Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Blake

A s I hurry back from Chloe's cabin with her laptop tucked close to my body, an earthy dampness seeps into the air, joined by the metallic tang of a coming storm.

I reach the porch before the first patter of rain strikes the roof and make it inside the house just as the gray clouds open up.

In the dining room, I find her and Holden cuddled up on the bench, their heads together over dessert, and hope unfurls inside me at the sight.

Every Omega who's approached our pack in the past treated Holden like someone to be tolerated in order to win the rest of us. None of them could see that he's the backbone of our family, and we'd crumble without him.

Since they didn't hear me come in, I sneak up behind them and lean in. "Dessert before dinner, little mouse?"

Chloe jumps, a forkful of pie halfway to her mouth, and she gives me a guilty smile.

"Blake! You sure got back fast!" she squeaks, cheeks flushing a rosy hue that rivals her hair.

The blond wig she had been wearing earlier sits off to the side on the table, but she still wears the blue contacts, and my chest tightens with desire for her to let their true color shine.

"Did you plan to eat the whole pie and hide the evidence?" I tease and relish the way her blush deepens.

"We saved you a slice." Holden points to the plate across from them with a sliver of dessert on it.

"How generous of you," I drawl.

Holden's eyes flick up to me, then away, and he scoots over, putting distance between himself and Chloe.

Dismay fills Chloe's face, then her nose scrunches up with determination, and she bounces down the bench after him. A knot in my chest unravels at the sight. My little mouse won't let Holden's insecurities stop what's happening.

I set the laptop on the dining table and drop the large bag I carry beside Chloe.

Her focus jumps from Holden to the green sleeve poking out the top. "What's that?"

"Thought you might want to slip into something more comfortable." I lift out the frog onesie I had spied lying across the foot of her bed while in her cabin. She must have been wearing it earlier, before she changed into her dress.

I drape the soft material over my arm to pull out the contact solution and case I found in the bathroom. "I grabbed these, too. You still owe me a movie night, if you're up for it."

Chloe nibbles on her plump bottom lip as her attention flicks between me and the soft fleece pajama. "What about the rest of your pack? Aren't they joining us tonight?"

"No, they have business to take care of." Dominic and Nathaniel both texted our group chat to let us know they plan to eat in the office above the garage with our superintendent, Emily, while they go over the changes our picky architect wants to make to the spa.

Knowing them, they'll stay up all night drinking, and Emily will crash on the sofa we have up there.

I wiggle the contact solution enticingly. "What do you say?"

"Thank you. I'd love to get out of this thing." She yanks on the scooped bust of her dress, drawing my attention to the milky swell of her breasts, and Holden stifles a growl as he turns away. "This is what happens with online shopping. I can barely get air in my lungs right now, but I didn't have time to exchange it for a bigger size."

"Looks…" I clear my throat. "Stifling."

"You have no idea." She swings a leg over the bench and accepts the contact solution, her fingers brushing against mine.

Her pheromones, a heady combination of lilies and lilacs, envelop me, and I fight the urge to pull her closer and breathe her in.

I stand frozen as she takes the onesie from me, too, and stuffs everything into the bag, then turns to Holden. "Is it okay if I use the kitchen bathroom?"

"Yeah." His voice sounds strained, and he waves toward the door. "You know the way."

"Be right back." She hurries away, her skirt bouncing with every step. "Don't you dare eat the rest of the pie without me."

My focus drops to the generous curve of her hips as my imagination paints a picture of soft thighs and dimpled knees. Will she taste like a garden, too? Or sweet like candy? My mouth waters with the need to find out.

"Stop," Holden hisses, and only then do I realize I'm purring.

Lucky for all of us, Chloe doesn't notice as she disappears into the kitchen.

Indescribable happiness settles over me as I turn back to my packmate. "So…?"

He blushes and turns away. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come on." I straddle the bench beside him and grab his fork, scooping up a big bite of pie and savoring the warm cinnamon apples on my tongue. "Her pheromones weren't this sweet when I left. Something happened between you two."

When he mumbles, I lean forward to sniff his throat and find Chloe's scent clinging to his skin, a perfect blend with his vanilla sweetness.

"Stop!" He shoves me backward. "I was only comforting her."

"Must have been some intense comfort," I purr.

With a groan, he drops his head into his hand.

"You want to court her?" When he tenses, I nudge my boot against his shoe. " I want to court her."

His head snaps up. "Are you crazy? That's Aurora Storm you're talking about!"

"No, that's Chloe Richardson ," I correct. "She's not some mythical author you idolize. She's a real woman, with real needs, and her pheromones make me ache every time I'm near her. Tell me it's not the same for you."

"I know she's more than the author I idolize." He runs a hand through his golden-brown curls. "It might've begun because of who she is, but the more time we spend together, the more I forget she's Aurora Storm."

"Then what's the problem?" I ask, unable to hide the eagerness from my tone.

His cheeks flush a shade of pink to rival Chloe's hair, making his freckles stand out. "She hasn't even met Nathaniel and Dominic yet. And she has a life off the island, Blake. It's a lot to expect her to uproot herself to come live here."

"Why? She can write from anywhere," I point out. "And she's drawn to two of our pack already. There's a good chance she'll be compatible with the others."

Holden's gaze flickers back toward the kitchen, his expression a mix of hope and uncertainty. He's pondering the possibility, weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

A part of me wants to reach out, to reassure him everything will work out in the end, but I know he needs to come to that conclusion on his own. One thing is clear, though. Chloe Richardson has captivated two Alphas within our pack already.

I have no doubt the others will succumb to her charms as well, once they meet.

The rain falls harder outside, and I glance toward the windows to see sheets of water pouring off the porch roof. "Shit, I hope the construction site doesn't turn all muddy."

"The workers can throw down some cardboard to walk on." Holden frowns. "Providing the storm doesn't last into the morning."

I thump my fist against his arm. "Don't jinx it!"

"Ow." He rubs his bicep. "You're such a brute."

"I'll give you brute." I tug him into a side hug and ruffle his hair, making him laugh and shove at me to escape.

The kitchen door creaks open, and we both freeze as Chloe shuffles back into the dining room. Her frog onesie hangs loose around her body and the blue contacts are gone.

She looks so soft and adorable. It makes me want to pull her onto my lap and snuggle her.

"Make some room," Holden whispers, nudging me.

I scoot back on the bench without tearing my attention away from Chloe, making space for her to sit between us. She slides into place, and I scoot closer, my outer leg brushing the curve of her sweet ass.

My hand finds her back, the fabric of her pajamas fluffy against my rough palm as I rub soothing circles. "Better?"

She turns to me, and her cute little nose twitches as she catches the scent of my pheromones. "Much."

I resist the urge to sniff her back, to find out if Holden's pheromones cling to her.

"I guess we should take care of business," she murmurs, leaning into my touch, and for an exhilarating moment, I wonder if I'm the business she wants to take care of.

But then she reaches across me to draw her computer over, and I want to slap myself for being a fool.

Out of her view, Holden mouths, Stop it.

Holden puts his arm behind her on the bench, his fingers brushing my thigh. "Let's begin by checking for security alerts."

"Okay." Chloe catches her lip between her teeth as she opens her laptop.

I exchange a look with Holden, and both of us start purring. The deep, rumbling sound vibrates through our chests, and Chloe relaxes, the Omega in her comforted by the presence of two Alphas who want to protect her.

"You don't use a password?" Holden asks with concern when her screen opens right away.

"You sound like Grady." She shakes her head. "When inspiration strikes, I need to write it down right away. Punching in a password might make me forget. Sometimes, just opening the laptop makes me forget. Like walking through a doorway."

"A doorway?" I ask in bemusement.

She glances at me. "Yeah. You know, like when you go into the kitchen then forget why you did it. It's your prey brain shifting your attention to look for danger, or something. I read an article about it once."

"Huh."

"New laptops let you use your fingerprint instead of a password," Holden says. "You might want to consider that. I would hate for someone to find your laptop and be able to access your writing."

"I'll consider it." She purses her lips. "I hate setting up new laptops, though. Grady usually has to come over and do it for me."

Holden looks on the verge of offering to do it before he shakes his head. "First, log in to your email and check for any alerts about changes to your accounts."

His tone takes on confidence as he gets into the zone, my bondmate in his element.

Chloe's slender fingers dance across the keyboard as she scans the screen.

A moment later, she gasps with excitement. "There are emails here! Someone changed my passwords!"

"Click on the link that says it wasn't you," Holden instructs, and she does so without hesitation.

Chloe bounces on the bench. "Okay, now what?"

"Try logging in and resetting your password again," Holden suggests.

She follows his instructions, but no matter how many times she tries, the reset message never comes.

Frustration and fear mingle to turn her scent bitter, like burning herbs, and my protective instincts flare with the desire to hunt down whoever invaded her privacy and destroy them.

"The hacker must have changed your recovery email." A hint of anger creeps into Holden's otherwise calm demeanor.

Chloe latches onto him. "Can I still get it back?"

"Of course. It will just take a little more work." Holden gives her a reassuring smile. "Let's contact customer service and start the process of reclaiming your accounts."

She casts him a grateful look filled with unshed tears. "Thank you. I really appreciate this."

He covers her hand with his. "We're here for you."

Satisfaction fills me at seeing them together. Holden may think Chloe's out of his league, but she obviously knows what a catch he is.

Now, we just need to convince the others to meet her and see if they feel the tingles of a bond, too.

It takes several calls and escalating the issue before Chloe finally hangs up with customer service.

As soon as she does, I reach over and close her laptop, my fingers brushing against her warm skin. I move it off to the side to clear the space in front of her. "There's nothing more you can do until they review your documentation. It's time for dinner."

"Seventy-two hours just to look at my documents is so long," she moans. "Don't they understand how urgent this is?"

"I'm sure that's just a standardized timeframe, and they'll get to it faster than that," I say.

"Here you go." Holden sets down a plate for Chloe, piled high with tender salmon, fragrant rice, golden potatoes, and bright green broccolini.

He reheated the food while Chloe gathered her proof of identity and emailed it over as directed.

"Thank you." As Chloe picks up her fork, a loud rumble comes from her stomach, and she flushes with embarrassment.

"Sounds like dinner arrived in the nick of time. Eat up." I take the plate Holden offers, and my stomach lets out a demand of its own.

Chloe giggles. "That's quite the roar."

"My belly knows it's about to be filled with Holden's delicious food." I spear a sprig of broccolini and chomp off the top. Even reheated, it has a snap to it that drags an appreciative groan from me. "I'm so spoiled getting to eat such delicious meals every day."

Aware of what I'm up to, Holden gives me a warning glare.

"You so are," Chloe agrees, oblivious to our silent conversation.

As she eats, the little sounds she makes transfix me, the soft moans and sighs of satisfaction as she savors each bite. It does things to me, igniting an insatiable hunger that has nothing to do with food.

When Holden offers a second helping, she eagerly holds out her plate. "You should add more pictures of the meals to your website. People would come here just to eat."

Holden's brow furrows with uncertainty. "You think so?"

"Definitely." She cuts into the salmon, which flakes beneath her fork. "The boat ride isn't long, either. People would totally make a day trip of it. Come for breakfast, go on a hike, and grab an early dinner before heading home."

"Huh." Holden stares down at his food. "Never thought of that angle."

"Oh." Chloe straightens in alarm. "I'm so sorry. Of course, you're advertising for the people who want to book rooms for multiple nights to bring in more revenue."

"We are…" I say slowly, ideas taking shape in my mind. "But day visitors aren't a bad idea, so long as people who don't stay the night are still paying to be here."

"You could sell tickets." Chloe's fingers twitch toward her laptop, but she leaves it alone to focus on dinner. "Pumpkin patches charge entrance fees to visit the farm, right? There's one I've always wanted to visit. It offers different packages that include meal coupons, hay rides, s'mores…"

Holden nods along with her, getting excited. "I love those kinds of places. And we could have a cut-off time for day visitors to leave or rent a room for the night, so the people who are here for the resort have the island to themselves."

"It would bring in more revenue during the week," I add, wondering why we never considered this angle.

A lot of people visit hotels to eat or buy coffee. We'd have to work out the logistics and make sure we don't lose money on gas, but the idea holds merit.

And speaking of ideas. "How's your writer's block going? Any more hanging upside down?"

"No." She puffs out her cheeks before sighing. "I'm still stuck."

"Then how about we binge-watch something in the media room while having another slice of pie?" I glance at Holden. "What's that called again?"

"Refilling the creative well," Holden and Chloe say in unison, then look at each other and giggle.

The sound fills me with hope as I imagine a future where we share more than meals together. A future filled with laughter, passion, and the unbreakable bond that only true mates can understand.

"Blake?" Chloe's voice pulls me from my thoughts, and I blink down at her.

She smiles, her eyes twinkling. "Is there anything you want to binge-watch?"

"I'll let you and Holden decide." Noticing their plates are empty, I grab the pie pan and stand. "First one to the media room gets to divide up what's left of dessert."

Holden and Chloe fall over each other in their scramble to rise from the bench, and I chuckle as I gather forks.

If things go well tonight, we may be doing more than just watching TV.