“You still need to pick something,” Kade said softly. “So, it might as well be something you’ll enjoy while you’re on the student rolls, right?”
“Absolutely,” I agreed, surprised again at how thoughtful my Alpha always was. I turned back to the list. “Oh! They offer an on-job internship in counseling,” I gushed. “I really wanted to be a social worker when I was younger. Do you think I could try that, even though I won’t be able to stay?”
The shift of Kade’s thighs against my back told me that he’s shrugged. “I can’t imagine that Chuck would turn you away, but why not have a second choice, just in case?”
Logical, of course.
“Okay,” I agreed, “How about the agricultural management?”
Kade coughed and I suspected he was holding back a laugh. “Um, do you know anything about farming, love?”
I snickered. “If I did, why would I take a course in it?”
That made my Alpha laugh and he leaned down to lift me up into his lap, which, it seemed, was his favorite place for me to sit. “Now that that’s settled,” he teased, rubbing his nose in the sensitive spot behind my ear. “I think I owe somebody some attention.”
I shivered at his hot breath on my skin. “Oh, I don’t know about that,” I pretended to demure even as my dick was pressing against the front of my pants. “If I was watching that security video right earlier, it looked like you had your tongue in some deeply personal places while I was way too out of it to reciprocate,” I deadpanned. “Not only do I owe you a couple of rim jobs, but we probably owe the clinic for the nurse’s therapy and brain bleach.”
Kade’s chest vibrated with his chuckle. “Nope, that wasn’t sexual,” he denied, sliding his hand down the front of my pants and taking me in his hand, the rough slide of his calloused palm over the head of my dick nearly making me come before he’d even started. “That was simply housekeeping,” he breathed in my ear. “Keeping you all nice and clean while you did all the hard work.”
I shook my head. “Seriously, how can you make something as gross as cleaning me during labor sound kinky and hot?”
Kade bit down on my neck as he began to stroke me. “Baby, believe me that there was nothing gross at all about you in that delivery room. You were strong and sexy and beautiful,” he murmured in my ear, nipping at the lobe. “And I was so incredibly proud that you were mine.”
Honestly, I don’t believe for a minute that there is another Alpha out there who treats his Omega better. I sighed and relaxed against him. “Kade, I love you.”
The body behind me jerked and the strong hand around my dick squeezed harder than intended, making me almost swallow my tongue.
“Really?” Kade’s voice was soft and sweet. “You mean that?”
“Of course, I do,” I mumbled. “You know that.” A sudden wetness on my neck caught my attention. “Kade?”
“You’ve never said it.” My big strong Alpha reached up to wipe a tear from his eye.
Really? Was that possible? I thought back to the whirlwind apprehension turned romance that had brought us to where we were and shook my head. He was right, I hadn’t.
“I’m so sorry, Kade,” I burrowed my face into his neck, the hand job forgotten. “I can’t believe I haven’t told you before now.” I gave a helpless shrug. “Honestly, I’m not even sure I can say when my feelings changed. It really just kind of feels like it was always the truth.”
“That’s good enough, baby,” Kade said, catching my mouth for a deep kiss, his hand starting to move again. “It’s absolutely perfect.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Kade
Not wanting Jeremy at risk for one minute longer than necessary, Wednesday morning before we went to bed, I gathered up my Omega and our baby and we were all waiting outside the office when Chuck arrived to start his day.
“Well, good morning,” Chuck greeted us with a small smile. “Out for a stroll, are you?”
Behind Jeremy’s head, I rolled my eyes. My Omega, on the other hand, was his usual polite, respectful self.
“Good morning, Mr. Keir,” he greeted Chuck, handing Bella to me and pulling the slightly rumpled paper from his pocket. “Kade explained that you needed me to commit to a program as soon as possible. Is now a good time?”
“Of course,” Chuck agreed, shoving the office door open and stepping back to let us pass. “Come on in.”
While Jeremy and Chuck sat down to discuss the logistics of Jeremy’s enrollment, I stood at the window with Bella on my shoulder, watching the sun glint off the morning frost. As the rays danced and glittered, something else caught my attention, a shadow that seemed to be moving in the morning light.
Damning my crappy daytime vision, I squinted, barely able to make out the familiar gray and brown spots of a hyena’s camouflage. The animal was flat on the ground, creeping toward the building on its belly.
Fuck. I crossed the room as calmly as possible, glancing out the opposite window. Knowing what I was looking for, it only took a second for me to find two more approaching from the West and at least a dozen coming in from the North.
