Page 101 of Rut Bar

She throws her head back and groans dramatically. “It’s going to take longer?”

One corner of my mouth curls up. She’s so cute. Some of my anxiety takes a back seat, because I realize that she’s worth it. No matter what happens. No matter what price I have to pay. I can’t regret anything we did. Anthony was right. I would have hated myself forever if I said no and missed out on helping her through this heat. If I’d lost the chance to court her.

“Jamie, throw that old pancake mix out,” I order. “I’ll order more groceries and have them delivered again. Don’t let her tell you she’s fine and she can eat whatever she wants. Her stomach’s going to be sensitive for a day or two. I’ll research recipes to send you.”

“I’m standingright here,” Veronica complains.

I drop a kiss onto the top of her hair, taking a deep whiff of her faint orange scent underneath the bland null wash she showered with. “I’ll see you later, sweetheart. Don’t ignore the urge to cuddle. You need it more than normal during post-heat. Don’t look at me like that, you know I’m right.”

“Okay, Dad,” she says, rolling her eyes. “You know I’ve done this before, right?”

I grope behind me for the car’s door handle. If I don’t get my hands on something solid, I’m liable to reach for her again and then we’ll get nothing done. My instincts surge and tell me that’s not a bad thing. It wants post-heat cuddles too. But I have a courting gift to plan and damage control to do.

“Mmhmm.” I tug the car door open and pull myself inside, shutting the door. I click my seatbelt into place, then roll the vintage window down. It takes forever. “Are you gonna be a good girl and give your body the rest it needs today?”

Her cheeks turn pink. “I can take care of myself, you know. I’ve been doing it for a long time.”

“But you don’t have to do it alone anymore,” I tell her, giving her permission to be soft. To need people.

Anthony leans over me and jerks his chin toward Jamie. “Jamie needs it too. He’s a touchy feely guy, but he won’t ask for it.”

Veronica gives Jamie an assessing once over, the wheels in her head no doubt turning.

I give Anthony the same look.That was smooth. Not subtle, but smooth.And it seems to work.

Jamie scratches the back of his neck and smiles sheepishly. “I like cuddles.”

“Fine!” she sighs, giving in now that she’s been given an out. If it’s for Jamie, then it’s not an omega weakness if she does it. It’s for her alpha.

“Inside, bedroom, now,” she orders the blond alpha.

Waving goodbye, Jamie chucks the expired pancake mix into the trashcan on the side of his house, then goes inside. Veronica follows, and Anthony backs the van out of the driveway. He fiddles with the radio at a stoplight until he settles on an alternative rock station. Once we’re on the road and the breeze picks up, I crank the window back up.

“So how fucked are you?” Anthony asks.

I pull my phone out and open up a grocery app that has delivery and start adding things to the cart. “Completely. But it’s fine. I’ll be all right.”

Even if they fire me, I’ll be okay. I have savings. A fully vested 401k thanks to how long I’ve been working there. And the accounting chains are always hiring, or I could branch out on my own. It’s work that’s easy to do freelance from home. Having a contingency plan or two in place eases the worst of my anxiety.

Once the groceries are purchased, I read through a few omega blogs until I find some post-heat recipes that sound good. They’re too complicated for me, but Jamie can probably manage. Anthony says he’s good at following directions as long as they’re laid out clearly. “They’ll get the groceries in about two hours.”

Anthony taps his fingers on the wheel and nods. “Sounds good. You’re great at this, man. I appreciate it. I wouldn’t have thought about the food she needs to eat after it was over.”

Absently, I watch the scenery pass. “You got the protein water, and you handled her birth control. Neither Jamie nor I would have been capable of carrying that thought from one rutting to the next.”

He chuckles. “Yeah. You guys really turn into knots for brains when a pretty omega’s in heat.”

I run a finger over the rough stubble along my jaw. I’m in desperate need of a shave. “There’s a reason betas rule the world and get everything done.”

He merges onto the highway and weaves the old van around a slow sedan. “What are you gonna do for your courting gift?” Anthony asks.

“I have a few ideas. But I’ll need to talk to Jamie first. Would he let me tie him up?”

“Probably. We’ve done it a few times with cuffs and bondage tape. But you’ll have to ask him.”

I turn in my seat to stare at him. “What about you?”

“Me?” He side-eyes me. “No way, man. I’m not into it like that.”

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