Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
“We’re making pies?” I ask, staring at the kitchen of their family’s home like it’s about to grow arms and start baking for itself. I do not cook. I can’t cook. Do they want me poisoning the whole town? “I’m not sure you want me on pie-baking duty.”
The farmhouse kitchen is a baker's dream, with ample cream-colored granite countertop space for the cooling racks that are already waiting, light oak cabinets that hold everything you could need, and a giant copper farm sink gleaming under the window. Wall-mounted double stoves and the large stainless steel fridges give a more modern touch to the older home’s space.
The island has been prepped with cutting boards and pie pans.
This space is pretty amazing, but I still have no interest in learning to cook. Maybe I would be okay with learning to bake, though.
“We’ve got nearly two hundred to make by Wednesday night, so yes, we’re making pies,” Benson says with a grin as he walks around the counter and starts grabbing bags from their massive pantry.
“Colter is going to start delivering orders on Tuesday morning, so we need to get as much prep done tonight as we can so we can bake tomorrow.”
“Not only that, but we’ve also got to spend time together, and if we’ve all got our hands busy, that will take some of the pressure off so you can get more comfortable around us,” Nick adds, stepping past me to help his brother.
“I’m comfortable around you!” I say defensively, crossing my arms over my chest. I feel like I should be helping them, but I don’t know what the heck I’m supposed to do.
The closest I’ve ever come to baking or cooking is my homemade jam, but that's a very different process than baking pies. I’m slightly distracted by the sight of them taking apples and sweet potatoes out of bags when the younger alpha turns to me.
“Kiss me then. Right here, right now,” Benson challenges, lifting his brow as he watches me. My jaw pops open. I’m so surprised by his words that I’m speechless.
The last time I kissed him felt so good that I freaked out, which he clearly noticed.
“What’s wrong, Plum?” Benson tilts his head to the side and steps closer to me, pinning my body between him and the light cream granite counter behind me.
I’m staring up at him with wide eyes when he lifts me by my hips and sets my ass on the edge of the counter. He spreads my thighs and steps between them, and I gasp.
“Come on, show me how bad you are,” he whispers, leaning forward until I’m forced to either kiss him or lean back.
I drop my palms flat against the counter behind me, putting space between us again. In the last three weeks he’s barely flirted with me. That’s not his fault. I haven’t exactly been open to it or around him all that much, so I haven’t seen this side of him in all that time.
I kind of forgot he had it in him.
“Scared, Little Omega?” Nick growls beside us, and as I glance his way, Benson moves in for the kill. He presses soft kisses to my neck, his scent filling the air with desire strong enough to take down an army of horny omegas.
“Alright, you win. You win! I surrender,” I pant, pressing my hand to his chest and pushing him back even more. Benson steps away from me, and I expect him to look smug that he was right.
Instead, he just offers me his hand so I can jump off the countertop, no cocky smiles, only acceptance. There’s a hint of something in his eyes that looks like sadness, but I can’t be sure, as he turns away from me once I’m back on my feet.
“Which brings me back to what I was saying when you got sassy,” the younger alpha says, shooting me a wink over his shoulder. “Christmas Village is closed tonight because of the charity. We didn’t want the two overlapping, and we wanted to get a head start on the pies.”
“Oh, right. I knew that.” I shake my head because I did know that it would be closed tonight. Nick told me as much last weekend. I don’t know how I forgot that, but now I feel dumb. “So will everyone be here tonight, or?”
“Reinforcements will arrive tomorrow evening. Until then it’s just the three of us,” Benson says as he pulls out ingredients and Nick pulls out mixing bowls.
“Until tomorrow evening? So you’re saying…” I trail off, just in case he isn’t implying what I assume he is.
“Oh, you’re staying here until next Sunday night.
Stella arrives Wednesday; family dinner is Thursday.
As you know, everyone arrives on Friday because the wedding dinner kickoff is Saturday.
” Benson’s words are so casual, like he’s just sharing typical daily plans and not announcing my kidnapping.
“Sunday is the family day of decorating the farm. You’ll love it.
After that you may return to your apartment, if you want. ”
“So this is a kidnapping. Will there be a ransom?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest as I look between the two alphas.
“No.” Nick shakes his head. “No one has anything valuable enough to convince us to give you back.” He adds, smirking.
“Kai might,” I hiss, wondering if they would sell me out if he offered to pay them to leave me.
“Nah,” Benson says, but pauses, tapping his finger against his chin.
“Unless he has access to the Hope Diamond. It’s the only diamond Stella likes, and I think it would be a cute wedding gift.
” He glances over at me, winking like he knows exactly what I was just thinking.
“Of course we’d just kidnap you again after giving it to her. ”
“My clothes are a mess after skating.” I point at my leggings. “So I’ll have to go home to change. Sorry, it’s really too bad, but,” I shrug, turning to leave the kitchen, grabbing my purse off the counter as I go.
“I’m so glad you mentioned it. I didn’t want to say anything about what a mess you are, but since you brought it up,” Nick says, suddenly behind me.
He gets in front of me, bends forward, wraps his arms around my waist, and straightens.
“We already have what you need.” He sweeps his other arm under my knees, bringing me closer to his chest.
“Hey! What the heck?” I squeak as he carries me out of the kitchen and up the stairs. He gathers me to his chest with one arm, dropping the other down to open a door. He steps inside and spins so he can shut it before setting me back on my feet. “Nick!” I complain, hands on my hips.
“Plum.” He matches my stance, and I snort at how sassy he looks.
His smirk is cute as hell as he steps past me, pulling a dresser drawer open.
The room lacks a personal touch and is entirely too clean, so I assume it's a guest room.
“The drawers are full of comfortable clothes you can wear whenever you like this week. I can take you to your apartment tomorrow to grab what you need for the rest of the week, but until then…”
“You bought me clothes?” I ask, eyes wide as I walk over, glancing inside the drawers.
“No. These are a combination of mine and Benson’s stuff.” He watches me as I dig through the folded fabric. Everything smells like the two alphas. “They’re clean,” he adds, and I give him a sideways look.
“They smell like you both scent-marked them,” I point out, and he nods.
“We did,” he admits, and I’m actually surprised he confessed. “You need to smell like us so everyone believes we're together. You’ll have to scent mark us as well.”
“Your clothes, you mean?”
“No, I mean us.”
Eyes wide, I turn to look at him. “That’s intimate.”
“So is kissing me while my family watches.” Nick lifts his left arm, resting it on the top of the dresser above my head, and leans into me.
“You’re not comfortable around us,” he says bluntly.
“We haven’t spent enough time alone together for you to be comfortable with affection in front of anyone else.
Which is why you’re staying with us for the rest of the week.
We only have until Wednesday night before Stella gets here, Plum. ”
“So you think scent marking you is the solution?” I ask, swallowing thickly.
“It's a start. Personally, I think pinning you to the wall and making you scream my name would work a lot faster.” Nick shrugs, his words making my heart race. “But if you can’t even kiss me yet, there’s no way you can handle my knot.”
“Jesus.” My mouth goes dry. I’m not used to this side of the alpha. Normally I’m the one saying outrageous things to mess with him, not the other way around. My core heats, and the sweetened smell of peppermint fills the little space between our bodies.
“So, for now, you can scent mark me, and we can revisit you taking a ride in my lap later.” He smirks, clearly remembering one of my most recent taunts and throwing the words back at me.
“I was unfamiliar with your game, Alpha. I’m seeing it now, though.
” I tilt my head, stepping into him as I place one hand on his chest. “But if you want to play,” I say, as I tuck the top of my head under his chin and rub, releasing my scent with full force, marking him as mine.
A claim that screams he’s my alpha, and I’m not going to share.
“Then you better be prepared for me to take my turn.”
“And what if you’re the one that can’t take the heat, baby?” He murmurs, voice rough with need, as I take a step away from him. “Balls in my court now. When I take my shot, are you going to run from me?”
“Who said my turn has ended?” I ask sweetly as I blink up at him. He frowns, and I use his moment of confusion to make my move, tugging my shirt off over my head. I drop the fabric on the floor as I grab the waistband of my pants and tug them down my legs.
“You fight dirty.” He growls, but his eyes stay glued to me as I grab a t-shirt from the drawer and pull it on.
“Is this one yours?” I ask.
“You know it is.”
“I’ve been flirting with you for years, Alpha. I know what makes you tick—what makes your heart race,” I say as I turn my back to him and pull on a pair of sweatpants that smell like Benson.