Page 19 of Feeling the Heat: Part Two
“He’s late,”I mutter, glancing at the clock on my bedside table. Technically, he has to be here in five minutes, and then he’ll be late, but he should’ve shown up early.
Scowling at my reflection in the mirror, I rip off my tie with a frustrated huff. I can’t get the damn thing right, and this is the tenth time I’ve tried. I’ve had to do this countless times for court, so why won’t this fucking thing cooperate with me when it matters?
I curse as yet again the length is wrong and toss the stupid tie on the floor, earning a disgruntled chuff from Dolly when it lands beside her.
“Everything okay?” Ambrose peeks his head in through the open door. His tie looks pristine and not at all like a child tried to put it on him.
“Where is he?” I huff as I bend down and scoop the tie up off the floor to try again.
Ambrose’s brows pinch together at my frustration. “He’s meeting us there, remember? It made more sense for him to go there from his meeting than come home and then go with us.”
“Fuck, I’m losing my mind,” I groan, reaching up to fist my hair before freezing at the last second so I don’t screw up what I spent way too long in the bathroom making perfect.
Ambrose hesitates for a moment before entering my room,stepping into the space perhaps for the first time since we moved in. He’s never needed to come in here, because Dolly always goes to him the second he calls. She’s always a good girl for him and a little stinker for me. I’m surprised she’s not up out of her bed and begging for him to pick her up right now.
“May I?” Ambrose holds his hand out expectantly, and for a split-second I think he’s trying to hold my hand, but then he glances at the tie balled up in my fist.
I sigh and pass it over to him.
“Don’t know why I can’t get it right. I really hope it’s not an omen. I’m just so fucking nervous that River won’t show up, or Camille will get upset, or I’ll stick my foot in my mouth and fuck everything up. And…”
Ambrose touches my arm, and my babbling ceases. He guides me with a small tug to turn toward him, and gentle concern flows down the bond, tinged with a warm affection that soaks into my skin where his palm rests on my bicep.
“Thanks,” I murmur, allowing him to help calm my mind as he loops the tie around me and sets to work, his movements confident and unhurried.
“No problem. I have a lot of experience helping with this sort of thing.”
My chest squeezes as I meet his deep grey eyes and find a hint of sadness there, but there’s another surge of affection through the bond. I know it’s from memories of River, but a flush rises on my cheeks.
He’s standing close, his tart citrus and herb scent surrounding me and warming my belly like a good cocktail. Something hot and low pulses inside me. I don’t react fast enough to lock down the bond and hide this strange reaction, and Ambrose cocks a brow at me, a slight smile curving his lips as he pulls the tie through the loop.
“Your scent reminds me of her sometimes, too,” he says, blessedly explaining my response to him.
That must be what it is. The wires in my head got crossed. Not that I’m… nope, definitely not.
I clear my throat and chuckle. “Hah, yeah.”
It doesn’t explain why my stomach clenches as his fingers brush against my shirt as he smooths the tail of the tie down with his palm, double-checking the length.
Thankfully, when he steps back so I can check out his handiwork in the mirror, the weird sensations fade. “Thank you. Sorry I’m such a mess.”
Ambrose shakes his head. “Don’t apologize. I’m pretty damn nervous, too. I can’t control what River or Camille do tonight. I can’t make him show up if he’s still uncertain, and I can’t make her take us back if she’s not ready.”
“Damn, this would be a lot easier if you could.”
Ambrose snorts. “True. All we can do now is show up and hope that the rest falls into place.” He places a hand on my shoulder, and while I wonder why he’s so touchy tonight, I’m glad for it as the steady weight anchors me. “You’ve done everything you can. You did nothing wrong. Other than loving two complicated people who needed time to sort out their emotions.”
I nod, my throat tightening. He’s told me before that what’s happened with River and Camille wasn’t my doing, but the inadequacies I’ve struggled with my entire life made it hard not to believe I could’ve been better or done more to make them feel safe and ready to be a pack.
“Yeah. They’re not as simple as I am.” I mean it as a joke, but Ambrose frowns.
“You’re not simple, Jackson. You wear your heart on your sleeve, and love fiercely. You make the people you care about know without question that you’re there for them.”
Another flush rises to my cheeks at his adamant compliment. “Yeah, but I’m also annoying as hell,” I say, trying to wave it off.
His fingers grip my shoulder tighter. “You’re easy to love, Jackson. If I ever made you feel otherwise, I’m sorry.”
“You love me?” I tease, even as my heartbeat picks up and there’s a strange flutter in my stomach.
