He only nodded, his face still devoid of any real emotion. “I’m going to grab water.”
They were gone before I could say anything, deciding to just settle down against Tara. I couldn’t believe this was my life right now. Not only did I sleep with my best friend I’ve been pining after my entire life, but also the omega from the heat clinic that had me wrapped around her finger after a single heat.
And now we were pack.
But this wasn’t the way I’d wanted it to happen. When Jesse showed me Tara, I thought this would be a good jumping off point. A good start to getting to know them both and then slowly… well I guess I didn’t have asolidplan, but it seemed like a good place to start. That was until Tara went into heat and changed everything. I couldn’t say I was disappointed with the way everything had gone, but it wasn’t what I had initially thought.
Jesse came back not long after with a large water bottle and what looked like protein bars.
He handed me the bottle and I opened the straw, taking a long pull from it. After a few sips I shook Tara. She barely opened her eyes, looking very annoyed I disturbed her sleep.
“Drink babygirl,” I said, holding the straw towards her. She tried to turn away, having no interest in taking a drink.
“She needs water,” Jesse said.
“I know.” My tone was harder than I’d meant, but I didn’t need someone telling me how to take care of my omega.
I turned her to face me, her thick lashes still resting against her round, flushed cheeks. How did I get so lucky?
Lifting her slightly, I kissed her until she opened her mouth, where I gave her the water slowly. The feel of her tongue had me hardening once more, despite everything.
She moaned a bit as my knot bulged a bit.
When she was done she pulled away and laid back down, out instantly. “We can get her to eat when she gets up,” I told Jesse as I handed him back the bottle.
“Yeah.” He set the stuff on the edge of her desk and sort of stood there, as if not knowing what he should do.
I pulled Tara a bit so there was more room on her side. “Do you want to lay down?”
Their eyes flicked from the spot I’d created and me. I hated that blank expression he wore. Jesse had just always been so… themselves. It was almost impossible to imagine them as anything else, so this blank slate I was looking at felt… numbing.
But they still paced over to the bed and pulled one of the blankets up, tucking themselves under and pressing into Tara. They faced away from us, spooning against her. She threw her arm over him, needing him close even in her sleep, and my heart pinched watching the two of them. Even in her sleep the loving pull I would assume she always felt for them was there. It was obvious they had a good, loving relationship. I hoped in the morning we could talk everything out. The last thing I wanted to be was “Charlie the Homewrecker.”
My eyes tracked over his shoulder, gazing at the constellation of freckles that lay across his skin. At this point it felt like the ones he had in more exposed areas—his face, his arms—I could map out with my eyes closed. I'd been studying them for so long.
I traced around them with my eyes as I always did until sleep found me once more.
Tara’s scent swirled around me as light filtered through the window, shining in my eyes. I rolled to my side, thinking I would roll into said scent carrier only to find I was alone.
I blinked, taking in the space in the day time. It was still very purple but she had lifted the blackout shades, leaving thin curtains that were obviously meant to let the sun in. Where we were and everywhere behind her desk—in view of her webcam—was spotless. Her shelves were lined with figurines from OVWatch and different stuffed animals I’m sure had other meanings. Even her bed looked like it was normally made if it wasn’t for us taking a tumble in it.
But to the other side of the room it looked like a tornado had swept through. There was a mess of equipment from cameras, to ring lights, and what looked to be an old monitor. There was also an overflowing basket of laundry in the corner, looking like it was about to tip. I considered doing her laundry later, or hiring someone to come and help her out on occasion.
What was the point of being filthy rich if you didn’t use it all to care for your pack?
I rolled out of bed and took a swig of the bottle that was still there. It warmed me when I realized it was full and cold, like it’d been freshly filled.
I threw on my pants and left the room, following the faint chatter I heard. Jesse’s melodic laugh filtered down the hall towards me, a sound I’d always loved. Jesse had one of those distinct, unmistakable laughs. It was slightly high pitched, and when they really got going, sometimes they snorted on accident. It felt like winning a prize every time I managed to pull one of those from him.
I came around the corner to the picture of domesticity. Tara was sitting at the kitchen island, her feet dangling between the bars of the stool. Her hair was back in a bun it looked like she just threw up, with pieces of it falling around her face. She held a mug between her hands, the steam wafting up to her face. Her smile towards Jesse was vibrant. That earlier light pull of love I felt from her now a full on symphony. Being able to actuallyfeelhow much she cared for Jesse made me warm inside.
Jesse was currently pushing eggs around a pan, whatever they were discussing, it was still amicable between them. He was back to all smiles and joy… until he noticed me standing there.
His laughter didn’t end abruptly, but it did die quickly, which made my heart pinch.
Tara noticed the shift and followed their gaze to me. Her expression didn’t change, that same smile on her lips. “Come sit,” she said, gesturing to the stool next to her. “Jesse is making breakfast. Just don’t break my stool with your huge alpha body.”
There was no shift in her mood I could sense, so at least there was that.
