Page 54 of The Beta: Part One

“What were you out there doing, anyway?” Jasper asks, directing his sulky attitude at Nathan.

“Trimming the brush at the property line, I'm putting in a few more cameras and I need a clearer line of sight,” he replies, and plunks a damp kiss on Jasper's temple.

Jasper grimaces and I stifle a laugh.

“You're still sour?” Nathan teases. Nathan caught the brunt of an outburst earlier when Jasper was very rationally expressing how much he wasn’t enjoying the fact that I changed out of his shirt.

Jasper doesn't answer, but his face says enough.

Nathan says to me, “It's a territorial kind of thing. He wants you to smell like him. He wants us all to smell like him, but since you two just you know,” insert ridiculous eyebrow waggle, “He really wants to know that you smell like him and that you're, you know, proud that you're his now.”

And so help me, I do know that; I just didn't expect him to be so sullen about it. “I know, I just didn't want to get anything on it.”

Then I have a light bulb moment, “I wouldn't be able to sleep in it if I accidentally got food on it. It might smell more like dinner than Jasper.”

Nathan winks at me and I know that was the right thing to say.

Just as I'm finishing the sides, Kaleb brings the platter of kebabs and dinner commences with gusto. Not only do men enjoy cooking over a flame, but they also thoroughly enjoy eating fire-roasted food. Conversation is centered around pinning down the plan for the auction, which is in just a few days; and by the time the kitchen is cleaned up I am beyond ready to go to bed.

I'm settled into my bedding and have just opened my book to read for a few minutes when I hear someone creeping down the stairs. It has to be Jasper because the footsteps are too light for it to be anyone else. Sure enough it's him who walks through my doorway, and I'm glad that I did end up putting his shirt on to sleep in.

“Hey,” he says and plops down on the foot of my bed.

“Hi. You okay?” I ask him.

“Yeah. Read to me?” he asks, knowing the answer, and I open my arms for him.

My bed is small, even for me, and he ends up laying between my legs with his head resting on my stomach. I read to him for a while, running my fingers through his hair until he starts softly snoring.

It would be so nice to get used to this; sleeping a night with Jasper would be heavenly, but not in this bed. I give myself a few minutes to enjoy it before I text Kaleb to come get him. I don't want to wake him up to kick him out of my bed, that would make him feel so rejected; but I can't have him sleeping down here with me. Kaleb will make it about wanting Jasper in his own bed instead of removing him from mine.

For such a big man Kaleb comes down the stairs almost noiselessly. He pauses in the door and looks at Jasper and I snuggled together for a few moments.

“Did you know that you and my omega make a very nice picture together?” he asks me.

I'm not sure if it's rhetorical or not so I just shrug, but I say “He's an octopus.”

Kaleb chuckles and comes to lean over us, gently stroking Jasper's cheek, “Jasper, baby, come on. Talia's had her time with you, and now it's my turn.”

Jasper hums sleepily and wriggles up to kiss me and tell me goodnight before he rolls off the bed and into Kaleb's embrace.

They make a pretty picture, too. Kaleb is so handsome. Of all of the alphas in this house, he is the one I would call handsome instead of sexy or hot. He's so much taller and wider than me that it's almost a joke, and everything about him screams naked, brutal strength.

“Goodnight, Talia,” he says so softly it's nearly a whisper and leads Jasper out of my room and up the stairs.

The next few days are spent fitting mics into folds of fabric and arguing with Jasper about my hair. He really wants me to wear that ribbon so we'll match, but I'm not budging on the Kanzashi sticks, I need at least one weapon while we're sitting at a table engaging potential enemies in a battle of words and phrases. The only placement we can agree on is looped and tied around my neck as a choker, but he still isn't happy about it.

He did agree that the sticks were lovely when they arrived, and Trent has been very excited about them. He seems to really enjoy the thought of stabbing someone in the neck with one of them; so much that I might give them to him after I wear them to the auction tonight.

I'm waiting in the kitchen with Devon for everyone else to file in. He keeps sneaking looks at me and I know it's this dress; or the thigh harnesses. Jasper is fascinated with the thigh harnesses, and he's mentioned getting a torso harness that I can wear over shirts, which is fine as long as it's functional.

I don't really want to wear a harness I can't strap a gun or knife to, it's silly and wasteful; but when I said as much to Jasper he rolled his eyes at me and informed me that not everything has to be weaponized. Kaleb was there for that conversation and he agreed with me, which earned us both another exasperated eye roll.

Nathan is the first to stride into the room, looking like a villain with his hair tied up in a knot and wearing the same all-black ensemble that Devon is wearing. He stops dead when he sees me, and Trent, who looks even more like a villain with his dark brown hair slicked back, runs smack into him from behind. Then they're both standing there staring at me like idiots.

“We're going to be late,” Devon barks, “Where are Kaleb and Jasper?”

Trent responds without taking his eyes off of my legs, “Kaleb's getting the car. Jasper is fighting with his hair, he says it's too curly.”

Devon sighs dramatically and I say, “I'll get him,” then push past the idiots in the doorway.

I find Jasper in front of his mirror fussing with his hair. It isn't too curly, I think it's beautiful and I tell him so, “Stop fussing. It's perfect. You look gorgeous.”

His reflection meets my eyes in the mirror and then he takes in the rest of me. “Jesus, Talia. You're gorgeous. You were right about the ribbon, too.”

He turns and crosses the space between us and slips his finger under the ribbon tied around my throat and pulls me in for a slow kiss. Someone clears their throat from the doorway and we break away from each other.

Nathan is there, lowering his phone, “Sorry, that needed to be a picture. But we need to go before Devon detonates.”

I'm in the hallway when I hear him tell Jasper, “Fuck me, that dress is going to murder some people tonight.”

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