Page 47 of When She Needs Them Most
“You’re welcome,” he murmurs, kissing the side of my head.
Pregnancy makes my emotions feel like tidal waves that I see coming but have to ride out before I feel like myself again. It’s frustrating, but having Arden so close makes it tolerable. With his arms wrapped firmly around me, I snuggle closer with no shame.
My self-worth took a solid beating when Clark disappeared on me. Not to mention, he was the first alpha I got close to after the few years I spent actively trying to find a pack.
Is it really possible that I stumbled into the perfect pack at nine months pregnant?
That would be almost too good to believe.
Chapter Twenty
Arden
Having Chelsea in my lap settles my system on a foundational level. Her soft grunts and heavy exhales lead me to believe she’s thinking something through. I do my best to offer physical support without prying.
It takes several long minutes, but I begin to purr, and her fidgety movements settle. A short while later, her fingers brush over my dress shirt.
I mentally argue with myself over whether this is the proper time to declare our intent to court.
I asked Easton to have the tech guys at the main branch look into Emmett Raynor and his bookie. It’s one of the things I was hoping to discuss during our call, only I wasn’t expecting that to take place this morning. It doesn’t matter. Being with Chelsea at her appointment came before all else. If I have to wait until tomorrow to ask about Raynor, then so be it.
I trust Kase’s assessment of the situation, but it’s never a bad thing to have additional information. As long as Raynor isn’t connected, I can have a team dispatched within an hour to ensure he’s no longer a threat to Chelsea or the baby.
You’ve done a fair amount of procrastinating on following through, though, haven’t you?
Christ.
I have.
Men like Emmett Raynor are nothing compared to the individuals we’re used to going up against, but as long as Chelsea is concerned that he’s a risk…
She’s more likely to look to my pack for safety.
It’s shitty reasoning.
A normal human being would feel shame over leveraging the situation. I do not, but I also can’t stomach the thought of causing her any additional stress.
Perhaps it’s time I break down and hire a team. There are all sorts who specialize in a variety of manners of kills. For this situation, it might be best to go with something like an overdose or a car accident. Once Raynor is dead, his debts should die with him.
Well, as long as his bookie has no way of locating any friends or family.
Chelsea’s naughty little tongue flicks over my skin, and my head tilts. “You smell so good, it’s hard to explain.”
“I’ve got an unnatural addiction to your scent, too, love.”
She snakes a hand between us, rubbing over her stomach.
Kase and Lincoln painted a very clear picture of what to look out for when her system is craving pheromones. I slide my hand up the back of her dress, tenderly testing her skin. She’s a bit warmer than I would consider normal, but she’s also in a long-sleeve knitted dress.
“Ugh,” she whispers, shaking her head that’s still buried in my throat. “Your scent has me all out of whack.”
“Is that right?” I ask, flattening my palm on the skin of her lower back. She grinds over my lap, and a slow smile crosses my face. “Are you feeling achy?”
“A little.” Her tongue darts out, licking over my skin where my pheromones are the strongest due to scent gland location.“Do you think you have time to do a few jumping jacks or something to get you extra sweaty before your conference call?”
I chuckle, the sound low and raspy. “Probably not, but I have an idea of what will help.”
Lifting her, I place her down sideways on the couch before crawling in between her thighs. This morning, I was concerned that she would be cold without leggings, but I didn’t push the issue, because I was afraid it might be from a lack of maternity clothing, which was a mess I didn’t want to get into immediately before leaving. At the moment, I’m grateful there’s one less article of clothing that I’ll need to remove.
