Chapter 29 – Callum
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Callum
Lacey and Grim finally get it in, which is good for all of us. Maybe the big fucker will be less surly.
I would be.
I’m in a jolly mood, and I haven’t been inside her in hours.
Wilder sighs, planting his hands on his hips as we get the tree assembled in the living room we actually use.
I’m pretty sure Collins and the housekeeper were responsible for the beautifully decorated tree near the stairs. Unless Wilder had a company come in to do that tree and the banister lights…
Come to think of it, maybe he did.
I don’t see the sixty-year-old housekeeper or the chef getting up on a ladder to do the lights that popped up on the exterior of the house. Not that they should have to. I’m just wondering why he didn’t mention he was bringing in a company to put up the decorations.
Grim and I would have helped him.
“The gingerbread has had plenty of time to cool if you’d like to tackle that tonight,” Collins calls out from the kitchen. “I set everything up in the baking boxes near the hutch.” He takes off with two small bowls in his hands, and I quirk an eyebrow.
“I think he just stole part of the roast for those kittens you fuckers brought home with no warning,” Wilder says, laughing and shaking his head. “How quickly things change.”
“Grim said you were the one who sent him kitten shopping.” I shrug. “Are baby cats even allowed to eat human food?”
Wilder scoffs. “Fuck if I know.”
“It’s only eight. Grim and Lacey can’t be asleep for the night, right?” I ask, glancing toward the hallway that leads to the stairs. “They’ve been relaxing for a while. When can we go bother them?”
He chuckles. “It’s tempting, but she probably needs rest leading to her heat.
Collins made kits for us to build gingerbread houses.
I was hoping we would tackle those this evening and possibly decorate the tree.
” He shoves his hands into his front pockets and rocks on his heels. “Is it selfish to wake them up?”
I poke around in the bond and hum. “Grim is awake. I’m pretty sure he’s watching Lacey sleep like a total fucking creep.”
“Is it creepy now that they’re bonded?”
“Good point,” I acknowledge.
I don’t want anyone calling me out for doing the same, so I’m going to get better about not giving Grim shit.
“Did Deb ever get around to washing Lacey’s new clothes?” I ask, referencing the housekeeper. She’s leaving in a few days for vacation, but at least to my knowledge, she’s still around here somewhere. “I think I’ll go see if they want to come down to partake in some Christmas cheer.”
“You’ll find the baskets on top of the dryer in the laundry room. It’s folded and ready to go, but I assumed she would be more comfortable in our clothes,” Wilder says.
“She can always change if she’s uncomfortable.” I chuckle, taking off for the laundry room. “I just want a few pictures of her in her matching Christmas jammies.”
“How the fuck did you manage that?” I whisper-hiss.
I nod at Lacey as she lies on Grim’s chest with his pointer and middle fingers in her mouth.
I can’t tell if she’s actively sucking on them, but it damn sure looks like it from here.
It’s kinda like cockwarming, but not quite.
I’ve heard it referred to as suckling or nursing, and it’s one of my life goals.
It can be done to help calm or soothe the anxious party.
It’s endearing and just really fucking intimate.
Goddammit, now I want to murder Grim so I can take his place.
“Dunno,” he says softly, shrugging a giant shoulder. “I was brushing my fingers over her cheek, and she just latched on. She also didn’t want to climb off my cock even after my knot went down.”
He’s living my goddamn dreams right now.
I take a deep breath and recenter myself.
If she’ll do those things with Grim, she’ll do them with me too. I just have to be patient and wait my turn.
It would be really convenient if Mother Nature would catch up and help curb some of the possessive instincts alphas are born with. It all harkens back to the days when alphas were solely responsible for the protection of their omega, but now that packs are a thing, it makes it hard to share.
Bonding is supposed to help lessen some of those tendencies. It apparently just hasn’t kicked in for me yet.
“You’re no longer locked together?” I ask, climbing onto the edge of the mattress.
“Too close.” Grim growls, baring his teeth.
Lacey jolts in her sleep, pulling a hand up to slap over his mouth. It also tugs his fingers free of her lips, and she mumbles, “No angry growling when I’m asleep. Sexy growling is acceptable under certain circumstances. I don’t know if this is one of them.”
I snort, ignoring Grim and bending over to brush her messy hair away from her face.
We have to start taking better care of her.
A good first step to that would be to look into buying replacements for all the products she normally uses.
She’s always beautiful, but I’ve never seen her hair quite so poofy.
It’s what I would consider naturally wavy, but at the moment, it has tangles that don’t seem like they’ll be easy to get out.
Lacey is pretty low maintenance, or maybe with everything going on she hasn’t had the chance to complain, but I know women can be particular about their makeup and hair routines. We want her to really start to look at this place as home, which means we need to make her as comfortable as possible.
At some point, we’re going to need to clear out her apartment, likely after we determine if that blacked-out SUV today was a fluke. We could always do a quick delivery order, though. Especially if she has items she prefers over what we happened to have on hand.
“Good evening, sleepyhead. You’re so damn cute when you first wake up.
” I plant an obnoxiously loud kiss on her cheek, and Grim’s chest rattles with another growl.
He can get right the fuck over it. She was sucking on his fingers.
That’s my dream. I’m not sure what that says about my life goals, but I’m a simple man.
“I hate to bother you,” I lie. “But we have a surprise for you downstairs. Want to come check it out?”
Lacey plants her hands on Grim’s chest and pushes herself up.
I almost laugh.
Omegas are all about the gifts and treats. I figured that would perk her right up.
“Yeah, I do.” She nods, and it makes her tits jiggle.
It takes everything in me not to dip my head to bite the side of her perfect tit.
I mean, come on.
It’s right there.
I settle for catching her nipple between my fingers. Giving it a little twist, I shove myself off the bed before I’m tempted to do more.
“Perfect.” I clap, glancing back to the pajamas I dropped on the dresser on my way in. “I brought you a set of those super soft pajamas you love so much. I’ll be happy to help you into them.”
“I’m going to look around for a spray bottle.
If we don’t tame your waves, those tangles will turn into actual knots,” I murmur, setting Lacey down on her feet in the bathroom.
“Why don’t you visit the toilet while I peek around for some proper hair care items?
” I ache to tease her about being willing to help her clean up, since I know Grim’s cum is still dripping out of her, but she just woke up.
I’ll need to ease into all of that.
It’s always a battle between my Daddy side and my sadistic side.
I love a little soft degradation, but I’m not into any of the hardcore stuff.
I crave her pink cheeks and slight embarrassment. I don’t want her mortified and uncomfortable to be around me. There’s a very fine line, and I haven’t had the chance to explore Lacey’s just yet.
Her lips push together, and she crosses her arms over her chest.
I chuckle, brushing my thumb over her pouty lip.
“Unless you’d like me to accompany you?” I bend low, getting closer to her ear. “If you want help, all you have to do is ask Daddy.”
Lacey shivers. “You and Grim are lucky I never knew my father, meaning I have no attachment to that word. Otherwise, it might freak me out.”
“I have a feeling you know more about Daddies than you’re letting on.” I laugh to keep the statement light and flick my tongue over my bondmark.
It sends a sizzle through the connection, and my chest fills with…something.
Fuck if I know what that emotion is.
Pride?
Happiness?
Contentment?
The beginning of falling in love?
Damn, that might be it.
“Do you know the basics, or would you like me to lay them out for you?” I tease my lips up her jaw and over her cheek.
“I know a little,” she admits. “But that also doesn’t tell me where your head is at.”
“Daddy is a mindset,” I tell her, pulling her nude form into my chest. “A lifestyle that has nothing to do with familial relations. It’s a promise of a safe space between us.” I study her face, and when she doesn’t speak, I go on. “How about an example?”
“Yes, please.”
A thrill runs through my entire body.
Fucking hell.
She really is sweet.
“Most of all, I want to take care of you and protect you. If you didn’t listen and needlessly put yourself in danger, I would spank your ass.
It wouldn’t be a fun experience, but once it was over, the slate would be wiped clean.
I would never withhold affection as a punishment, and in turn, you don’t hold a grudge when you get corrected.
There has to be mutual trust and respect on a foundational level.
You trust me to respect your boundaries, and I trust you to speak up if something makes you uncomfortable or gets too close to one of your hard nos.
Am I fond of the idea of being called Daddy?
Fuck yes, but I’d be willing to negotiate if you weren’t. ”
“All of that sounds really good.” Her hazel eyes sparkle as she studies my face. “And I’m not against calling you that, but it might get confusing if I call you both Daddy.”
I chuckle, cupping her ass. “Nah, we can share. I’ll show you exactly how well once the next wave of heat starts.”
We still need to negotiate rules and a safe word. She’ll also need to have a conversation with Grim to set expectations, if they haven’t, but so far, all of our interests seem to align perfectly.
Lacey visits the toilet on her own, but she lets me help with some of her tangles once she’s done.
I’m tempted to French braid her hair, but we don’t have any hair ties in the primary bathroom. The hair on the top of my head is long, but not long enough for ties or bands. Grim’s is, but he rarely wears it up unless we’re on a job or somewhere we need to avoid leaving evidence.
Once I’m done with her hair, I pull her to her feet. “Arms up for me, sweet girl.”
Her hands shoot toward the ceiling, and I’m once again captivated by her tits. It’s a damn shame I have to cover them by pulling the pajama top over her head, but that’s life. Squatting down, I pat her ankle, and she lifts her feet one-by-one to allow me to get her bottoms on.
I stand back up, resting my hands on her hips. “Want me to carry you downstairs?”
She opens her mouth and closes it just as quickly.
I’m still getting the hang of picking out her feelings in the bond, but I think she was about to decline out of habit, only to realize she really does want to be carried.
Her waves fall around her shoulders as she nods. “That sounds nice. Can we grab my slippers on the way through?”
I chuckle, scooping her up. “You got it.”
She could ask for a panda, and I’d have to find a way to rob a zoo and learn how to build a habitat enclosure in the backyard.
Fuck.
Here’s hoping she never asks for a panda.