Dex
We’d been living together for three weeks and most of that time things had been nearly perfect. Otto and I cooked meals together and we walked in the woods. He even willingly indulged my bad reality tv binge watching habit, sitting beside me and plying me with snacks. But now, Otto was acting weird. Secretive. Jumpy.
Even stranger, when I ran into Taylor on my way to the store and suggested he join Otto and me for our pizza and movie that night, my bestie wasalsobeing secretive and jumpy. He actually backed away from me as he stammered his way through a random excuse about needing to grade pop quizzes at the gym.
Taylor’s a kindergarten teacher and he never goes to the gym in the evenings, he swears the endorphin rush interferes with his sleep. Even if those two facts were taken out of the equation, how was he going to grade anything while exercising?
So, there you have it, both my Alpha and my best friend were being weird and I had no idea why.
Shaking it off, I stopped at the store to pick up the random items Otto had insisted couldn’t wait until our next regular shopping trip on Saturday -baking powder, lemon juice, and a can of whipped cream – and headed back to the house. I glanced into the shopping bag I carried. Maybe we were going to bake, too?
When I stepped into the house and pulled the door closed behind me, something was off.
First of all, I didn’t smell pizza. Instead, the fragrance of something decadent and definitely beef-based filled the house. Then there was the fact that the tv wasn’t even on. Instead, soft music was playing from the Bluetooth speakers in the ceiling.
“Otto? Where are you?”
“In the kitchen but I’ll be right there.”
Curiouser and curiouser.
Sure enough, Otto popped around the corner and swept me into a warm hug, slipping the grocery bag from my hand at the same time. “Oh good, you remembered.”
I pulled back enough to look into his face. “Remembered? You literally called me while I was walking past the store. Are you okay?”
“Fine,” Otto assured me with a smirk. “I just know how your pregnancy brain goes.”
I blew a raspberry at him and he promptly dropped his mouth to mine, sucking my tongue into his mouth and kissing me senseless. When he pulled away I couldn’t help but sigh.
“What’s wrong?”
“Absolutely nothing,” I assured him. “I love it when you kiss me like that.” I pressed my hips to his thigh so he’d feel my reaction. “But you know what that does to me and it smells like dinner is ready.”
Otto grinned at me and the twinkle in his eyes made me suspicious. “Well, dinner isn’t quite ready yet, but I did run you a bath and there might be a little snack waiting for you by the tub.”
I cringed. I mean, granted, the toilet was in its own little room but eating in the bathroom? Gross.
“Just trust me,” Otto wheedled. “I promise everything is perfectly sanitary.”
“Fine,” I sighed, kissing his shoulder. “Since you went to the trouble.”
“Thank you.” Otto kissed the top of my head and then took my hand, leading me to the bedroom. “I’ll help you.”
“Help me? With a bath?” I laughed. “Okay this new obsession with helping me in the bathroom is getting a little weird.”
Otto just laughed. When we got to the bedroom, he insisted that I stand while he stripped me naked and then led me into the en suite, smiling broadly when I gasped.
The light was out but the dozens of tiny candles spread through the room lit it perfectly. Steam was rising from the water strewn with red rose petals and the entire room smelled of flowers. Next to the tub, a stool had been pressed into service as a table and held a bowl of sliced berries drizzled in chocolate and a glass of chilled juice.
“What on earth is all this?” I turned so suddenly that Otto bumped into me.
“A surprise,” Otto murmured, leaning down for another deep kiss before helping me into the water. “There’s a few more but they’ll have to wait until after your bath.”
Leaning back in the hot, fragrant water, I took a sip from the glass of ice-cold juice and closed my eyes. I didn’t know what the hell was going on but if it made my Alpha happy, I was happy to go along for the ride.
~*~
Otto
