Chapter 25 – Hawk
Chapter Twenty-Five
Hawk
Moretti growls at me and Magnum anytime we get too close to Vanessa on the way out of the club. She smells like a combination of the two of them, indicating something happened between them in his office.
If I were Magnum, I’d be a fuck of a lot angrier than he is. He’s a good sport during the car ride back to the mansion, winking at Vanessa and chuckling as Moretti growls.
Hell, he even rolls with the punches when we make it inside the house and Moretti informs all of us that Vanessa will be sleeping in his room tonight.
Her jaw falls, and she shakes her head. “I promised Magnum that I would sleep with him in the nest tonight.”
“You’ll have to get a rain check,” Moretti says, cutting his eyes to Magnum. “You may have tomorrow night with her, but tonight is my night.”
She opens her mouth to protest, but my boss takes a similar approach to when she wanted to stay with us in the basement—tossing her over his shoulder, he takes off toward the back stairs.
“Hey, I made a promise,” she hisses.
“Yes, well, I didn’t,” he says calmly. “Tomorrow is the best I can offer. You need a warm bath, and I don’t trust you not to put your body through more than it can handle.”
“He is such a dick.” Magnum shakes his head, chuckling derisively. “I guess I’m going to jerk off in the shower and call it a night. Any idea where I’m supposed to sleep?”
If Vanessa will be with Emory, that means I’m free of the awful couch for a night. I briefly consider telling Magnum that he can sleep there, but I remember how upset she was that she couldn’t find much that smelled like him.
“Shower in the pack bedroom,” I tell him. “She stripped the sheets off the bed, but you can sleep in the nest. It’s comfortable.”
He nods, swiping a hand over his face. “Thanks, man.”
Moretti joins me at the breakfast table early the next morning. He fills me in on what went down with Grigoryan, and Magnum comes in partway through the story.
My head whips to the side, and I stare as Emory starts over at the beginning, giving all the details to the newcomer.
I try not to let it get under my skin, but it took years of following orders for him to treat me like a capable partner when it comes to making decisions.
“Magnum, you’ll be with me today,” Moretti says. “We’re going to drop off the things Chapman is waiting for Vanessa to return. After that, I’d like you to do reconnaissance at Grigoryan’s office and possibly his home. I’ll be focusing on the preparations for mine and Vanessa’s claiming ceremony.”
My elbow rests on the table, and I lie my head on my palm, blinking at him until he gets the hint.
“I haven’t forgotten about you,” he says, rolling his eyes. “Vanessa needs rest. I’m trusting you to stay with her and ensure she doesn’t overdo it. She was feverish again last night, and I had to get creative to bring it down without shoving my knot inside her.”
My eyes narrow.
“Wow.” Magnum chuckles. “Way to come out and say you think he’s less likely than me to stick his dick inside her when they’re left alone together.”
“Like there was a question about that.” Moretti scoffs.
I wonder how hard it would be to find a new job? Both of them are starting to get on my last damn nerve. The only one I’m not annoyed with is Vanessa.
Moretti and Magnum leave, and I’m still hanging around the kitchen, waiting for Vanessa to pop up. If she doesn’t come down soon, I’m going to head upstairs and check on her.
Angel comes in, eyeing the food as she rocks the baby. She looks at me, and before she can open her mouth, I know what’s coming.
“Bring her over,” I say, smiling. “I’ll hold her while you eat.”
Angel doesn’t have to be told twice. She crosses the room, handing off Kassie. The baby is wide awake, and the second her mother hands her over, she starts to tut.
I chuckle as her lips push together. “Uh-oh, you realized it’s not Mom.” Nodding toward the counter, I say, “Go on. Eat while you can.”
“Thanks, Hawk. You’re a lifesaver.” Angel spins around, taking off to make herself a plate.
I grunt and rock the baby in my forearm, grinning down at her. She’s gotten so big, and I look forward to running into Angel so I can hold Kassie for a few minutes.
I figure it’s good practice for when I have kids of my own one day. I don’t want to need someone to tell me how to do everything, and learning now means I won’t be terrified of doing something wrong later.
Kassie’s face reddens, and she starts to fuss, so I pull her up to my shoulder, patting her diaper. She’s so light, but I make sure to keep hold of her neck as I sway in my seat.
“You’re a fussy lady this morning. Aren’t ya? Did you give your mom trouble last night?” I ask, nuzzling my cheek to the side of the baby’s head.
“She did, and Ziggy and Anson didn’t get in until late,” Angel says, like I was talking to her. “I swear it must have been after the three-a.m. feed. They haven’t been out that late since before she was born.”
“They were still handling something for the boss when I left. I’m not surprised they got in late.”
Is it my responsibility to reassure her they were working?
Fuck no, but I still do.
I wouldn’t lie for them if I knew they were out doing something shady. Since I know they were actually working and probably desperate to get home to her and Kassie, it costs me nothing to set her mind at ease.
Angel gets quiet as she eats, and I get back to keeping the baby happy.
A few minutes pass, and movement catches my eye in the archway.
Vanessa leans against the wall, watching me. The look on her face is unfamiliar, but I smile, raising a hand to wave her over.
She shuffles toward the table, and I begin to worry she might be under the weather.
She’s in an oversized knit sweater that hangs off one shoulder and gray sweats that look like they belong to Moretti. They’re bunched around her calves about a hundred times.
“You okay, sweetheart?” I lean back, keeping hold of Kassie with one hand and reaching the other arm out to welcome Vanessa.
She’s a little taller than me while I’m sitting, which gives me an entirely new perspective. I’m normally looking down at her. She really does look exhausted. She’s even sporting dark circles under her eyes.
“I’m good,” she says, leaning over to run her fingers over Kassie’s cheek. “Or I was until my ovaries exploded. God, she looks so tiny compared to you. I just got baby fever so bad.”
I chuckle, wrapping my arm around her lower back. There’s every possibility that it’s just her hormones talking, but it makes my shoulders pull back.
In my early twenties, I would have run the other way from a baby.
Deeper into my twenties, I started really considering if I wanted kids one day.
Losing my dad so young was rough, and I’d never want to leave a family without someone to financially provide for them.
Maybe that’s why pack life started looking so appealing as I got into my early thirties.
I’d always know my partner had someone else to look out for them if the worst happened.
“She really does look small compared to him,” Angel chimes in. “At least you know you’ll have one guy up with you for all the late-night feedings.” She snorts. “Moretti comes into the room, sees Kassie, and legit runs the other direction. It’s the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.”
That woman really does chatter too much.
Moretti wouldn’t be pleased to hear her telling Vanessa that. It’s true, but I think he’d be different with his own kids.
Vanessa snorts. “He wouldn’t get away with that for long. Not if he wanted to keep his balls attached to his body.”
I bark a laugh, shaking my head.
Never did I think Emory would meet his match. Knowing Vanessa is going to keep him on his toes for life makes me strangely giddy. He deserves no less.
Once she’s done eating, Angel takes Kassie and heads back to her room.
Vanessa sits in the chair adjacent to mine, and I scoot closer, brushing my fingers over her cheek. She’s not hot, which is good, but she seems rundown. Even the smile she flashes when she sees me studying her seems forced.
“Are you hungry?” I nod back toward the island, where the chef leaves the pans for each meal. “I’m happy to make you a plate.”
“Maybe a little.” Her head wobbles up and down and then side to side. She brings a hand to rub her abdomen. “I probably shouldn’t eat, though. I have a stomachache, and I’m afraid eating will make it worse.”
“Would you like me to have the chef make soup for lunch?”
“No, that’s okay.” She flashes another fake smile. “The breakfast smells really good. I just don’t want to risk having an upset stomach, especially if we have to go anywhere.”
I shrug. “It’s just me and you today. The plan is to stay around the house.”
“Okay, maybe just some hash browns and plain pancakes.”
“You got it, sweetheart.” I cup her cheek, running my thumb over the dark circle under her eye. “After you eat, we should take it easy. Maybe watch a movie in the theater or up in the pack bed.”
She nods, and I slide off my chair.
Moretti wasn’t wrong.
She needs a day of rest and pampering.
Feeding Vanessa breakfast by hand soothes my frayed edges. The only thing that would make it better was if she sat in my lap while I fed her.
There’s always lunch.
She calls it about halfway through the plate, but I feel better knowing she has something in her system.
It only takes a little coaxing to get her to come up to the pack bedroom to watch a movie with me. The housekeeper must have tackled the bed first thing because it has new sheets and a blanket.
I toss the comforter back, nodding for her to climb onto the bed. “Get comfy, sweetheart. I just need to unlace my boots.”
“God, I’m freezing, and I have no idea why.” She scrambles onto the bed and pulls the blanket up around her chest. “Take your belt off too. It’ll poke me, and I want to cuddle.”
I’ve never been much of a cuddler, despite my predisposition as a caregiver. Maybe it’s because no one has ever wanted to snuggle with me, so I got by without it.
She’s going to fuck me up if she leaves me behind for Moretti. I’m fine with being part of a pack, but I need to know I’m an equally wanted member.
“Seriously, why is it so cold in here? Is the heat broken?” she asks.
My head tilts.
I’m in jeans and a short sleeve T-shirt, and I’m comfortable. Not too hot or too cold. There goes that anxiety again. It slams into my stomach as I bend to get my boots off.
Moretti said she was burning up last night. Magnum said something similar about two nights ago, and I saw it for myself the first evening she spent here.
Why is she having an opposite reaction during the day? It has to be related to her suppressants, right?
Nothing else makes sense.
It must be that her system is struggling to regulate itself now that she’s off the suppressants. Luckily, I’m a furnace in human form. I’ll be able to warm her up without much trouble, but I’ll need to keep an eye out for other symptoms.