He loosened his fingers, but didn’t move his hand. “No, the baby has a runny nose and she wants to keep an eye on him in case it gets worse. Did you know newborns can only breathe through their noses?”
“I didn’t know that, so that’s extra scary. Good for her for canceling.”
“I’ll take the kids out tonight. Get dinner somewhere farther away,” Rian called from the kitchen. “Give you two Alpha Daddy and Mate Daddy time.”
“Stop eavesdropping!” Brodie snapped at him, then added, “And thanks!”
He pulled me into a hard kiss, which I returned happily. Then he let go.
Glancing toward the kitchen, he asked, “Have you patched up my apprentice yet?”
“Yup, she’s good as new.”
Lina peered into the family room. “I’ll go wash up a bit and then I’m ready to go back to work.”
“Awesome. Meet you upstairs,” Brodie said, smiling.
“Cool.” She beamed a smile at us and vanished into the little bathroom.
I pecked Brodie’s lips and slid off his lap. “I’m gonna grab Rian and we’ll continue our planning outside.”
“After you make sure the couch is clean again,” he snarked, smacked me on the ass, and walked out of the room.
Damn Alpha Doms.
Max had been in town with Ben, hanging out at the garage, so when they came back and everyone got cleaned up after the day, Rian “packed the kids in the SUV” and they left the house. Holden, when informed of the decision, had told us he’d come by tomorrow instead.
I’d promised Carys that Brodie and I could fend for ourselves, and she’d pointed at the leftovers from the previous night and told us not to mess up her kitchen.
We decided to skip dinner for now, and went upstairs together. Since we’d already showered, we were ready for whatever Brodie decided.
Except when we got to the bedroom, he closed the door behind us and leaned to it, then tilted his head at me.
It was an expectant expression, and for a moment I wasn’t sure what he was after. Then it clicked.
“Hurt me.”
He moved fast, his hand curling around my neck before I had time to draw another breath.
“Traffic lights for safewords, otherwise you’re done talking until we’re done here.”
I nodded rapidly in the confines of his grip and went pliant.
Brodie smirked in a way that told me to forget about my gentle, kind, Alpha mate. This Brodie was all Dominant male inhis prime, and I trembled in his hold. Not in fear, but in barely contained excitement and pure lust.
“Kneel.”
I dropped fast enough that his arm jerked down with the movement.
He let go of me for a second, then gathered my hair into a loose ponytail he wrapped around his fist.
“Undress me.”
I reached to pull his sweats down, the front already tenting a little. The musk of him was heady when I pressed my face against the bulge in his underwear.
Brodie tugged at my hair. “Did you deserve to do that yet, brat?”
I opened my mouth, then closed it with an audible snap and glared up at him. His eyes were filled with mirth. Damn cheat.