39. Willow
Chapter thirty-nine
Willow
It’s been ten years since I woke to the sound of men’s voices in the house. Back then, I’d get out of bed with a lump in my chest, not knowing what the day would bring. Didn’t know it was called anxiety at that point.
But this is different. Someone in the house laughs and the sound makes me smile. I lay a little longer before stretching lazily and padding out to see how Alessandro’s feeling.
Mr Shares greets me right outside the door and Jeremy finds us moments after, swinging along on his crutches and beaming like a kid in a candy store.
“Good morning, darlin’,” he purrs.
“Good morning. Is he okay?”
“Yep. He’s clear eyed and on his feet.”
“And you?” I ask belatedly. “You were supposed to wake me to take over.”
Jeremy flashes me his boyish-charm smile. “Oops.”
I elbow him and he pretends to stagger.
“Truthfully, he woke up early. It’s still early, if you want to go back to sleep.”
I finger-comb my hair as we walk to the kitchen, hoping I look neat enough even though I just got out of bed. “I’m an early riser.”
He snickers. “Early bird gets the worm.”
I roll my eyes. “Not today. I know you were hobbling worse after we . . .”
Heat burns in my cheeks. I’m a grown woman, so I shouldn’t feel shy about making love with an alpha.
“Totally worth it.” The joy in his gaze lights up my belly.
Alessandro waits in the kitchen, the bright down lights playing over his lovely olive skin. Shadows still lurk under his eyes, but at least he’s alert. And smiling at me in a way that melts my heart.
He opens his arms. “Cara mia.”
I hurl myself at him.
He laughs as he embraces me. “What a welcome. I could get used to this.”
Like I’m getting used to these alphas being in my space, even with all my professed reservations.
They belong here.
“Are you feeling okay?”
“Sì. I was a bit woozy when I woke up, but now I’m good. Jeremy even cooked for me.”
That’s when the realization hits me that two men I have feelings for are hanging out together under my roof. I step back and chew on my lip. “Um, did you two . . . get to know each other?”
Jeremy snorts and stumps in behind me, crowding me toward Alessandro. “We did. And we found out we have a lot in common.” He drops a kiss on my neck, his warm breath making me tingle as it mists over my flushed skin. “Just so you’re fully prepared, we’re both planning to court you.”
My belly flutters. “And . . . if I don’t want to choose?”
Jeremy leans his weight on me, pinning me into Alessandro’s chest. He nibbles on my ear.
“I think I might like that,” he murmurs.
My knees go weak, but disbelief fights for control of my mind. I glance at Alessandro.
He smiles and nods. “We would be honored, cara mia—my darling. If you’ll allow us to win you over.”
Their dual warmth pressing me front and back steals my breath.
Packs are common enough, sure, but usually the guys know each other, or have been friends previously. I’m the only connection these two men have, but it’s enough for them?
I chew on my lip, thinking it through. There’s one more person that’s been on my mind since waking up. My cheeks heat and I fumble my words as I ask, “A-and what about J-Joel?”
Jeremy straightens and sidles over to lean on the bench next to Alessandro, where I can see him.
“He went home yesterday to organize some of his stuff.” He studies me, and I’m certain he’s reading me like an open book.
“You should tell him exactly what you want. I think he secretly likes being bossed around.”
That Joel? The one who spoke so sternly yesterday and pulled away from me? I can’t picture him enjoying being bossed around at all. And yet something tells me Jeremy would know.
I cover a chuckle. Popping my hands on my hips, I ask, “Well, what if he wants to court me too?”
Jeremy shucks his brows. “Then make him work for it.” He softens and cups my face, adding, “I’ve shared everything I have with my brother my whole life. I don’t plan to stop now, if that’s what you want.”
It’s true I don’t know the alpha at all, but if he’s anything like Jeremy, he’ll be a good man. And clearly, I can’t stop thinking about him and his scent.
My defenses are crumbling and I’m powerless to stop it. But today isn’t about me.
I huff in a breath. “Well, let’s deal with one thing at a time.” Swinging to Alessandro, I slap both hands on his chest. “You scared me.”
Alessandro winces. “Colpa mia.” He lifts my hand to his lips.
“Truthfully, I wish you had not seen me like that, but there’s no place I’d rather take refuge than with you.
” He looks up over my hand, dark lashes brushing against his lids around his wide eyes.
“I’m eternally grateful to Jeremy and his brother for their help, and to you, for rescuing me. ”
I resist the urge to shake off his thanks.
“I didn’t do much,” I mumble, stroking my thumb along his hand. “I’m just glad you're okay.”
He nods and lifts my chin. “Willow, I need you to know, I did not sleep with a woman. She tried to drug me, but I fled. I will accept no embrace but yours, on my life I swear.”
I pull him into a tight hug. Vulnerability streams off the alpha, his scent turning sour with his memories. It’s reassuring, because I’ve never known a man to be so open and vulnerable. He’s not laughing at me or asking what I’d do if he did fuck another woman.
“I know,” I reassure him, diving my fingers into his dark curls.
The alpha squeezes me tight, his strength fully returned.
I hated seeing him like that, so weak and out of his mind, which means it must be a dozen times worse for him, as an alpha.
I pull back and grab his cheeks. “Hey, it’s not like you’ve seen me as a shivering mess on the floor or anything, right?”
That startles a broken laugh out of him. We stand there, nose to nose, and his gaze flicks to my mouth. We both lean in at the same time, brimming with desire and vulnerability.
Jeremy covers an exaggerated yawn.
“Um. You know, I’m beat. I think I better catch up on some sleep.
” He hooks a thumb over his shoulder. “I’m gonna go find me a spare bedroom allllllll the way down the end of the hall.
Like, far away, where I can’t hear anything.
” He spins, using his crutches to swing his body in long strides. “Yep. That’s what I’m gonna do.”
The moment he vanishes around a corner, Alessandro and I trade looks, which ends with us both breaking out in strangled laughs.
“Signor Jeremy has a good heart,” he offers.
I nod. “Yes, I think so too.”
I lean on his chest for a minute, listening to his steady heartbeat.
His scent mixes with Jeremy’s in the cloth, a surprisingly beautiful combination of salt and rosemary that feels strangely homey.
Yesterday, when they brought Alessandro in looking so limp and pale, I had to confront a future that didn’t have this man in it.
“I didn’t like it,” I mutter.
“Say what, cara mia?”
I clutch his shirt and look up. “I didn’t like it . . . seeing you injured.”
He smiles sweetly and leans down to nibble on my lips. “I won’t let it happen again.”
That doesn’t change the fact it happened, though. “Do you want a lawyer? I know some good ones.”
He shakes his head.
“Thank you, but it is not worth the trouble. I am safe and well, thanks to you.” He huffs softly, a faraway look in his eyes. “Although, apparently homeless now.”
I straighten, grip tightening. “Wait. It happened where you lived?”
The alpha’s gaze softens.
“Sì.” He points through the window to the yard. “Just over that fence, as Mr Shares discovered. I had a small shed in the back of the property. Not much, but I’m only one man.”
The way he lightly spreads his hands makes me think he doesn’t know his own worth.
“You can stay here.” The words spill out of my mouth before I’ve thought about it, but I wouldn’t take them back anyway.
Alessandro smiles and strokes my cheek. “You have a generous heart.”
“Why do I feel like there is a “but” coming?”
“Because you are clever,” he jokes.
I shake my head and pout. “What’s the problem? I have eleven spare bedrooms.”
Alessandro hesitates, and I sense a world of problems running through his brain. “It would not . . . put us on equal footing.”
I frown, arching away from him to see his face better. “I don’t understand. Equal footing for what?”
He smiles so sweetly I almost forget what we’re talking about. “I want to court you, Willow.”
“And you can’t do that if we’re under the same roof?”
“I can’t do that, with dignity, if I’m beholden to you.”
Ah. Now I understand. It’s an alpha pride thing, but at the same time more like my cherished need for independence.
Alessandro wants to earn his way in life, and I can respect that.
But the thought of him going out house hunting and staying with other people, especially after what happened, doesn’t sit well with me.
“What if you paid room and board?” I ask, toying with my lip as I think things through.
He falls silent.
I tap his chin. “Alessandro, I understand your pride and respect it. But you need to know that I am never leaving this house. Ever. Not even if you offered me the White House. I’m never moving out, or going on dates. So if you want to court me, then you’ll have to do it here, under this roof.”
Understanding flashes in his eyes. “Those are your terms?”
I nod roughly. “Yeah.”
He cups the back of my neck, stroking lightly. “And if . . . ?”
His jaw works overtime and his expression darkens. Even a simpleton could figure out where his thoughts are turning.
“If it doesn’t work out between us, then you look for somewhere else to live. I’m a big girl, and I can use my words.” I toss him a smile that’s a little shakier than I expected. “Mostly.”
The idea of things not working out between us now sounds a faint alarm in my heart.
He stares down at me, fingers brushing my neck in the most wonderful way. Like I’m a treasure. Then he bends down and leans his forehead to mine. “Here I am trying to steal your heart, but you just keep stealing mine.”
I grin, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Are you calling me a thief?”
“Absolutely.”
We share a secret smile, and I acknowledge that he’s a master thief himself.
His dark eyes turn liquid as he stares at me, and his scent deepens, rich with desire. “Merda,” he whispers. “What am I to do, when I’m not content to be friends after all?”
A heated thrill chases up my spine.
“What are you talking about? We’re not friends at all, alpha.”
His lips quirk as we stare at each other, the kitchen, along with our problems, fading away until nothing remains but our bodies pressed together and the tangible desire igniting. His warm breaths come faster, quickening in time with my beating heart.
Our mouths meet in a blaze of hunger. Alessandro holds me up with an arm around my back as my legs weaken, my core melting at his touch.
It might be my undoing, but it seems I cannot live without this alpha.