Chapter 22
Mable
Ihad an alpha in my nest.
And I was wrapped around him like a stage-five clinger.
The moment I woke up, the first thing that hit me was his scent—sweet, dark, rich coffee. Masculine, delicious, and utterly perfect.
Our legs were intertwined, and our arms wrapped around one another. I had slept with my face pressed firmly into Percy’s chest, inhaling that rich coffee scent the entire night.
I could tell it was early morning by the light filtering through the edges of my curtains into the nest. Not bright, but slowly meandering toward daylight. Without meaning to, or even realizing it, I’d spent the entire night wrapped up in Percy’s embrace.
Huh. I slept…good.
I was waiting for the panic or the anxiety to hit. Having an alpha in my nest was a pretty big deal, and yes, Percy had been there before, but that was when my mind had been hazy from the heat.
This time felt exponentially more intimate.
“Is it morning?” he asked sleepily, cracking an eye open. When Percy glanced down and saw me wrapped around him, his face broke into a lazy smile, that coffee scent flaring. “Well, that explains why I slept so damn well,” he muttered happily.
I preened at the praise. Even though I hadn’t done anything, the idea that I had helped him sleep well was oddly pleasing. My presence had been enough to see him through the night, and that thought made my heart flutter in my rib cage.
“Hi,” I whispered shyly, my cheeks hot.
“Hi.” He grinned down at me. “I did try to leave after a few hours last night, but you wrapped yourself around me, and it was impossible to move. Whenever I tried to get out of the nest, you made these adorable little growling noises in your sleep.”
My face flushed, my brows shooting up. “Oh my gosh, I am so sorry. I—”
His arms tightened around me, holding me close. “Don’t apologize. It was absolutely adorable, and I was happy to stay. Like I said, best sleep ever. Perhaps we should do this snuggling thing more often. How about we spend the next hour cuddled up?”
I bit my lip, the flames under my skin growing. I would be up for that. Extra snuggles and alpha time sounded positively heavenly. I wanted to snuggle deeper into Percy’s chest, but the persistent pressure in my bladder made me sit up. Stupid bodily functions.
“Sorry, but I need to use the bathroom. The baby is sitting on my bladder.”
Percy released me from his embrace with a pout. “I suppose I can release you to use the bathroom. Are you going to come straight back?” His tone was playful as he narrowed his eyes at me, like it was a negotiation.
“No, I was thinking of going outside in my tiny little childish pajamas and getting a coffee,” I sassed as I dashed to the bathroom to pee, Percy’s laugh following me.
While peeing faster than I ever had, my cheeks actually stung from how much I was smiling. I quickly finished my business and returned to the nest, my steps light and hurried.
Percy was sitting up, resting against the back of the nest, propped up by a few pillows.
He was shirtless. My mouth dropped open slightly at the sight.
I stood at the edge of the nest, my heart pitter-pattering against my ribs. “I distinctly remember you having a shirt on.”
He grinned at me. “I did, but a few hours into our sleep, you decided you needed to be inside my T-shirt. You crawled under it, demanding skin-on-skin contact, and I thought it would be easier to toss the whole T-shirt away. It worked because, when I did, you started making this happy chirping noise and fell right back asleep.”
My face flushed, and I looked down at the floor, unable to meet his eyes. I’d crawled under his shirt?! What the heck had unconscious me been doing?
“Oh my…Blame the baby. The bean addles my brain.”
“Sure.” Percy laughed, opening his arms up for me to join him again.
I took his silent invitation and crawled into the nest, snuggling back into his chest. It didn’t matter how embarrassed I was. I wanted to be close to him, wrapped in that coffee scent that made everything feel smooth and comfortable.
For a while, we just lay there, letting the sun rise behind the curtains as we basked in each other’s presence.
“Who needs coffee when I have your scent?”
“I’m glad my scent is so useful to you.” He chuckled. “How are you feeling?”
“Good. No morning sickness, thankfully, and I’m actually pretty well rested. Thank you for staying…I really do think your scent is helpful at staving off the sickness, which is amazing.”
“Trust me, it was my pleasure.” Smiling, Percy squeezed me in a hug, happy eyes finding mine. “What are your plans for the day?”
It was a Saturday, which meant no classes. I had intended to spend the day studying or perhaps organizing my things, but that felt like a lot of effort.
“Nothing in particular planned. What about you guys?”
“We have the entire day off because we had an exhibition game last night.” Percy’s expression grew hopeful as he tucked a stray hair behind my ear. “How would you like to come to the penthouse for lunch? Spend a day with us, relaxing?”
I bit my lip for a moment, considering it. It was daunting to spend an entire day with them in their lavish home, if I opted for a more public setting, I would probably be even more embarrassed and unwilling to discuss certain topics. And conversations were a must.
“That sounds like a nice idea, but I’ve got to ask”—I held his stare, making a serious face—“what food are you offering me?”
Percy burst into laughter. “Whatever you want, my dear. We’ll order food from any restaurant in town or hand-make any food you desire.”
Damn, he was good.
We drove to the penthouse together, and even his car seemed obscenely fancy to me. A large SUV that was immaculately polished, with not a speck of dust or trash on the inside.
“Do you have any idea what you want for lunch?” Percy asked as we pulled into the underground parking lot and started getting out.
I shook my head. There were many different foods I would happily eat at that moment, but thanks to my pregnancy hormones, all of them seemed like a good option.
“Everything?” I said, scrunching my nose as I slid out of the car.
“We can do that!” a voice said behind me.
Turning, I saw Jasper approaching, wearing a white T-shirt and gray sweats. His blond hair was mussed, like he had just gotten out of bed, despite it being midday.
“Jasper!” I smiled, walking over to him. He embraced me in a bear hug, his sweet, doughy smell making my muscles feel all gooey and lax. “What are you doing down here?”
“I wanted to come see you before the others got the chance. First dibs, if you will. Also, Saint and Devin are in the security office. They thought it would be a good idea for you to meet the security team before heading up.”
They had mentioned the security team before, but I had purposefully avoided thinking about it. If I thought about the pack as celebrities or star athletes, I would get clammy and worried again. Most of the time, I was pretending they were normal alphas, and that was stressful enough.
“Do I really need to meet them?” I asked, my hand drifting to my stomach.
Percy came up behind me, resting his palm on the small of my back. “Considering we’re going to be in your life from here on out, it’s probably a good idea. Just so you’re not freaked out if you notice them out and about.”
My stare flared wide. “Do they follow you guys everywhere?”
Jasper shook his head, the corners of his mouth turning down.
“They come along for games and for some outings, and they tend to follow Saint the most out of all of us, because he’s got the craziest fans.
When they do follow us, though, they usually stay in the background and keep hidden.
Or they dress normally and come along as friends. ”
“When the Chargers insisted that we get security, I thought it would be so claustrophobic.” Percy smiled at me, clearly trying his best to ease the tension. “But I barely notice them. They’re decent guys.”
I sighed, nodding lightly. “Fine…”
Jasper beamed, his energy always so upbeat. “Okay! Let’s go get this meeting done with, and then we can go to the penthouse and snuggle. I’ve got a really nice, fluffy blanket for the couch for us,” he told me, grabbing my hand and leading me toward the elevator.
My first instinct was to recoil from the hand holding, but then I thought about it for a second and realized I actually liked it.
Holding Jasper’s hand and having Percy next to me, his palm still hovering on my back, was comforting.
I didn’t feel stifled by the presence of two alphas. In fact, I felt embraced, cared for.
So, I followed along. The security office was in the lobby, down a small corridor.
The room was basically what I expected, except a little more relaxed. In the back of my mind, I was imagining a high-tech room full of screens, all dark gray in color, with blinking lights, like you’d see in an action movie.
In reality, it was just a room. It appeared to be an old office, with a few computers and two guys wearing suits sitting at their desks. There was no mistaking the men for regular office workers, though. I gulped, trying to focus on the comforting breakfast scents around me.
The security team was intimidating. For one, each of them was huge. They were both taller than my alphas, which, of course, meant they towered over me. Devin and Saint were chatting with them, and both their faces broke into smiles when they saw me.
“Hey, sweetness,” Saint greeted, walking over and pulling me in for a hug. As soon as he let me go, Devin was right there, stepping up for his own quick embrace.
The two strange alphas I hadn’t met before stood back, watching us with the blank expressions I’d expect from security guards.
“Spencer, Bear, this is Mable,” Devin introduced us, pointing to each of the security guards in turn as he said their names.