Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
Alesso
The rhythm we’ve been finding the last few days is one that I’ve been craving. I’m rubbing Leila’s back as she sleeps on my chest after waking up an hour ago. She wasn’t hungry or wet, she just needed love.
Since I’m well aware of how that feels, I quietly got up and took a walk around the house as I whispered stories to her.
I told her about Italy and my family, and we looked out the window at the snow.
Eventually, she fell asleep again and now I’m gazing at Lucas, Oliver, and Isolde as they sleep together.
Grant will share when necessary, but he stole her away the night after her heat ended. They kept Leila too because Isolde missed her after days of being kept apart.
While it was necessary, I know that Isolde feels as if she missed things with her.
I swear this bambina has grown, and she appears leaner to me. Leila looks so healthy and happy. Unfortunately, we don’t have any real knowledge of her medical records and we’ll need to find a pediatrician for her.
There are so many things on our list to do, yet the time seems to slip away as we get our house set up. Furniture is slowly getting delivered, and I helped put up curtains with the guys while Isolde wore Leila and directed us.
I will happily take her direction whenever she wants. The glow she has is infectious.
I’m going to soak it all up since I know well how quickly life can change. That’s not to say that I’m a pessimist, I’m not. I’m the first to hold onto life with both hands, but I am suspicious of good things as well.
I don’t know how long this will last. We all have our enemies, Isolde most of all. Yet, for her to deal with those things, she’ll need to leave us and that makes it hard for me to breathe.
I want to wrap our house in bubble wrap and tell the world to fuck off, yet I can’t. There’s clients to tend to and accounts to launder. The difference is that now I do it while playing with an omega’s hair while she works next to me or snuggling a baby.
I fucking love this.
I can’t fall back asleep because my skin feels too tight. It feels as if something is about to change, and my lungs can’t get enough air.
“Alesso,” Oliver murmurs, reaching out to squeeze my leg in his sleep.
Keeping a hand on the bambina, I reach out with the other to run my fingers through his red hair. I’m sure he can feel the tangle of knots that I’m working myself up into, but as someone who tends to hole up, going out into the world feels wrong.
I’m antisocial unless I have to brave social entanglements. I was always surrounded by family in Italy, but it wasn’t the same. I was at people’s homes and safe. There were also more firearms between them all than in most families.
I came by my criminal background honestly.
“I’m okay,” I reply softly.
Lucas jerks in his sleep, and I blink as he sits up as if he’s waking up from a bad dream. Apparently, we’re having difficulties tonight.
It’s currently three in the morning, but I refuse to think of this as an acceptable time to be awake.
“Fuck,” he gasps, looking around. “I figured it out, I think.”
“Lucas, are you sleepwalking?” I ask, confused.
“What?” He twists to look over at me, his hair wild and his eyes wide.
“What are you talking about?” I ask. “What did you figure out?”
“The permanent blocker to keep someone from forcing a heat,” he grunts. “I keep dreaming about being in the lab, trying out different compounds to see what will work. I think I’ve got it, I just need to see if it translates to the real world.”
Well shit. Lucas Reid is scary smart, and he even looks the part of the mad scientist as he gets up and drags on clothes over his naked body. It’s a great ass and it distracts me until I force myself to respond to his words.
“I think you broke me with that,” I admit. “Your brain is even sexy. The world is so lucky that you’re not an evil person.”
“The world wouldn’t be able to handle it,” he winks, looking a bit more awake. “Basically, I’ve been working on the different possible solutions for Isolde’s problem. I want her with me today, but not at her expense.”
“Do you have this knot in the pit of your stomach too?” I ask, wincing. “I can’t sleep.”
“I do. A part of me wants to tell her to just forget it,” Lucas says. “The other, says fuck that. There’s no real danger that we know of. It’s just this odd feeling. I refuse to let that dictate my actions. We’ll have a security detail and Grant.”
“What about me?” Grant asks.
“Why is everyone awake?” I sigh.
“I’m going for a run so I can go back to sleep,” he admits. “I got up to take a piss and now I’m unable to go back to sleep. I’d just steal our girl, but she looks really fucking comfortable. Not even I’m that much of an asshole.”
“Good to know,” I smirk.
“What’s your excuse, Lucas?” Grant asks, watching as he pulls on his boots.
“The lab is calling,” he says urgently, grabbing his coat. “If you feel the need to walk me the five feet there, get your ass moving.”
“Damn. Yes, sir,” Grant mutters. “We are in the presence of greatness, Alesso. I haven’t seen him this worked up in a while.”
“It’s been too long since I’ve had a chance to dig into something. Corporate culture has a way of sucking the fun out of things, even when you know you’re making an impact,” Lucas says.
“So find a way to balance it,” I suggest. “I don’t know how that would work, but this excitement looks good on you.”
Lucas grins at me before leaving the room and Grant follows closely behind, already dressed. It takes a while, but I’m finally able to doze for a bit before it’s time to get up.
“Fuck yeah!” Lucas yells, coming into the house.
Yawning, I glance down at Leila who is happily strapped to Isolde’s body, sleeping again after having her bottle.
“What are you so excited about?” Isolde asks, smiling.
“I figured out how to keep someone from fucking with your heats,” Lucas says intently. “I mean, I’m pretty sure. I haven’t had time to test it.”
“Will it kill me if you let me be the test subject?” she teases him.
Lucas has a vial in his hand and he shakes his head. “No, it won’t. I just don’t know how long it’ll effectively last. However, I figured out how to make the ingredients for it while I was sleeping.”
Oliver shakes his head as he drinks his coffee. “Is it possible to be attracted to your brain?” he asks. “Cause it’s damn sexy, Lucas.”
“It really is,” Isolde says, blushing. I can smell how appreciative she is and grin as she shifts in her seat. “So how do I take this?”
“Bottoms up, darlin’,” Lucas says, handing the small vial to her. “It’s cooled down and safe to drink now. Patience was a bitch, but necessary.”
Isolde takes the vial and puts it to her lips, tipping her head back without hesitation.
“Well, we’ll check off trusting Lucas with her life today,” Grant growls.
“You know I wouldn’t give her something that could hurt her,” Lucas says, rolling his eyes. “In a perfect world, I would test this on animals first.”
“The world isn’t perfect,” Isolde says, making a face. “It tasted bitter.”
“I didn’t get a chance to doctor it with something to make it taste better,” Lucas says, appearing chagrined.
“It doesn’t bother me,” she promises, handing the vial back to him. “Is this where you’ve been?”
“It is. I woke up out of a dead sleep and had to go to the lab,” he admits. “It was the most intense experience I’ve ever had. I’ve been on edge about taking you into the city for some reason.”
Isolde raises her brow in surprise and I chime in.
“I couldn’t sleep last night,” I add. “There’s this heavy weight on my chest that I can’t shake. No matter how much I try, I have this feeling that something is going to happen today.”
“Should I not go?” Isolde asks, concerned as she looks down at our baby.
“No, I think you should come,” Lucas says. “I feel a little better knowing you have extra protection, along with your weapons. We’re just going to the office, dinner, and then home. That’s it.”
“Okay,” she says, blowing out a breath. “You’re infecting me with your anxiety, guys. They’re not my emotions, but they’re bleeding into me.”
“Rein it back, boys,” Oliver growls. While he’s pensive, he’s not going to tell Isolde what to do. Lucas is right. She can handle herself.
A blushing flower she is not.
Taking a deep breath, I force myself to calm down and lock down my emotions. Slowly, Isolde relaxes, and she nods.
“Thank you,” she rasps.
“I’m going to shower and then get dressed. Are you ready to go?” Lucas asks.
“I have to fix my hair,” Isolde says, making a face.
“It looks great,” Lucas says, confused.
“I have to put it up. Right now, I keep pushing it away from Leila’s face or she’ll grab it and yank it. It’ll give me a place to hide a few weapons in my hair as well.”
“Like Mary Poppins but in your hair?” Oliver asks slowly.
I snicker because now all I can imagine is her pulling things out of her thick mane.
“You’re all ridiculous,” Grant sighs. “Let’s transfer the baby into my arms and you can do what you need to, Little Nightmare.”
Carefully unbuckling the baby carrier, Isolde slips the straps from her shoulders. Leila is so small, we have to place a rolled up blanket under her bottom so she’ll fit in it. Grant takes the baby and snuggles her against his chest as he whispers to her.
It’s hard to reconcile how scary he is with this softer side and I don’t know if I’ll ever get over it.
“Can I brush your hair, Isolde?” I ask, wanting to be close to her. Oliver hides a smile as he begins to clean up the kitchen, but I plan on making him pay for that later by sucking on my cock.
Smug jerk.
“Yes…” Isolde glances at me with a surprised look, and I follow her to the room as Lucas walks ahead of us to shower.
Clothes litter the path behind him, making Isolde roll her eyes.
“Is this a strip tease?” she calls after him.
Lucas turns buck ass naked and swings his hips back and forth to make his half hardened cock slap his upper thighs and pelvis.
“Show off,” I say, thoroughly amused.