Chapter 35 Knox
Knox
“Alright,” I say as I get out of Ford’s work truck, “what did you do this time?”
Walker’s standing next to the trolley loading dock with his arms folded across his chest. Thunder rumbles in the distance as the smell of rain fades from the air.
The smile on my face does nothing to ease the frown on Walker’s. A water droplet falls in front of him, plopping to his feet and splashing onto his work shoes.
His face is stone.
“That’s not good,” Ford says beside me as we walk up to him.
“Ah, so you blew a hole in the roof,” I say as I tilt my head upward as I get underneath the awning. “Got it.”
“I blew up nothing,” Walker says. “It rained and people got soaked.”
“Uh-huh,” I say as I toss him a wink.
Ford’s forehead is scrunched as the two of us walk around the outside of the little station. It doesn’t take us long to figure out what’s happened on top of the trolley loading station roof.
“Well,” Ford says as he scratches at his scruff, “there’s your problem right there, Walker.”
I follow his line of sight. “Oh, that’s an easy fix.”
“What?” Walker asks as he makes his way toward us. “What’s an easy fix?”
Ford and I point.
“Sag in the roof,” I say as I reach out and clap my hand on Walker’s upper arm. “Got a small limp in the left corner. It’s pooling water.”
“Probably sitting there for a while, slowly seeping through, digesting the wood frame,” Ford says. “Let me go get the ladder. Gotta get up there and see what we’re dealing with.”
I pull a flashlight off my tool belt and shine it at the underside of the roof. “Oh, yeah. Bet this thing’s been leaking like a sieve.”
“You have no idea,” Walker says as he places his hands on his hips. “Already refunding two people for getting drenched while standing underneath it.”
After Ford sets up the ladder, he and I are up on the roof. The boards creak under our boots. I crouch near the sagging section and press my palm down against the shingles.
Yep.
Soft to the touch.
“Water damage,” I call down to Walker. “Like we thought. Been pooling for a while.”
“Can it be fixed?” Walker calls out.
Ford peers over the edge. “Sure, just not today.”
Walker’s sigh is heavy. “Great. That puts the loading station right in front of the front doors.”
I grin. “Relax, Walk. We’ll get you patched up before the next rain.”
I feel Ford’s gaze on me before he pulls out his measuring tape. He gets to taking measurements of the damaged section while I walk the rest of the trolley roof, making sure this is a patch job and not a full replacement. I pry up a loose shingle to see if any water rot has formed or spread.
Walker moves with me down on the ground.
“Aye,” I say as I peer over the edge. “Go do vineyard boss stuff. We got this. I’ll let you know when there’s an update.”
“You sure you guys don’t need help?” Walker asks.
Ford snorts. “Unless you know how to swing a hammer, no.”
Walker raises his hands in surrender. “Kitchen called me a few minutes, anyway. Let me know what you find.”
I find another loose shingle and peer beneath it. “You know I will. Go. We’ve got this, Walk.”
Finally, the man gives in and turns, heading back toward the main house of the vineyard. I watch after him for a little while, shaking my head with a snicker. He’s such a worrywart underneath all of that bluster.
I crouch down, sliding my fingers beneath the shingle to see if the wood beneath it is soft.
It’s not.
“We’ll have to replace all of the shingles up here,” I say as I turn toward Ford. “They’re practically baking off this top.”
Ford’s already looking at me, though.
“What?” I ask.
His face falls flat. “Don’t ‘what’ me. All day, you look like you’ve swallowed the sun.”
I blink. Ford always has a weird way of putting things. “What?”
“Don’t play dumb,” he says as he takes a hammer off his belt and pries up a wet shingle. “You’ve been grinning like a fool all damn day.”
“And?”
Ford peeks over at me. “Congratulations.”
“For what?”
He snickers as he rips up another shingle. “Your family. It’s clear you’ve found your pack. Congratulations, man.”
Family.
My family.
My throat tightens a little. “Thanks.”
I glance toward Walker’s villa that I can see clearly from the rooftop and I can’t help but let the memories and sounds of that place wash over me.
Lia, with her gasps and her groans. Eli, with that sly grin of his. Walker, in command of the place. I bet Amber would love running up and down the vineyard rows with Pickles in tow on the weekends.
My chest swells with pride at the thought of my family.
My pack.
“Now, get over here and let’s see about this roof,” Ford says as he claps his hands together, “because you’re right about these shingles. Whatever we do with this corner roof rot, all of the shingles need to come up.”
“And ventilation needs to be put in,” I say as I turn toward my boss.
An hour later, we’ve not only got the measurements we need, but we’ve also got our supply list of things we need to order. I leave everything with Walker, including our quote for the work, before Ford and I head back into town.
The sky is beginning to turn orange with the late afternoon sun, and I’m stoked that my day is finally over. I’ve been aching to check on my family and see how the little one’s feeling.
When I step into Eli’s place, the first thing I notice is the quiet.
The second thing I notice is the scent.
It hits me with a force, and my head tilts. My nostrils flare, greedily drinking in the scent of warm, wanton Omega mixed with Eli’s bright citrus. My Alpha instincts snap awake as I make my way into the kitchen, grabbing some strawberries from the fridge to munch on.
Time to go find the show.
The first thing I do is peek in on Amber. She’s snoozing soundly in the guest bedroom with Pickles sleeping by her side. Her little toes poke out from beneath the big comforter while Pickles’ body practically barricades her there.
“Good boy,” I whisper before easing her door closed.
Pickles’ tail gives a soft thump on the bed, and it makes me smile.
Seems Pickles may outdo our overprotective tendencies.
Just as the door clicks closed, a faint sound drifts from deeper down the hallway. A sound that stirs a hunger in my gut. It’s soft. Muffled. Aching in a way that makes my cock kick.
I grin as I make my way toward the sound.
When I slip into Eli’s room, I expect to find a show. But all I see is his bed, neatly made. Low voices come from the corner of his room before Lia’s breathy laugh turns into a moan that gets cut off halfway.
I close Eli’s bedroom door behind me and slink toward his bathroom door.
I bite down into a strawberry, their intermingled scents drawing me closer. As I approach the cracked bathroom door, I can hear their bodies slapping together.
I ease the door open with my fingers, and neither of them turn in my direction. I lean against the doorframe, taking another bite of the humongous strawberry as I watch the scene unfolding before my eyes.
Eli taking Lia from behind while she’s bent over the bathroom countertop.
Her shirt is yanked up, her heavy breasts on full display, while Eli’s got his hand cupped against her mouth from behind.
His pants are dropped to the floor, and the sound of his balls smacking against her juicy clit stir my cock in my pants.
I take another bite of my strawberry as I watch the two of them get lose in one another.
Eli, snapping his hips. Lia, mewling into the palm of his hand.
“You like taking this dick, Alley Cat?” Eli growls.
“Yes, oh fuck, Eli,” Lia’s muffled voice moans.
“Ohhh, fuck,” he snarls as he buries himself deep. “Take all of it like I know you can. This is what you wanted, right? To be filled?”
“Yes.”
“To be fucked?”
“Yes.”
“To come so hard you see stars?”
Lia whimpers out something that sounds like a desperate half-sob. “Yes, please, Eli. I’ll do anything.”
“That’s a pretty good deal if I ever heard one,” I say before I take another bite of my strawberry.
Eli’s eyes snap toward me. His hand falls from Lia’s mouth and her head drops to the bathroom countertop, heaving for air.
“When the fuck did you get here?” Eli asks.
I chew and swallow. “Few minutes ago.”
“Oh, god. Did we wake Amber?” Lia asks breathlessly.
I chuckle as I take another bite of a strawberry. “Not a chance. She’s out cold and Pickles is guarding that girl like his life depends on it.”
The three of us stare at one another before I point between the two of them. “Hey, don’t stop on my account. I like a good show with my snacks.”
“Horny. All of you,” Lia says breathlessly.
I toss her a playful wink. “Only for you, Sunshine.”
Her lustful scent perfumes through the room and the Alpha inside of me sits up and takes notice. Her body is calling to me, even if she doesn’t realize it.
This isn’t my moment, though.
My gaze drifts to Lia, watching the way her hips roll back against Eli, pulling a groan from him.
“I think our Omega’s getting impatient,” I say to Eli. “Why don’t you give her what she wants?”
Lia visibly shivers. “I’m so close.”
Eli watches me before he pulls out and eases back into her, earning a luscious moan that makes him clap his hand back over her mouth. And when he pulls back out of her wet warmth, only to sink back in with a delicious, sopping wet slap, I take another bite of my strawberry.
While keeping one ear trained toward the hallway, just in case.