Page 81 of Ready or Not

It’s late afternoon, and she hasn’t eaten a damn bite of food since the nibbles she had of the breakfast sandwiches Marina made this morning.

It has my impulses in hover mode. We’re stretched out on the couch together with the baby belly resting on my stomach and her head on my chest.

“No,” she says, shaking her head and burying her face deeper in my throat.

I smack her backside. “You know I love you, but you’re being stubborn.”

“My stomach feels funky. I don’t think I should risk it.” Her tongue darts out, licking my throat just under where my beard ends. “You taste good, though. And your smell is really settling my impulses.”

“I can’t tell if you’re purposely trying to distract me…” I chuckle. “It’s almost working.”

Her tongue flicks against my skin again, making my cock jump. “Good. I just want you to let me love on you.”

“You are. I can order takeout, then feed it to you right here.” I run my hand down her side. “If you were really hungry, I’d call Garza in to make a snack.”

He’s all jacked up. I was able to relay the contents of the box, and it’s clear Landis successfully got under his skin. He needed to work off some of that aggression.

It left me with the perfect opportunity to snuggle up to our omega.

“Okay, but really, I don’t think I can eat much,” she mumbles against my throat.

“A little is all I’m asking for.”

She nods, tightening her arm around my middle. “Do you ever think about how screwed up it is that Andrew led me to you, but he’s also responsible for keeping me and Cooper apart? It’s crazy, isn’t it?”

“It is,” I agree, trying to focus enough that I can purr. It takes a few seconds of breathing in deep hits of her scent, but it finally works. “I’d like to think that was God or the universe having our backs. Hell, maybe it’s karma not letting evil win out.”

“Maybe,” she says as her fingers run over my sternum. I need to order the food, but I don’t get a lot of one-on-one moments with her anymore, and this one feels especially tender. “I’ve been thinking about my mom a lot lately. It’s hard. I miss her so much, but the other part of me realizes that she never got all that excited about family stuff, anyway. I think it was a huge relief for her when I got old enough to look out for myself. Plus, she had no idea how to handle having an omega for a daughter.”

We’ve talked about this before. It’s hard to hear because my family is incredible. I wish she had that too. I’ve also realized over the years that she rarely talks about her mom.

“I’m sure she did the best she could,” I say, nuzzling my cheek to the top of her head.

“Yeah,” Vale agrees. “It’s lucky Cooper’s mom is so close.”

“My mom and sisters want to come visit too. I told them probably not until Aurora is a few months old, but if you’d like to have some extra help before then, just say the word. You have the four of us, but I can understand how it might feel different to have the grandmas around.”

“You know how much I love you, right?”

“I do, gorgeous. And I love you too.”

I’m pretty sure I fall asleep after ordering the food.

The next thing I know, Garza is standing over me. “You’re never going to guess who was at the gate.”

“Who?” I ask around a yawn. “Oh shit, I forgot I ordered takeout.”

“Yup, don’t worry. I already got it. I just didn’t know if you wanted to sleep or if I should wake you.” He smiles at Vale. “Hey, sleepyhead. How was your nap?”

“Okay, but I need the restroom.,” Vale says.

Garza helps her up, and she waddles off.

I pull my feet off the couch and sit up. Once the bathroom door closes, I ask, “Are you feeling any better after your workout?”

“Yeah,” he lies. “The food smells good. Mercy and Holt aren’t back yet, but I hope you ordered for all of us, because I’m starving.”

“We’re going to find him.” I stare straight into Garza’s eyes. “Sooner or later, he’s going to pay for his sins.”

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