Chapter 13: Lennox

Chapter Thirteen

Lennox

T here’s no way to tell if the wave I had at the bar is a random thing or if it’s a signal that my heat might hit at any time.

The idea of calling The Exchange to see if they can fit me in makes my stomach ache.

Not just any alphas will do now.

Bear drops Thorne off at the bed-and-breakfast to gather his belongings and mine too.

Rush is supposed to bring him to their house afterward, but I’m a little confused about what’s happening.

I hope that means they’re all willing to get along to help me ride out my heat. I’m still too afraid to ask. It would suck even worse to get my hopes up, if that’s not the case.

Thorne has my mind a mess.

It’s hard to know if I’m treating him unfairly. My heart aches whenever I recall the last few months, but before that, he really did make me happy.

Bear is quiet during the short drive to his house. I keep my gaze out the front passenger window. It’s dark and hard to tell if the flutters coming down are ice flakes or snow.

The heat feels incredible blasting against my face, and it seems to permeate the entire truck with Bear’s scent.

“Are you doing okay over there?” he asks, flipping on his blinker.

“Yep, all good.”

He grunts, and I’m unsure what the sound means. “We’ll be home in less than two minutes.”

Who knows why the word home sends a shiver down my spine, but it sure does.

The house is cold when we walk in. I keep Bear’s jacket tucked around my front as I follow him through the dark house.

Shera runs into the dining room, wiggling her entire body against my thigh until I lean down to pet her.

“Were you lonely, trapped here all by yourself?” I ask, scratching behind her ear.

“She’s fine,” Bear grumbles, walking over to the French doors that I assume lead to a back porch. “Come on. If you want me to supervise your bathroom break, now is your chance.” He tosses open the door and clicks on a set of lights that illuminate a heavenly back deck.

Shera runs out the open doorway.

“She has a doggy door. She’ll go out on her own if she absolutely has to. There are floodlights that pop on any time she runs out, but…” Bear shrugs, shoving his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “She’s afraid of the dark. I know she’d rather wait for me to get home. I think it makes her feel safe if I supervise.” His dark tan complexion helps hide some of it, but his cheeks are unmistakably pink.

My face breaks out into a silly grin.

That might be the cutest thing I’ve ever heard.

He really is a giant softie.

What’s that old saying?

You can tell how a man will treat you by the way he treats pets, children, and his own mother .

Bear leans out the doorway, whistling for Shera, and my chest gets all warm and fuzzy.

He’s so freaking sexy.

Bear stops by his room for a change of clothes for both of us. He comes back into the hallway and guides us down to the end and into a room that’s not his. The massive space holds a larger than king-size bed. Multiple dressers line the walls, and there’s a hallway on the right.

Bear flips on the light, and everything becomes easier to make out.

The bed has a giant grayish-brown headboard, a dark gray comforter with a baby-blue knit blanket tossed over the bottom, and a mountain of pillows.

“We completely replaced the bed. Not only the mattress, but also the frame.” Bear steps up behind me. “The nest was professionally redone as a gift from my family pack upon moving out.”

“It’s incredible,” I tell him truthfully.

My family had six people in a three-bedroom house. This room has to be two or three times larger than the room my parents shared while I was growing up.

I considered it lucky that Brooklyn and I had our own rooms.

Bear wraps his hand in mine and tugs me toward the hallway while I’m still lost in thought.

It’s hard to think about Brook. I miss her and Liberty a lot, but I guess that’s part of growing up. Everyone moves on and starts their own families.

I’m not really sure how I feel about children.

Libby is a great kid. She also rises with the sun every damn morning and doesn’t come with a quiet setting.

I’m pretty sure that’s all kids, though.

“The nest is the last door on the left.” Bear comes to a stop near the front of the hallway. “The right side is exclusively closets. This door is the bathroom. It connects directly to the nest, which is nice.” He clears his throat, scratching his beard as he watches me with a look I can’t decipher.

“That sounds amazing.” I give him a sincere smile. “Can I see it?”

He nods. “I thought we could shower together, if you’re up for it?”

My eyes meet his. “Yeah, absolutely.”

Bear towers over me as the sound of the water running in the shower fills the air. His blondish-brown hair falls around his face as he bends down, prying his jacket out of my hold.

Wow.

Who knows where I lost my chill, but it sure disappeared somewhere around the time we stepped into this killer bathroom.

My gaze darts around, taking everything in.

Yep, it’s still spectacularly nice.

The fanciest bathroom I’ve ever considered getting naked in.

There’s a four-person tub across from the luxurious glass shower that takes up as much space as the entire bathroom Brooklyn and I shared growing up. The expensive stone countertops match the large gray tiles that make up the back of the shower.

The kitchen was seriously glamorous, too, when we walked through.

I’m starting to wonder how much a house like this costs because I’m pretty sure Rush and Bear are out of my league.

My face heats.

I barely graduated high school. There were definitely no scholarships waiting to entice me to universities all across the country.

My sister was always going to escape backwoods North Carolina. The only reason I did was because I glommed on to her and held on with both hands.

Bear’s giant hand cradles my cheek, tilting my face up toward his. My jaw falls as I take in his expansive chest. He got undressed while my thoughts were occupied. I did see him the other morning on the couch, but it’s an entirely different experience seeing all his muscles flex as he looms over me.

My thighs rub together as my body pulses with interest.

“If we’re going to clean up, I have to actually get you out of that dress and those leggings.” His deep, growly voice echoes around the spacious bathroom. His eyes sparkle as he gives me a lopsided smile. “Is that okay with you?”

I nod wildly as his thumb teases over my jaw. He lowers to his knees in a move that’s so graceful, I’m a little jealous.

My gaze follows him, taking in the hairy tops of his thighs.

Okay, so he got down to his boxer briefs while I was having a minor breakdown.

He slides his hands up and under my dress before tugging down my leggings.

They pool around my feet.

Bear taps my left ankle, helping me out of that leg before doing the other.

His calloused fingers slide up my thighs, and he grins mischievously. “No panties?”

I shrug, trying to portray a nonchalance that I don’t feel. “I refuse to wear the ones that feel like a rubber diaper with padding, but mostly, I thought I had more time before it got this bad…”

He nods, running his warm skin up my sides as he stands.

The fabric of my dress guides me to raise my arms, so he can tug it off over my head. It’s not cold in the bathroom with the hot water running, but my shoulders tremble as he tosses my dress into the laundry basket by the cabinets.

Having Bear’s entire focus on me is a lot.

He’s so intense, in a good way.

When he looks at me, it feels like I’m the only woman who exists.

It doesn’t make any sense, but he seems like he’s the type of guy who would ignore the most beautiful woman in the room and seek out his partner.

He just comes off as extremely loyal, and that’s almost more attractive than his physical features—which aren’t lacking in the least.

Bear is the type of handsome that sneaks up on a person with the tender touches and care he puts into every action.

He bends down and kisses my forehead.

“Hair isn’t something either of us should tackle tonight.” He spins around, goes to the counter, and pulls out a drawer, all while I’m trying to find out where all the oxygen in the room disappeared to. He comes back in a blink, but instead of stepping around to my front, he moves behind me.

Deft hands wrap up my hair in a messy but efficient bun.

I glance over my shoulder and see him tying up his hair as well.

Man-buns aren’t my favorite, but on Bear, it’s not a bad look. Okay, having his hair away from his face actually sharpens his features.

Jesus Christ.

He’s not allowed to get hotter.

My entire body pulses with heat as my stomach cramps.

Dammit.