Page 15 of Packed in the Fire house

“What does the little man like to eat?” he asked, walking over to the burner and picking up a pair of tongs to flip the bacon with.

“He usually has milk, and he loves oatmeal, waffles, or pancakes—though he likes to play with those more than eat them.”

“We’ve got oatmeal,” Rune said. “There’s a little of everything here, honestly. Firefighters with big appetites mean that we accumulate quite a bit of food.”

“Oatmeal would be perfect, as long as they’re not too big—he struggles with the larger ones,” I said with a smile.

“We’ve got like three kinds of oats and all kinds of fruit you can add to it. Also…” Rune checked the bacon once more before moving to the cabinet and pulling out a blue plastic cup. I frowned at the cup as he held it aloft, until it dawned on me that he was holding a sippy cup. “This morning, I got one of the guys to run to the store and grab a few things. A quick Google search told me that Luka was probably drinking whole milk and using these.”

I bit my lip, desperately trying to squash the rush of tears. He had done that for me. He had thought about my son with such care, Googling his needs. His internet search was right as well. Luka was drinking whole milk out of a sippy cup just like that.

“T-that’s perfect, actually,” I stammered.

Luka was paying more attention than me, because he had immediately clocked the sippy cup and was holding his hands out expectantly. “Baba!” he declared, making little grabbing hand gestures.

“Don’t worry, little man. Give me two shakes, and you’ll have baba,” he assured, twisting off the lid and pulling a jug of milk out of the fridge.

With skilled speed, he poured the milk, sealed the cup, and was walking over to us. I expected him to hand me the sippy cup, but instead, he knelt in front of me, looking Luka directly in the eye as he held out the cup for him. “Sorry for making you wait, little man.” He gave him a warm smile as Luka took the cup, laughing when Luka shoved it into his mouth immediately.

“This cup is almost identical to the one he has at home,” I said.

Rune’s smile widened. “Good. He was clearly missing his milk, and I'm glad I could help. Now, oatmeal? With whole milk and maybe some finely diced strawberries? Are they okay for him? We get most of our produce from a farmers market across the road so they’re fresh.”

“That's perfect,” I said. I had been trying to add more fruits and vegetables into Luka's diet, but given our financial situation, sometimes it wasn't feasible.

“Good! And for the pretty mama?” he asked, slowly standing up. As he did, his eyes raked over me like I was wearing the sexiest dress on the planet instead of his pack mate’s clothes. “Bacon and eggs?” he asked after a moment of more looking.

“Please,” I said, unable to form a full sentence. For probably the hundredth time, I wondered if the smoke had gotten to me. I was in a coma and dreaming about stupidly hot and caring firefighters who treated my son so sweetly.

“Coming right up. Oh, and we will sort out a high chair for him as well today, so you don’t have to hold him while he eats,” he said as he cracked a few eggs into a bowl.

He had really thought of everything. In such a short space of time he was completely on top of the situation. I was still struggling to figure out what day it was, and this man had bulldozed in and provided everything I could need.

Tears threatened to well up again. I had always thought I would find an alpha who took charge like that controlling or irritating. But when Rune did it, I just had the overwhelming sense of being cared for. That was something I hadn't felt in a long time, and it made my insides go mushy and my eyes go watery.

“Rune…” I said, my voice full of shocked wonder.

Somehow, his grin widened. “You know, I could get used to the way you say my name, Cher,” he said.

“How do I say your name?” I asked with a frown.

He grinned. “Perfectly.”

Chapter 7

Rune

She was stunning, and I couldn’t believe she was sitting inourkitchen. Sitting there in my pack mate’s clothing, she looked way too delectable. We had given the rest of the guys on shift a heads-up that the omega was staying, so they were all aware she was around.

“I can help,” she insisted, going to stand, but I waved her off.

“It’s no trouble,” I assured her.

Truthfully, I wanted nothing more than to take care of her. My body was practically vibrating with the desperate need to do whatever I could for her. Feed her, wrap her up in blankets so she was comfortable. Protect her from everything bad in the world.

Worship her with my tongue until she was a boneless mess and my sheets were soaked in sweet lemon.

Unfortunately, the last option wasn’t likely to happen, no matter how badly I wanted it, because she was vulnerable and under our care—it wouldn’t be right. I’d made a grave mistake wearing sweatpants because trying to keep my cock subdued was near impossible. Every time she smiled at me, he jumped to attention.

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