35. Sam

Chapter 35

Sam

T he last of the rut passes, and I stare at Lily while she sleeps. Her face is less flushed, and her breathing has evened out. Max has left for work already, and Jack is busy downstairs in the garden. I should be moving my arse to the station, having rung in with emergency rut leave the last few days, but I can't bring myself to leave her.

She opens her eyes and yawns, staring up at the ceiling before she realises I'm next to her.

"Hi," she says, looking around. "Where is everyone else?"

"Jack's downstairs, and Max went to work."

She frowns. "What day is it?"

"Wednesday."

Lily sits up in surprise. "What? Already?"

I nod and chuckle. "Yes, already."

"Fuck, that was some heat. I don't remember most of it."

"And that right there is why we didn't mate with you," I say bluntly.

Lily blushes, her cheeks turning a delicate shade of pink. "Right, of course. Thanks for looking out for me," she mumbles, brushing a hand through her tangled hair.

"You know we'd never take advantage of you. We're not complete wankers."

Lily smirks at my choice of words. "Very gentlemanly of you," she teases, rolling her eyes.

"Don't get cheeky now." I reach over to ruffle her hair playfully. "You need anything? Tea? Breakfast?"

"Yeah, breakfast sounds amazing."

"Alright, stay put. I'll whip something up."

I get up to leave, but she grabs my arm suddenly. "Wait. Wednesday?"

"Yeah."

"What time?"

I glance at my watch. "Ten o'clock. Why? Got something you need to do?"

She chews her lip and sits back. "No, just wondered."

Narrowing my eyes at her, I don't press. She is clearly lying, but she doesn't want to tell me, so that's fine. For now. Kissing the top of her head, she smiles at me, and I leave her to get some tea and cheese on toast sorted. It's about my limit. Jack is the cook in our pack, and that's just fine by me.

Whistling to myself, I hear the front door open, and Jack comes in, looking like he's already put in a hard shift.

"Lily up?" he asks immediately.

"Yeah, just. Making some food."

He nods and strides over to the bedroom, slipping inside and closing the door behind him.

"Well, okay then," I mutter and get back to work as I set the kettle to boil. The kitchen is filled with the comforting hum of domesticity, and I smile at the thought of how amazing these last few days have felt, but now it's time to get back to reality and leave the heat bubble.

Muffled laughter and soft murmurs come from the bedroom as I plate up the cheese on toast and pour a mug of tea, balancing it all precariously before heading back to Lily.

When I open the door, Jack is sitting on the edge of the bed, his hand resting gently on Lily's thigh. She looks up at me with a bright smile, her eyes still a bit sleepy but sparkling with warmth.

"Breakfast is served," I announce, setting the tray down on the bedside table. "It's not gourmet, but it'll do."

Lily grins and reaches for a slice of cheese on toast. "It's perfect," she says between bites. Jack watches her with an affectionate smile.

I sit down on the other side of her, feeling uncharacteristically content just being in this room with her. There's something comfortable about our little pack arrangement that I never expected.

Lily turns to look at me, her expression serious for a moment. "I have something I need to do later. Soon, actually. I'll be gone around an hour."

Jack and I share a look before I purse my lips. "Where are you going?" I don't mean to pry, but I'm worried about her after what she told us.

"Just an errand, that's all."

"I'll come with you," Jack says.

"It's fine. You don't need to. I know you both have to get back to work, and so do I." She finishes off her toast quickly while climbing off the bed. "Shower," she mumbles and dashes off, leaving me and Jack staring at each other with concern.

"Should we be worried?" I ask.

He breathes in. "I don't think so. I know Lily wouldn't actively put herself in danger. She needs her privacy. We have to trust her."

"Damn you and your calm ways," I grouse, but throw him smile.

He returns it and rises. "I'll get back downstairs. I want to keep a presence, so Nigel doesn't try something stupid."

"He tries anything, and I'll shove that fucking monster cactus up his arse properly this time."

"I'll help you," he growls but disappears before we can discuss the various ways in which we could accomplish that.

My phone rings, and it's the fire station, as expected.

I answer the call, trying not to seem too distracted by the flurry of activity in our little flat. "Morning, Chief. What's up?"

"Sam, we need you at the station. Where the hell are you?"

"Got held up. On my way. Be there in ten." I hang up and move my arse.

Grabbing my bag, I pause only to give Lily a quick shout through the bathroom door. "Gotta run, love!"

Her muffled voice replies, "See you later!"

Smiling at how much I like the sound of that, I race downstairs and throw my bag in the car. Setting off, I head for the station and make it in under ten minutes.

When I arrive, the station is already buzzing with activity. The scent of coffee and adrenaline fills the air. I nod to a few of the lads as I make my way to the Chief's office.

"Morning, Chief. Sorry for the delay," I say, stepping inside.

The Chief looks up from his paperwork, his eyes narrowing slightly. "It's alright, Sam. Just don't make a habit of it."

"Won't happen again," I promise, trying to sound earnest despite my mind still being half on Lily and her mysterious errand.

"We've got a big training exercise set up for today," he continues. "I need you leading the team."

"Understood." I take the briefing documents he hands over and leave his office, my thoughts already shifting gears to focus on the task at hand, but Lily is never too far away.