Page 50 of Wild Card

I clear my throat and focus back on the job at hand.

In no universe did I imagine her popping up tonight, or I wouldn’t have had those shots. Let alone the couple of beers I worked on while wrapping.

“Do you always have trouble sleeping right before a heat?” I ask, frowning.

Is that too personal?

Damn, it might be.

“I’ve never actually had a heat before,” she says, making my jaw fall. “I’m legally considered a beta until it starts, but I never updated my ID, so…” She hums. “Who knows? It probably won’t be a problem, since it does feel like it’s coming soon.”

I gather up the towels and stomp them down the hallway before tossing them into the laundry room.

By the time I get back, Lennox is examining the open box of recipes.

I wash my hands and have to search for a hand towel. Once I find one, I dry my hands and tuck it through the handle on the stove with my eyes on the pretty little omega.

Her long brown hair falls around her shoulders as she flips through the cards.

“Are you hungry?”

She shakes her head.

“Want a beer?” I lean my ass against the kitchen counter.

She turns to face me, shoving her hair behind her ear. “Bear and I bonded.”

I hear her say the words, but they’re not what registers. Seeing the bite on her inner wrist as she pulls her arm down is what clicks in my brain.

My eyes fly up to hers as I try to get myself together. “Congratulations. So, was that a yes to a beer?”

I need a drink, that’s for damn sure. Heading back to the table, I snag mine and take several long pulls.

“Thank you,” Lennox says, appearing at my side. “It’s taking some getting used to, but I’m really happy.” Her hand lands on my back as she stretches around my side. “Would you like some help? I love wrapping gifts.”

I jolt, drop my beer bottle, and grab one of the rolls of paper to stretch out over her gifts.

“Did you peek as a kid too?” I laugh and toss an arm around her shoulder. “I know I did.”

“Oh, crap! I thought they were for Bear or maybe your other family members…” Her pretty cheeks turn pink as I stare.

“It’s totally fine,” I assure her. “They’re kinda dual purpose Christmas-and-or-courting gifts, depending on how the next few days go.” I move before I can talk myself out of it, lifting her and placing her on the edge of the table. “You can have your first one now.” I stretch around her and grab the fuzzy socks, gloves, earmuffs, and scarf. There’s no way Bear had a chance to shop for her, unless it was online, and who knows when those will arrive. “These are from me and Bear.”

Dropping the earmuffs, scarf, and gloves onto her lap, I hit one knee in front of her as I tug the tags off the socks.

The boutique stores open this time of year were severely limited, unless I wanted to drive twenty minutes to The Exchange side of the island, but I did the best I could under the circumstances.

“Oh my gosh,” Lennox whispers as I grab her ankle. Her skin isn’t hot like it would be during a heat.

I’m not shocked.

If she was having a wave that caused her to spike a fever, I’m pretty sure I’d be able to smell it.

Her toes are especially cold, and I start to wonder if she has circulation issues or if I need to bump up the heat in the house.

Nah, Bear is like a human furnace. She’ll be fine once she cuddles in bed with him.

“Rush, this is awesome.” She pats my shoulder as I pull on the knee-high, baby-blue socks one by one. “Holy crap, it feels like Jersey cotton, but it’s so much warmer. This is great.” I glance up to find that she’s rubbing the scarf against her cheek.

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