Page 189 of Altius
All because I chose to wallow in self-pity instead of calling the man I was halfway in love with and telling him I missed him.
Cal kept glancing at me as he drove, watching for any sign of outward distress. One tear. A single quiver of my chin. For my breath to snag. Proof that I hadn’t reverted to the heartless shell he’d met in July.
But it was worse than that.
My heart wasn’t beating at all.
***
Cal shepherded me from the garage to the elevator, one hand always touching me, forever mindful of my safety and comfort, even though I could tell from the furrow between his brows that he was trawling through his vast repertoire of knowledge, looking for a way out of this mess.
I knew, without a doubt, that he’d try everything to fix us.
The large hand wrapped around my limp fingers was my only source of solace. Without him, I’d…
How foolish I’d been, pretending that I hadn’t been attracted to him from the moment he strode into our introductory meeting, one thumb hooked in his pants pocket, trusty legal pad tucked under his arm, wearing his confidence like a second skin.
That one lingering glance from those keen hazel eyes hadn’t made my omega stir for the first time in ages.
I’d tried to resist him. Honestly and truly tried.
Because with me, regret is inevitable.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered just as the door slid open, nearly drowning out my voice.
Cal paused, one foot in the hallway, fingers digging into my palm.
“Feel whatever you need to feel tonight.” Glancing over his shoulder, there was a determined edge to his half-smile. “Because starting tomorrow, you’re my patient first. Girlfriend second. I won’t go easy on you—either of you.”
I nodded and followed him down the hallway. There was no point in resisting or trying to delay facing Wyatt.
With a surprisingly steady hand, I pressed my thumb against the lock on the front door, but Cal turned the handle and swung it open, revealing Wyatt pacing in front of the fireplace.
Kip and Tenny scampered over for affection, a task I left for Cal to handle.
I was too busy being consumed by Wyatt’s embrace. He buried his face in my neck, seeking reassurance I couldn’t give.
“I’m sorry.” It was all I could manage to say. “I’m so sorry.”
Even the scalding tears sliding down my cheeks couldn’t thaw me. Nor could the purr that sputtered in and out between his sobs.
“It’s okay, baby. We’re gonna be okay.”
Doubt swept over me, erasing all discernible thought, leaving me too blank to function.
When my conscious mind rebooted hours later, I was lying on my side, in the center of my nest, sandwiched between two purring alphas.
Cal’s large body ran the length of my back, his face buried in my hair.
Pressed against my front, his head tucked beneath my chin, a fitful Wyatt had the corner of my shirt clenched tight in his fist.
Except my shirt had become a pajama top. They’d even been thoughtful enough to remove my bra.
What time was it? I had to be ready for lunch with Kelsey at noon. Where was my phone…
That’s when I realized one of my hands was tangled in Wyatt’s long hair while the other was hooked beneath Cal’s knee, ensuring his leg blanketed my lower half.
Trying to find my phone would mean having to move, and between the grounding weight of their bodies bracketing mine and their synchronized purrs, it was all I could do to keep my eyes open.
