35. Sunny
Chapter 35
Sunny
L uka was drifting off in my arms. It was one of those rare quiet moments when we got to snuggle as he dozed. I had kind of missed it. Don’t get me wrong, I adored having the guys around, and being part of a pack was honestly one of the most fulfilling things I had ever experienced, but I had the odd moment when I missed just sitting on the couch, snuggling with Luka.
In the past, the snuggles had been on the lumpy, second hand sofa in our old apartment. Now we were on a gigantic sofa that could fit eight people, with piles of comfy blankets and pillows surrounding us. Certainly an upgrade. I had given Luka his bedtime bath using a lavender baby soap Walker had found, dressed him in clean pajamas, and crawled into my little sofa nest with him.
I ran my hand almost absentmindedly through Luka’s hair. His brown curls were starting to grow long, and soon enough, he was going to need his first haircut. Otherwise, it would be falling in front of his eyes and getting in his way.
A small part of me hated that my baby was so big that I was considering his first haircut. Couldn’t he stay small and cuddly forever?
The sun was starting to set as the guys pulled up. I wanted to get up and greet them, but I also didn’t want to jostle the baby, who was dead to the world in my arms.
They didn't waste their time piling into the station, talking among themselves. Walker poked his head into my room and smiled when he saw Luka fast asleep on me. He was wearing one of those T-shirts that clung to his muscles and made them painfully obvious in the best way. He was also carrying several grocery bags.
I frowned questioningly at him, and the bags in his hands, but he was already on his way to the kitchen.
For a few moments, all I heard was the noise of the guys bringing in grocery bags and placing them on the kitchen counter.
Walker returned empty-handed. “Hey, pass me Luka, and I'll go put him down in his bed and set up the baby monitor.” He smiled warmly at me, holding out his hands. “How long have you been down here?”
“A while,” I admitted. “I’ve been enjoying the baby cuddles.”
Walker scooped him up gently, and Luka didn’t even stir. He handled him with such care as he exited the room, rubbing his back and humming lightly.
It took a moment for me to move. I had been sitting in the same position for so long, my legs had gone numb. As soon as the feeling returned, I padded into the kitchen, where Rune was unpacking the groceries. He was wearing his classic LAFD T-shirt that showed off just how muscular he was, jeans, and a backward baseball cap. I would bet my final chocolate chip cookie that was also a LAFD baseball cap.
“This looks like enough food to feed an army. I know there’s a lot of us, but this feels excessive.”
Rune chuckled as Blaze helped unpack. “Meal prep. One of the guys at Station Six had a nasty fall on a job, and he's got a lot of kids. His poor wife is stressed, looking after her husband and the babies. So, I decided to prep a few meals for them. It’s the least I could do.”
“You just got off a twenty-four-hour shift.” I frowned. It was so sweet that he wanted to help, and my heart swelled with pride at his actions, but I was also concerned by his lack of sleep.
Technically, Rune and Blaze weren’t on duty for the next day or so. The guys never really left the station for that long, though, or at least they hadn’t since I joined. Soon enough, we would be looking at moving into the new pack house Walker had procured.
There was probably food at their old apartment growing their own life forms, given how much they’d neglected that place.
Rune simply shrugged. “It should only take me a few hours. I would have help, but the others are terrible at cooking.”
“In that case, I guess I better help.” I smiled, taking my ponytail holder off my wrist and throwing my hair into a messy bun so it was out of my face.
“You don’t need to do that, Cher, it’s late,” he said, pulling out a pack of chicken thighs.
“It will take half the time if we do it together,” I insisted. “I had a long nap today, and you know damn well I'm a far better assistant than Blaze.”
From the corner of the kitchen, Blaze chuckled. “I'm not even going to try and defend myself.”
Rune threw a warm smile my way that made my insides tingle. “In that case, I would appreciate the help, Cher.”
Two hours later, we already had six meals prepped and had a seventh going.
“I think we should start on the cheese sauce for the mac and cheese next,” I murmured as I closed the oven door. The entire room smelled like freshly baked bread and graham crackers.
Rune leaned against the counter, smiling at me. “Yeah, that sounds like a good plan.”
I stretched, standing up on my tiptoes, not missing the way Rune’s eyes narrowed in on the sliver of skin that was exposed on my stomach as I did so.
“You’re too sweet, doing all this, you know?” I said as I padded over to him, sliding an arm around his waist.
Wrapping his arms around me, enveloping me in that sweet cracker scent, he kissed the top of my head.
“It’s the least I can do. A fellow firefighter is a brother to me.”
I gazed up at him, memorizing every line of his face, the way the corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled, how his facial hair had a few red strands dotted throughout.
“Family… it’s a lovely thing, isn’t it?” I hummed thoughtfully.
“It is.”
As I stood on my tiptoes, he leaned down, his lips meeting mine. The taste of him made my insides turn to goo. One of his large hands cupped the side of my head, the other on my hip. He dwarfed me, but instead of feeling intimidated, I felt insanely safe.
Pushed together, I could feel every ridge of his overly muscular body—he could have been part Hulk. Not a single line of his body was soft.
Including his cock.
Rune pulled away, a grimace on his face.
“Am I that bad a kisser?” I laughed. I knew it was bullshit because his very hard cock was pressing into my abdomen.
The look Rune gave me could only be described as pained. “It’s not that! Not at all! I want to take this slow…”
I snorted, unable to stop the giggles. “Rune, we live together, I am bonded to your pack mate, you’ve claimed my son as your own, Walker just purchased that insanely large house for us… I hate to break it to you, but I think we are past going slow.”
His eyes crinkled with amusement. The air was thick with pheromones, and I could practically taste his need, almost as desperate as mine.
“I am aware of that, Cher. What I’m trying to say is, if we go any further, I can’t guarantee that you won’t wake up in the morning with a bite mark on your neck…”
My eyes widened, and unconsciously, a beaming smile spread across my face. The omega in me was perking up at the idea of another bond. I loved my bond with Walker—it was amazing—but I couldn't help but feel like something was missing, and as I spent more and more time with the entire pack, I was realizing Rune and Blaze were the missing pieces.
“Would that be such a bad thing?” I asked, wrapping my arms around his neck.
He gaped at me for a moment, stunned, trying to find the words. “But…”
“If you don't want to, I totally understand. All I'm saying is, if you are waiting because of me, you really shouldn't. I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you idiots, and I'm going to spend the rest of my life with you.”
A dazzling smile graced his features. “You love me?”
I nodded, a grin tugging at the corners of my mouth. “I do. You are kind and considerate. You always think about me and Luka. You've never treated him any differently because he's not biologically yours. It’s enough to make me consider wanting more kids in the future.”
“More kids?” An almost hopeful expression filled his eyes.
“Eventually. I'm not planning on popping out a baby anytime soon, but I don't think it would be the worst thing in the future to have a few babies with three men that I’ve so quickly fallen for.”
Rune’s grin was almost dopey at this point. “Have I mentioned lately how much I fucking love you, Cher?” he asked, brushing a strand of hair out of my face.
“You have not.” I pouted playfully.
A rush of excitement hit me full force. I’d known where our relationship was going, but he hadn’t said the words yet.
“Well, I do,” he said in a soft voice that made my insides turn to mush, the pure sincerity on his face making me weak in the knees.
“I also happen to be kind of obsessed with you,” I admitted.
His smile was manically happy.
“Well, those may just be the prettiest words I’ve ever heard from your mouth, Cher.”
I cocked my head to the side. “I never asked why you call me that.”
“Cher?” he asked. I nodded. “It’s what my grandaddy called his wife. I grew up hearing it, and I knew one day I would call my omega that.”
“You called me that within minutes of meeting me…” I trailed off as his arms tightened around my waist.
Rune bit back another smile. “I knew. Don’t ask me to explain it, but the moment I pulled you out of that fire, I just knew that you would be mine.”
“That’s quite presumptuous.” I giggled, kissing his cheek lightly. Pressed up against him, I could feel every ridge of his body and I loved it. In fact, I was pretty bummed there was clothing in the way so I couldn’t feel everything.
Rune hummed in agreement, pulling me tighter to him. We were squished against each other so tightly, I was surprised we weren't merging into one life form.
“Well, it might have been presumptuous, but it worked out well for me.”
“You know, I have to agree with you there,” I said as he leaned down to kiss me again.
Every kiss I had before I came to Station Sixteen paled in comparison to the flood of kisses I was receiving from my guys. I didn't know if it was because we were pack mates or they were just that amazing, but every time they touched me, my entire body sparked to life.
Rune deepened the kiss, tilting my head back farther. I surrendered to his touch, happily letting him take control.
“Are you sure?” he muttered against my lips.
I huffed playfully. “Rune, knot me right now, so I can sink my teeth into you, or I will push you off a moving fire truck.”
His eyes darkened, his grip tightening.
Yes .
When he stepped away from me, I was about to whimper until he pulled the tray out of the oven and tossed it onto the counter blindingly fast. I blinked, and he was already on me again.
Smart man. I didn’t have the brain cells to think about the food in this moment.
My hands reached under his shirt, grasping at the muscles there, memorizing every ridge. If I had my way, I was going to be getting up close and personal with every inch of Rune Devereux.
Our tongues battled, neither of us pulling away, despite the lack of oxygen.
Breathing wasn’t that important.
Tasting Rune was.
“Fuck,” he muttered, pulling back, a conflicted look on his face.
I stilled. “If you are about to back out, I’ll totally respect that, but I will be cranky because getting me worked up and not following through is mean.”
Rune broke off into laughter, pulling me in for a bone-crushing hug.
Unable to help myself, I reached forward and gently grasped his cock through his pants.
He moaned through a chuckle. “I’m just trying to figure out where we are going to do this?”
I cocked my head to the side. “What do you mean?” I asked, still rubbing my hand up and down his covered length. The entire kitchen was starting to smell like a sexy, needy lemon bar. Graham cracker and lemon. Pure arousal. “We smell so good together.” I sighed.
“Well… fuck, it’s hard to think with your hand on me.”
“Then don’t think. Just fuck.” I grinned.
Rune laughed again, and I narrowed my eyes at him. It was not a time to be laughing; it was a time to be having freaky sex.
“Your room currently has a toddler in it, and my room currently has two pack mates. Unless you want an audience… I know you're not adverse to being watched.”
I pulled back, eyes wide as reality hit me. The guys were asleep, so even if I did like the idea of being watched, I wasn’t going to wake them.
“Oh… yeah.” I looked around the kitchen, assessing the area. There was a large set of double doors that led to the kitchen. I had never seen them closed, but I assumed they did.
“Do those doors lock?” I asked coyly.
Rune’s eyebrows rose. “Here?”
I shrugged. “Seems like a perfectly good place, plus we can keep an eye on the food. And I wouldn't suggest locking the door if it wasn't for the fact that there are firefighters in this building that I would rather not watch what I plan to do to you.”
Rune’s face flipped between a frown and a smile. “Yeah, only our pack mates get to see you like that.”
“So… do they lock?” I reiterated my earlier question.
A slow, dazzling grin spread across his face, full of excitement and promise. “They do.”