Page 53 of The Gift
By the time I’m parking my car in our garage, Koda’s bike is already in the corner. I triple check in the mirror quickly to make sure I don’t look as crazy as I feel.
The second I open my door, I’m welcomed by smells of cooking, laughter rolling through our house, and Bailey leaning against the door.
I try not to react to the way her blossoming scent curls around me in greeting. It’s so different now.
“You look better than I thought you would, and that is not having a go or derogatory in any way shape or form. Simple fact,” I say as I drink her down. She does look good, a soft glow from the alcohol on her cheeks. Barefoot and wearing stretchy yoga pants and one of Ashton’s long-sleeved hoodies that both hug and hide her curves, she looks delectable really.
“Did Koda tell you what we found at your place?”
She nods her head. “Yeah, and I’ve already spoken with the detectives handling the case and the break in. Someone is playing games, but until they’ve let me know the rules and the prize, not much I can do about it. I had my freak out and cry in the shower. I’m good now.”
Bailey smiles when she finishes speaking, it’s not forced or cheesy.
“About before, your safety drove me to act a certain way. I said certain things, and I crossed a line. No one but you heard what I said. I swear on my life that’s the truth.”
“Yeah, we’re going to have to talk about that at some stage. I overreacted. Maybe later we can talk about some of the wording you used?”
“You giving me an out?” I ask, taken aback.
She laughs. It’s such a good sound. It’s deep and husky, and the sound instantly wraps around and grips my cock, harder than she squeezed Colton’s. It’s lucky I’m wearing a dark suit so I can hide some of it.
“Are you sure it’s okay with me staying here? I can easily go if it’s not,” she asks, holding my gaze with a surety in her eyes that is not unusual when it comes to Bailey.
I flick my chin up. “What did Koda say when you asked him?”
She laughs. “He didn’t use his words as such.” While the dusting of colour over her cheeks intensifies, she doesn’t look or act embarrassed.
“Did Ashton tell you he thinks we should lock you in here?”
“Yeah, he did.” She shakes her head with a smirk, not saying anything else for a minute, like she’s reliving how it happened. “He didn’t talk much either.”
I run with what that tells me. “Is that what you want from me? For us to stop talking?”
She fucking grins at me, cheeky like too. One edge of her lip tips up, and fuck me, I can easily admit, I want to lean in and bite the smirk right off those luscious lips of hers. Her eyes lock with mine and she flicks her eyebrow up a fraction, letting me know she busted me.
“You don’t get to play coy in this house, Bailey. You are what you are, and we are what we are.”
“And what are you?”
“A pack of grown ass men that know what we want, with exceptionally good fucking manners and restraint, usually. We also have the ability to clearly voice what we want and need. So, you Bailey, should be very confident in the knowledge that when we say we want something, we’re not playing games.”
“What do you want, Henley?” she asks, resting against the door jamb. Her body is as relaxed as she is, and it does all sorts of things to me. Her yoga pants help, though, melding her curves, exaggerating her height.
“What I’ve always wanted.”
“What’s that?”
“Everything. I want every goddamn thing on offer. I want money, success, happiness, love, and time to help those that need it the most.” I get very emotional in my spiel, my chest rising rapidly, but all of a sudden I want her to know. “But most of all, I want the piece of the puzzle that has been missing from our lives for the past seven years to fall into place. Which is you, Bailey.”
Our gazes are locked, the intensity so full on and everything around us falls away, leaving us here, doing this.
“You seem to have figured out what to say since I left Jenna’s,” she says softly, her eyes falling to the ground as her voice fades away.
Moving faster than I should, and I blame my getting overwhelmed by my confession, my finger is up under her chin, bringing those hauntingly beautiful eyes off the ground before I realise my mistake. But it’s an even bigger mistake if I leave her wondering or questioning my reasons like what happened earlier. I purposely lock down the alpha side of me, trying to not growl or perfume, but it’s hard.
“I haven’t even started talking yet. We’ve waited a long time for you. I’m positive I don’t need any more time figuring my side of it out. I knew then, like I know now, how important and pivotal you are to me—and my pack. Back at Jenna’s, every time we’ve been together I’ve wanted to confess everything, to promise you’re safe and to ask for you to trust us.”
“What if that’s not your role, does me being here still work for you? This is way too deep for now,” she says, her eyes pinching a little.
