Page 20 of Petals & Promises

Warrick pressed a quick kiss to my cheek before rolling off the bed. “Yeah, we have his number, but Dr. Arbour said he is happy to answer questions for us over the next few months since we’re still not sure what aftereffects the surgery will have, good or bad.”

If Dr. Arbour volunteered to have them reach out, who was I to tell them differently? Just as Lysse returned, Waffles crawled out from under my legs and jumped off the bed but didn’t go far. Stacking up a few pillows, I sat up, took the offered water, and used the cool cloth to wipe down my face and neck. It felt gloriously refreshing.

“Please take your seats as we prepare for our final descent into Pago,” a voice called over the speakers.

“Well, that couldn’t have been better timing,” Gareth said, trying to fight back a grin.

I cocked an eyebrow at him. “What’s with you?”

“Oh, nothing,” he answered with a shrug. “I’m just excited to land since it means I’m that much closer to making you scream my name again. Only this time, it will be while I’m buried balls deep in that pretty pussy, as I leave my mark forever etched on your sexy body.”

Well, fuck. I certainly wasn’t worried about low blood pressure now.

twelve

Warrick

Some moments will live in your brain forever, and the expression I saw on Bailey-Rose’s face as we pulled up to the overwater bungalow was one of them. I thought her eyes were going to pop out of her head with how wide they got. Thankfully, Ulysses had an arm wrapped around her waist, keeping her close until the small boat we were in docked. A second boat filled with our luggage pulled up to the slip next to us.

This was one occasion I didn’t mind using my family connections to my advantage. While the Shaw family didn’t own this resort, they invested quite a bit of money in the renovations two years ago. So when I called the owner out of the blue asking for his most exclusive and sought-after bungalow, he didn’t hesitate to make it happen.

What made this resort so exclusive wasn’t the fact it only had twenty bungalows but that it was on its own private island. They’d turned the middle of this island into a self-contained ecosystem growing all their own fruits and vegetables. Fresh seafood was caught daily and prepared for the guests, while select amounts of other meats were imported from the mainland. There is just something whimsical about needing to take a boat to get to your destination. It adds that extra bit of magic to an already stunning landscape.

Sunset Dreams Resort was truly a place you believed could only exist in your imagination. The pure white sands, palm trees, crystal clear water, and a soft breeze made the humidity bearable. I couldn’t think of a more perfect place to start the beginning of forever with Bailey-Rose.

Part of me hated that Randall showing himself again was the driving factor in getting us here, but I wasn’t going to dwell on that. Eli promised to deal with things back home and would keep us updated on any progress in hunting the bastard down. We Alphas agreed Randall wouldn’t have a chance in hell of touching our girl ever again if we were on the move, living life to the fullest. None of us would give him the satisfaction of knowing Bailey-Rose was living in fear of him, so we created a plan to do just the opposite.

“How is something like this possible?” Bailey-Rose gasped as she entered the bungalow. “The floor is all glass.”

Nugget proceeded to pounce on a fish that was swimming past and was deeply offended when his efforts were thwarted.

“Sorry, little guy, but you’re gonna need to get in the water if you want to nab one for real,” I explained as I picked him up, ruffling the fur between his big ears.

Waffles, the dutiful companion that he was to my Care Bear, moseyed behind her as she explored the place. There wasn’t much you couldn’t see from the entrance since it was an open floor plan. One of the coolest things I’d been excited about was a sunken couch that gave you an even better view of the ocean beneath us.

“Guys, why does it say, press button for one-hundred-eighty-degree viewing?” Bailey-Rose asked.

Gareth walked up right behind her and, without a second thought, hit a button. The sound of gears running caused Gareth to drag her back a few steps as the wooden walls opened like curtains being pulled back. When it stopped, half the bungalow was open to the view of the ocean.

“I’ll admit I’m impressed,” Yun-Sun mumbled under his breath.

Coming from a family like mine, I understood his hesitation to give into the lavish life after seeing what it did to our parents. When you didn’t have to work for anything, it changed how you viewed the world and everyone in it. We quickly realized that was something we had in common as a pack. Each of us was inherently wealthy, having been born into money, but none of us like to take something we didn’t earn, making us the odd man out.

A shrill squeal of delight burst out of our Omega as she took a running start and launched herself onto the bed. Much like her bed at home, it was round, but instead of being hung, it was sunken into the floor like the sofa. A curtain of bug netting would surround the bed when pulled closed, but for now, it was half open. Pillows in all sorts of tropical colors filled the bed, making it like an adult ball pit but with pillows.

I couldn’t help but smile as I watched the woman I was hopelessly in love with enjoying the space we would be in for the next two weeks. Rolling onto her back, she stretched out her legs and pressed her arms over her head, causing her shirt to ride up. My gaze locked onto the bare skin that was revealed, and an almost overwhelming urge to place my mark on her skin took hold.

Since we’d asked Bailey-Rose to be ours, and she accepted, the need to complete the bonding was growing more intense every day. It’s said that science, biology, and instinct drive us to fulfill this act, but I couldn’t disagree more. The single thought I had running through my mind since she said yes was holy shit, I’m one lucky bastard. Biology might have brought us together, but how I felt about this tiny, badass warrior who brought so much light to my life had nothing to do with science. It had everything to do with who she was as a person.

The feel of fingers combing through my hair surprised me, and I froze. Somehow, I’d lost myself to my needs and found I was nuzzling my cheek against Bailey-Rose’s stomach. Okay, maybe they weren’t totally wrong about the instinct part of bonding. Clearly, that was playing a higher role in this than I expected, but fuck, she smelled so damn good, I just wanted a taste. Giving in to the urge, I licked the bare skin along the top of her shorts, causing her to shiver. The only thing that kept me from going further was the angry grumblings from her stomach.

Turning to look up at her, I cocked a brow. She was doing everything possible to keep from laughing, even clamping her hands over her mouth. Despite her efforts, the telltale shake of her body told me she was cracking up. So I did the only thing I could and blew a raspberry over the spot I wanted to mark. Peals of laughter filled the bungalow, and I knew without a doubt this was how I wanted to spend the rest of my life—experiencing moments with her.

“Come on, you… sounds like we need to feed the monster who’s living in your belly,” I teased, pulling her to her feet.

“So how does food work here?” she asked as Yun lifted her out of the pit of pillows. “I don’t see a kitchen, just a fancy table for us to eat at.”

Vili held up what I thought was a book until he flipped it open showing it was a tablet. “You pick from here, kitten. This has all yummy things to eat or drink.”