“It’s all stunning, but—” I clamped my lips together. If I said it, I’d sound so damn ungrateful.
“But…” Tray pressed.
“Are there any normal clothes?” Anxiety washed over me, waiting for his reaction.
“You don’t parade around in ballgowns every day? Maybe the pamphlet on Omega girls we got was off base.” He crossed his arms and frowned.
“They’re great,” I whirled around, raising my arms and indicating everything, “All of this is great. And ballgowns are great. If that’s whatyou guys have, I’m so grateful. I just was thinking about, you know, sleeping? Or… maybe swimming since you have a pool?”
“Tessa, I’m joking.” Tray’s grin bloomed anew as he left the wall and walked past me. He took a sharp right after the chaise lounge and disappeared from view. “There’s a whole other section over here. Come look.”
Feeling stupid that I hadn’t seen the obvious, I followed his voice. And when I found him, I also found rows and rows of casual shirts, jeans, loungewear, active wear, tennis shoes.
“If I can’t even find this, then I’m a hopeless case.” I tried to play off how dumb I felt.
“We’ll get you a map,” Tray winked. “Come on, pick something comfy and I’ll show you the bathroom next. I’m going to go see what our precocious feline is up to.”
He moved away, giving me space to choose without being watched. I appreciated that. I could screw up even the simplest task under scrutiny. It dawned on me as I pulled open a drawer to reveal underwear and bras, that Tray had said ‘our’ about Josie, and it hadn’t bothered me at all. I wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
I walked out of the closet with incredibly soft sweatpants and plain white shirt—though the look of it was deceiving and the brand was expensive. Tray was at the wall mounted cat tree, scratching Josie who now lounged on one of the hammocks. “She’s pretty much shaken off all the flour,” he said once I came into view. “She smells like tea and fresh bread. I can’t believe my parents never wanted a pet.”
“She used to constantly smell like day-old tuna,” I quipped, joining him and giving Josie a quick head pat.
Tray leaned in close to Josie and whispered loudly. “Don’t listen to her. I bet you always smelled like roses.”
I grinned at that. Tray probably couldn’t even imagine how badly a cat, or a person, started to smell after a week of dumpster diving without a single shower.
“So, the bathroom?” I prompted.
“As my Omega commands.” He gave me a silly salute and Josie one more chintickle.
We made our way across the room, passing the oversized bed with the plush comforter calling my name. My fingers brushed against the soft material. Tears pricked my eyes when I felt its smoothness. My old life flooded in for a heartbeat, silken sheets and fresh cotton softener that clung to the material between washings.
“You okay?” Tray had turned, walking backwards, his eyes locked with mine.
I nodded, fighting back the emotions. “I’m okay.”
“Well,” his tone shifted jokingly, maybe trying to lighten the mood. “If the bed makes you cry, wait until you see the bathtub.”
A few minutes later I was alone in a giant bathroom. The shower might as well be a carwash, and the freestanding tub could easily hold four.I was pretty small, so maybe it could even hold five.The idea of us all in the bath together sent warmth rushing through me. God, I’d just been close to crying, and now I was thinking about my wet, naked body pressed up against these Alphas I’d only just met.
Still though, as I closed the plug, turned on the faucet, and a stream of hot water began to pour into the waiting tub, I kept imagining the possibilities. I wanted them. Needed them. And soon, when my heat finally struck, I’d not be trying to nest alone on the streets.
A fancy glass jar perched on a pretty white shelf was marked lavender soaking salts. Beside that was a pump bottle marked bubbles of fun. I had a feeling Tray wrote that second label; it seemed his style.
I started humming one of my favorite Oblivion Haze songs as I dumped a scoop of the soaking salts into the quickly-filling tub, followed by a few pumps of bubble bath soap. Frothy white began to form, rising quickly with the water. It smelled amazing. Stripping quickly, I threw my right leg over the tub and sucked in a breath at the scorching temperature. I didn’t adjust the faucet knobs though. I wanted to feel the sting as I lowered my body into volcanic water.
This wasn’t a quick shower at the shelter where how much warmth you get was purely determined by your spot in line. As my body sunk lower into the water, breasts submerging, I wondered if this all couldreallylast.
Here. With them. Forever.
36
RYDER
Tray waltzedinto the living room with Josie cradled in his arms. He was grinning like an idiot. The guy was happy most of the time, but I’d never seen him this ecstatic over anything… except for that time the chicken strip wrap came back at his favorite fast-food joint, though he was ticked the ghost pepper sauce didn’t make the revival cut. Honestly, that was better for the rest of us. Tray’s stomach did not do well with spicy shit. We all suffered if he overindulged. The guy would assault the bathroom for hours. There wasn’t enough air freshener in the world to chase the toxic stink away.
“Heard the bath running as I was leaving. Think Tessa might have been humming too.” Tray nuzzled his head into Josie.
