Chapter 22
TWENTY-TWO
PHELAN
It was early morning, and I was strolling around the Sombertooth grounds pushing Eira in the stroller.
“Phelan.”
I’d never had much to do with the professor outside of the classroom, but Rawling had an extended history.
And from everything he told me, especially the latest update where he’d been weird about Rawlins’s sister and refusing to divulge who she was, my opinion changed from neutral to something more sinister.
“Professor.”
He elbowed me and gripped the stroller handlebar, giving it a tiny jerk as if he wanted me to let go.
Eira was asleep, but the reclining seat where she lay trembled.
Not wanting to wake her, but willing to risk it in favor of getting this guy away from us, I yanked the stroller toward me and forced my mouth into a smile.
“I’m sure you don’t want to disturb the baby, Professor.” I leaned toward him because he was still clasping the handlebar. “She’s become very fussy and will only allow me and my mate near her. If she sees anyone else, she screams the place down.”
I removed his fingers one by one and got between him and the stroller.
His nostrils flared as he peered around me and gave our sleeping daughter side-eye. “So, Atticus is her uncle?”
“Biologically. But I am her father and so is Rawling.” Atticus didn’t figure into our family.
The professor, my father, Atticus’s uncle, and Rawlins had all been here at Sombertooth at the same time. Maybe he was questioning if Eira resembled my former roommate or his uncle.
“I wonder how likely it is that she’ll be human.”
Shit. That was a loaded statement. He was testing me because he was well aware of my mate’s true identity, and I had to swerve around that topic.
If I acknowledged Rawling was human, he could haul me before the shifter council, though after the last few months, that prospect wasn’t as scary as it would have been a year ago.
“My daughter is a shifter. She’s already exhibiting signs.” That was a stretch. Sure, she didn’t need as much sleep as most babies, but that wasn’t proof she had a wolf inside her.
He stared at me and opened his mouth but snapped it closed. He studied the tennis courts over my shoulder before asking, “How are you managing to attend classes with a newborn?”
I told him we were juggling but my folks were arranging interviews with mannies.
He grinned, and my belly roiled. Ewww. His teeth had a yellowish tinge. How had I never noticed that? Was he a smoker? Oh maybe it was all the tea he drank.
“You must need a break.” He leaned over Eira again, and I was glad she was asleep because if I were her, I’d shriek at a strange face being so close.
“Why don’t I babysit so you and Rawling can have private time?” He grinned when he emphasized that word. “As Rawlins is not here to play the grandfather role, perhaps I can step in. There's so much knowledge I could share with her and information about her family background.”
He could have been talking about Atticus’s family, but his piercing look suggested something more menacing. He had to be referring to my mate’s species.
I wasn’t sure which was worse. Him wanting to be alone with our daughter, insinuating we would have sex, or wanting to be Eira’s mentor. But there was no fucking way he was looking after Eira. We had an oversupply of grandparents, and we were batting them away, both biological and pretend ones.
“That’s so kind of you, Professor Shaw, but Atticus is so fond of his new niece that he’s babysitting her later today.
He can’t get enough of her. He keeps doing this, and it’s so cute.
” I pinched my cheeks and made goo-goo noises, and the professor’s eyes widened.
Yeah, I’d do the same if anyone mimed Atticus being adorable.
“Well, Atticus is a good friend of mine.”
I doubted that. My former roommate rarely mentioned the guy other than when he spoke of his uncle.
“I might stop by this afternoon while you’re gone.”
The blood in my veins turned to ice. I had to think fast. “Okay. Jack will be there too. She’s practically an aunt to Eira.”
The mention of Jack wiped the smile from his face. “Ahhh, well, I won’t disturb them.” After a last glance at the baby, he turned on his heel and strode away, and I pushed the stroller at speed back to Phoenix House.
Jack was sauntering in the same direction with Knox when I reached the main doors, and I didn’t have time for niceties.
“You have to help Atticus babysit later.”
“You’re allowing that asshat to look after Eira? What sort of parent are you?” She stuck a finger in my face and glowered.
I wasn’t in the mood, and I let her see my wolf. Her bear may have been fierce, but I had the upper hand because I’d known my beast for years. She and hers were still finding their way, despite maiming Atticus.
“Fine. Wanna come and watch Atticus change dirty diapers and get covered in shit?” She kissed Knox’s cheek.
He held up his hands, saying he was spending the rest of the day in the library and he scurried off. Maybe he wasn’t a baby person either.
“Don’t come at me. It was a bet between Atticus and Rawling.”
We entered the infirmary. Rawling was standing near the window.
“I’ve commandeered Jack to babysit along with Atticus.”
“Oh thank gods, I was thinking we shouldn’t go anywhere because Atticus would probably look at his phone all afternoon and tell Eira to change her own diaper.”
“I’m here.”
What was it with Atticus and his parents not knocking?
He slumped into a chair and put his feet on the coffee table, but Jack marched over to me, took Eira and gave her to Atticus. I almost laughed at the look of horror on his face.
“What am I supposed to do with this?” He held her awkwardly at arm’s length.
“Put her over your shoulder and burp her?”
He screwed up his face. “If the kid poops on me, I’m outta here.”
“The kid has a name. Use it.” Jack adjusted Eira and showed Atticus how to rub her back.
“My hand is awfully close to her butt.”
I hid a giggle with my hand. Jack wasn’t letting him get away with anything. Rawling explained to Jack where everything was, but she already knew.
“And no funny business from either of you or I’ll do serious damage to your dick.” My mate fumed at Atticus.
Jack snorted. “Are you talking about sex? We stopped that ages ago.”
That one word got Atticus’s attention, and he smirked over Eira’s shoulder which was gross. “Once more for old time’s sake?”
Jack tilted her head to the side. “You don’t mean that because you said that you were over me.” She smiled, one that contained some affection if I was guessing correctly.
Atticus growled. “Why do you have such a good memory?”
Eira drooled on his shoulder, and he froze. Jack mopped it up, telling him he was a bigger baby than Eira.
“Besides, Rawling is like a brother to me, so that makes us,” she pointed at him and then herself, “practically brother and sister.”
“Ewww, that’s disgusting,” Atticus and Rawling said together. They glared at one another because though neither would admit it, they did share some similar traits.
This was the first time we’d gone anywhere without Eira. There were days she was in a bouncy seat in the bathroom while one of us took a shower because she didn’t want to be alone. This was probably going to be hard on us, but also good. We needed this alone time.
The hotel staff looked at us oddly for checking in when we lived basically down the street, but it was exactly what we needed. But also, the townspeople weren’t overly fond of Sombertooth students.
For the longest time, we just lay there, holding each other, talking about silly things that weren’t important, like TV shows and movies coming out, avoiding real-life topics because this was an escape.
My mate leaned in and kissed me.
I loved it when he initiated our kissing. It began slowly, and eventually, our hands started to wander. We made out like that, just enjoying each other’s closeness, until he whispered low and close to my ear, “I want to make love to you.”
“Yes, do it.”
Mrs. Ardilla had given Rawling the okay to have sex, saying he was fully healed, even though he’d given birth a short time ago.
This time, as we kissed, we slowly got undressed, our mouths never leaving each other for longer than they had to.
There was no rush or sense of urgency. It was slow and sweet.
This wasn’t about cumming and knotting, it was about enjoying this time together.
There was a different energy now. It was still incredibly hot, but there was a deeper connection, even more than being mates, something I didn’t think was possible.
When he reached around between us, his hand tried to wrap around both our lengths at once, and barely made it halfway.
He slowly began to pump. It was awkward and his hand kept slipping, but it was also almost too good and I nearly came…
twice. “If you keep doing that, it won’t be long until our hands are very sticky. ”
“I need you to be inside me when you knot.”
He didn’t have to tell me twice. He rolled onto his back, and I reached down, teasing his entrance. “Where do you want me, omega? Here?” I eased my fingers inside him, first one, then two, then three.
“Gods, yes. There. Now. Please, don’t make me beg.”
I grabbed a pillow and settled it under his hips before lining myself up with his entrance. I wanted to be able to see his face.
Slowly, I pushed inside of him, lowering myself so I could kiss his lips as I bottomed out. We kissed as I moved in and out of him, our hands intertwined alongside his face. It was personal and sweet, something we’d never experienced before. Not like this, anyway.
Our joinings had always been more about need and lust. I wasn’t complaining. Our sex life was the best, even during his pregnancy when things slowed down. But this? This was more. It was special.
When he cried out my name, his cum shooting between us, he pulled me down, and my orgasm followed right behind.
“I love you, omega mine.” I kissed his mark.
“I love you. I love you so much. I sometimes wonder how this could be real.”
I did too.
We didn’t make it away from our sweet girl for more than three hours, but those three hours were exactly what we needed. Of course, when we got there, Jack told us how wonderful our Eira was. Atticus, being Atticus, complained that babysitting wore him out and gave him a headache.
At first I was grumpy about it, but then he said, “This baby thing is harder than it looks. Don’t know how you do it while handling school.”
It wasn’t the highest compliment on the planet, but given it was coming from Atticus, I’d take it.