24. Nelly
Nelly
Poker turns out to be the best thing that could've happened to us.
Maybe it's the storm or the beer that's loosened us all up this morning. Maybe it's the fact that all four of us have been trapped together for days and we're collectively running out of things to do. But whatever the reason, the game takes over the apartment surprisingly fast.
"These are our chips?" I ask as Nash dumps out a giant bowl onto the coffee table.
A mountain of jellybeans spills across the wood, and some of them roll off the edge into my lap.
"Guess these are mine," I say as I pluck them off the fabric of Nash's hoodie I'm still wearing.
It smells like him, and it calms me.
I'm trying not to look too deeply into that.
"What?" Nash asks.
I whip my head up and find Levi grinning at him. "Jellybeans, Nash? Really?"
Nash shrugs. "They were in the pantry. So what?"
Beau eats one of the ones that fell to the floor. "I like jellybeans. I'm down."
Nash holds his hand out. "See? He likes jellybeans. He's down."
I giggle as I slip a green apple one into my mouth.
That turns all three of them toward me and my cheeks heat.
"Sorry," I murmur.
Beau shakes his head. "No apologies. Just good to see you smile."
My face burns as I eat another jellybean.
"How many bags did you have, anyway?" Levi asks as he uses his hands to corral the wild jellybeans into the middle of the coffee table.
"Six bags," Nash says.
Beau snickers. "That's an insane amount of jellybeans."
I balk. "I didn't know you liked jellybeans that much."
Nash just shrugs. "I stock up on after-holiday deals."
"Good to know the sheriff has an addiction," Levi says as he grabs himself a handful and pulls it toward him.
"It's not an addiction, I just like them," Nash grumbles.
"I bet you even alphabetize them by flavor before you eat them, Sheriff," Levi says playfully as he pops one into his mouth.
Nash glares at him and Beau starts laughing, which tugs another smile across my face.
This feels so nice, just the four of us.
"All right, all right, let's simmer down," Beau says as he shuffles the cards. "Let's all grab some jellybeans and—"
Nash pulls all of them in his direction. "I'll count them out so we all start with equal amounts."
"Of course you will," Levi says.
Nash shoots him another look, and it makes me giggle. They all turn toward me again, and I bow my head to hide my blushing cheeks. I sneak another jellybean into my mouth as Beau nudges me, and I look over just in time to see him toss me a wink.
God, that move shouldn't be as sexy as it is.
I wonder if he's been thinking about our encounter as much as I've been.
"All right," Beau says as he deals the cards. "Sevens are wild and everyone put in four jellybeans to start the pot."
"Look at you, Mr. Casino Dealer," Levi says as he takes a swig of his beer.
It makes me pick mine up to take a pull. "Do we want to give numeric values to all of the flavors of jellybeans?"
"Hey, I like that idea," Nash says.
"Of course you do," Levi murmurs with a smile.
Beau chuckles as he puts the cards next to the stack of jellybeans and turns over the top one. "All right, let the games begin."
Everyone hides their cards and looks around at one another. We go around and around, exchanging cards and discarding them. I've never been good at card games, but it's nice to focus on something else.
Especially when I'm surrounded by men who smell mouthwatering.
"Oh, this is bullshit," Nash says as he slaps his cards down onto the table.
"Language," Beau says as he pulls the first round of jellybeans toward him.
"I knew he was bluffing," Levi says as he gathers the cards up.
"How?" I ask.
"He's got a tell," Levi says.
"What's the tell?" I ask.
Levi winks at me. "Gotta figure it out yourself, Nels. But he's got a tell when he's lying."
"I do not," Nash says.
Beau blends the jellybeans he won with the ones he started with.
"Everyone's got a tell, and I'm going to figure every single one of you out," Nash says.
The next round goes to Nash, and then Levi. I can't seem to get a foothold on the card game, which isn't surprising. Cards have never been my thing. But eventually, the pot grows.
And grows.
And grows.
Until we come to a round I actually win.
"Oh my god! I did it!" I exclaim as I rake the massive mound of jellybeans toward me.
"That's bullshit, I had a full house!" Nash exclaims.
"Language," I say as I smile at him.
"And she had a straight flush," Beau says. "That beats out a full house every time."
"Way to go, Nels," Levi says with a wink.
I preen with pride on the inside.
My pile of jellybeans has grown even bigger than Beau's, while Nash and Levi each look one hand away from bankruptcy.
"What do you say?" I ask as I take the cards and shuffle them. "One more hand? Winner takes all?"
"That just another excuse to take all our jellybeans?" Nash asks.
"What can I say?" I ask as I divvy out the cards. "I'm talented."
"You're lucky, is what you are," Nash grumbles.
But the look on his face is lighter than I've seen it lately. There's even a ghost of a smile on his lips.
He's really good with his lips.
I don't even realize I'm staring at them until Beau nudges me. "You okay?"
I clear my throat and look at him. "I'll be better once I take everything from you guys."
That gets Beau to laugh. "You're so on."
We go around in a circle before Nash speaks up. "I think you're cheating."
I whip my head up to defend myself, but I find Nash's soft smile staring back at me.
It disarms me in a heartbeat. "I'm not cheating."
"You got your ass kicked in the first few rounds, but the last four hands you've won. I think you're cheating."
I toss him a wink. "Sounds like a skill issue, handsome."
"Hey, I wanna be called 'handsome,'" Beau says.
"Lookin' good, handsome," Levi says.
Beau nearly chokes on his beer as my head falls back with belly laughter.
The game goes around and around until finally, Levi starts the betting. I look around the table, trying to find these "tells" the guys keep talking about. I don't have a clue what to look for, though.
"Ante up," Beau says as he tosses five beans into the center.
Whoa, he's feeling confident.
"There's that," Nash says, "and I'll raise you two more beans."
"Easy peasy, lemon squeezy," Levi says as he tosses his into the middle.
I slowly look over at him. "What did you say?"
Levi just looks back down at his cards and grins.
Too bad no one's holding their cards low enough for me to peek.
We continue to go around and around until all of us have pushed every single bean into the center of the table. All right, so no one's giving in.
"Oh, this is insane," Nash says as he slaps his cards down. "Everyone, show what you've got if no one's giving in."
"Hah!" Beau exclaims when he slaps down four sevens.
He goes to reach for the pile as Levi places his cards down, revealing four kings.
"Kings beat sevens," Levi says before he downs the rest of his beer and reaches for the jellybeans.
Nash looks at me. "Nelly? You not confident in your hand?"
I just shake my head and put down my nonsensical hand of crappy cards. "Couldn't find a combination this time around."
"And the queen's streak falls," Beau says as he grabs at his heart like it pains him.
I shove him playfully and Nash grins as he reveals his hand. "Royal flush, assholes. Gimme my beans, you candy thieves."
We cheer him on as he scoops all of his jellybeans back toward his body.
"Finally," I say as I reach for my drink. "I don't think Nash can stand getting whooped by an Omega anymore."
A dangerous grin appears on Nash's face, and it makes my thighs squeeze together.
Levi chuckles. "I think he might like that a little too much, Nels."
Nash looks damn near predatory with that smirk on his face.
It's so hot.
"All right," Beau says as he stands and stretches. "Who's up for some lunch?"
I stick my tongue out at Nash just to be playful, but all he does is toss me another wink. Ugh, what is it with the guys and their winks?
And why do I love them so much?
The storm is nothing but background noise as we all get up from the floor.
I dive back into my nest while Nash cleans up the jellybeans and Beau heads into the kitchen.
Before I know it, a plate of food lands in my lap, with Levi bracketing me on one side of the couch and Beau taking up the other.
Nash sits down in the chair next to the couch itself.
I wish the couch was big enough for all four of us.
Maybe it could be, if we curled up and crammed—
"Anyone want to see a weather report?" Nash asks as he reaches for the remote, interrupting my thoughts.
For the first time since all of this started, I barely notice the crashing thunder outside. I mean, I'm aware of the sounds, sure. But not in the way I was before. Not when I'm curled up in my nest with food and everyone crowded around me like they're trying to barricade me from the outside world.
Would doing my heat with them be the worst thing in life?
I shove the thought away as Nash pulls up the weather report.
"Damn," Levi murmurs.
"That's a lot of purple on that screen," Beau says.
"Coming right for us, too," Nash says.
All of this feels so… normal. Comfortable.
Safe. Like we're all supposed to be here, doing this with one another.
Like the universe set us all up without any of us realizing the plan in action.
Beau nudges me every once in a while, and I smile over at him.
Levi peers at me like I can't see him out of the corner of my eye.
Nash leans back in his chair every once in a while, and every time the movement catches my attention, he's got an attentive smile for me.
And somehow, despite the weather trying to tear Honeysuckle Grove apart outside, I find myself smiling.
I mean, when was the last time I just...
existed with people like this? No renovations.
No deadlines. No holes in the walls to deal with, or budget complaints to field.
No ladders, or yard grading, or hammers or nails or pressure.
Just me, hanging out with people my age, who seem to enjoy being around me.
I've never considered myself a recluse. Is that what my workaholic tendencies have done to me? Have I really lost sight of all that in my life just to make some money?
I definitely don't spend enough time doing this.
I've allowed my work to chisel away at the relationships I once had with people in my own hometown.
I've allowed my family to get in my head so much that proving them wrong became the most important thing in my life.
Should it have ever been the most important thing, though?
Maybe I could call up Tansy, see what she's up to.
I haven't talked to her in ages, except for when I head into her bakery for a bit of a breakfast splurge.
I know another Omega has moved into town.
I've heard from the bit of gossip I pick up around here that she works at the vineyard.
Maybe I could go over there one day and introduce myself?
How long has it been since I've made a new friend, anyway?
I don't even realize I've finished my food until the plate disappears from my lap. I gasp and whip my gaze up, only to see Beau smiling down at me.
"You get enough?" he asks.
I study him for a moment before I nod. "Yeah, thanks."
"You need anything else?" Levi asks.
I look over at him. "Maybe some orange juice?"
He pushes up from the couch. "Coming right up."
Nash motions to a bowl in his lap. "Want some jellybeans?"
I smile. "Can I?"
"Of course," he says as he holds the bowl out.
I scoop a handful out of the bowl and cradle them in the well of Nash's hoodie pocket.
My pack is so good to me.
My eyes widen. My head whips up. The television is no longer blaring a weather report but has settled on an Expendables movie instead. Explosions rocket across the screen and someone goes flying, which is exactly how my brain feels inside my skull.
Where the hell did that word come from?
I shake it off as effortlessly as it popped up because I'm not touching that word.
Nope.
Not by a long shot.
I sink deeper into my nest with the jellybeans stuffed into Nash's hoodie pocket.
I've determined that he won't get this hoodie back, so he might as well get used to it.
The blankets surround me and the pillows support me.
Levi comes back with my orange juice, a straw peeking out of it, and that makes me smile.
The stuffed bear Nash got for me is tucked in between my thighs, and as Beau makes his way back to his place on the couch, I pop another jellybean into my mouth.
Another explosion happens on the television.
The guys roar out and clap.
And from out of nowhere, my eyes grow heavy.
"Nelly?" Nash asks.
"Hmmm?"
"You falling asleep over there?"
"No," I mumble.
Levi chuckles. "You're literally closing your eyes."
I slip another jellybean into my mouth. "Am not."
"They're closed right now, silly girl," Beau says.
"Sh," I hush as I chew the piece of candy.
Levi's chuckle rolls over me as someone spreads a blanket over my lap. That does nothing to help the sinking feeling weighing me down into the darkness, and I lean against Levi. My forehead falls to his upper arm as I decide on one last jellybean.
Before their voices grow further away.
"She's exhausted."
"Let her sleep."
"Pre-heat takes a lot out of Omegas. She needs her rest."
"We can get her into a shower when she wakes."
And as warmth cocoons around me, followed by their heady scents, another thought crosses my mind.
Best pack ever.
I fall asleep feeling safer than I have in my entire life.