Page 72 of Sincerely, Pack Pucked
As we entered the café, the smell of coffee infused with maple hit us both, and a smile spread across my face. The slightest hint of my omega’s scent, and I was grinning like a fool.
“I’ll hang back,” Spencer said, nodding at me before he skulked towards the back into one of the booths, where Mable wouldn’t see him but he could keep an eye on us.
Sauntering up to the counter, I took in our girl.
She was beautiful. Wearing a long dark-sleeved shirt and dark-wash jeans, she had pulled her hair back with two little barrettes. The small apron with the shop’s logo on it was stretched across her small bump. Just looking at her was enough to get my blood pumping, and I had to stop myself from rushing up to the counter like an idiot.
“Hey, what can I—oh, Saint.” Some of the false customer service cheer left her voice when she saw it was me. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to come see how you’re doing, and maybe grab a coffee,” I said with a smirk.
Her eyes narrowed. “And is thatallyou’re here for?”
“Pretty much,” I replied, my grin never slipping. “Also, I wanted to give you your daily reminder that you don’t need to be working, and we will happily take care of you. As the virtual messages don’t seem to be getting through to you, I have decided to be the in-person messenger from here on out.”
“Oh, dear lord,” she muttered, pressing a few buttons on the register. “I’m only working for a few more weeks, then I have my savings. Sit down, and I’ll bring you a coffee. If you disturb me while I’m working, Iwillspill a coffee on you—is that clear?”
“Crystal.” I nodded, offering a little fake salute too.Oh captain, my captain.
She hadn’t even let me order, so I was curious what my girl would make me. Choosing the table with the best line of sight to the counter, so I could admire every inch of my sweet omega while she worked, I took a seat.
When she noticed which table I had chosen, she huffed in an adorable way. I was irritating her, but it was bringing me a surprising amount of joy to do so. I wanted to push her buttons to see what she would be like when she exploded. Okay, that thought had more sexual innuendo than I’d intended, but it was far from untrue.
My Mable had some fire in her. I was sure of it, and I wanted to be around to see it as often as I could.
The next day, I was standing outside her class as it finished. I had a takeout cup of her favorite herbal tea in hand and a chocolate pastry. The cup was warm against my palm, and still,all I could think about was how much better Mable would feel pressed up against it.
I might have bribed someone in admissions to tell me when and where her classes were held, instead of simply asking her like I should have, but I wanted to see my girl, and nothing was going to stop me. Spencer was hanging back, keeping an eye on me, and I had a baseball cap pulled down low so no one could see my face.
I’d been waiting for about twenty minutes when the class ended, students casually filtering out of the lecture hall.
Mable’s strawberry blonde hair was hard to miss. Grinning, I strode over to her, falling into step alongside her. Her gaze went from startled to a mild glare when she realized who had sauntered over to her, smelling of some of her favorite snacks.
“I bring tea and pastries,” I said cheerily, holding up the goodies I had procured for her.
She glowered at me but took the offered snacks as we kept walking. I loved the little pout on her face, but even more, I loved the way she took a deep breath of the tea’s steam and sighed. It was quickly replaced with that glare of hers, though.
“You seem cranky. Is my stalking getting annoying?” I asked as I kept pace with her, easily done, since I was taller and not carrying a baby around.
She huffed, turning to me with a glower. “Yes, it’s irritating, but I can handle it. It’s kind of sweet in your own weird stalker kind of way.”
“Aww, you think I’m sweet!” I grinned, ignoring the first part of her sentence.
She raised her hand to her temples, pressing it against the soft skin and rubbing slightly. She’d stopped walking, too, and a thread of nervousness wound through me as I picked up the tension in her syrupy scent.
“Are you okay?” I asked, putting my hand on her arm.
“Yeah, I’m getting a headache and an upset stomach. It’s probably just that bug that’s been going around.”
I frowned. I didn’t like the idea of her being sick. In fact, picturing her in bed with a box of tissues made my chest pinch again.
“Do you want me to get you anything?”
She held up the pastry with a grateful smile. “You already did. This is plenty. Thank you.”
I reached forward, gently smoothing my hand down the side of her face. She was a bit warm, and my pulse sped up as worry gripped me.
“You should be resting,” I admonished, every instinct in me demanding that I get my pregnant omega off her feet and right into bed. “Not going to class.”
