Page 62 of Beta and the Beast
I lean down to kiss her when she comes over, and she instinctively raises her lips to mine, brushing them against mebefore giving everyone else their orders of cleaning, placing decorations, or propping open doors and setting out chairs. She's in her element, and I'm quick to do what my beta says because I'd do anything when it comes to her.
***
"My feet are both in pain and way too hot at the same time," Jace says as he plops into one of the coffee shop chairs, his feet coming down hard on the little circular table and rattling the few dishes still left on it.
"Get your feet off the furniture," I grumble, but he's not wrong. My feet also feel way too warm.
We've been running around since we opened the doors for the grand reopening. Not only were there more people than we expected to show up, but most weren't even people I had to call multiple times this week to make sure they came.
Jace does as I say but kicks his tennis shoes off at the same time, wiggling his sock-covered toes as he groans in ecstasy. "I've decided I don't want to work in food service."
"Yeah, you and me both," I tell him, leaning my head against the back of my chair and closing my eyes.
Sarah is saying goodbye to Hazel, the only one from earlier who stayed the whole time. Everyone else slowly filtered out as the day wore on, saying goodbye when they could, offering quick waves when it was clear we were too busy to stop and give goodbye hugs.
Hazel worked as much as we did, making coffees with Sarah, plating more desserts when we needed them, and helping to clear tables because, for some reason, no one thought to put their dishes on the little stands with signs above them that read 'dirty dishes here.'
"Okay, if you two want to head upstairs, I'll be up there in a bit," Sarah says, acting much more lively than Jace and I could even if we mustered up our willpower together.
"And what are you going to do down here?" I ask her, my eyes flicking around to the dishes still out, the tables that need to be wiped down, the floor that needs to be swept, and the trash that needs to be taken out. Oh, I am so tired. "I'll help."
Sarah opens her mouth to object, probably seeing how exhausted I look, but there's no way I'm leaving her to clean up all of this on her own. Not only would that make me a shitty mate, but it'd also make me a shitty business partner. The only time I've been a shitty business partner is when I pursued Sarah.
"I'll help too, but I'm going to complain the entire time," Jace says, making good on that by immediately groaning as he stands up. "I'm also not putting my shoes back on. I saw them smoking from how hot they are."
I eye my shoes but decide to leave them on because I know someone had to have spilled something on the floor at some point. I don't want to get a coffee stain on my socks, and I don't want to spend my time cleaning with a moist sock.
"You two are too good to me," Sarah tells me, wrapping her arms around my waist.
I'd love nothing more than for her to stay wrapped around me, preferably all the way up to my apartment and into our room and the pathetic thing she called a nest last night after throwing everything onto it and crawling underneath it all the while Romulus tore it apart in search for where she was hiding. But there's work to do, and even my beta tempting me with her sweet words and even sweeter scent will not stop me from doing my work before getting to my play.
"You deserve it, Sarah," I say before kissing her forehead. "Now start working because I want this part of the day to be over."
She huffs but relents in her soft teasing. Between the three of us, which is really only two of us because Jace and I only count as half a person each with how slow we're moving, we get the cleaning done in about an hour.
Much to Sarah's disapproval and disgust, Jace doesn't put his shoes on even when we head to the back alley to get to the apartment. He manages to step in the only small puddle in the alley. When he pulls his foot out, the sock, which was once dingy white, is now grey and repulsive.
"Don't you dare go into my apartment with that on!" Sarah shouts at him, trying to keep herself from retching as Jace holds his leg up, wiggling his toes in her direction. He takes her distress as a challenge, bolting with renewed speed up the steps into the apartments and using his key to unlock her apartment.
"Jace," Sarah warns, her voice turning serious.
"I'm just messing with you," he says. He falls to his butt and peels the offending sock off his foot before setting it on the steps. "I'll throw it away when it dries out."
"Thank you," Sarah says, letting out a long exhale as though she was worried Jace, of all people, would do something to upset her. He's more sensitive to that kind of stuff than Romulus is. It's why Romulus didn't even grumble when Jace gave her a hard time.
"Okay, I'm going down the street to get pizza," I tell the two when we lock up Sarah's apartment again and I get them herded into my apartment. "Same as usual. Is there anything special you two want?"
"I'm good, but I'm going to shower first," Jace says, disappearing into his room before popping out, carrying some pajamas. I wait until he closes the bathroom door before pulling Sarah back out and closing the door behind her.
"Anything you want, sweet beta?" I ask her, my lips falling to hers, opening them, pushing my tongue inside to taste her.
"Don't start something you can't finish, alpha," Sarah teases, fluttering her lashes at Romulus as he surges for control. She pushes at our chest, her smile seductive and knowing. "Go get food to feed your family, Romulus. I'll thank you for it tonight."
"I want you begging for my knot," he tells her, taking a step down but facing her. "And I want it believable."
"When is it not?" Sarah asks, arching a brow at us, and she's not wrong because if we can get her worked up enough, she always begs for our knot, begs us to give it to her, to split her in half, and have our way with her. "Oh, and Scott brought me some supplies."
"Supplies?" Romulus tilts his head, unsure about what her brother could've brought her.
