Page 25 of A Baby for the Beast
I want to punch something. Remus is in our head, tearing at the mental fortitudes, trying to hurt something because there's nothing physically tangible for us to destroy right now.
I check some of the bigger sports gossip channels and see what's being said. It's split heavily in Hayley's favor. Most think what Kyle's doing is shitty, but that doesn't stop them from all speculating on her using both Kyle and me. There are articles about me doing what Hayley was scared of, that I'm using herjust to get at Kyle before the fight. I can handle the speculation about me, but it's when they say things about Hayley that have me seeing red.
"You shouldn't be looking at that," Hayley's voice surprises me as much as her hands on my shoulders do. She gives them a tight squeeze and then starts massaging them in earnest. "You hold too much tension here."
I huff out a laugh, grabbing her hand and tugging her around while I push away from the table. There's enough space for her to sit in my lap, and that's exactly where I want her. She giggles as she settles against me. Her hand strokes against my chest as she looks up at me with a soft, worried expression.
"It's going to be okay," I tell her, pulling her close and pressing a kiss to her temple. "Do you want to go to the gym with me for a little?"
She gives me an unenthusiastic grimace. "Do I have to work out?"
I smile, a big, genuine smile that is followed by a short chuckle. "No, I need to go work out some of this energy, though."
"Unless you're offering to let me work it out with your body?"
Remus comes out for all of a couple of seconds to make the proposition before returning inside our mind and leaving me wide-eyed to deal with the fallout. I open my mouth to apologize for Remus, but Hayley covers my mouth with her fingertips.
"Soon, but not yet, okay?" she asks. "I just want it to be something happy and not while I'm still fluctuating between emotions about everything else."
"You don't need to explain yourself," I tell her, turning her hand and kissing her knuckles. "Like I said, we'll be here when you're ready."
Hayley rests against my chest, inhaling deeply and letting out a disgruntled sound. I assume it's because she can't smell us yet.She doesn't need to be able to smell us for us to coat her in our scent, which we've done. We won't be satisfied until she smells like us inside and outside, but for now, this is good enough.
"Okay, let me get a cup of coffee, and then I can go watch you work out shirtless."
"I didn't say I'd be shirtless," I say, helping her to her feet and showing her where the coffee is.
She shoots me a devilish look as she grabs a mug. "Your omega would be so happy if you worked out shirtless."
I close my eyes, ignoring the terrible rumble of our purr, and take a deep inhale. "You're dangerous, omega."
"Not as much as you," Hayley says, pressing her hand to the middle of our chest.
Remus comes out, snatching her hand and tugging us close to her. He bends down like he's going to kiss her, but keeps going, tilting her head to the side and licking a long line from where her shoulder and neck meet all the way up to the hinge of her jaw.
"Remember that, Hayley," he says, pinching her chin and gazing into her eyes. "Because I am dangerous, but never to you."
10
Hayley
Watching Lucas spar with other alphas and beasts is easily in the top ten of my favorite things to watch. Actually, scratch that, top three. Staring at him while he's all lust drunk from eating me out is currently number one, but I'm pretty sure the first time I see him naked, it's going to bump that to number two, and so that leaves spot number three to Remus, all sweaty and half dressed, punching other alphas. And I think that's a pretty great list.
Lucas is speaking with a middle-aged man he introduced to me as Phil, his trainer. They're discussing what's happening with Kyle and how Phil has a meeting scheduled for us with a PR company to discuss how to handle this. It's embarrassing that he knows all about it, but then I realize everyone at the gym knows exactly who I am, and none of them made a thing about it at all.
Lucas introduced me to everyone he was sparring with, and he told them all I was his omega, and I didn't deny it. They all shook my hand, made me feel like I was welcome, and it never occurred to me that they already knew. But why wouldn't they? In their world, the drama between Kyle, Lucas, and me is the biggest thing going on right now.
"I need to shower, and then are you good to go talk to the PR people?" Lucas asks when he comes over to where I'm standing.
His hands find my hips easily as though he's used to touching me whenever he feels like it, and I don't hate that one bit. I step closer, frowning down at my abdomen when it keeps me from getting as close as I want to be to him.
"Yeah, is it okay if I stay here?"
"Do whatever you want," Lucas says with a smile. "If anyone gives you a hard time, let me know."
"Pretty sure they all respect you too much to do that," I tell him, pushing his chest and shooing him off to go shower.
He growls but relents, and I watch him leave, knowing full well he's flexing his back muscles as he walks because there's no way he looks that good naturally. I have to be stinking up the place, but like I said, all of these guys respect Lucas too much to say anything about it.
