13. Bailey-Rose #2
“Hey, Care Bear,” Warrick called, nudging my knee with a finger. “What do you think about spending the afternoon with me tomorrow? I’d love to take you to the bar, show you where I work, then maybe we can go out for dinner?”
I started to say yes but then paused to look at the others. “Is it okay for me to just spend time with one of you?”
Ulysses snorted. “Rosie, just because we’re a pack doesn’t mean we need to do everything together.
I think it’s important for you to have a relationship with us all individually as well as a group.
When we all go back to work and fall into a routine, having an individual relationship with each of us will help make you more comfortable.
Some days Warrick will be around more or Vili if he chooses to work here instead of his office.
Not to mention when the time comes for us to be intimate, we might appreciate some alone time with you.
” He pointed out with a smirk on his face.
“However, I want to be clear that none of us have a problem if group activities happen, but none of us are romantically interested in anyone but you.”
At the mention of being intimate, my body started to tingle as I remembered what happened between Ulysses and me this morning.
Then my imagination went wild at the prospect of the others joining in.
It was extremely common for packs to have intermingled relationships.
Obviously, not always as was the case with my own pack, but it usually happened that a romantic pairing would occur between Alphas and Betas before they found their Omega.
The real question was, would my poor little heart be able to withstand that much stimulation? Guess there was only one way to find out, and I would be more than happy to experiment, given the opportunity.
“Thank you for telling me that,” I said once I realized an awkward lull had gone on for far too long.
Turning my head, I looked at my sweet cinnamon-candied Alpha.
“Warrick, I would love to spend the day with you tomorrow. Although I should warn you, I’ve never been to a bar before, so I hope I don’t embarrass you. ”
“Oh, Care Bear, you could try, but I don’t get embarrassed by much,” Warrick assured me. “Once you’ve seen how drunken idiots act, you realize you’re not doing so bad at life.”
The others murmured their agreement on that nugget of advice.
“That just leaves what you’d like to do about tonight,” Yun-Sun pointed out. “We can hang here, have dinner, then head back to your parents’ home to sleep. Otherwise, you can have your pick of beds to sleep in with or without the Alpha who uses it.”
“Hmm… I didn’t really pack to sleep over,” I murmured as I plucked at my lower lip in thought. “Although if we aren’t going anywhere until the afternoon, we could swing by the house.”
“I have idea,” Vili declared in an excited voice. “We spend evening here, then return to your home to sleep. This way we all get to have breakfast together before you go. While you have fun, we will pack your clothes to bring here. No more problems.”
Each of them pinned their gaze on me, waiting for whatever answer I was going to give. “You shouldn’t have to pack up all my things, especially when I’m not even there. Wouldn’t that be awkward?”
“Because why?” Vili challenged. “Soon you will have all the things here. Eventually, we will see you in the clothes or in no clothes at all. Why be odd?”
“I-I have no answer for that,” I admitted once I failed to have anything else to say. “Okay, if you four are fine with doing that while Warrick and I are gone, I won’t stop you.”
Vili and Warrick cheered then high-fived each other reveling in the excitement.
Seeing them so happy about me moving in gave me the boost I needed to get back to my search.
Crawling over Yun-Sun, I grabbed the tablet and let the delicious-smelling pastry of a man settle me back between his legs.
A contented sigh escaped me as he stroked his fingers through my hair as I dove back into my search.
When dinnertime rolled around, we ate out on the patio, which is also when I discovered they had a pool set off to one side.
I loved being able to swim and float for hours during the summer.
It was something I’d always been able to enjoy since it wasn’t as taxing on my heart.
Their personal chef made a delicious stir-fry with chicken and steak over a bed of fluffy rice.
The guys all had a beer or glass of wine with their meal, but Warrick made me a special mocktail to enjoy.
“This, m’lady, is called a strawberry breeze,” Warrick announced as he set the fizzy drink in front of me.
“I thought tomorrow it might be fun if I teach you how to make a few different recipes. That way, when you visit me at the bar, you don’t have to feel left out and get something tasty.
Who knows, maybe I might even make up one and call it the Care Bear after you. ”
“Really?” I gasped, practically bouncing in my seat.
He chuckled and tucked a finger under my chin to tilt my head up to meet his lips in a sweet kiss. “Really, and it will be sweet like you.”
Just when I didn’t think these men could make me melt more than I already had, they went and made a liar out of me.
“Come on, man, give the woman a chance to eat before you get all mushy,” Gareth teased. “Look at her. It’s a miracle she hasn’t slid right out of her seat with that dreamy expression on her face.”
Warrick flipped Gareth off as he nuzzled another kiss to my lips before taking his seat.
The others dug into their meal, but I had to sit there and contemplate the meaning of life for a moment as I convinced my body we could still function while swooning.
Taking a big gulp of the drink Warrick made me, I was surprised at how bubbly it was.
It tasted amazing, and the carbonation danced on my tongue, but I made the fatal mistake of breathing in, causing the bubbles to go right up my nose.
Momentary panic ensued as I wasn’t sure if I could swallow in time or spew the drink everywhere.
I managed to swallow, feeling the burn all the way down before I sneezed so hard I rocked the patio chair, making it spin and face the other direction.
As luck would have it, my legs were too short to stop the movement without slouching down to extend my leg, which I did.
With the chair’s movement stopped, I now had to scooch myself to the edge of the chair and shuffle my way back around to face the others.
The waft of chocolate and orange told me Lysse had come to help me out, making me even more embarrassed. “Ah… you good there, Rosie?”
Flopping back, I looked up to find him peering down at me. “Does it look like I’m good?”
“Hard to say… you always look good to me,” he answered with a cheeky grin. “Care for some assistance, or would you like to deal with this on your own? Wouldn’t want you thinking I’m doubting your abilities.”
This was the Lysse I grew up knowing and fell madly in love with as an awkward teen. Well, clearly I was still awkward, but now I didn’t have to hide how I felt about him.
“Lysse, you and I both know you’re going to help me whether I want you to or not. That’s how things between us have always worked,” I reminded him. “Now chop-chop, I’d like to eat tonight.”
“Wow, it’s a really good thing we are getting you out of that house. You sounded way too much like Crew just then. The world can only handle one of his kind at a time,” Ulysses warned as he turned me to face the right direction and shoved the chair closer to the table. “You know if I get a pillow—”
“Okay, thank you for your help. You can feel free to sit back down now,” I ordered, cutting off what he was about to say.
Gareth tried to cover the fact he was laughing at Ulysses but failed. The shaking shoulders gave him away. “Looks like you haven’t earned the right to make short jokes either,” he managed to say.
“Let me guess… you tried and got your ass handed to you?” Ulysses asked, taking his seat, to which Gareth nodded. “Yeah, I should have guessed she’d shut me down, but I wanted to test the waters and see if I was in the clear.”
“Guys, I’m well aware of how short I am and the limitations that are bestowed upon such special people,” I informed them, pressing a hand to my heart for added effect.
“Do you want to know why people are always scared of us tiny folk? We’ve learned to be scrappy and find ways to accomplish what you giants do so easily.
So make all the jokes you like, but don’t blame me when retaliation sneaks up on ya. ”
The table erupted into laughter, and I couldn’t help but join them. I knew I sounded silly, but the more they underestimated me, the easier it would be to plot my revenge. Even a Care Bear knows how to cause a little mischief.