Chapter 13
Juniper
“You’re doing good, hon,” Gabby comments as she passes, empty coffee pot in hand, exhaustion painted all over her face. Her scent is slightly dimmer, too, probably down to how tired she is.
We’re a little over an hour away from closing, almost midnight, and my feet are aching from wearing heels for the past seven hours with one more to go. We’ve been rushed off our feet up until an hour ago, only stragglers remaining now. A sweet, elderly gentleman sits up front, a couple are tucked away in the back whispering sickeningly adorably to one another as they lean as close to one another as they can get with the table between them, while a thirty-something-year-old gentleman nurses his third coffee of the night as he remains by the window, peering out into the night. I can feel the exhaustion deep in my bones, both emotionally and physically, but I haven’t once lagged in the seven hours I’ve been rushed off my heeled feet despite the undying need for a nap. There’s a warmth under my skin I can’t quite shake, either, but am valiantly ignoring.
“Not my first rodeo,” I tell the sweet lady built like a professional WWE wrestler. I eye her as I’m finishing up a customer’s tab, smiling awkwardly at the little old man as he waves and heads out of the diner, and blurt, “You look dead on your feet. ”
Gabby laughs tiredly, collecting the coffee cup left behind from the old gentleman that smelt faintly of detergent, and says, “I love that bluntness of yours, hon.”
I wince. “Sorry.”
“No, seriously. More people need to take the speak your mind approach to life,” Gabby reassures, patting my shoulder as she passes. “As for how I look, you can blame a three-year-old budding alpha for that.”
“You have a kid?” I ask, smiling at the image of a child with red hair and round cheeks causing Gabby havoc.
“I have two. The oldest, bless her soul, is a sweet little thing. No idea what designation she’ll be, but she’s just like her omega daddy, all soft edges and calm demeanor. Our three-year-old, though? Hell on two legs. That kid is running us ragged, and I can barely keep up, and that’s with two other alphas and an omega looking after him.”
Snorting, I start wiping down the counters as I say, “Sounds like you’ve all got your hands full.”
“Oh, for sure, hon. Wouldn’t have it any other way, though,” she fondly answers, slipping her hand in the pocket of her apron and pulling out her cell phone. After only a few swipes, she pulls up a family photo of her with a rowdy copper haired and beautifully freckled boy on her hip, a dark-haired girl holding her hand as she looks up at her mama. On each side of Gabby are handsome men, one a foot taller with dark hair and a soft smile, another bulked out and grinning wildly, and the third stands only an inch shorter than Gabby but with a megawatt smile and a love shining in his eyes so fierce that it’s easily recognizable.
“You have a beautiful family,” I offer with honesty, a pang of envy riddling through my veins at the sight. What I would have given to have a pack like that growing up. Although, in a way, I did. They just weren’t made of blood, but bonds of love, trust, and loyalty instead.
“Thanks, hon,” Gabby grins, accepting her cell back and looking down at the photo with a soft look I’ve only ever seen on Mama Bear. “They’re definitely my heart and soul. But damn, could I do with a full night’s sleep.”
“The joys of kids,” I mutter, snickering under my breath when she snorts in response. “If you want, I’m more than happy to clean and lock up. I know it’s my first day, but if you tell me what you do to close up, I can get it done. Get home early and catch a little more sleep.”
Gabby pauses, and I pretend like I can’t feel her eyeing me closely. I mean, I’m no stranger to locking up, may it be a bar, club, or diner. I’ve worked in enough of the same environments that I know the basics.
“You’d do that?” she finally asks, and I turn to look at her, seeing the dark circles under her eyes, the way her blinks slow like she’s ready to fall asleep standing up.
Tucking the cloth under the counter, I turn and lean my hip against it and cross my arms. “I’d do that. I’m happy to do it, too. You can trust me, I’ve done this plenty over the years.”
That has her frowning, but eventually, she nods in agreement, her lack of sleep winning out over my past work experience. “You know what, that would be amazing. Thanks, hon.”
“Anytime,” I shrug, and she removes her apron and rushes for her purse like she’s afraid I’ll change my mind. She hands me the keys, gives me a quick rundown on how to shut the place down, and tears me into a grateful hug that makes me ten shades of uncomfortable before she hustles out of the diner without so much as a backward glance.
Stunned, I shake my head and simply go about the continuation of cleaning. I’m wiping down the tables just as the front doorbell jingles, and the wind brings with it a familiar scent that has me turning instantly.
“Hey, you,” Lowie greets, coming over without hesitation. He takes a seat right in front of me, drops his keys and cell phone on the surface of the counter, and crosses his arms as he leans close like he can’t help it. “How’s it going? ”
“It’s good,” I answer, my heart beating erratically, a ridiculous giddiness swarming my chest at the very sight of him. “You’re here late. I thought you’d stop by earlier.”
Lowie shrugs. “I’m here until you finish your shift.”
My mouth parts in surprise, and I remind him, “I have another hour left, yet.”
“Then you should probably get me a coffee and a muffin while I wait,” he volley’s slowly, right before a small grin teases his lips.
Rolling my eyes with a puff of laughter, I go about making him a fresh coffee, and plate him a triple-chocolate muffin before sliding them across the counter to him. Biting my lip, I lean my arms on the counter and watch as Lowie pulls the coffee close, adds two sugars and cream, before taking a sip despite the steam wafting from it. He watches me over the rim of the mug, pretty blue eyes glittering under the low lights, before he sets down the mug and says, “Thank you, Angel.”
“Mhm,” I answer, dropping my chin in my hand. “So, how come you’re staying until closing?”
“I’ll answer on two conditions,” he counters, sipping his coffee again, and making no move to tell me what that condition is.
I raise an eyebrow. “And what are they?”
“First, kiss me,” he demands, that tease of a smile breaking free, stunning me a second time tonight. In fact, it steals every thought from my head, and I find myself staring at the obnoxiously handsome guy like I haven’t known him most of my life. That smile of his grows, stealing more of my sanity, and says, “Whenever you’re ready, Angel.”
That teasing note snaps me out of my staring, and I snort before rounding the counter. I step between Lowie’s legs the moment he turns on his seat, his thighs parting enough to draw me close, and he doesn’t give me a chance to hesitate before he’s cupping my face gently and pressing his lips to mine .
Sighing against him, I sink into his kiss, my hands finding purchase on his waist. I grip his shirt tightly while he kisses me soundly and thoroughly, uncaring that we’re in a diner where there are still patrons, if only three of them.
“Hmm,” he hums against my lips, thumbs stroking my cheeks before pulling back slightly. Right before he draws me back for another kiss, filled with passion and yearning and everything in between. I can feel my skin warming as my mind succumbs to his touch, his tongue dueling with mine, while his scent envelops me from head to toe. He must feel it, too, because he pulls away again, only further this time. When my eyes flutter open, I find him smirking at me, a cocksure look that makes me roll my eyes at the asswad, even as he says, “See, now that’s a better hello.”
“You should have started with that if that’s what you were after,” I mumble, happy to stay where I am for the time being, my hands still fisted in his shirt without the intention of letting go.
Lowie’s smirk turns into a cheeky smile, one that he rarely displays, and my heart melts in my chest. “Good to know for the future.”
I flash a quick grin before asking, “So, what’s the other condition since I paid the welcome tax?”
With a snort, Lowie drops his hands and wraps them loosely around my waist. Unless I wish to be trapped, I have no choice but to drop my own over his shoulders. Tugging me a little closer, he answers with a soft command disguised as a question. “Let me stay with you tonight?”
“That’s your other condition?” I snicker, wrapping my arms tighter around him even as butterflies erupt in my stomach. Knowing he wants to spend the night with me is heady, and I could easily get drunk off the feeling that evokes in every atom of my body. It’s been so long since I felt this way that I barely know what to do with myself.
“That’s my condition. Unless you want me to add more?” he says, raising an eyebrow at me with a teasing challenge .
An offer too tempting to pass, I ask, “What other conditions would you add?”
Lowie’s grin broadens, and his hands drop to my ass in a bold move that makes me grin. “You gonna make me work for a sleepover?”
I shrug. “I wasn’t going to, no. I would have easily said yes had you not brought up more.”
“Oh, so it’s my fault?” he scoffs, squeezing my ass cheeks and drawing me closer. Close enough, in fact, that his lips brush mine when he leans in for a sneaky kiss that I withhold.
I nod, breathing deeply and inhaling his sandalwood and coconut scent like an addict. “Yours and yours alone. So, share what other conditions you’d add and then I’ll decide if you can stay.”
“Hmm,” he hums right before he drops a kiss to my lips, then my cheek, and then my jaw. He trails kisses all the way to my ear before he whispers, “I have too many conditions to list, Angel. Like having you naked all night while I stay over. Maybe forcing you to use my face as a throne so you can cover me in that sugary wetness I only had a brief taste of last night. And if you were a good girl for me, then maybe I’d add a few orgasms to the list.”
Well, shit. I walked right into that one, so I have no one to blame for my suddenly soaked panties and the way I’m perfuming like Lowie just flipped a switch inside me. My body heats slightly, and I shiver against his hard, toned body, and Lowie laughs lowly. Like the bastard knows exactly what kind of effect he’s having on me. I mean, it’s obvious enough by the sickly-sweet scent leaking from me, and the way I warm from head to toe.
Clearing my throat, doing my best to stop a heat spike in the middle of a diner during my first shift, I sink my hand into his hair and mutter, “Well, those sound like very reasonable, and highly acceptable conditions.”
“Oh, yeah?” he snickers, biting his lip as his gaze falls to mine. “So, what’s the verdict? ”
I pretend to think about it, leaning back with a put-out sigh, before I finally huff, “Fine. I guess I can put up with you for the night.”
“You’re such a shit,” Lowie growls lowly before pulling me into another bone-shaking, panty-melting kiss that does nothing but thwart my efforts to avoid an embarrassing moment at work. It’s an honest miracle that I don’t whine there and then, my scent already growing thicker while my temp sneaks that little bit higher.
Laughing against his mouth, I scratch the back of his head like I always used to do, goosebumps breaking out over my skin when he groans against my lips. The sound comes close to a purr, and I have to pull back before I fall headfirst into that heat spike and make a fool of myself.
I peck his lips and back away, his arms falling as he gives me a knowing look that I roll my eyes at, and then I walk back around the counter before asking, “So, that’s why you’re staying until my shift ends? So you can come home with me?”
Lowie shrugs, peeling the wrapper off his muffin before taking a large bite. I go about making a coffee for myself, before dropping back into position in front of Lowie, cupping my mug as I watch him enjoy his little treat. He’s eaten half of it before he finally answers me, “One of the reasons. I was going to sneak back to your place anyway, but I figured you’d appreciate me asking first.”
I give him a bland look that amuses him more than anything, so I take a sip of my sugary coffee in lieu of entertaining him with a response.
Snorting, Lowie lowers his own mug and shrugs a shoulder before finally admitting, “One, I didn’t want you to be on your own if you had a heat spike. Apparently, they hurt, a lot, half of the pain of going through a true heat alone, and I didn’t want you to suffer. I had to play and win four out of five games of rock, paper, scissors to secure the honor of asking if I could stay with you. Two, the thought of you going home, alone, and in the dark, didn’t sit right with me. If it means staying up late to ensure you’re safe, then I’ll do it over and over again. But third, and the most important reason of all, I just got you back, Angel. If I don’t have to spend another night without you, then I’m not going to. I want to spend every night with you, so long as you’re willing.”
I’m silent for a long moment, staring at the usually surly twin while I try to calm the butterflies taking flight in my stomach and control the beating of my erratic and thundering heart. He stares back, drinking his coffee with an air of nonchalance, like he didn’t just send my entire body into a tailspin and have my insides melting. I see his lips twitch, and I soften instantly, quietly declaring, “I’m willing. I don’t want to stay alone, and I’ll always be happy to have you with me. And the others, obviously.”
That smile I love, one rarely seen but always given to me, finally breaks free, and I’m suddenly putty in his hands. He could ask me to do a backflip right here and now and I’d do it, even if I’d land ass first on the floor, because heavens know I can’t do a roly-poly let alone a backflip without injury.
“Then how about you get this place on lockdown so I can get you home, huh?” the dick says, ruining it all, but making me laugh regardless. “And, if you’re feeling generous, I’d love another muffin.”
“Got a sweet tooth still?” I tease, grabbing him a muffin.
“Only gotten sweeter since you came back,” he winks, and I’m snickering as I go about closing the diner down.
By the time everything is clean and shut down, there’s only one straggler left, the man still nursing his third coffee of the night. He hasn’t spoken other than to ask for a refill, kept to his little nook in the diner, and hasn’t budged all night. It’s a little weird, but hey, whatever floats his boat, right?
“Sorry to disturb you, sir, but we’re closing up now,” I tell him carefully, making a conscious effort to keep my tone soft and voice low and relaxed.
The man, dressed simply in a sweater, collared shirt beneath, and jeans, looks up and smiles. “Of course. I’m sorry. Lost to my thoughts for a while there. ”
I nod, attempting to smile back, but struggling against the weird feeling that lances through me at the strange look he peers up at me with. Something I’ve seen too many times over the years of working in establishments as I have is that of someone trying too hard to appear nice when they’re hiding a lurking monster beneath the surface. I can’t be sure what monsters this guy is hiding, but I’m sure the veneer he’s wearing right now is surely hiding something.
“No worries,” I mutter, taking a step back. And then another, and another, until I’m at a safe distance to turn and walk around the counter and to the cash register. All the while, I feel Lowie’s eyes on me, and when I look over at him, I find him frowning. “What is it, Angel?”
I offer some semblance of a smile, and tell him, “It’s fine. Nothing, really. I just want to go home, go to bed, and sleep.”
Lowie nods slowly, eyeing me like he doesn’t quite believe me, but he doesn’t say anything. He simply sits and watches as the guy pays at the register, keeping an eye right up until he leaves with a generous tip left on the table he was sitting at all night. As soon as the door dings with the last patron and the diner is empty save for Lowie and me, he asks, “You got a weird vibe from him, too, right?”
With little use in lying, I nod. “Very weird. But It’s fine, he’s gone. I just need to take care of a couple of things and then I can clock out.”
“No rush, Angel,” he assures, grabbing the front of my apron and kissing me once I’m close enough.
Laughing against his mouth, thoroughly enjoying the affection and soaking it in like it might disappear at any second, I kiss him back, humming against his mouth for a long moment before I finally pull back and mutter, “Keep doing that and we’ll be here way longer than either of us want to be.”
“Fine. Go ahead and make sense. Just say you hate me next time,” he mumbles, and I’m laughing loudly as I take off my apron and fold it under the counter after clearing away the last coffee cup .
By the time I’m done, Lowie already has my purse over his shoulder and my jacket in hand, and he ushers me out of the door as soon as I’m near. I switch the lights off and lock up the door before slipping into my jacket. Instead of offering me my purse, Lowie claims my hand in his, our fingers entwining together as he begins to lead me to my truck in the lot.
And, despite having him close and feeling safe as can be, I can’t help but search my surroundings as we go. I’m searching every shadow, every corner, and my hand in Lowie’s tightens.
Distracting myself from the paranoia, I sigh and mutter, “My feet are killing me.”
Lowie snorts and peers down at my heels. “Why’d you wear those things? Not that I’m complaining, because they sure do make your ass look superior and your legs a mile long, but why wear ‘em if they’re hurting?”
I shrug. “I don’t know, they make me feel good, I guess? Kind of like a shield of armor or something. I feel confident in them, so I wear them.”
A hum from him answers me, and I smile even as I shake my head. Only to almost stumble in my heels when the bastard lowly quips, “Well, if you’re a good girl, I might help with the aches and pains.”
He knows exactly how that sounds, there’s no doubt about it, and my body flushes while a new ache forms between my thighs. It’s what has me muttering under my breath, “Which ache?”
Of course, I don’t mutter quietly enough, because the shithead leans in and whispers, “Both, if you play your cards right.”
And I’ll be damned if I don’t find a new love of playing cards, because I will win however many hands it takes to win whatever he’s offering.