Page 72 of Pack Baines

It takes me a long moment to actually believe as much, the reluctance to let her go evident in the way my touch lingers, and I slide the stool beside her closer before taking a seat and taking her free hand into mine.

“What happened, Juju?” I ask, despite knowing the brief rundown after a very brisk and panicked call from Creek.

Thankfully, Juniper takes pity on me and explains, the guy beside her sitting silently through it all. By the time she’s done, Juno is shaking like a leaf, the cup in her hand trembling enough that the guy beside her is forced to take it from her.

“She was frozen right before running into me, so I brought her here since she said that’s where you were all meeting her,” the guy, Pace Larsen, continues. “I’ve called the police while she called Creek, and I’ve called my pack since I know Munro will kill me if I don’t keep him updated.”

I nod, appreciation for the alpha of Pack Larsen stepping in. “Thanks, bro. I really appreciate you looking out for my girl.”

“Anytime, man. Despite this being our first meeting, she’s practically family the way Munro and the guys talk about her,” Pace assures, placing Juno’s cup on the counter just as Gabby hurries out of the kitchen with a plate of pancakes and syrup, placing them directly in front of my girl.

“Eat. You’re shaking like an angry vibrator, you’re pale, and you look like one gust of wind will blow you over. Get some sugar in your system,” the boisterous woman commands, pointing at Juno seriously. “And when you’re done, you’re going home. You smell as stressed as a dog at the veterinarian, and I don’t want you working while you’re this shaken.”

Juno nods and I smile gratefully at the understanding woman, receiving a motherly glance back before Gabby goes about taking orders for other patrons of the diner.

Once she’s gone, I turn my focus back onto Pace and ask, “What happened with the police?”

“Nothing of note. They added the incident to Juniper’s file, but said there still wasn’t much else they could do since nothing actually happened,” Pace explains, sounding as irritated by that turn of events as I am, not that I expected anything different. The police can’t very well do anything about a stranger that did nothing but scare my girl from a distance.

I nod, accepting his words despite not liking them, before asking, “How did you know it was Juno. You said this is your first meeting.”

Pace shrugs. “Munro and the guys all talk about her. She’s basically an extension of our beta. Not only that, I can smell Aero on her, likely from when they had lunch together. I’d recognize that pain in the ass and his scent anywhere, and since he told me earlier they were all busting Munro’s balls about something at lunch earlier, it made sense.”

“Well, I appreciate you helping her when we couldn’t,” I repeat, doing my best to ignore the horrible feeling burning in my chest over leaving Juno by herself. If I hadn’t decided to stay and help at the lab, I would have been with her much sooner. I could have been there for her sooner.

“Don’t do that, man. No one could have anticipated it, so beating yourself up over it won’t do a bit of good,” Pace cuts through my thoughts, and I nod despite my mind still filling with guilt. “Get your girl home, and I’ll see what I can do in terms of finding that creep who was watching her.”

Without waiting for a reply, Pace side-hugs Juno, who blinks rapidly as though she’s coming out of her thoughts, and claps me on the back before leaving, pressing his phone to his ear as he leaves through the door with a ring of the bell.

As soon as my focus is back on my girl, I drag the plate and my stool closer to her, pressing a kiss to the side of her head as I say, “Try and eat something, Juju. The sugar will do you good, becauseyou’re crashing from the adrenaline, and I know how much you love pancakes.”

Juno gives me a small snort, but she nods before trying her pancakes for me, and her body visibly relaxes at the first bite. From there, Juno eats most of her food before pushing it away, claiming she couldn’t eat another bite.

So, with a wave at Gabby, I take my little omega’s hand and lead her to my car, driving us home with her fingers laced with mine.

“I’m sorry you had to leave class,” she mutters quietly just as we enter the quiet house, and I waste no time pulling her close.

Cupping Juno’s face, I rub my nose along hers, briefly realizing this is the most affectionate I’ve been with her since she came back into our lives. I’ve allowed the others to have their moments with her, waiting on my turn to finally touch her and hug her and be with her, and it hits me harder when I realize that I’m just wasting time by doing it. So, from this moment forward, I’m going to steal her attention like the others do. I’m going to be selfish, even if just a little bit, so I can get these moments with her.

And so, with my forehead pressed against hers, I tell her, “Don’t be sorry. There’s nowhere else in the world I’d rather be than right here with you. I just wish it wasn’t under such horrible circumstances. I’m sorry I wasn’t with you sooner, Juju.”

She’s already shaking her head before I can finish my sentence, her voice quiet as she says, “If I’m not allowed to be sorry, then you’re not allowed to be, either, okay?”

“Okay,” I answer just as quietly, right before I pull her into a tight hug, tucking her face against my neck while I breathe her in, wishing I could steal away the anxiety that sticks to her scent like Velcro.

I feel her press a kiss to my neck, my skin prickling with the soft warmth of her mouth on me, and I sigh as I press my forehead to her shoulder. At the most inappropriate time, my body wakes up, the brush of her lips doing things to me that should absolutely not behappening. Especially not after what she went through today, her scent still holding hints of sourness that tells me she’s still stressed.

Deciding now isn’t the time to act like a hormonal asshole, wanting her to be comfortable and at ease after the scare she had, I press a brief kiss to her neck before trying to pull away. The only thing that stops me is the tightening of Juno’s hands on me, and her barely audible, “Mh-mh. Don’t.”

“Juju, things are gonna get really uncomfortable if I don’t pull away from you right now. Just your lips on me has my body acting out of sorts, and you’re not in the right frame of mind right now. Let me take care of you,” I whisper, running my hands up and down her back, feeling her shiver against me and lean closer.

I hear her inhale, and I do the same, stilling when I find the first whiffs of something sweeter, something dense and mouthwatering.

“Juniper,” I groan, smelling her desire as it thickens around us both, overshadowing the anxiety that lingers. “You smell so good, but we really shouldn’t right now. Not after the day you’ve had.”

A whine slips free of her mouth as she presses her lips against me again, her own hands begin to roam right before she whispers, “What if this is what I need? What if this is how you take care of me?”

There’s a needy undertone to her words, and I frown, wondering how she went from being shaken and anxious to needy and clingy. Not that I mind, but it’s almost like a switch has been flipped, Juno’s body rubbing against me in a way that screams she isn’t thinking of what happened today.

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