Page 43 of Surprise Mother Pucker

“With noodles.” I craned my neck to look at him. It was tragically unfair that he got to look that handsome, while I looked like I was a member ofThe Walking Deadcast. Even dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a long-sleeve T-shirt, he took my breath away. He could have had any omega he wanted, yet for some reason, he kept choosing me.

“You know, you could try dating an omega who doesn’t have a child and isn’t constantly sick.” I laughed lightly. Though I’d framed it as a joke, it was still a real concern of mine. How long would it be before he realized he could do so much better than me?

His brows furrowed, and he gently ran a hand through my hair. “Why on earth would I do that? I happen to be highly attracted to serial killers and their adorable children.”

He was ridiculously good with my daughter. I had intended to wait longer to introduce him to her, but after we had been sick, Char had become obsessed with her new friend. Every time Eli came around, she would get excited and demand cuddles.

“She’s getting far too attached to you,” I grumbled. “As am I.”

“I want you both to get attached to me. As long as you’ll both have me, I’m not going anywhere.”

“There are still so many things we don't know about each other yet. I've only met one member of your pack. What if I don't like the others? You admitted that you guys want one omega for your pack. You talking about getting attached feels a bit like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.”

“That is such a weird saying, I will never fully understand it. As for my pack, you've met Micha, and you liked him, didn't you? Now, drink this.”

I nodded as Eli passed me a bottle of water, and I took a few sips. “Micha was nice…” I trailed off.

“Killer, you’re fooling no one.” He chuckled. “Your scent gave all your thoughts away.”

“I was sick! I was weak and couldn't hide my emotions. That's totally not fair.” I pouted at him.

Eli pulled me into his arms and kissed the top of my head. I probably smelled terrible from being sick, but he didn't seem to care.

“That is not something to get upset about. I like that your emotions can be so obvious. Micha also liked you a lot. He's been asking nonstop when he can see you and Charlotte again.”

“He has?”

He nodded. “Yep. As for the rest of my pack, if you're not attracted to them, you're not attracted to them. Yes, we've always had the idea that we would date an omega as a pack, and I’m pretty sure that’s how this is going to go, but if it doesn’t, then I’m also okay with that.”

“You always seem to know the right thing to say,” I grumbled.

“What can I say? You just need to accept that I'm a genius and know everything. How about this? Shall we ease into things slowly? Why don't we get Micha to join us for our aquarium date next week? He’s already met Char and adores her. If that goes well, then we could have a pack date?”

“That sounds nice,” I admitted. “Though, maybe we should wait until I’m not dying to make plans?”

Eli squeezed me lightly. “That sounds fair. How are you feeling now? Do you think you can go spend an hour or two in bed while I grab some food?”

Taking stock of my body, I nodded. “Yeah, I’m exhausted.”

Before I could even make a move to stand, Eli had wrapped his arms around me and lifted me, as if I weighed nothing. With shocking ease, he carried me through the apartment and to my bedroom.

I was too exhausted to protest, so I simply squished my face into the crook of his neck and inhaled deeply. Vanilla, smoky, and oh so comforting.

As he lowered me into my little makeshift nest of a bed, I accidentally let a whine escape my chest as he started to retreat.

A pained look flashed across his face. “Oh, sweet pea. I'll be back in thirty minutes. Then we can snuggle in the nest after some food, okay?” he asked, gently running his hand through my hair, making my body relax and go all mushy.

Head scratchies were dangerous.

“Cuddles when you’re back?” I asked pathetically.

Being sick made all my omega instincts a hundred times worse. Usually, when I was feeling stronger, I would have had a bit more self-restraint, especially with an alpha I had only been on a handful of dates with.

Well… eight dates now, but who was counting? Eli felt different, though. Despite only knowing him for a little over a month, he had proven that I could trust him time and time again.

It also helped that watching him take care of my daughter was the single hottest thing I'd ever seen a man do.

Eli leaned forward to kiss my forehead, pulling the blankets up over me. “As soon as I'm back, I'll put some food on the stove, and then we can all have a cuddle. Cuddle and watch movies. How does that sound? We’ve got time until Little Miss is done at day care.”

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