Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
Hael
I follow Hayes into the living room as he answers Easton’s call the next evening. We have a fax machine at the shop, and I personally supervised Morris when he sent our pack paperwork to the lawyer this morning.
We also sent a copy to Easton. Although, I don’t know why our big brother is suddenly interested in our lives.
I swear I saw that fucker plotting ways to kill us when Hayes and I were kids. He’s a psychopath, like the real kind. I don’t think he’s physically capable of feeling guilt, remorse, or shame. Hell, I have trouble believing he feels anything resembling human emotion.
“Put it on speaker,” I whisper, slamming my shoulder into Hayes’s.
He sighs, pulling the phone from his face and clicking the speaker button.
“I see you took the first option I gave you,” Easton says in his cold and calculating tone.
“I’m not asking Arbor to change her name. Let alone the baby’s,” Hayes growls back. “We have roots here. People already know her. It doesn’t make sense.”
I frown and cross my arms over my chest. This is the first I’m hearing about this, and I don’t like being left out.
“You don’t need to convince me. It was merely an observation,” Easton replies drolly. I still don’t like that I didn’t even know changing names was a possibility, but I agree Arbor is unlikely to go that route. “Fine. I’m going to have Calder email you a testing facility as soon as we disconnect. One of you will need to go to the appointment he’s going to schedule.”
“Easton,” Hayes growls, swiping his hand over his face. “What the hell are you cooking up now?”
East chuckles darkly. “An alibi. Or, more accurately, proof that you would have no reason to harm that man because he’s not the baby’s father.”
My forehead wrinkles so deeply, I start considering if I need Botox.
“I’ve already told you,” Hayes says, sounding exhausted. “There’s no possibility the baby is mine or Hael’s—or Morris’s, for that matter.”
“With that attitude, of course there’s not.” Easton laughs, though it’s a cold, dead sound and not at all friendly. “It’s almost like you don’t trust me. I will handle this for you, if you distract our mother. I love her dearly, but what I can’t manage is the hassle of having her in my space. You know this. Her flight lands Sunday evening. Don’t forget.” With that, he hangs up while I’m still slow blinking at the phone.
“What the hell does that mean?” I ask.
He sighs. “You don’t want to know. Trust me.”
“No, I really fucking do,” I growl, taking a step forward.
“At least one of us should have plausible deniability if something goes south.”
I’m not proud of the fact I punch him in the kidney, but if we need to handle this like we did when we were teenagers, then we can go that route.
“Fucker,” Hayes growls, clutching his side. He shoves his phone into his pocket with his free hand and flips me off. “Mom found out Easton bonded. She had her flight scheduled and everything. He, of course, deflected by ratting us out. Baby apparently trumps bonding, so now she’s coming to visit us.”
I jab a finger at his face. “That’s not what I meant, and you fucking know it.”
“You really wanna know, Hael?” He slaps my hand away. “Easton wants one of us to go in and do a paternity test for Gracie. Then he’s going to do some very illegal shit and swap out the results to make it look like she’s biologically ours.” His head shakes. “Whatever. It’ll show that it’s a match, that she belongs to one of us. According to East, it won’t matter which of us takes the test because identical twins are basically impossible to tell apart on a paternity test.”
“Wait, what?” Arbor’s voice comes from the doorway.
Fuck.
I thought she was still upstairs.
She was napping in the pack bedroom while Gracie slept in her bassinet when I got home.
“Arbor…” Hayes spins around, and his Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows thickly. “It’s not as bad as it sounds.”
“Is your brother really powerful enough to have someone swap out DNA test results?” she asks, studying him just as intently as he studies her.
“Apparently,” I say, shrugging. “Have you got any feelings on that?”
Her teeth dig into her lower lip as her shoulders rise and fall. “I don’t want anyone to get in trouble, but if you knew it could be done without any of us being arrested… I mean, I wouldn’t say no. I really don’t want him to have any legal claim over Gracie.”
“We agree,” Hayes says, pulling her into his arms. “Now for the questionable news. Easton bought our mom a plane ticket. She’ll be here Sunday. I’m going to see if she would be open to staying with Nana, but I’m pretty sure there’s no way we can get out of the visit.”
“Having your mom visit isn’t something you should try to get out of,” Arbor says, laughing. “I can’t wait to meet her.”
That’s a relief.
I already know Mom is going to love Arbor and Gracie, so I’m not worried there, but yeah, completely erasing Arbor’s ex from Gracie’s history is wild.
Not by Easton’s standards, but to the rest of the world?
That’s kind of a big deal. Then again, I did basically the same thing when I claimed she was mine at the hospital.
Ehh, I’m not going to stress about it.
Hayes already knew, and I bet Morris did too. They probably weren’t going to tell me because they don’t think I’m as hardcore as they are, but when it comes to protecting Gracie and Arbor, I don’t have many limits I wouldn’t cross.
The next day, Morris and I stay home with Arbor and Gracie to wait for the furniture delivery. There’s only one option on the second floor—unless we were to put Gracie in one of our rooms. It’s easier to set her up in the small guest bedroom, especially because she doesn’t need an attached bathroom.
Morris and I spend the morning vacuuming, putting down the new area rug, hanging the curtains, and positioning the wall-cling stickers. Basically, we tackle everything that can be done to make the room feel like a nursery. Well, outside of painting, but we don’t have time for that.
When we break for lunch, Morris goes to call the shop while I head downstairs.
Arbor stands at the kitchen counter, swaying back and forth as she works on gathering the sandwich supplies to put them back in the fridge.
She spins around, her dark hair flying out behind her as she spots me. A bright smile takes over her face, and she raises a finger. “I just finished. Turkey for you. Ham and roast beef with Swiss for Morris.”
She brings me a plate with a turkey sandwich loaded with bright red tomato, green leafy lettuce, and yellow cheese. It’s a beautiful sandwich. There’s even a pile of chips and a pickle spear on the side of the plate.
Still, none of it is half as tempting as that succulent little omega.
I take the plate, put it down on the table, and grab Arbor with a hand on her ass. She’s got Gracie strapped to her chest in the baby-wrap-thing, so I make sure not to wake her as I palm Arbor’s ass and push my lips to hers.
It’s hard to keep the kiss chaste when I can feel her affection and contentment flood the bond at the meeting of our mouths. I force myself to pull back because I need to say this before I chicken out.
Brushing my nose against hers, I lay it all out there. “I fell in love with Gracie the minute Hayes put her in my arms. I know it’s not a contest or anything, but I want to be the one who goes with you tomorrow.” I reference the paternity test that Easton swears he’ll be able to falsify. “I want to be the one they swab.”
“That’s fine with me,” she says, pecking a kiss on my lips.
“Okay, good. I’ve never actually said this to a woman before, but…” I clear my throat. “I love you. Like a whole fucking lot. I just couldn’t hold that in for much longer, and I didn’t like the idea of it slipping out during sex.”
She wraps her hand around the back of my neck. “I love you too, Hael. You make me really happy.”
“Me too, beautiful. Me fucking too.”
The furniture comes before we even finished eating, but it’s no big deal. Between Morris and I, it only takes a couple of hours to set up Gracie’s bedroom. Not that we get to move all her stuff in, but we do get the video monitor hooked up and put in place. The crib is together, and we even get a fresh sheet put on the mattress. Although Gracie could start sleeping in here tonight, but I don’t see Arbor being up for that just yet.
Now that Gracie has her own space, we’ll be able to stock up on more clothes and things.
Morris carries the boxes down to the dumpster, and I pick up the remainder of the packing materials and toss it down the stairs. I’m not being a dick. It’s what Morris told me to do. Tugging up my T-shirt, I swipe the sweat from my face. It’s still winter, but with a baby in the house, we keep the heat higher than I’m used to. It’s a precaution since Gracie can’t sleep with blankets, other than the swaddle-zipper things. They’re still pretty thin and Maine gets cold as fuck.
I head back to the nursery to see if I missed anything, and I’m shocked to see Gracie is asleep in the crib. Swiveling my head toward the door, I find Arbor leaning against the frame.
“She just passed out,” she says, backing toward the pack bedroom. “Leave the door open, so we can hear her if she wakes up…” She tugs her dress off over her head and bolts to the primary bedroom.
I do as she says, but snag the receiver for the monitor on my way out. Leaving the pack bedroom door open a few inches, I toss the receiver down on the dresser.
Arbor nods at me. “You still have a lot of clothes on. Where’s Morris?”
I chuckle, tugging my belt open. “He’ll find us after he disposes of the boxes.”
She grins and stretches a hand back to unhook her bra. Her tits bounce, and I groan as the heavy things escape their confinement.
I’m sure I’ll always be obsessed with her tits, but the milk thing is like an extra naughty turn-on, and I don’t have the first clue why. Stripping off my shirt with a hand at the back of my neck, I toss it aside and get out of my shoes, jeans, and boxer briefs.
I’m just in the process of removing my socks when Arbor appears in front of me, fully nude. She shoves my hips, and my ass bumps the dresser while my half-hard dick bounces around wildly.
My forearms rest back against the dresser as I take in the incredible view.
Arbor’s dark hair falls around her chest, and she licks her lips, fisting my cock and bringing it to her tongue. She swirls around my crown, flicking and barely sucking but not taking much of my length. It still makes my knees weak, especially watching her tits bounce as she moves.
“Do you like this?” she asks, squeezing my knot before hollowing her cheeks and focusing back on my tip.
“Hell, yeah, you know I do,” I growl. “You drive me fucking wild. Every single thing you do turns me on.”
I’m never going to understand what I did to deserve her, but I’m going to do my best every damn day to be who she needs me to be.
She moans around my length, sucking and taking more of me with each descent.
“Seeing you on your knees for me is doing crazy shit to my head.” I pull my right arm from the dresser and caress her cheek before moving to fist her hair, helping her work deeper. She scratches down my abs with her nails and my shaft jolts, spurting precum all over her tongue. “You’re gonna have a feral alpha on your hands if you’re not careful.”
Arbor grins, pulling off enough to say, “It’s a good thing I’m not afraid of you.”
Her confidence floods the bond, assuring me that her words are true. It feels like a fucking gift, considering how shitty of a relationship she left.
My forearm flexes, and my abs tighten as I hold myself back from thrusting too deep, but her arousal floods the air to the point my vision goes hazy. Well, that’s not a great sign.
She hollows her lips, really getting into it, and her tits bounce. Her dark hair falls around her shoulders, and she gets deep enough down my length that her nose brushes my knot. Her slick, warm tongue working the underside of my shaft, combined with seeing me disappear into her mouth, is almost too much. It’s an embarrassing amount of time before my balls get tight.
“Sorry, beautiful, you can’t keep that up if you want me to last.” I tug her hair and move to cup her hip with the other hand as I pull her up. “You feel way too fucking good.”
Bending, I shove my lips to hers. She keeps jerking my shaft, but I guide her over to the bed as we multitask.
Our tongues tangle in the air, and I wish I didn’t have to lose the connection. Knowing how much she likes it when we tease one of our bondmarks, I swirl my tongue around Morris’s. It doesn’t matter whose bite it is, it still sends a pulse of euphoria through the link.
Morris can thank me later for giving him a formal invitation to this little party.
My tip is sticky and leaking all over her stomach as I lift her, tossing her down.
Her heavy tits bounce, and her nipples pull tight with how fast her chest heaves. Her long dark hair falls over her shoulders and fans around her on the mattress as she studies me expectantly.
I would give anything to be able to burn her image into my retinas so I never forget how she looks at this very second.
Arbor must get tired of waiting because she spreads her legs wide and stretches a hand down to work her clit.
I pounce, landing on top of her. She wraps her feet around my thighs and a hand around my neck, pulling my mouth to hers. Fisting my crown against her clit, I lower my chest to hers. My tip dips to her opening, and I thrust, moaning into her mouth at the feeling of her wet heat stretching for me.
Arbor rakes her nails down my back, intensifying the haziness I can’t seem to shake. If this is what it’s like to be with an omega under normal circumstances, I can’t imagine what a heat will be like.
My thrusts gain intensity as I work on slapping my pelvis against her swollen nub. Her core clamps down, like it’s searching for my knot, but I’m actually digging being able to move, especially with the way her tits jiggle and sway.
Time seems to lose all meaning. My desire mixes with her pleasure in the bond until we’re both lost to the fog.
She clutches my shoulders, fighting for dominance as we kiss. Her inner walls convulse, and she freezes. Okay, so, she’s there.
As my balls get tight, I make sure to rut with enough force I can slap into her G-spot. My cock gets harder and longer, and I groan against her cheek. I don’t even know when my mouth ended up there.
Arbor must sense my orgasm because she grinds over me from below as I empty as deep as I can get in her tight little pussy.
She smiles up at me with pink cheeks and a sweaty forehead, and all I can think is how lucky I am.
“Well, now I just feel like I’m intruding,” Morris says from close by.
I whip my head up to find him kneeling on the edge of the bed with his massive dick in his hand.
I chuckle and roll us.
Arbor ends up kneeling over me, and I lean up, capturing a nipple to the sound of her sexy whimper. The bed jostles as Morris gets closer. It sucks pulling her off of me, but that’s just part of pack life.
Once she’s on her knees, he bends, and they share a tantalizing kiss.
Arbor plants her hands on his shoulders, tackling him and climbing right onto his cock.
Snorting, I shake my head.
Oh yeah, heats are definitely going to be fun.