Page 6 of Pack Plus Three

“I’m making spicy Korean noodles topped with crunchy garlic sprinkles...” He trailed off with a smirk.

Before I opened my mouth, my stomach gurgled loudly, and I flushed with embarrassment as Jeremy beamed at me with a knowing smile.

“Come on, I made plenty.” He stepped to the side, ushering me into his apartment. I trailed after him, my stomach guiding me as I clutched the Tupperware to my chest.

“I, uh, here.” I thrust the cookies into his hand. “A thank you for yesterday,” I rushed to say.

Jeremy cocked his head as he took the container, stepping over to the kitchen island to open it. His face turned from confusion to glee in a split second. “Are these butter pecan?” he asked, turning to beam at me. “You got me cookies! Did you accost Mrs. Jenna for these?”

“She gave me the recipe in case I had any two a.m. cravings—well, she offered to make me cookies at two a.m., but there was no way in hell I was going to wake up a sweet old lady.” As I spoke, I waddled up to the kitchen island. “They’re probably nowhere near as good as Mrs. Jenna’s, but it’s the least I can do after you fed me. Those rice cakes were amazing!”

“Wait, you made me cookies?” His grin widened. “I thought you just convinced the nice old bat to make them for me. Thank you. Did you manage to keep the rice cakes down?”

I beamed. “I did! My stomach hasn’t felt that settled in months. I demolished all the leftovers before I went to sleep—they didn’t last until lunch.”

“I’m glad it helped. Hopefully, tonight’s dish will do the same. It has similar ingredients.” He snatched a cookie from the box and took a bite, moaning and closing his eyes.

The groan was like music to my ears, and my body couldn’t help but respond. My entire body tingled, and I was awfully aware of the slick gathering between my legs. Squeezing my thighs together, I prayed that my scent wasn’t too strong. “These are fucking amazing. Holy shit. These might be better than Mrs. Jenna’s! You’re fucking amazing!” he exclaimed, quickly demolishing the cookie in two more bites.

My chest warmed, and my heart rate increased at the praise. “Now, don’t let Mrs. Jenna hear you say that!” I scolded.

He snorted. “That lady is tougher than an old boot, but I wouldn’t dare! Fuck, these are amazing.” He moaned again, and I shifted in my seat. Pregnancy had only increased my rampant need, and hearing a hot-as-hell alpha moaning over something I made was not helping in the slightest.

“I’ll make you another batch when you finish those,” I said, glad I could do something to make him happy.

Jeremy’s eyes widened, his mouth still stuffed full of cookie as he gazed at me, quickly swallowing before speaking. “You are amazing. I’ll do anything for more cookies.”

I tried to avoid dwelling on the anything part of that sentence. There were several downright inappropriate things I could have asked of this man.

“Honestly, those rice cakes were more than enough. This sweet parasite hasn’t been making it easy for me,” I admitted, resting my hands on top of my bump.

“Are you having any cravings in particular at the moment?” Jeremy asked, walking over to his fridge and pulling out three drinks, placing them on the counter in front of me. Ginger ale, water, and fruit juice. “Drink,” he instructed.

I laughed lightly. “Which one of those is for me?”

He shot me an easy smile. “All of them. Ginger ale for if you're feeling nauseated; it should help, even though I know you said the ginger tea wasn’t doing much. Fruit juice for vitamins, and you can never be too hydrated when you’re pregnant.”

I looked between the drinks and the alpha. He had really thought about what I needed. When was the last time anyone had cared about me enough to ensure I drank one drink, let alone three? That warm sensation I was starting to get all too familiar with spread throughout my chest.

“My bladder is the size of a pea, thanks to the parasite. There’s no way I can drink this much!”

“Luckily, there’s a bathroom right there.” He pointed to the door to his left.

Reaching out, I took the juice, cracking the bottle open and taking a sip. As I did, a wet nose nudged at my leg, and a sleepy Gilbert appeared. “Hello, there,” I cooed, doing my best to lean down and pet the sweet boy, but I probably looked far from graceful.

“I see, you wake up for Daisy, but my company isn’t good enough?” Jeremy asked with a laugh, glaring playfully at the dog, whose eyes didn’t leave me as he rested his head in my lap.

“It was probably the smell of the cookies,” I said as I played with the golden retriever's ears.

Jeremy barked a laugh. “I would also come running for the smell of those cookies.”

Note to self: bake all the cookies to attract the sexy man.

Chapter 3

Jeremy

When I got home the next night, I found myself constantly glancing towards the front door. Was she going to come again? The night after her first visit, I had purposely cooked extra, hoping I would see her again. I hadn't expected her to bring me cookies—and dear god, that woman could bake. Beautiful, sweet, heavily pregnant, and an excellent baker?

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