Page 66 of The Beta: Part One

“When is your next heat?”

I feel him look up from where his head is resting between my breasts, “Why? You trying to knock me up?”

I laugh at that a little too hard, maybe I actually am feeling the effects of exhaustion. But then my mind throws me an unwelcome image of Jasper with a baby bump and even though it's ridiculous, it's also hot enough to make my pussy clench. Then I have another unwelcome thought about how often Devon or one of the other alphas may have imagined somehow making Jasper pregnant. Then my pussy clenches again and I determinedly change my train of thought.

I reach down and gently tug one of his curls, “As fun as it would be to try, I'm trying to make sure my calendar is set up so I can have everything you might need ready way before time. Plus, with all the recent drama, I want to have time to work with Nathan on some extra security features way beforehand. You guys were pretty far gone for two, maybe three, solid days; and I want to take away as much worry and stress as I can.”

He hums and lays his head back down and grabs a handful of my breast and nuzzles his face into it. “Nine or ten weeks from now,” the words are muffled by my flesh, and it makes me giggle, which makes him giggle.

Trent chooses then to come trotting down the stairs. He peeks his head through my doorway, “She's not sick?”

Jasper sighs and sits up, “No. Just tired. My fault. Kept her up watching too much quality cinema last night.”

God, if only that was the truth.

Trent steps into the room and his nostrils flare slightly, causing my heart to skip a beat. Surely he can't smell anything, Jasper didn't. “You guys going to hide out down here all day, or what?” Trent asks, looking around at the distinct lack of things to occupy anyone's time or attention in my room.

“Nope, now that you've interrupted a very serious conversation we're coming up to find lunch,” Jasper says.

“What serious conversation? Anything we should know about?” Trent sounds genuinely worried, his eyebrows knitted together.

“Nothing much, just planning how I'm going to knock up Jasper during his next heat in, you said nine weeks, princess?” I ask him, forcing my lips from twisting around a smirk.

Jasper nods seriously, “Nine weeks. Maybe ten. Then you'll get to be a daddy!” he chirps and pecks my cheek before pulling us both up off the bed.

Trent looks like a painful cross of scandalized and amused, but he leans down for his own peck when Jasper tips his mouth up.

I spread Jasper's blanket on my bed and scoff when he eyeballs it, “Get over it, princess. I'm not giving it back.” We tread up the stairs followed by a bemused alpha.

When we get to the kitchen so Jasper can open and close every cabinet twenty times, Trent touches my elbow to get my attention, “Friends again?” he asks quietly, and I nod; it won't cost me anything to be friends with him. Or any of them, for that matter, now that I've decided to throw caution to the wind and dive head-first into Jasper for as long as I can.

“Good,” he says with a small smile, “I missed joking with you, and I think Nathan has been worried that you're not okay after having to deal with all the cloak and dagger stuff, and having to dig up some of your past.”

Huh, I didn't realize any of them were worried. “Sorry my funk affected everyone so much. I'm good now.”

He squeezes my shoulder and it really does feel like everything is back to good.

Then Jasper exclaims very excitedly, “I want a psycho sandwich! Nathan said you made him one.”

I can't help it, I snort.

“What is a psycho sandwich?” Trent asks, and Jasper decrees that we should all have psycho sandwiches, so I make them. And much like Nathan, Trent's face screws up with every step and when I put the plate of marshmallowy, peanut buttery, crunchy goodness in front of him, complete with a side of spicy pickles, he's back to looking scandalized.

“I can't eat that,” he says, but it's practically drowned out by Jasper's loud, crunchy bite, followed by a moan of pleasure that reminds me of the sounds he makes during sex.

It must remind Trent of the same thing because his eyes become immediately hooded and he can't seem to take them off Jasper's mouth.

Jasper rolls his eyes and motions for us to stop staring at him and eat.

I know what to expect, but when Trent takes his first bite he closes his eyes and hums as he chews. I slide a glass of milk toward him and after a sip he says we should add psycho sandwiches to the menu rotation.

The next few days are mostly uneventful; no major covert discoveries, no alpha tantrums, everything business as usual. Jasper and I are back to our flirting and he's dragged me to his bed for what he calls playtime several times; no sex yet, but plenty of blow jobs.

I think I might be addicted to Jasper's taste, sometimes it seems like I actually crave it.

Everything is completely smooth sailing until I'm finishing up a load of laundry and feel the same tight, overly-hot, sensation I felt when I had that bizarre heat spike almost a week ago. The what the fuck chant starts cycling and I immediately go into the freezer.

I've bleached every surface since I last hid in here to seek some kind of relief, so there's no hint of my scent. I'm really the only one who goes into the freezer anymore since I cook most of the meals, but I don't want to take any chances. This time the cramping isn't anywhere as intense and I manage it without needing my toy, I'm also nowhere near as wet as I was the last time. Hopefully this is as bad as it gets and it will dissipate over time. This has to be happening because of my closeness with Jasper.