Page 70 of Craving Their Omega

But I shake that off because I don’t want to think about it. Not now when we feel so close and things feel so good.

“Just think about it,” I tell Tristan and head back to Penelope’s room.

Dom is in there, asking her for her preferences on noodles, and once the dinner order is placed, we get back to working on the nest until the food comes.

“I might have to get some of these pillows for myself,” I tell Penelope. “They’re so soft.”

“Right? I knew I had to have them.”

“Definitely worth the price,” I tease her with a grin.

She makes a face at me, and I fluff the pillows more as a peace offering.

“You’re good at that,” she says. “Making things comfortable. You’re doing such a good job.”

It’s such a simple statement, but I can’t help the way I react to it. Something low in my belly burns with heat, and I lick my lips, barely biting back a groan of satisfaction.

Penelope’s eyes widen and flick over me, taking in the reaction.

“Okay,” I say, smiling a little crookedly. “I can admit that I have a little bit of a praise kink.”

“Really?” she asks, her eyes wide.

I nod. “Yeah, it kicks in at the worst moments sometimes.”

“So… if I called you a good boy, you would like that?”

It sounds so good tripping off her lips so casually, and my cock jumps in my pants, almost demanding attention. I don’t even bother to bite back the noise that wants to spill out of me, letting Penelope hear it and know that she did that to me.

Everything in me is screaming at me to show her how good I can be. To push her up against the wall and kiss her until more praise is spilling from her very tempting mouth.

But that would probably be a bad idea, so I pull myself away, watching the way her eyes sparkle with good humor.

We keep working on the nest until dinner comes and then all head down to eat. If Tristan is thinking about what I said, he doesn’t show any signs of it. He eats and then disappears back upstairs.

Dom and I stay downstairs, moving into the home office to work on some stuff until it starts to get late. I let Dominic headup first, closing down the home computer and shutting the lights off.

There’s a light still on in the living room, and I backtrack to it, stopping in the doorway when I see Penelope, curled up on the couch with a book. She’s asleep, breathing softly and evenly, the book drooping toward the floor in her limp hand.

I scoop the book up before it can hit the floor, smiling when I see that it’s one of the ones I recommended about business and budgeting.

“You really don’t do anything by halves, do you?” I whisper.

I mark her place in the book and set it on the coffee table, and Penelope doesn’t stir. She doesn’t so much as shift when I reach down and brush hair out of her face, or when my eyes trace the shape of her curves, zeroing in on the place where her shirt has ridden up a bit, exposing a soft stretch of her stomach.

That wanting feeling is strong, so strong now, and I give in to it only to gather her into my arms and hold her close. She shifts toward me, curling up a little, and breathes out a soft exhale.

“Come on, shortcake,” I murmur. “Let’s get you to bed.”

Chapter 25

Penelope

I wake up in stages, feeling warm and comfortable. I stretch leisurely, noting that I’m in my cozy nest, which is even more perfect than I could have imagined. It’s hard to want to get up, when I’m so relaxed, but the day is waiting, so I drag myself up and make myself move to shower and get dressed.

When I open my door, there’s something outside of it, and I pick it up, realizing it’s a folded up blanket.

As soon as I touch it, I know it’s perfect. The lining is exactly what I was describing to Xavier and Dominic last night, soft and fuzzy and warm. Feeling so happy, I put it in the nest, arranging it just so.

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