My omega dropped his harness on the ground and shifted back to human, and I followed. “This is extraordinary. How have I never heard of it?”
He grinned. “Good surprise?”
“Wonderful surprise.”
“It’s a hot spring, but some of the pools are a bit hotter than others. I checked with Romeo, before you ask. He said humans might have a problem, but as long as I didn’t spend hours in the very hottest water, it would only be good for me. So, let’s get wet.
We moved from pool to pool, the mini currents and varying temperatures working on muscles I didn’t even know were tight, and I was having a wonderful time in one of the deepest of the pools when I glanced over to see Hirsch sitting on the edge, rubbing his belly.
“I think it’s time we called it, omega,” I said, wading over to him. “At least as far as swimming and running around go. We need to take a little rest so we can get back to the car.”
“My wolf will be fine,” he said. “But I would like to relax a bit.”
“How tired are you?” I asked, noting that at least one part of him was anything but drooping.
He followed my gaze. “What did you have in mind?”
I didn’t waste time with words, instead showing him how much I appreciated his planning of our date by using my mouth to suck him dry while my fingers played in his copious slick.
Then we ate the picnic he’d brought in the saddlebags and took a rest on a flat rock in wolf form before wandering back to the car. His wolf might be fine, but I was glad it was downhill. By the time we got home and tumbled into bed, we were two mighty tired shifters. But happy—oh-so happy.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Hirsch
I was hot.
Not that kind of hot.
Okay, that kind too. I didn’t understand or want to understand how Liam worked all the time in this heat. It never stopped and yet, hovered in the air like waves of blasting sunlight. Unseasonal weather for sure, but that didn’t make it any cooler.
The night before, I’d slept with nothing on, smack in the middle of the bed, with three fans all pointed at me.
Liam said it was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen in his life. He would be wrong. I probably looked like a beached manatee.
The freezer at the big-box store had become my best friend. Liam would run around doing the shopping while I found a pallet and made myself comfortable in the company of the milk and butter. I got some looks but I also got high fives. Mostly, other pregnant people and older omegas.
They knew what I was going through.
Liam would come back with samples for me to try and treats in the cart. I had the best mate.
Dinner for tonight was in the slow cooker. Loaded baked potatoes. I found a social media post where someone made baked potatoes in one so you didn’t have to turn the oven on. Anything not to make this place heat up was a winner in my book.
“I’m home,” Liam announced just as I was dreaming of sour cream, cheese, bacon bits, and chives. Usually I waited until he got home to eat, but the smell of the potatoes was almost too good to resist.
“Perfect timing.” I opened the fridge and got out loads of toppings.
“Are those the baked potatoes you were talking about?” Liam took off his shoes and placed his keys in the bowl and his bag on the hook. I never had to pick up anything after him. Not that he would expect me to, but he took care of himself for the most part.
“They are. How was your day?”
My alpha came over and kissed me so hard and well that I dropped the bag of cheese and couldn’t give a care about it. His strong arms held me tightly against him as he moved his tongue with mine, making me want him even more than before, and that was saying something.
When he released me, it took a second to remember my name.
“It’s so much better now. I missed you today. How about we have dinner on the couch? Watch that movie you’ve been wanting to see? About the unicorns?”
“That sounds great, actually.”