Chapter Seven
KINKAID
Morning dawns with the sun lighting up my room. I go to stretch, and Marnie snuggles closer, rubbing her face into my chest. Reaching above my bed, I grab the remote that's hidden there and push the button to lower the shades, trying to give her as much sleep as I can. I don't know why she couldn't sleep last night or why she picked me to come to, but I'm grateful and glad I was able to help her.
I'm still having a hard time believing she lived through what she told us last night. I couldn't imagine how bad it must've been or how terrifying to leave on her own. Our girl is stronger than she gives herself credit for. Sometimes there's no escaping places like that.
There was no way I was going to let her think that last night was about anything other than her and what she deserves. I'm willing to go to any lengths to prove it to her. I don't want to wake her, but I've got to pee in the worst kind of way. Last night, seeing her beautiful, toned, naked body laid out like a feast for a starving man, it was all I could do not to seek any pleasure out of it, and I'm suffering this morning for it.
Untangling myself carefully from her, I make sure she doesn't wake up before I slowly get out of bed and go to the bathroom. Once I'm done, I check in on her. Seeing that she's still sleeping peacefully, I walk toward the kitchen to get something to drink.
Grady and Raine are already sitting at the table with brown paper bags lining the table. The former sips at a cup of coffee after he smiles knowingly at me. Raine just lifts an eyebrow. Both give me a second to make a glass of juice before they bombard me with questions.
"I would ask why you look like you stayed up all night," Grady says, "but I think we already know the answer since you smell like you took a bath in Rice Krispy treats."
Taking a drink of my juice, I shake my head and make my way over to the table, sitting across from him. "It wasn't like that. I just gave her a release so she'd be able to sleep better."
"Surrrre," he drags out with a wink.
I roll my eyes at his antics. In all my years of knowing him, I've never seen the beta go crazy for anyone the way that he has her, which is why what I'm about to tell him should make his day. "Seriously, didn't do anything other than that. She needs you to be her first, Grady."
Raine's jaw clenches as that eyebrow lifts even higher. I can tell he's angry, and I'd bet my left pinkie toe that it's all for those people who raised her. Virgins in college happen, but not very often these days. Knowing that they prevented her from having sex so they could likely sell her to whatever pack they deemed fit makes me see red with him.
"Dude," Grady starts, putting his mug down. "That's probably not the best idea. You know I'm fucking huge."
He's not lying. Dude is built thicker than the rest of us, and hung better than all of us, too.
"Better than scaring her with our knot," I tell him, understanding instantly dawning on his face.
That's as far in the conversation as we get before the front door swings open, and the twins stroll into the room. Raine and Grady jump to their feet to give them some bro hugs. They were gone for months this time, and things haven't been the same around here without them. I'd be right there welcoming them home, but I hang back and wait until they make their way over to me. Emerson's nostrils flare as he gives me a hug and his happy expression drops into curiosity. His head even does the tilt thing like he's trying to figure something out.
Jameson is a whole other story, as I knew he would be. He doesn't even make it into my embrace before he jerks back. "What the fuck, Kinkaid? Why do you smell like that?"
"Hey, bro. I missed you, too," I tease.
He shakes his head like he's trying to clear his head of her scent. "We did miss you. Missed being home. But I'm really going to need you to explain why your scent makes me want to start humping your leg right now. Because I don't think I missed you that much."
Grady has to hold his stomach with his laugh and even Raine gets a kick out of his comment and chuckles along. I try not to laugh, because, for one, I need them to be serious when we tell them, and for two, the source of the scent is standing at the side of the room staring at the twins with wide eyes.