown. “They’re not in order,” she says as she flips through the stack.
“I rearranged them.” I tap the top page.
“That one’s from the day Rhodes told us about his bullies.
I already regretted how we’d treated you, but that day I got a little peek into what it might have felt like for you.
I’ve worked hard ever since that day to make sure no one ever feels like that again—not while I’m around. ”
“I’m glad,” she whispers, staring down at the pages. “But… it still hurts.”
The pain in her voice washes over me, flooding through our weak bond and settling in an ache in my chest. “I know, birdie.” I drop out of my seat and kneel beside her, taking her hands.
“Let me spend the rest of my life making it up to you. Please. I’ll never again fail to stand up for you and protect you. ”
She slowly draws her hand back out of mine. “You don’t need to protect me—you can’t really, not from everything. You just need to be kind. That’s all. Just kind.” There are tears in her eyes.
“Oh, birdie. I’m gonna do so much better than kind.” I turn over her hands and kiss each palm. “I’m gonna love the shit out of you.”