Chapter 44
Chapter Forty-Four
Aury
Jayce disappeared into the garage after dinner, grunting that he had a project to work on.
I was too exhausted to care, still short on sleep from Siobhan’s heat, so as soon my head hit Hayden’s pillow, I was out.
I managed to text Siobhan a quick ‘goodnight and sweet dreams’ and while my eyes adjust to the morning light, I snag my phone from the charger Hayden must have plugged it into at some point.
Siobhan: Goodnight, miss you already. Thanks for taking care of me when my heat hit early. I don’t know what I would have done without you.
Me: You’re welcome, Moonbeam. Hope you slept well. I passed out at Hayden and Jayce’s - hope it’s okay that I slept over there. I feel like I should have checked in with you first.
Siobhan: You’re allowed to have your own life, we’re both dating them. I don’t mind if you spend one on one time with them too. It’s probably a good thing for all of us.
I smile at my phone. She’s so sweet, not nearly as possessive over her alphas as I was always taught omegas were.
I shouldn’t be surprised that Siobhan doesn’t follow the “rules” though.
The other side of the bed is cool when I flop my arm onto it, so I get up and pull on a clean shirt from Hayden’s dresser, then follow my nose to the kitchen.
Instead of coffee, Hayden has masala chai brewing. It smells deliciously like our omega, and I let out a ‘mmm’ of appreciation as I walk in.
“Oh good,” Jayce says, also striding into the kitchen. “You’re both here.”
“What’s up?” Hayden asks him, then slings an arm around my neck and pulls me into their chest. They drop a kiss on my temple and murmur,” Good morning,” into my hair.
Jayce’s eyes ping between us and he pauses. His hand clenches into a fist, and I take a leap of faith. “You can give me a good morning kiss, too,” I say to him, my voice still slightly raspy from sleep, “if you want.”
He blinks at me, and Hayden’s lips quirk against my temple.
I stare at him, having given the invitation.
It’s his turn to do something with it or not.
His eyes flick to Hayden for the briefest moment, then he stomps across the kitchen towards us.
I straighten, and Hayden shifts so his chest is to my back.
Next thing I know, I’m trapped between two hot alpha bodies, and my heart pounds out of rhythm in my chest.
Jayce fists the front of my borrowed shirt and slams his lips to mine.
I’m so surprised by the force of his kiss that I don’t get a chance to close my eyes before he’s already pulling back.
He must notice my shocked look, because he crooks a half-smile at me, apparently pleased with his performance.
“Right,” Hayden says, clearly holding in a laugh. “You were looking for us?”
“I want to plan a bonding date to ask Siobhan to be ours. Even though— Well— To make it official, I mean, not just…” He gestures at his crotch and his entire neck and face turn red.
I pinch my lips together to avoid laughing at the flustered alpha. He’s such a conundrum. Unsure and then commanding, determined and then bashful.
“Great idea,” Hayden says, and I nod in agreement.
“Do you want help?” I offer.
Jayce shrugs and wags his head in a weird circular motion. I lean back and twist my head slightly towards Hayden while keeping my eyes on Jayce.
“What does that mean?” I stage whisper to them.
Hayden chuckles, then whispers back. “It means he wants to say no but doesn’t want to offend us.”
“Ah,” I reply, then turn back to Jayce. “Let me know if you want any help, otherwise I’ll leave you to it. I trust you to plan something special for her.”
Jayce’s expression slackens and he looks at me with wide eyes. “You trust me to plan it myself?”
“Sure,” I shrug. “Why wouldn’t I? It’s clearly important to you.”
“I…” He scrubs one big hand up and down against the back of his head. “Yeah, okay. Thanks.”
“Plus,” Hayden says, stepping around me to clap Jayce on the shoulder. “It’ll be a good distraction for you from all this ritual stress. You doing okay with that?”
Jayce grimaces and looks away, his hand clenching into a fist as he drops it to his side.
“Yeah,” I murmur. “Same.”
Hayden nods, and we all stare at each other, glum. Finally, Hayden sighs and squeezes both our shoulders.
“I gotta get to work,” they say.
It’s only then that I notice they’re dressed in their navy blue paramedic uniform. My eyes trail down their strong build. Why are uniforms so hot? I wrench my gaze away and heave a sigh of my own. I have planning to work on today, too.