Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Hael
W hen I first moved up here to live with Morris, it didn’t take long to realize he doesn’t date. The man has been celibate since I’ve known him.
I didn’t want to be the inconsiderate, dickhead roommate constantly bringing hookups home, so I know I’ve never fucked the sales associate at the boutique Lexie recommended.
What I can’t figure out is if she wants to fuck me or she’s glaring daggers because of the way I look.
It’s happened before.
People see the neck tattoos and the ones on my hands, and it’s like they can’t hold back the judgment.
The sales lady spots me watching her and smiles, fluttering her lashes.
Okay, so, was she giving Arbor the evil eye, and, more importantly, why?
I know people watch me like they need to make sure I’m not about to rob them or steal something, but Arbor looks as meek as they come. There’s no way that lady thinks she’s a risk, and the snotty look is about to piss me off.
What was Lexie thinking when she sent me here? Maybe she’s had a better experience, but I’m officially fucking annoyed.
“Do you like this one?” Arbor asks, pulling a long sleeve gray dress off the rack. It has a high neckline, so she would never be able to breastfeed in it, but it does have a black ribbon just under where her tits would end, and it looks like it’ll fit her well.
“It’s sexy.” I wiggle my eyebrows, tugging her closer with a hand on her lower back. “Wanna try it on for me?”
She grins, peering up at me from under her dark lashes. “Yeah, but I think I should get a backup, in case this one only looks good on the hanger.”
I smirk. “I’m all for a multi-option fashion show.”
The snotty sales associate continues to glare as I wait across from the changing room. The dressing rooms are all down this hallway, which she has a full view of from the checkout desk. Honestly, it takes everything in me not to flip her off. Maybe then she would stop staring.
The door opens, and Arbor’s smiling face greets me. “What do you think?”
My eyes dance from her head down to her bare feet, and I lick my lips as I skim my gaze back up. She’s in the second option she snagged, which is a simple little black dress. It’s tight up top and shows off her curves with a flared-out style around her waist and hips. She’s made a few comments about how she hasn’t gotten back to her pre-pregnancy size, but she looks fucking stunning to me.
“Goddamn, sweetheart, you are delectable,” I growl, taking a step forward.
Arbor’s eyes widen as she takes a tentative step back.
Doesn’t she know better than to run from a half-feral alpha?
She keeps retreating, and her back hits the mirror behind her. What I wouldn’t give to be able to lift her, wrap her feet around my ass, and kiss the fuck out of her.
“Y-You like it?”
“I fucking love it,” I assure her, brushing my fingers over her cheek. That indescribable electric scent of hers hits my nose, and I’m in real fucking trouble. My cock jolts, thickening against my thigh. Hopefully my jeans provide decent coverage. I push her hair over her shoulder and bend close to her ear. “How do you feel about it? That’s what really matters.”
“I love it.” She nods, and only now do I notice how her chest rises and falls rapidly.
Everything in me says she wants me as much as I want her, and my lips brush her cheek as I kiss my way to her pretty pink lips. Her hands come to rest on my biceps, and she opens for me, allowing me to deepen the kiss. Her scent, combined with her naughty little tongue teasing around mine, makes me ache to push for more, but rationally, I know that’s not possible.
“I’m going to need you to step out, sir,” the sales associate says from behind me. “One person per dressing room.”
It’s hard not to growl at her to get fucked , but at the same time, I did promise to get Arbor back to Gracie as quickly as possible.
I peck a final kiss on Arbor’s soft lips and step back. “Let’s get them both, and you can decide which one to wear once we’re at home.”
Arbor looks dazed as she nods, and it makes my chest puff with pride.
Now I just need to tackle warning her about my history and hope that doesn’t fuck up everything.
Arbor sits in the passenger seat as I drive us home.
I stretch back in the seat, using my left hand to steer and lean over, planting my right on her thigh. “I don’t know if now is a good time, but I wanted to tell you a little about my past and give you the opportunity to back out of going tomorrow night.”
“Why did you just buy me not one but two fancy dresses if you’re hoping I’ll back out?” she asks, turning toward me.
“Not hoping…” I sigh heavily, focusing on the road. “When Hayes went into the military, I moved to Baltimore with a couple of friends. I was in school, learning how to be a mechanic, but I met my mentor, and Dave was old-school.”
“You never finished trade school?” she asks, running her fingers over mine on the hand that rests on her thigh. “Big deal. I dropped out of college too.”
“I wanna hear more about that,” I say, clearing my throat. “But there’s a little more to it than that. Basically, there was a whole culture that I got sucked into. Dave was in his prime in the eighties and nineties, back when productivity was king. He didn’t care how we did it, but he had unrealistic goals of what could be accomplished in a day or even a week. Long story short, the guys I worked with had an affinity for uppers, which I eventually grew fond of myself. I’ve had ADHD since I was a kid, but I never took medication for it. The psychiatrist I saw when I was trying to get off the hard shit told me I was self-medicating, if you believe in that kind of thing.” I sigh heavily, glancing over to see if I can gauge where her head is at. Her face is placid, so I go on. “Coke really did seem to level out my system. It helped me focus without making a ton of mistakes, but drugs are expensive, and you don’t make shit as an apprentice. Eventually, I started buying enough that I could supply my friends, then charging enough to cover whatever I was using. It was a whole cycle until I was selling to friends of friends, and it became an actual side hustle.”
“That sounds complicated.” Her tone isn’t hateful, and she doesn’t pull her hand away.
Thank God.
“Anyway, Dave died—heart attack. His wife ended up selling the shop, and I was pretty aimless.” I frown, flipping on my blinker. Dave wasn’t perfect. He was a hard-ass with unrealistic expectations, and I still miss the hell out of him. He took me under his wing and taught me everything I know. He’s why I can charge what I do, and without him, I wouldn’t be anywhere close to the mechanic I am today. “I eventually realized not all shops were as lax with their drug-testing policies. I started cleaning up my act, met Morris when I was at my lowest, and he gave me a second chance.”
“So, all of that is over?”
“I drink a beer here or there to be social.” I shrug. “Weed is legal here, so I’ve been known to enjoy a gummy on occasion, but my ADHD is under control. I see my doctor regularly, take my prescription as directed, and I’m pretty fucking boring. I’m not perfect, by any means, but I don’t even go out these days.”
“I’m not sure that’s boring, but thank you for telling me.”
I glance over, and she’s staring out the window. “The client I just signed knew Dave way back, but he stopped working with him, probably because of all the shit I just told you. He sought me out because he wants a rebuild of a bike Dave made for him that was totaled. He also wants a couple of bikes for his sons, but he’s no-nonsense as fuck. He gave me the third degree for hours, despite the fact he came to me .”
“And how will I help? Or, I mean, why will having me there help?”
Fuck.
This very well could come off like I’m using her if I don’t frame it right.
“Three bikes is a huge time commitment. I think he wants to be sure I’m not going to take his money, blow it on drugs, and give him a subpar build. Normally, I’d tell him to go fuck himself, but it’ll more than pay for your hospital stay, so I’m trying to go the responsible route and not let it hurt my pride.” My teeth grind together. His attitude rubs me the wrong way. Still, I’m willing to stay humble only because it’ll help build up our savings again once we pay the hospital bills. “I told him about you and Gracie to put his mind at ease, but then he asked to meet you…”
“Wow, he does sound like a judgmental dick,” Arbor says, lacing her fingers with mine. “It’s not your responsibility to pay for my hospital bills. And I really hate the idea of you being forced to work with someone who has been treating you poorly.”
“Nah, it’s no big deal,” I assure her. It’s not like I haven’t heard worse. “Once he’s satisfied, he’ll leave. I won’t have to deal with him, outside of progress updates, until I deliver the bikes.”
“You guys are bending over backward to take care of me and Gracie, and I hate that I have nothing to offer.”
“Arbor, seriously…” I growl, making the turn onto our street. “No more of that bullshit. You bring so much to the table. Morris was probably going to die alone before meeting you. The man never put a single ounce of effort into trying to connect with anyone. Not until you.” I flip on my turn signal, and we make it onto our driveway. “Hayes spent years beating himself up when we all know he did the best he could, but delivering Gracie gave him a confidence I haven’t seen since high school.”
Arbor squeezes my hand. “And what do I do for you?”
“You make me want to be better. You remind me there’s more to life than what I thought was it for me.” It’s also really fucking nice that she doesn’t look at me like I’m a fuckup like the rest of the world does. “You and Gracie…” My head shakes. “I would be devastated if I came home from work one day and the two of you were gone.” I pull up in front of the garage and put my SUV in park.
“The three of you feel like home to me too,” she says softly. “But I’m still not sure how you don’t think I’m taking advantage of you. Aren’t relationships supposed to be fifty-fifty?”
I scoff. “If I know anything from watching my family pack, it’s that sometimes one person pulls one hundred percent of the weight. That gave my other dads the chance to relax and help my mom with the kids. Then they rotated. Maybe that’s the wrong way to explain it. They were all in all the time, but on days when someone needed a break, they knew they could relax because there was an entire pack to pick up the slack. You’re still healing. If you want to come into the shop and do paperwork and admin stuff, then do it. Especially if it’ll make you feel better, but you’re not a chore we got stuck with.”
Arbor stretches over, her fingers landing on my jaw. She tilts my face to hers and leans in, pecking a kiss on my lips. It’s over way too fast, and she settles back into her seat, unbuckling her seat belt. “It looks like I’ve got baggage of my own, but okay. I’ll do my best not to bring it up again.”
My head tilts.
That was kinda easy.
Everything in me wants to take the win, but it seems a little like she’s agreeing solely to defuse the situation. Not that it was a fight or even a disagreement, so I’m not sure why I feel like something is off. At the same time, pushing right now probably isn’t the right call.
I’ll just have to be mindful and keep an eye on things in the future.
One way or another, she’s going to realize my words are true.
The next night, I get dressed fancier than I have since prom. I said no fucking thanks when Hayes tried to lend me his suit, but I did spring for a polo shirt under my favorite jacket. It’s a black army style and has a zip-out hood that I keep tucked away in the collar.
My hands are weirdly sweaty as I stand outside the pack bedroom door.
Hayes and Morris moved Arbor’s and Gracie’s things before we made it back from our shopping trip yesterday, which I saw coming, but Arbor did not. She didn’t seem upset…definitely surprised, but not anxious or anything.
Stretching my shoulders back, I knock on her door, which pops open under the pressure of being touched.
Arbor sits on the edge of the bed with her pretty new dress tucked under her tits. She’s nursing Gracie, but unlike normal, when she has one boob out, she’s got them both free. Possibly because she’s not wearing a bra, and it dawns on me that’s likely due to the dress.
Maternity bras have a function, but they’re big and bulky, and I can only assume it would have shown around the neckline. Maybe she plans to wear one of her bras from before, but she didn’t have an easy way to feed the baby.
I stop dead in my tracks.
Well, shit.
I haven’t taken my eyes off her tits, and she definitely noticed.
Dammit, my dick is half hard, and it’s not even my fault. She’s got really nice tits. I’m sure they’re massive in part because she’s breastfeeding, but my instincts also find that super fucking sexy. She’s able to feed Gracie solely from her body, and I’m not even ashamed that I’ve got an obsession with her breastmilk.
I tasted it once or twice while making Gracie warmed-up bottles of it, but I wouldn’t mind feeling Arbor’s milk squirt into my mouth while I suck on her tits.
Fucking hell.
If I’m not careful, I’ll need to jerk off again before I’ll be ready to leave the house.
The little omega pulls her arm up, covering the breast Gracie isn’t munching on.
I finally get my shit together, bringing my hand to block my eyes…but I’m only human, and I peek through my fingers. “Sorry. I got tit-notized.” I snort, shaking my head. “Hypnotized by your incredible tits.”
“You’re lucky you’re cute,” she says, pointing at me with the hand cradling Gracie’s head. “You look nice.”
“Pulling my hand down now,” I say, laughing as I do just that. “You’re fucking stunning. I’m contemplating calling to cancel. We can lie around shirtless, watching movies.”
Arbor smiles. “Cute and a bad influence. No way. Take my baby, so I can finish getting dressed. I nursed her on both sides for twenty minutes to hopefully prevent any leaks while we’re gone.”
I bite my lip and swagger closer.
These last two weeks until her checkup are going to be hell .