Chapter 48
Forty-Eight
VIOLET
I can’t help the moan that rips up my throat as Rylan sets an overflowing plate in front of me at the island. Jasper’s the best cook I’ve ever met. If I hadn’t heard how he plays the cello, I’d think his talents had been wasted. The grilled cheese is loaded with tomatoes and bacon, and the simple salad looks perfect, too.
Rylan chuckles as I dig in, a small smirk playing across his lips. My body flushes, my scent flooding the kitchen. He tips his head back and laughs in earnest, his Adam’s apple moving in a way that has me wanting to crawl across the damn island to get to him.
Yeah, the crash from surfacing is definitely fading.
“It was practically impossible to feed you,” Dominic murmurs from where he stands beside Jasper at the stove. He’s leaning against the counter, his hands tucked in the pockets of his jeans.
I’m nearly positive I’ve never actually seen him in jeans. Slacks, yes. Tuxedo, yes. Sweats, absolutely. But jeans? It feels almost… sacrilegious. He looks away from Jasper and catches me staring. My cheeks heat as he cocks an eyebrow.
I clear my throat and focus on the food again, my stomach rumbling now that I’ve realized just how hungry I am.
“Jasper was the only one who managed,” Rylan agrees. “He’s also the only one you’d let touch your hair. And by the third day, he was the only one who could convince you to use mouthwash, too. Came in clutch there, for sure.”
He glances over at Jasper, a soft smile on his lips that lights up his whole face.
“And here he was thinking that first night that he wasn’t going to be able to help. Felt so fucking guilty.”
Jasper sighs and tips his head back. “Look, not my best moment, all right?”
Rylan nods, his face serious, but his voice is playful. “It’s all right. Blowjobs have a way of putting everything into perspective.”
My cheeks heat as the memory slams into me full force.
Jasper grins, looking over his shoulder at Rylan. “Practically a tradition at this point.”
Curiosity races through me. I want to ask, but my stomach rumbles again, my body making itself very loud in its unhappiness following the intensity of my heat. I start in on the second sandwich.
“Definitely will need another one, Tesoro ,” Dominic murmurs, kissing Jasper’s shoulder. He looks at me, his gaze intense. “And your apology gift will be here Saturday.”
Something soft wells up in me. For the first time, I don’t try to ignore it or force it away.
“I don’t need one,” I say, my voice hoarse.
“You’re getting one regardless,” he says.
I offer a small nod and focus on the food, trying to not panic over the fucking whiplash that has happened since waking up in my nest. My mind spins out a bit, trying to reorient myself without becoming a crying wreck. Not matchless. Not alone.
I… I have a match that wants me. They’re not just tolerating me. Or waiting to wear me down into whatever they’ve imagined an Omega will be in their minds.
I chance a glance back toward Dominic, but he’s texting someone. Rylan runs a hand down my back as he crosses the room, opening the door to the front study that’s his music room. Jasper turns and grabs my plate, and his eyes soften as they meet mine. He dishes another sandwich onto the plate before turning off the burner and settling into the seat next to me.
He places the plate in front of me and sets my phone next to it.
“Faedra texted on Monday when she got back from her trip,” he says, kissing my cheek. “I let her know you were in heat and you’d check in when you surfaced.”
I ignore just how teary my eyes have gotten. I’m not a fucking crier. We’ll blame the heat. Especially since it was forced.
Nerves claw up my throat at the memory of my mother at the event. I shove them down, swallowing around the lump, not wanting to ruin the mood with the reality of why I was in heat at all.
I send Faedra a quick update. Not even two minutes later, my phone flashes with her call.
I push away the last half of the sandwich, offering it to Jasper. He takes it with an easy smile. After wiping my hands on the towel Dominic tosses to me, I answer the phone.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so glad you’re okay,” Faedra says once I’ve offered a greeting. Her words are fast and nearly manic like her mother’s often are. “We headed off for our trip on Saturday, and I had my phone off. The panic I felt when I got that text late on Monday? For Jasper to then say you were in heat? Fuck, Vi, do not do that to me again.”
“Sorry,” I say, chuckling. “I’ll make sure I don’t accidentally end up in a forced heat while you’re out of town next time.”
Dominic’s growl is loud enough that Rylan’s soft guitar playing cuts off for a heartbeat. Faedra doesn’t say anything, going so quiet that it’s only the background noises of a crowd that tells me the call hasn’t dropped.
“I’m sorry, say all of that again but slower,” she says after a minute.
I repeat the sentence. Faedra chokes when I reiterate it being forced.
“Please tell me it wasn’t by him,” she says. “Oh my god, Vi. I will get on a plane right now. What the actual hell?”
Jasper kisses my shoulder again.
“It wasn’t him. I…”
I glance at Dominic and then Jasper. We haven’t actually talked about the whole my-mother-drugged-me thing yet. Do they know it was her? Are they waiting for me to bring it up?
Jasper whispers, “Authorities have it in hand.”
I nod and let my lips brush over his cheek.
“It’s still being sorted out. But I’m safe, so don’t you dare have that guilty look I know is on your face right now,” I say, firming my voice so she won’t fight me. There’s a loud cheer in the background. “Where even are you?”
“All right,” she says, drawing out the syllables in her suspicion. “I’m at a baseball game. Logan’s client is playing for the first time after being… Crap, I forgot the term. Called up? I think that’s right. He got moved from a lower team to the big team.”
Dominic rounds the counter, letting his hand brush along my shoulders before disappearing toward the bedrooms, his focus still on his phone. A minute later, the nearly silent sound of his shower filters down the hall.
“Does this mean he groveled enough that you’re not submitting to be matchless?” Faedra asks when I don’t say anything.
“It was a pretty impressive grovel,” I say. Jasper tenses but kisses my shoulder again. “It helps he did it shirtless. And some parts of it were in Italian. Have you ever been given a pet name in another language? It’s something else , Fae.”
Faedra laughs. “Oh my gosh, Vi. You’re wild.” There’s a short pause. “I wonder if Jude knows enough Latin,” she says, trailing off.
I toss my head back and laugh.
“You didn’t hear that,” Faedra says, and I just know her cheeks are bright red right now.
“He also said he’s getting me an apology present even though I said it’s unnecessary,” I offer, moving away from the topic.
“ Good ,” she says, fire in her voice. “As he should. I can’t even imagine how much that must have hurt. Just the thought of it has me freaking out.”
I hold back my cringe. It’s definitely not something I want to repeat ever.
“So now that the insanity of my week is resolved,” I say dryly. “Let’s move on to more fun topics. Like me flying out there for my birthday next month.”
Jasper raises an eyebrow but doesn’t immediately turn down the idea.
“Can the guys get enough time off?” she asks.
“Jasper and Rylan are on summer hiatus. And Dominic doesn’t really need to request time off.” I hold my breath, waiting to see if she’ll ask about what job could possibly not need time off. When she doesn’t, I say, “Besides, it’ll keep my mind off of all these graduate program applications I have out that don’t have special parameters for newly matched Omegas. I won’t find out until August on some of them. You’re so fucking lucky already knowing you’ve gotten into your top choices, girl.”
She laughs, light and bright, and I smile at being able to smooth over her worries even from several thousand miles away. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll chat with the guys and let you know, all right?”
She hums, and a man murmurs something too low for the phone’s mic to pick up.
Probably for the better, anyway, since Faedra’s breathless when she says, “We need to go. Send me pictures of his make-up present!”
“Of course,” I say, smiling, letting her happiness embolden my own.
Jasper hums as I set down my phone. “How are you feeling?” he asks, his voice soft.
I breathe in the smell of his cologne, leaning my head against his shoulder. “Good. Tired. I’m typically tired coming out of a heat, though. Cautiously happy about signing the final paperwork later.” He nods and wraps his arm around my waist. I swallow around the lump in my throat again. “Nervous to bring up the elephant in the room.”
He hums and squeezes my waist. “Let’s start with a nap. We can talk about Sienna’s bullshit when you’re not feeling so out of it.”
Sienna’s bullshit .
He knows. Do the others know, too? Jasper isn’t one to keep secrets. I’m sure he told them as soon as he figured it out. I pull away from him, trying to gauge how he feels about all of it. His eyes are hard, his jaw tight enough that a muscle ticks in his cheek.
“Let’s get you rested and feeling better, and then we’ll talk about it,” he says again, urging me to my feet. “It’ll wait until this evening.”