14. Adler
FOURTEEN
Adler
“Mmm, pickles.” Sabs plucks her fifth pickle out of the jar then tucks it under her burger bun.
“You really like pickles, huh?” I eye her as I drag my French fry through ketchup.
“Who doesn’t?” Her groan when she takes a bite is positively orgasmic, mustard dripping down her chin. She wipes it up with the tip of her finger then pops it into her mouth to suck it clean.
I watch, mesmerized, and Luca almost chokes on his mouthful. Obviously, I’m not the only one affected by Sabs.
“I thought athletes were supposed to be on strict diets?” She eyes the stacks of protein powder on the kitchen counter then surveys the mounds of food in front of us. “But this? This I could get used to.” Her gaze keeps straying to the door. “Will Drax be joining us?”
Luca sips on his Coke. “He said he wasn’t hungry.”
Sabs nods, her smile slipping for a moment.
My lip curls at the tinge of disappointment I feel from her.
It shouldn’t make me jealous, but it does.
Am I not enough for my omega? Although biting her was an accident, I still want to enjoy our first days of bonding, not have them marred by her gloomy giant of an ex skulking around.
Under Luca’s strict instructions, Sabs and I have spent the entire day attached at the hip. We’ve been watching movies, snuggled up on the sofa, her head nuzzling into my chest. After being parted so soon after bonding, physical contact has helped us both feel more normal again.
A buzzer bleeps, echoing throughout the house, signaling that someone is at our gate.
“I’ll get it.” I jump up, noticing Luca’s still halfway through his meal.
Before answering it, I check the camera on my phone—another of Orin’s security precautions. The footage is grainy, but it looks like our usual delivery driver’s truck. Luca told me that he’d ordered Sabs a few extra things for her nest, so I’m guessing this is the first of many deliveries.
I buzz the guy in then head for the door, feeling a little guilty when I see the delivery guy staggering under the weight of a hefty box. From behind him, a small figure pops out.
The girl’s blonde, shoulder-length hair bounces as she throws her arms up in the air and shouts, “Surprise!”
“Izzie?” I gawp at her. “What are you doing here?”
“Aren’t you pleased to see me?” She nudges the delivery guy in the ribs, almost sending him flying. “Thanks for letting me hide behind you.”
He mumbles something incoherent, blushing as he places the package down.
He appears to be positively bedazzled by my younger sister.
I don’t blame him. She tends to have that effect on everyone.
Not only is she beautiful, but she has an infectious personality and tenacity that makes it very difficult to say no to her.
After accepting the delivery, Izzie barges her way into the house.
“You should have called to tell me you were coming,” I grumble.
“Then it wouldn’t have been a surprise, would it, dummy?” She pouts. “Aren’t you pleased to see me?” She crosses her arms. “We didn’t see each other over the holidays, so I thought you’d be happy.”
“Of course, I’m pleased to see you, Iz.” I rub my neck. “It’s just… not a good time.”
“Come on.” She rolls her eyes. “The guys love having me around.” She sniffs the air.
“This place smells so much better than it did last time. What have you done to the place?” Before I can answer, her short attention span is already jumping to something else.
“Do I smell burgers?” She pats her stomach. “I’m starving.”
“Iz, there’s something I should—”
She’s already skipping down the hallway, following her nose. After growing up in a trailer park and living off Pop-Tarts, a proper hot meal is still something we don’t take for granted.
I rush after her, hearing her squeal as she rounds the corner and sees Sabs, happily slurping up a thick Oreo milkshake with a blissful smile on her face.
“Oh my gosh!” Izzie’s shriek almost ruptures my eardrums. “You have a girl here!” She wags her finger at me. “So that’s why you said this isn’t a good time.”
“This is my sister, Isabella,” I quickly tell Sabs. “My very loud, obnoxious sister, who doesn’t call before she shows up.”
“You can call me Izzie,” she chirps. “Everyone else does.”
“Hey, Iz.” Luca jumps up to pull her into a massive bear hug. “Have you grown since I last saw you? I swear, you’re two inches taller now.”
She stops to flaunt her high boots, rotating her ankle. “It’s the shoes.”
“You’ll break an ankle walking around in those.” I shake my head. “Aunt Jade shouldn’t let you out of the house in those death traps.”
“Are they Jimmy Choos?” Sabs lets out an appreciative exhale. “They’re gorgeous. I didn’t even think those were out yet.”
“They’re not,” Izzie exclaims proudly. “I’m interning at a fashion magazine, and we get samples from next seasons collection. Although I hate doing the coffee runs, I do love the freebies.”
“Okay, now I’m seriously jealous.” Sabs wipes her mouth with a napkin. “I’m Sabs.”
“I don’t know why someone with such good taste would be interested in a knucklehead like my brother.” Izzie nudges me playfully, winking.
“Hockey players aren’t usually my type either,” Sabs replies with a cheeky smile.
“Most of them are total jerks,” Izzie declares. “It’s like they think hitting a puck around means girls will worship them.”
“Right?” Sabs’s eyes light up, giving me the feeling that they’re going to get on well.
“Well, they kinda do…” I smirk. “But you,” I point at Izzie, “are not dating until you’re at least forty.”
“I’m nineteen; I’m a full-fledged adult now.” Izzie cocks a hip. “I’ve had plenty of boyfriends.”
“Who?” My knuckles clench. “You know you have to be careful being a young omega.”
“I can take care of myself.” Izzie rolls her eyes. “And my dating history is none of your business.”
“Give me names.”
“As if she’d tell you that.” Sabs snorts then turns to Izzie to say, “I have three older brothers, so I get it. If they found out about half of the stuff I was doing at nineteen, the number of alpha hospital admissions would have probably spiked.”
Izzie cackles. “You know, I think we’re going to get along.”
“Sorry.” I smile apologetically at Sabs. “I really didn’t know she was coming.”
Izzie stomps a fancy boot. “You know I’m standing right here, don’t you?”
“Do you want to try these fries?” Sabs pulls out the chair next to her—my chair. “They’re freaking amazing.”
“See?” Izzie sticks out her tongue. “At least someone wants me here.”
I roll my eyes as Izzie gets comfortable next to Sabs, having the audacity to dive right into my fries, but I can’t be mad. Seeing the two of them sitting together, joking around, makes my chest swell with happiness.
“How long are you here for?” Luca asks her.
“Only a week,” Izzie answers around a mouthful. “I’m staying with a friend.” She notices my wary look. “Don’t get your panties in a twist. I’m staying in Omega Village, so I’ll be perfectly safe.”
“Which house is she in?” Sabs asks.
“Barbara House.” Izzie’s smile brightens. “I’ve been considering applying, so I wanted to check out campus. Although I’m not sure I’d like to live in Barbara House. It’s a little…”
“Pink?” Sabs snickers.
“Exactly,” Izzie laughs. “And it smells too sweet, like cotton candy on steroids. She says she can’t notice it, but I swear, it gives me a headache. There are a lot of frilly things in there. Aside from that, the campus seems cool, and the fashion programs sound super interesting.”
“Izzie wants to be a fashion influencer,” Luca explains for Sabs’s benefit.
“I am already a fashion influencer. Twenty-five thousand followers and counting.” Izzie’s shoulders sag as she looks off into the distance, a dreamy expression crossing over her face. “What I really want is to start my own sustainable fashion label one day. Interning is only the start.”
“That’s so cool,.” Sabs looks at her with genuine interest.
“It will be.” Izzie puts down a half-eaten fry. “I’ve been designing in my spare time and experimenting with fabrics, but I think studying here would really help take me to the next level.”
“Before you take over the fashion world, are you going to eat that burger before it goes cold?” I interrupt, making Izzie scowl.
“SVU would be great for you. I’ve heard the fashion department even does runway shows.
” Sabs speaks animatedly, Izzie listening intently.
“And it’s really safe for omegas. We’ve got the lowest rates of accidental bonding in the…
” Sabs catches herself, her sentence trailing off as I splutter.
Sabs recovers quickly. “Anyway, I’ve loved my time here so far. ”
“So what’s the situation with you guys?” Izzie leans over the table. She nudges her head in my direction, like I’ve suddenly turned invisible. “Adler always said that he’d never date during college, so you must be pretty special.”
Sabs shovels in a handful of fries in her mouth, presumably to avoid answering. She looks at me with an expression that says it’s up to me to answer.
“Our situation is…” I pick the pickles out of my burger, Sabs’s eyes lighting up when I set them on her plate. Who knew pickles were the key to her heart? “Complicated.”
Heavy footsteps get closer before Drax emerges from around the corner. It’s bad enough that I have a stranger living in the house around my newly bonded mate, but having him around my unbonded little sister? No way.
Izzie seems far too distracted by his appearance to ask any more questions about my and Sabs’s relationship. She looks him up and down. “And who are you?”
“This is Drax,” Luca answers her question. “He works with Orin. He’s staying with us for a while. He’s Sabs’s friend.”
She arches one eyebrow. “Friend, huh?”
“I’m just grabbing a drink,” Drax mutters, striding over to get a can from the fridge.
“Do you want to join us?” Sabs waves to the feast in front of her. “There’s plenty of food including loads of onion rings. The crispy kind.” She dangles one enticingly between her fingers. “I know they’re your favorite.”