Chapter 21 #2
“I know you don’t need assistance to do a pull-up, brat,” he huffs.
“Coming to the gym was a terrible idea,” I whine. “You’re all way too hot and I’m so fucking turned on it’s unbearable.”
“Focus on your workout instead of our asses,” he huffs, brows rising when he pulls us up and feels how hard I am. “We’ll take care of you later, if you can behave while we’re here.”
Scowling, I lean forward and press my lips to his for a quick kiss before I drop down and leave him be, grumbling the entire way across the room.
How am I supposed to ignore them when their existence is a siren call? I don’t have to look to know where they’re at; I can sense them, taste their scents in the air despite the clinical-grade descenters the gym uses.
I somehow manage to make it through my workout with an uncomfortable hard-on. I got a few glares and curious stares, but it’s a lot easier to ignore people who aren’t my Alphas.
Or someone I want to be my Alpha, in Caleb’s case.
“Ready for a game of pickup?” the man in question asks, slapping me on the shoulder as I guzzle down some water. He’s sweat-soaked and more delicious than before we arrived, which is insanely unfair.
“For sure. Two v. Two. Me and you versus Onyx and Sly?”
Caleb bobs his head in agreement, so I lead him outside, where the other two are already waiting.
The next forty minutes are the most fun I’ve had in ages. Playing against Caleb was a blast, but teaming up with him to take on my Alphas is even better.
It doesn’t take long to get a read on each other, then we fall into sync, passing seamlessly. My anticipation builds as we play, each taunt and twist of our bodies stoking the fire in my soul.
I wish he’d just come out and say if he was interested in me. Then all four of us could go home, climb into Onyx and Sly’s bed and have the hottest sex of our lives, outside of Skye’s heat.
“Gotta focus, Bee,” Sly teases, stealing the ball from my hand. I curse, swiping a hand over my face as I twist on my heel and jog after him.
He’s right. Caleb and Skye literally just bonded, and their relationship is still healing. He needs time to adjust to being her Alpha before I drop to my knees and beg him with my tongue to be mine.
“That was fun,” Caleb admits breathlessly as we all head back inside. He’s smiling a lot easier now that he wears Skye’s mate mark. Bonding eased some of the guilt he carries and helped him relax around us.
Bumping his shoulder, I grin back. “I told you it would be awesome. We’ll kick their asses next time.”
He snorts, pushing his hair away from his face where pieces of it have escaped the bandana he borrowed from Sly.
“You got plans after?” I ask suddenly, a twinge of nervousness pinching my stomach. I know as soon as we get home, he’ll be back to spending time with Skye or hanging out in his room, and I’m not ready to give this up yet.
“Nope. You?”
“I do now, and so do you.”
He raises a brow in question, but I don’t answer as I follow Onyx into the gym’s locker room to rinse off.
Is this a date? Maybe, but I’m not telling him that. Not until much later, when he’s accepted my attraction to him and let me suck his cock once or twice.
After a quick rinse and fresh clothes, I meet Caleb by my Jeep. I was so excited when my baby got delivered yesterday, I had to bring her out today.
I quicken my steps, throwing a wave to Sterling and Onyx as they climb into our SUV. This is my time to get to know Caleb. To win him over with my amazing personality, lack of a filter, and my easygoing nature.
“Hungry?”
Steel-blue eyes pop open and meet mine; the intensity of his curiosity makes me shiver as he takes in my outfit with a soft snort. Baggy, light-washed jeans sling low on my hips, showing off the white band of my boxers, nothing scandalous when it’s cold out.
His reaction is probably to the mesh crop top I threw on, the hot pink font emblazoned on the front reads ‘good boy’ which is something we all know I am not. I’m a brat through and through.
“I could eat.”
Swinging my door open, I grip the top and throw myself behind the wheel. I move so fast that I have time to lean over and open his door for him, earning another shake of his head and a muttered thanks.
“There’s a place two blocks over I’ve been hitting after my workouts that has amazing food.”
“I’m down for that. You come here more often than Sundays with your mates?”
We buckle in and I start backing out before I answer. “Randomly, yeah. In warmer weather, I’d find a park to go to or take the Jeep out. Sitting around the house leaves me feeling restless.”
“You come to burn off excess energy.” A statement, not a question, but I nod anyway.
“When we’re on tour, I have shows to wipe me out, but with Quentin’s adamance that we treat this like a real vacation and only practice once or twice a week, I don’t have my usual outlets. Not that I’m complaining about the break. Skye needed this. We all did, but her most of all.”
“She pushes herself too hard.” His fingers lift to rub over her mark on his neck. “I’m glad she has you all to help her find balance between work and her feelings of inadequacy.”
Pulling into a spot outside the restaurant, I shut off the ignition and open my door. “She has you, too,” I remind him before I let it close and jog to the sidewalk.
He takes in the tiny shop with an open expression.
Basil & Birch occupies a corner lot. Rolling garage doors around the outside give it an industrial feel that gives storage unit vibes instead of sit-down eatery.
According to the owner, they leave them open during the summer, creating an airy environment for drinking and enjoying the rice and noodle bowls they offer.
The interior is cramped with various-sized round tables, but it’s fairly empty this early on a Sunday. I wave to the young woman who works in the front—the owner’s daughter—and guide Caleb to the smallest of the tables in the back corner.
“Hello again.” She greets us as she slides menus onto the table. “You brought a friend today.”
“I sure did. Mia, meet my pack mate, Caleb. Mia’s father owns the shop. We’ve chatted a lot when I visited the past few weeks.”
She asks Caleb what he would like to drink before she disappears into the back. I’m not surprised when her dad pokes his head out of the window into the kitchen a few moments later.
“Where is your Omega?” He shakes his head in disappointment. They’ve both been insistent that I bring Skye to meet them.
He reminds me a lot of Emmett’s grandmother.
Someone older who didn’t fall pray to the belief that designations are a curse that many of our great-grandparents passed down.
His family revere Omegas, believing them to bring luck to business and family.
In his eyes, Skye visiting his shop would mean years of success are headed his way.
Secretly, I think he is hoping that their presence will rub off on Mia and allow her to have an Omega child of her own. Life doesn’t work that way, but I love how respectful he is of the designations, so I’ll never tell him otherwise.
“I’ll bring her next time, I promise.”
“No extras until you do.” Waving his spoon my way, he goes back to cooking, perfectly timing his exit with Mia’s return.
“He’s so excited to meet her,” she promises before taking our order. The whole restaurant smells amazing already, and my stomach gurgles.
“They seem nice,” Caleb comments, though his brows are pinched. When I give him a questioning look, he explains. “Do they know who our Omega is? Is that why they want her to visit so badly?”
Pursing my lips, I consider it, but quickly brush the idea off. They’d have to recognize me to know Skye is my mate, and neither of them had any clue who I was the first few times I visited.
“Nope, they have no clue who I’m mated to. I’ve never mentioned her name. They come from a family like Emmett’s. One that quickly accepted Alphas and Omegas when the designations first appeared.”
Leaning against the back of his chair, Caleb laces his fingers behind his neck. A move that highlights the tattoo-covered muscles in his upper arms and makes me drool.
Focusing is difficult with such a mouthwatering Alpha on display beside me.
“They recognize how special Omegas are. They seem like good people. Skye will love them.”
“And the food.”
Mia carries a large tray toward us. It’s loaded with pasta, sandwiches, and sides. Another reason I love this place is their portion sizes are built for Alphas. I may be a Beta, but I can keep pace with the rest of my pack when the food is good.
“Thank you,” Caleb tells her.
We dig in and his eyes light up. I might not have cooked the food, but I still feel the swell of pride in my chest seeing how much he’s enjoying it.
When we leave, I have to fight back the urge to wrap myself around him and soak in the happiness in his smooth basil scent. Shaking off the urge is hard, but I force myself to walk around the Jeep and climb behind the wheel.
One day, I’ll cross that line. When he’s ready for the chaos that is my love.