Chapter 13 #3
“Umm,” Caelia stutters. “I don’t think I can make you not gay anymore.”
“That’s not what I meant,” I say. “It’s just, I may only be attracted to you. Well, and Levon. I haven’t glanced at another man since we started—”
“Face fucking at work,” Miles chuckles, teasing me.
“It was one time,” I groan. “I swear, Caelia. It was literally only one time.”
“That we were caught,” Levon adds.
Caelia is well entertained by the drama, nearly bouncing in her chair.
“So you’ve never dated a woman before, and you’re dating Levon. Am I getting this right?” she asks.
“That’s correct,” I say. “I locked his ass down, and we’re living together now. It may have happened a little sooner than either of us planned since we had to report our relationship to Human Resources, but it just means we get to see each other more.”
“They’re adorable,” Miles grumbles. I stick my tongue out and lick a piece of my cinnamon roll while Caelia watches amused. “You’re a child, Santo.”
“I can attest that he is not,” Levon says, getting comfortable in his chair. “You should also know that Santo and I are pack, and we’ve been discussing adding Miles to it.”
“Where is my invite?” Miles asks.
“You don’t really get a choice,” I say. “Are you saying you don’t want to court Caelia?”
“Court?” Caelia coughs as she chokes on her own saliva, making me wince.
Shit.
“Take a sip of water,” I suggest.
Miles gets up and moves closer to her, pushing her bottle toward her. Nodding, Caelia takes a sip, struggling not to sputter.
“Ow,” she says weakly. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
“I guess you could say that we’re all in when it comes to you,” I say. “We’re older than you, and don’t believe in messing around. Things tend to happen faster for scent matches, but we’ll go at your pace. Whether you call it dating or courting, my position still stands.”
“In the end, age is also just a number,” Miles says, making a face. “I don’t see you as a kid, and I think a lot of that comes from not seeing you in years.”
“I went to college right after and refused to go to games,” she explains. “A part of me is angry that this industry turned its back on Dad.”
“What did he do before working for the Dragons?” Levon asks.
“He consulted for college, minor, and professional hockey teams,” she says. “Dad just wanted to make sure I was taken care of, and even then I worked through college.”
“People wanted his expertise really badly,” Levon observes. “We’ve never beaten the Dragons. They’re literal beasts on the ice.”
“It’s professional hockey,” she says. “They play to win every time they play. The Dragons are respectful of my space, though it took a few panic attacks for them to realize the need.”
“Panic attacks?” I ask worriedly.
“I found out that part of it is due to the blockers I’ve been taking,” Caelia says. “Apparently all the side effects are ones I’ve been experiencing. Lucky me.”
“Well how long have you been taking them?” I ask.
“Six years,” she says. “I wanted nothing to do with alphas, being an omega, or hockey.”
“And now?” Miles asks.
“I’m dealing with things day to day and detoxing off my medication,” Caelia says. “I’m still on one that I really don’t want to stop taking.”
I really don’t want to pry, but I feel compelled to ask.
“Which one?”
“My heat suppressant,” she grumbles. “I can’t handle the idea of being at someone’s mercy or spontaneously going into heat at a hockey game.”
“I don’t know which part to address first,” I breathe. My heart hurts that she thinks that sex would make her someone’s toy. The problem is that’s been her experience.
Pressing the heels of my hands against my eyes, I sigh.
“I want to fucking kill everyone right now,” I complain.
“He’s not being dramatic. I kind of want to beat the shit out of people too,” Levon mutters.
“Join the club,” Miles grunts. “Let’s take this one step at a time, guys. Caelia, sex should never be about having power over someone. I need you to know that.”
“Heats are different,” she whispers. “That’s too much power for me to give.”
“A heat is meant to be spent with people who are going to adore and take care of you,” Miles explains.
He lifts her into his lap unceremoniously, and Caelia sits straight as a board, unsure how to react.
“You were too far away from me,” he says mildly.
“Okay?” she squeaks.
Well, at least Miles is figuring out his shit. Before, I worried he thought she would break or burst into tears in his presence.
“You’ve had a really shitty introduction to what alphas are like,” Miles continues. “There are more that are protective, caring, and supportive than not.”
“I can maybe name two,” Caelia huffs. My gaze moves to her chest as her breasts jiggle just a little and I swallow hard. Levon pinches me hard, causing me to move my gaze back to her face.
Fuck, that hurt. I make a face, knowing he’s watching me. I’m going to spank his ass raw tonight before I fuck it. I’m all kinds of riled up.
“Name them for me?” I ask, needing to think about anything other than punishing my brat.
I’m pretty sure it’s making the bakery smell even more like icing than usual.
“There’s my dad, Troy, and that’s it,” she says. “My first boss chased me down the street because he didn’t want to pay me for my time and fired me on my first day.”
I want to be included in her list, but know she’s being cautious. I can appreciate that.
“Your boss did what?” Levon asked at the same time that Miles asks, “Troy who?”
“You’re all so intense,” Caelia mutters to herself, leaning against Miles. His eyes spring up to Levon and I in shock, and I don’t think our little omega realizes that she’s basically relaxing into his body.
Hmm, very interesting. Here’s to hoping that she listens to her instincts.
“Troy Evans—” she begins before we all begin to grumble. “He’s married and didn’t think twice when my dad yelled at him to give me space the first time he met me. The man just accepts my boundaries. I barely know him, even though I feel badly that he’s having a rough time.”
“We heard about that,” I remind her. “I hate that you of all people walked into that mess to help him.”
“Dad wanted me to wait in the hallway, but I don’t always listen when I’m told to do something,” she says with a shrug.
“Good to know,” I chuckle.
“Folks, we’re closing up!” the barista calls out.
“Is it really already eleven?” Caelia breathes in surprise.
“It is,” I confirm, checking my phone. “I can’t believe how fast time went by.”
Picking up the trash, I throw things out and bring the glass plates up to the barista.
“Her father has called three times while you’ve been here,” he says. “I really don’t suggest crossing him.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I say neutrally. “We needed somewhere to meet that was well lit, open late, and would look out for our girl. Thank you for being that for her.”
I leave the barista, knowing he’s probably completely confused. I don’t really care what he thinks, and yes I’m calling this little omega mine. I believe in manifesting good things in my life.
I meet Caelia, Miles, and Levon at the door, opening it for them all. She’s very quiet as we follow her through the parking lot, turning with a raised brow as she realizes we’re behind her. She’s the only vehicle other than the one we drove in.
“We’re walking you to your car,” Miles says. His next words have disapproval ringing clear. “It’s late, you shouldn’t walk alone.”
“It doesn’t change the fact that I usually do,” she says, making a face.
“So your dad doesn’t walk you out after practice and games?” I ask.
“Okay, so before I moved back in with my dad, I would go about my day to day with a knife in my pocket and the hope that I wouldn’t need to use it,” she explains.
“Did that work?” Levon asks.
“For the most part,” she acknowledges. “I don’t like walking in the dark, so I was glad when Dad told me he didn’t want me to bartend.”
“Fuck, I just broke out in hives,” Miles curses. “You’re way too damn pretty for the bars of New Orleans. They’d eat you alive, baby.”
It doesn’t escape me that he keeps calling her that. Caelia hasn’t said anything about it yet, but gives him a sidelong glance.
“The job with the Dragons kind of came in at the right time.”
“Thank goodness for small mercies,” I mutter.
The small amount of time that I’ve spent at bars that weren’t gay is more than enough. The men tend to be sloppy and overly touchy with the bartenders.
“We’ll see you at the game tomorrow,” Levon offers. “I’m sad you’ll be rooting for the wrong team and not wearing my jersey.”
“Isn’t it a little soon for that?” she asks, turning and walking backward.
“You’re going to fall,” I mention, my eyes on her feet before moving up her body. Her legs are shown off with her ripped jeans, and her sweater has a lace mesh up the back that shows off her spine. I never thought such a small amount of skin could be so fucking sexy.
Miles and Levon both jostle me, and I pull my gaze up again. God, is this what it’s like to like girls? They’re so soft and pretty.
“You don’t want to watch me skate backward then,” she sasses, unlocking the SUV. I wonder if this is what she usually drives or not. For safety purposes, it’s a damn tank.
“I think that’s grounds for a proposal,” Levon rumbles, making me smirk. Good, I’m not the only one that’s completely enamored by her. “As for if it’s too soon to wear my jersey, I don’t think so. Can we take you out after the game?”
“So I can help you lick your wounds when you lose?” she winks, opening the driver side door. “Do you have time to go out tomorrow?”
“Since I’m kind of the boss, we do,” Miles growls. None of us want to let her go, another thing we share. “Can I give the guys your number? Your dad gave it to me in case we were running late.”
“Ah, yes,” she says, climbing into the seat.
I step forward, feeling increasingly nervous about what I need to ask.
“Can I give you a hug before you go?”
“Oh,” Caelia squeaks, sliding back out of the vehicle. “Okay.”
She walks into my open arms, and proceeds to rock my world with just a hug. Unable to resist, I bury my face into her hair and inhale deeply. Here, I can smell her scent. It’s making my alpha instincts twitchy that she hides like this.
“I hate the descenting spray,” I mumble against her soft hair. Rubbing my face against her, I make sure she’s taking my scent with her. “You give really good hugs.”
“That’s what my best friend tells me,” she murmurs softly.
Letting her go, I notice her pupils and how large they are. Her scent is also so much stronger. Good. I need to know that she wants me.
“Can I get one too?” Levon asks tentatively.
I step back and wait for Caelia to decide. Walking slowly, she gives him a hug too. I’m getting the feeling this is a big deal for her. Miles simply gives her a smile, and watches as she gets into her vehicle again. Waving, we walk to the car we’re borrowing and climb in.
Miles turns the engine over but leans forward to watch Caelia.
“What are you doing?” I ask, confused.
“I’m not leaving until she does,” he murmurs. “I need to watch her taillights as she takes her cute ass home.”
“God, so you do think she’s cute,” Levon says, pretending to faint.
“Of course,” he snorts. “I have eyes… Why is she getting out?”
Craning my neck, I see she’s on the phone, and her hand is waving in the air.
“That doesn’t look good,” I whisper.
“I’m going to see,” Miles says, turning off the car and lumbering out. I scramble out with Levon the best I can in such a tight space.
I’m not about to be left out. I want to know what’s going on.