Page 48 of Nicky and the Night Owls, Part One

Before they could answer, the front door opened again, and Jasper popped inside. “Oh, hot damn. You guys are ripe.” He laughed.

“They’re being sexual deviants without us,” I called back.

“Well that's inconsiderate when I brought home treats.”

“Get in the nest, you two,” Billie demanded.

“I should shower first,” I said. The workout clothing had done its job and dried quickly, but I was still covered in sweat, and my scalp was starting to itch.

“We already have to do laundry. It's not gonna be any worse if you get in here a little bit sweaty.”

I relented and shucked my outfit to join them.

“Jaspy!” Billie called. “Get your cute little butt in here.”

Our omega rolled his eyes with a smile on his face as he set the baked goods he’d brought home on the counter prior to stripping down like the rest of us. The four of us bundled together, Billie climbing over Tony to greet each of us with a kiss.

“Where's Gabe?” Jasper asked.

“Upstairs with Nicky,” Tony replied, a frown marring his features. “She got a bit wigged out after her first group experience so he took her for a bath and it seems like they’re just staying up there for a while.”

It had been a long time since Billie had brought anyone to the pack house, and the fact that it was so soon made me infinitely more curious to meet this woman for myself. I curled around Jasper, nuzzling his beard with my cheek. He turned in my arms for a proper kiss before tucking himself under my chin to sleep. The others were out almost instantly, but I was left staring at the ceiling in the dark.

I contemplated slipping upstairs to snoop. Gabe almost never closed his door with only the two of us up there, but now it almost felt like an invasion to even consider walking up those stairs. It was weird for him to not be here with us, and weirder still to be proverbially barred from where I wanted to be. The petulant part of me had me pouting in the quiet. I just wanted to tuck into Gabe’s arms for a minute after our hours apart, and I couldn’t.

I closed my eyes and willed myself to fall asleep. Success occurred at some point, and when I woke, it was deep in the afternoon, and a cat I didn’t recognize was draped on top of Jasper and I.

“Hey there, little stranger.” The cat lifted a sleepy grey head and leaned into my offered hand. I nudged Billie with my foot. “Did you get another cat without telling me?”

My beta lifted their head in much the same manner as the cat. “That's Nicky's baby. His name is Spud. Roscoe is upstairs while he visits.”

I hadn’t been a cat lover until we’d adopted Roscoe. That little tortie had stolen my heart, and there was no going back. Spud looked like he might be a heart thief too.

“We should probably get both of them some food.” I untangled myself from Jasper, unhooked Spud's leash from the coffee table, and carried him into the kitchen. “Can one of you grab Roscoe?”

“On it,” said Billie as they climbed out of the cuddle pile.

I opened up a can of fancy cat food for Spud and dumped it out onto a plate for him and got his water. “I guess you probably haven’t been to the potty either?” I asked, scratching his ears.

I carried him over to one of the concealed litter boxes we had on each level and opened up the door for Spud. He sniffed for a while, eventually climbing inside to do his business, kicking the litter around, and adorably wiping his paws on the floor mat next to the box.

“There's a good boy. Let's get you some breakfast.” I carted him back into the kitchen and set down his plate and bowl, where he proceeded to stuff his sweet face. Billie appeared with Roscoe, and the two cats stared at one another warily.

“Roscoe, we got you a little temporary buddy. Want to say hi?” We held Roscoe so he and Spud could touch noses. Neither kicked up any fuss, so Billie put our baby down, and I got him his own plate of food.

They both seemed calm enough that I wasn’t worried, which was good because I didnotwant to be dealing with a cat fight for the sake of Billie's crush. Or I guess, given the situation, this woman was also Tony's, Jasper's, and Gabe's crush now, too.

I was the odd one out.

I usually was when it came to romance. I’d been the most resistant to joining the pack in the first place, half convinced that they would charm Gabe away from me, at least until they had made it unmistakably clear in their actions that they wanted me, too. The others had gone on dates occasionally since we’d all gotten together, but they’d almost never brought someone back here.

Footsteps coming down the stairs drew my attention, and it occurred to me that I was butt naked and probably about to meet this person. “Billie.”

“Yeah?”

“We can’t all be completely naked.”

“Why not? We’re naked constantly.”

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