24. Taylor
Taylor
W aking up to find that Sidney had snuck out left me feeling uneasy. Maverick reassured us all that it was just Avery’s baby shower day and she had plans, but I wasn’t sure we’d ever get her back here again.
She needed us to get through this heat. Yet, I was worried she wasn’t going to let us try. She was like a deer in headlights yesterday. Terrified and ready to run.
I expected everyone to go their own ways after breakfast but instead we were all hanging out now, working on some of the random projects that needed finishing in the house.
It unknotted something in my chest. I had worried they wouldn’t stick around but no one was budging.
Good.
When it started to get near lunch time I dropped my organizing to head to the kitchen. I started prepping sandwiches and chips since it was about all we had. We needed to make a grocery run soon, especially if we were feeding a pack of five.
“Lunch!” I yelled out as I put the plates on the table and a few bowls of chips. They came in from all directions, picking the same chairs as yesterday and settling in.
“Alright,” Bennett called out, his voice loud enough to get everybody’s attention. “We need to talk while we’re all here. We’ve all had the morning to clear our heads.”
“I think we were all pretty clear that we’re sticking around,” Leo said as he took one of the sandwiches, and piled his plate with chips. I sat down next to him, still avoiding Bennett.
I studied my alpha as he spoke. I knew I’d have to face this thing between us eventually, but for some reason I felt like he wouldn’t go anywhere while I focused on her. She needed me more right now.
It really wasn’t him, it was me.
His intense, gray eyes tracked my movement as I shifted in my seat. I took a bite to busy myself, cheeks burning furiously under his stare.
He didn’t look away until Maverick took his chair. The grumpy giant sat down, not bothering to answer Bennett.
Bennett let out a sigh before talking again. “It seems I’m going to be the one to have to facilitate this. I’m going to make it very clear that if she wants me to bite her, I’m going to do it. I know that she’s mine, so is Taylor.”
“She’s mine, too,” Leo said. “As I explained.”
“This isn’t going to work if everybody is just always ready to bite each other’s heads off,” Bennett said, his voice calm and collected as it always was.
He was right, the entire pack was wound tight and snapping at each other. It was the exact reason I’d avoided them, especially Leo and Maverick.
Leo ran a hand over his face before looking at Maverick. “If it’ll cut back on the tension, then I won’t open the lounge.”
Maverick’s head snapped up so fast that I wondered if it hurt. He blinked at Leo for a few moments before he finally found the words.
“You would do that?”
“For her,” Leo clarified. “Yes, I would.”
Maverick let out a breath. “Don’t. I shouldn’t have been such a dick. I just…” He trailed off, his hands fidgeting with his napkin. He was tearing it into little pieces as he tried to get his head on straight. “Things have been tough. We managed to save that business so that my mom could put food on the table. Then when we took over completely, it felt like we were in this awful rut of barely making ends meet. Then Avery came home and changed everything. Things were finally going well and we were taking time off. I’ve been able to focus on getting the Artisan Fair ready again. Then you came along.”
“And I threatened everything you’d built,” Leo finished. Understanding and compassion filled his eyes. My best friend was a great person, he just could be abrasive. He was the epitome of big dick energy when he wanted to be, always posturing like an alpha even though he was a beta.
“I don’t want you to give up on your business. Everybody assures me that it’ll work out, so let’s let it work out,” Maverick finally said.
It was crazy. One little conversation and it felt like half the tension in the room had drained away. Leo looked relieved and Maverick looked settled.
Bennett’s eyes met mine and he gave me a wink. My stomach clenched and I glanced down. The way that man affected me wasn’t fair.
“I’ve been thinking,” I said, refusing to look up at them. Mainly because I didn’t want them to talk me out of this. “Sidney is afraid that we’re going to find scent matches and leave her for them. I’m going to make an appointment to talk to my doctor about blockers. If her scent doesn’t come in, I want to prove to her that I’m not trying to find a different pack.”
“I considered the same,” Leo admitted. “I’m willing to do it.”
Bennett beamed at me and I flushed with pride. I was so fucked.
“If that’s what she needs then we can make an appointment together.”
All of us looked over at Maverick. He’d been the quietest every single time the topic of packing up came up.
“She’s been mine since the moment our designations came in,” he said simply. “If that’s what she needs I’ll do it.”
“I’ll call the Omega Network and see what we can do,” Bennett said. “Maybe if we tell her this before her heat comes, she’ll understand that the heat will change nothing.”
“That’s what I was thinking,” I agreed, eyes drifting right back to my alpha.
My alpha . It still sounded crazy, even in my head.
He was gorgeous. My heart beat a little faster every time my eyes locked on his. I’d always been on the go, my life busy and my parents always needing me. When I looked at him it was like all the chaos settled.
Maybe that was why I was so scared. I didn’t know how to process that.
He didn’t let me look away. His gray eyes held me captive. There was compassion there and understanding, laced with enough heat to make me squirm.
His scent had been taunting me for days and I tried to ignore it. The deep, rich, and spicy tones of the mulled wine scent wrapped around me, intensifying as we kept our gazes locked.
My body responded to the scent and to his attention. Slick soaked into my lined boxers and I sent a silent thank you to past me for wearing this pair today.
This man was going to be the death of me.
“What’s the plan for the pack house, then?” Leo questioned, pulling us out of our trance.
“Do you have enough room for all of us?” Maverick asked. “If her heat could happen any minute, we need to be ready.”
“She needs a nest,” I added.
“Is she going to run if we do all of this?” Bennett asked. For the first time, his voice hinted at vulnerability. It made him a bit more human to me and I felt my shoulders relaxing.
“Just don’t go over the top,” I suggested. “She needs to be able to make it her way. Plus, we have some things to finish up before that’s even possible. The rooms all need painting and there’s no furniture. One of the bathrooms upstairs isn’t even functional.”
We were already out of time; this was not going to be easy.
“I’m not sure I want to bring in any crews,” Leo said. “Not if she’s about to go into heat.”
Bennett and Maverick both growled at the thought and I let out a chuckle.
“I’m going to have to agree with the alphas on this one, too.”
“I’m a visual person,” Bennett said. “Let’s make a list.”
Leo moved to the kitchen drawer, pulling out a pen and paper before handing it over to the alpha. We all chimed in with the things that needed done, even going as far as moving from room to room until we were back where we started.
When we finished, I had to do something. All this extra nervous energy was making me fucking crazy.
“I’m going to start in that bathroom. I’ve had to fix plumbing on more than one occasion, let me see what I can do,” Maverick said before disappearing.
“He’s going to need tools,” Leo said absently as he headed for the garage.
That just left me and Bennett.
The moment we were alone I was hyper aware of his presence. His scent intensified again as his gray eyes caught me in their trap like they did every time I stared at him.
“You can’t avoid me forever, omega,” he said. His voice was firm and unrelenting. “Our relationship is just as important as ours with Sidney, and ours as a triad, and ours as a pack.”
“I know that,” I admitted, feeling guilt rising up. “She’s just a wild card, and I wanted to make sure she felt secure and I didn’t chase her off by falling into your bed a little too fast.”
“If she wasn’t a factor, how would you have reacted?”
I snorted. “Probably by falling into your bed, alpha. If you think that you don’t have an effect on me then you’re dead wrong.”
He breathed in. “Oh, I’m well aware of the effect I have on you. Your scent is amazing and right now that divine scent of yours is even sweeter.”
He took another deep breath, his eyes darkening with pure heat.
I had a feeling if I would look down at his lap I’d be well aware of just how affected he was.
“I don’t want to go into this heat with her without making sure that we are solid first.”
It didn’t terrify me quite as much now. Maybe I just needed to hear that we were just as important, that it wouldn’t make her run off.
“Okay,” I promised, “but I don’t want to rush into this.”
“That’s fine,” he said as he leaned in, a wicked smile lighting up his face. “Just be warned. I’m going to get you to myself before this is over.”
The garage door slammed open and Leo came out with a heavy toolbox in his hand. He stopped long enough to look at us.
“Can you two handle getting some paint?”
“We definitely can,” Bennett said before I even had a chance to answer.
“The color swatches are in the top drawer. There’s a sticky note telling you how much and what it’s for. Do you need money or do you want me to pay you back when you get here?”
“I’ve got it,” Bennett promised, waving him off. Leo stared for a second before nodding. He was going to have to accept that this wasn’t just his project anymore. It was all of ours.
Not an easy task for my control freak best friend.
Bennett stood and stretched out before looking at me. “I guess we found our moment, omega.”
I couldn’t help it, I was only a man. My eyes dropped straight to the monster tenting his black slacks.
“Don’t keep looking at me like that if you want to get out of here.”
I swallowed hard and stood, my own dick straining against the zipper of my jeans. Before I could turn and walk away he reached out, gripping the center of my shirt and pulling me close.
My eyes slowly moved up to meet his and he didn’t hesitate to swoop in and press his lips against mine.
I melted the moment he deepened the kiss. A moan escaped me as slick continued to dampen my boxers.
“You smell divine when you want me,” Bennett said. “Teasing you is going to be so much fun. And I have every intention of enjoying that later. Depending on where the night goes, I hope that you choose to fall into my bed, omega.”
I told him that I wanted to take it slow, but in reality every part of me was demanding that I drop to my knees and worship this alpha like he deserved, right here and now.
Since that wasn’t an option, I simply nodded, knowing damn well that I was going to end up in Bennett Sinclair’s bed before the start of this heat.
He was just as much mine as Sidney was, and I wanted both of their bites marking my skin.