Page 180 of Altius
“Guilty as charged.” Alijah kissed my cheek. “We traded numbers because he wanted my sausage egg casserole recipe, and we’ve exchanged a few texts since then. Is—is that okay?”
“Of course,” I said, setting my tablet aside. Shifting onto my knees, I turned and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Jacobi can be a lot to handle sometimes, but he’d take a bullet for me. He’s my ride-or-die. And I’ve always wanted him to have more artistic people in his life. People who can talk about composition and color theory—all the stuff that goes right over my head. If you can be that for him, I’d be thrilled.”
Alijah shook his head, deaf to everything but his self-doubts. “I’m just a low-level—”
My mouth seized Alijah’s full lips, determined to kiss some confidence into him. A bold sweep of my tongue captured the taste of his surprise, his pheromones as tart and juicy as a fresh orange slice.
“There’s one thing I need you to keep in mind,” I said, holding his gaze. “You’re more than enough, just as you are.”
“Not compared to people like Audra or her mates.”
Slipping my fingers inside the collar of his polo, I exposed his mating bite and the delicate line of his fern leaf tattoo. “This represents a new beginning, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, and resilience.”
“So, are you giving yourself the grace to be open to new experiences, to a larger family, or are you going to keep insisting that you don’t deserve more people who care about you?”
Alijah bit his bottom lip, at a loss, unable to meet my gaze.
“Because if we’re going to be together, that means accepting my loud, food-loving family, too.”
“I know. Your family’s great.”
“Yes, they are. And they don’t judge. Besides, my parents basically adopted Jacobi and all of Audra’s and Ethan’s packmates. How could they not want you, too—the sweetest of them all?”
“But I’m not,” he protested. “Really, I’m not.”
“Then why does my Papa keep asking when you can come cook with him again?” I stole a fleeting kiss. “And why are Joaquin and I so taken with you?”
Circling his mating bite without touching it, I watched as his eyes grew starry and the tightness in his shoulders ebbed.
“I can’t remember some parts of my heat all that well, but am I correct that Joaquin has a smaller fern leaf in the same spot?”
“Mhm. Joaquin suggested we get matching tattoos to celebrate our bonding.” A besotted smile drew me in. I stroked the side of his neck as he continued talking. “I told him some of my ideas, and he surprised me with the fern designs. Aren’t they gorgeous? He’s so talented. You should see the sketches he does in his free time. His figure studies are amazing. I especially love the one he did of—”
His eyes widened, and his words dried up.
Raising a brow, I lightly dragged my nails along his clipped hairline. “I’m going to pretend you were going to say a portrait of his mothers.”
“Thank you,” Alijah half-gasped, tension leaving him in a rush, pulling me in for a tight hug. The jaunty theme of the closing credits played in the background. “Do you mind if I rewind a bit? I want to see who won.”
“Be my guest.”
After giving him a quick final kiss, I turned around, resettled into my original position, and continued perusing the PheroPass data.
“Huh, maybe my design instincts aren’t so bad, after all,” Alijah said as the judges announced the black and green modern tea set as the winning creation. “Or maybe I just have an eye for pottery?”
“Too bad you used up your three lunches already,” I said in a forced monotone, although the corners of my lips curled up a little more with every word. “You could have tried exchanging one for a pottery class. I might even have agreed to the proposal.”
“No, thanks. I’m more than content with our current date night set-up.” He toyed with the ends of my hair. “But if you want to make a new deal, I’m game for another three lunches—provided we drag Joaquin along and make him insanely jealous the entire time.”
Easing to the side, I met his dark gaze, glimmering with mischief. “Sometimes, you’re just as much trouble as he is.”
“What can I say?” Alijah nipped at the shell of my ear. “He’s the best kind of bad influence.”
Forty-Three
Morgan
