Chapter 25 #2
“It’s very small,” she says. “There’s a crawl space in my closet that I shoved a cotton pallet inside with a pillow. I rarely use it because I have issues with small places.”
My heart cramps as I think about how much she loves this house, but there are things that aren’t working for her here. Her life is outgrowing it.
“Where do you feel the safest?” Lars asks.
“This entire house is usually my safe space, but it just feels wrong now,” she says, her lips twisting.
It’s getting late, but I need to figure this out with Nova.
“Come get into bed,” I murmur, holding out my hand to her. “Feel my touch, smell my scent and let it calm you.”
I can see this deep welling fear in her eyes, and I want to beat the fuck out of Adrain Royal. He scared her.
Nova’s hand trembles as she takes my hand and I hate that. I’m her rock and she’s mine. We just need more time, I know it.
“What are you doing tomorrow?” I ask, walking her to the room. Caleb and Lars trail behind me, their large bodies actually welcome.
“I’m free for the most part,” she shrugs. “I don’t have any appointments. I was going to drive downtown for fabric to make myself a new dress.”
“Can I come? I’m calling out for the next few days. Dr. Royal and I have been taking up all the shifts apparently, and Human Resources thought we were fully staffed. The level of delusion at that hospital makes me insane.”
“Ah, yes. That would be nice,” she says, looking at me funny.
“Caleb and I will meet you for lunch,” Lars decides.
“Maybe we can go see the street caves after,” Caleb muses, surprising me. “I had a thing for rock formations as a kid, but they’re very cool to see. The ceiling isn’t low enough to make it feel suffocating either, Nova.”
“There are caves in Minneapolis?” she asks, jaw dropping.
“Cool, huh?” Caleb smirks. “The only way to make your inner omega happy that we’re your alphas is to make you feel adored. We kind of skipped all of that, even with the increased dates. Life has just been hectic, and the only way to try to slow it down is to find and hold onto the good things.”
Nova looks at him as if she’s never met him before, and he simply shrugs.
“I plan to spend the night tomorrow, Nova,” Lars says. “My staff will give me shit if I come into work in yesterday’s clothes. I’ll pack a bag.”
“You have a bigger bed, so I plan to snuggle too. Count me in for the sleepover,” Caleb says.
Both of them hug and kiss Nova, telling her goodnight before leaving.
“We suck,” I grunt, guiding her toward the bed. “This is late, but Caleb is right. We need to backtrack and show you that we’re not going anywhere.”
“You haven’t shown me anything different once my heat hit,” she murmurs.
“Yes, but I shouldn’t have allowed myself to get so tongue tied,” I groan. “Everything just locked up and I couldn’t even tell you I was sorry.”
“So you have a hard time peopling," she murmurs. “I get your best parts now.”
“True, but my schedule?—”
“Was out of your control,” she says, her hands fisting in my shirt before pushing it up to reveal my body. “We’ll get through it. Dr. Royal just really freaked me out with his little talk.”
“His bedside manner is supposed to be better than mine,” I grumble. “A rejected bond bite is bad news, but we can fix it. I’m pissed that it’s mine that’s the problem. I want to fix it.”
Helping her, I pull off my shirt and start undressing. I’m beginning to really drag ass and I’m ready to hold my girl in my arms to sleep.
“The way I understand it, you have to work together to do that,” she says, yawning.
We finish undressing and crawl into the giant pack bed. These are usually custom made, I can’t believe Hollis managed to pull this off on a whim.
My hand runs through her curls as I feel her body relaxing, and I take a deep breath. I believe in fighting for what I want. It’s hard to wrap my head around that there are three people I want to bring into my life.
Maybe healing my bond bite and pack means helping Nova to heal as well.
She’s had so many traumatic experiences, has panic attacks still and nightmares.
I need to talk to my little queen about going to therapy.
It would need to be someone that we can trust, and won’t spout designational bullshit about clinging to your pack to “fix” her.
I need to do some research before I bring it up to her so I can offer the information that I find. I don’t want to half ass things with Nova. This is too important.
Allowing my eyes to close, I drift off to sleep, the weight of my omega comforting me.
NOVA
“Tyde, what are you doing?” I laugh, watching him take a bolt of fabric I touched and hand it to the store associate.
“It’s a pretty color,” he says innocently. “Your eyes lit up when you saw it, and it’s the blue your eyes get when you?—”
My gaze warns him not to finish that statement and his lips curl mischievously. Glancing at the associate who is outside of earshot, I clear my throat.
“Can we not talk about the color of eyes when I come?” I hiss.
“You did that, not me. I was going to say that it’s the color of your eyes when you’re angry with me. This color. It’s sexy as fuck.”
I can’t help but shake my head, because I’m having so much fun. I don’t get to shop with other people very often. It’s nice not to be alone.
Tyde wraps his arms around me and kisses my cheek as he pulls me tightly against his chest.
“You’re going to be sick of how not alone you are anymore,” he teases me.
I hope so. It’s been too many years of solitude that’s been self imposed. Tyde’s hand moves to the small of my back, and we begin walking through the store again.
“I have this itch to take up knitting again,” I muse. “I want to make a giant blanket. Maybe I should do the hand knitting technique though so I can pick it up whenever I’d like without having to search for my knitting needles.”
“My mother loves working with wool yarn,” Tyde says. “She and my dad live in Savannah now. She is constantly saying that I should come visit her, because she can’t handle this cold weather.”
“I can’t say whether you should or not because family dynamics are hard,” I say. “Do you like your mom?”
“I do, she’s great, and she doesn’t judge me when crazy things fly out of my mouth.
My dad is stricter, and we often argue,” Tyde says with a shrug.
“It was a blessing when I went to college and then pretty much became a professional student while getting my degree. My dad was in the military before he went into a branch of the family business of pharmaceuticals, which means that respecting my elders was important to him, even when they needed to be checked.”
“Being older doesn’t necessarily make you wiser,” I shrug. “It doesn’t even make you a better person. I’m a little jaded in that respect.”
“I think you’ve earned that right,” he says quietly, picking up a bulky navy blue wool. “Is this a good type of wool for a blanket?”
“It is for a weighted blanket feel,” I say, taking it from him. Glancing at the price, I wrinkle my nose. “That can’t be right.”
“I’m treating today,” he reminds me. “How much of this yarn do you need to make our pack a blanket the size of our bed?”
The way he says so nonchalantly makes me emotional and I have to swallow several times before I can give him a number. He barely blinks as he grabs a basket and begins dropping skeins of yarn into it.
“That’s going to cost a fortune,” I breathe.
“I don’t care,” he grunts. “My wealth sits unless I’m donating to a charity, Nova. I don’t work for the money, it’s because I really do enjoy practicing medicine. I want to spoil you rotten.”
Deciding to let this happen and not fight it, I finally nod. I’m still careful about what I touch or show interest in, but in the end it doesn’t matter. I can’t hide from Tyde, not when he can read my mind through the bond.
There are stacks of fabric and other materials at the register by the time we return, and I side-eye Tyde with a smirk.
“I’ll store whatever you’re not going to immediately use,” he chuckles. “There will be no room for you in your house if you keep it all there.”
Picking up all the bags, he walks out to his car with me and finds a way to make it all fit.
“I only had enough space because most of it lays flat,” he chuckles. “I’m going to shop for a new car with the extra time I have this week. I’ll zip around in my ridiculous little car in the summers.”
“Only if you want to,” I tease him, taking his hand as he locks up the car again.
Walking down the street, we find the restaurant where we told Caleb and Lars that we’d have lunch with them. Caleb tugs me into his arms and hugs me when he sees we’ve entered the restaurant, his fingers tipping my chin up to kiss my lips gently.
It’s a slight brush, but I find myself wanting more. Why won’t he just kiss me stupid? Oral is more intimate than kissing, isn’t it?
Lars pulls me away next and kisses me exactly the way I want. I’m sighing happily when he steps back, while he smirks at me.
“Take notes, Caleb,” he grunts. “Your kiss was weak.”
Tyde snorts as he talks to the hostess, who then proceeds to show us to our table. Lunch is filled with teasing, eating, and flirting.
Though Caleb wouldn’t kiss me the way I want, he finds a way to continually touch me until I’m squeezing my thighs in anticipation. Caleb just pretends not to notice, but I know he does.
“Before we go out again, I picked these up for you,” Lars says, handing me a pair of mittens. Sliding my hands inside has me moaning softly.
“They’re so warm,” I sigh. “These are amazing, thank you.”
“It only seems to get colder,” Tyde grumbles.
I’m wearing my usual: a navy green long bubble skirt, fleece tights, and a long sleeved cream shirt with a fun vest over it. Most of it is hidden by my coat, but I noticed all three alphas watched me over lunch when I took it off.
Caleb takes my gloved hand as we walk out, walking us to his SUV.
“We have a short drive to the caves,” he explains. “They also have swing dance lessons after our tour if you’re interested, Nova.”
“You’d dance with me?” I ask. “Really?”
I typically dance in my house and that’s about it. I have rhythm, that’s not the problem, I just haven’t really thought about dancing anywhere else.
“You’re going to learn all the things I’m willing to do because it’s you,” he says cryptically, helping me into the back seat with Tyde.
The SUV isn’t as tall as Lars’ truck, but it’s still adorable that they lift me as if I’m a petite and delicate flower.
“We’re going to need to throw you around more,” Tyde whispers in my ear as doors close to hide his words.
My breath catches in my throat as I think about that, and the Finnegan brothers absolutely inhale my perfume as they get into the SUV.
“Are you talking dirty to our girl?” Caleb teases lightly. “If so, please carry on.”
I’m testing this, Lars says through the bond. Why is your pussy wet, Little Warrior?
Tyde kisses me, swallowing my moan as Caleb begins to drive.
Tyde wants to throw me around more when he fucks me. I enjoy feeling small around men who are bigger and taller than I am.
Baby, Lars chuckles in my head. You are tiny. I have a feeling you skip meals because you’re busy, and you finally have the ability not to skimp on groceries. Your ass is perfect, your tits biteable. I don’t think you have a single thing to not love about your body. Cause I love it all.
“Can you make her come before we get there?” Caleb asks, his eyes on the road. “Her moans are my favorite soundtrack.”
“That’s a fun idea,” Lars mutters.
I can’t ask what they’re talking about, because Tyde releases my seatbelt and shifts my body down the bench of seats until he can lay me on my back. Pushing my coat and skirt up, he pulls down my tights to my calves before slipping between my thighs.
“Let’s make Caleb some pretty music, baby girl,” Tyde growls, his tongue sliding over my arousal. My whimper is loud, my calves on his back since it was the only way he could slide between my thighs while my legs are still connected by my tights.
Tyde sucks on my clit, playing me like an instrument he knows well. Over the last few weeks, with the amount of sex we’ve been having, I would say that’s exactly what I am. His hands are glove free, and he easily pushes his fingers into my pussy.
“I think I need to go by the adult toy store on the way home,” he muses lazily. “I need vaginal plugs that we can each have with us for impromptu sex in public.”
Lars chuckles under his breath as Tyde makes my back arch as he returns to eating me out.
“Nova enjoyed her public sex,” Lars murmurs. “Fuck, you sound so pretty, baby. Tyde, I want to see her squirt all over your face.”
Lars twists in the seat so he can watch us, and Caleb makes a sound of complaint. It’s not my fault if he’s the driver.
“Caleb, you’re getting very bratty thoughts,” Tyde teases, outting him as I whine. His fingers curl inside of me as he begins to add a little teeth to his clit sucking.
“Tyde!” I wail. “Why am I so close?”
“Why do you act like you take forever to come?” Lars asks. “It takes as long as it takes. I’m sure Tyde has given you plenty of teasing and flirting to get you here.”
He bought me my weight in yarn and fabric, I push through the bond.
I may as well practice at strengthening our bond, right?
“Fuck, that is sexy,” Lars murmurs, watching as I writhe. “I bet you’re going to make pretty dresses, huh?”
I didn’t think this would get me hot and bothered, but it really is.
“Fill me in,” Caleb grunts, trying to keep up with the conversation.
“Tyde decided to buy whatever Nova wanted at the fabric and supply store. However, I bet she had a hard time agreeing to let him buy anything, isn’t that right, baby?” Lars asks.
“Ye…yes,” I gasp, my hips rising to ride Tyde’s fingers. The sting of pain feels really fucking good, and he adds another finger so that I have three filling my cunt.
“Anything she touched or thought was pretty went into the cart,” Tyde growls, the vibration rolling over my clit as he goes back to pleasuring me.
“Oh that’s fun. What are you going to make with the yarn, baby?” Lars asks.
“A….blanket for our bed,” I whine, shuddering.
“Our…I like that,” Caleb growls. “As I said, I’m spending the night, baby. Listening to your pretty noises makes me want you to swallow my cock with your slick cunt. I want you to come all over it so that Tyde can clean me up after.”
I wasn’t ready for that and I doubt Tyde was either because he sucks my clit so hard, I scream, coming hard. The sounds of my release covering Tyde’s face as I squirt are loud as Lars and Caleb practically whimper.
“Fuck me,” one of them groans.
Tyde finger fucks me through my release, murmuring, “Apparently we’re getting closer to that being on the table, gentlemen.”
These alphas are going to kill me.