Sugar Coated

19

Andres Ibarra

Em was a monster as always, having set up shop on what would become Delaney's bed. Jackson was a coiled spring beside us, but ever the gentleman he wouldn't pounce until he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she'd accept.

It had taken him months of flirting and teasing in his shop to come after me. I hoped Delaney would come around quicker, though with the whole pack after her I'd imagine it'd be hard not to.

"Em's room is next to this one just around the corner of the hall, mine is across," Jackson pointed to each of the rooms, the distance to them I knew by heart, fifteen steps to Em's and twenty-two to Jax's. I glanced back at the room she'd stopped at with the silly golden handle that Em had spied in a thrift store down Central Avenue. It only took six steps to get to his nest. When her hand had lingered on the door handle Em had nearly gone feral down the bond.

Even now the feeling lingered raw and open between the three of us, probably part of the reason he threw himself into her room and scent-marked it as best he could. All-in-all it was commendable his self-control, which was probably why Jackson hadn't hauled him out by the collar so that Delaney could get her bearings, that and the fact that she'd accepted the situation quickly enough. Em was right though, the bed wasn't nearly big enough for all of us and how much we wanted her.

"Doll," Jackson's hand cupped Delaney's neck. She turned to him in my arms until she was ever so slightly between us. I watched Jax's long fingers find her chin and tilt it just a hint so that she looked up at him, but the angle also bared her neck the tiniest bit. He was incorrigible as his heated look tracked the line of the muscle in her neck where it trailed into the curve of her shoulder.

I felt the shudder of her breath that told me she noticed it too.

"I have some preparations to attend to for the shop tomorrow. I'll be up later than the rest," He leaned down and captured the corner of her mouth in one of his light kisses before pressing his cheek to hers, "No pressure, Doll."

He skirted around us then, on hand slipped across my lower back as he trailed back toward where we'd come, one of his absent affections that I'd come to crave.

"Get in here," Em smacked the bed a few times motioning for us. I let her take the first step, before effectively corralling Delaney in the rest of the way.

Em was exactly who he always was, though, "What do you want to sleep in? I'm assuming you didn't bring anything with you to wear tonight since you weren't planning on staying. Or did you?" His look turned saucy in the way that he only managed to get. I wouldn't put the possibility past him that he would try something like that, but little Beta Delaney didn't strike me as the type, though I'd imagine many might try it. She felt sincere though, in her interests.

"Uh, no...I didn't bring anything to wear."

"Perfect!" Em shot out of the room, just as Delaney dropped onto the bed he'd kindly made into the semblance of a nest.

When he came back he had an oversized T-shirt in hand along with a pair of my boxers of all things. I snorted at the audacity. The boxers were at least clean, couldn't say the same for the shirt since I could catch whiffs of Jackson's sweetened apricots wafting off of it. Calculated.

"You can wear these," when he placed the clothes into her hands she took a surreptitious sniff of them and I watched her shoulders ease just a bit. Good sign.

I stepped back a bit towards the doorway to give her some space. Our Omega certainly didn't though, "Em."

He fiddled with the hem of his shirt, pretending not to hear me, and instead stayed in Delaney's space.

"Emile." I tried to emulate Jackson's long-suffering tone, but I didn't hold a candle to him. Em still pouted my way though. "Give her space Omega."

"Do you want me to leave?" Instead, he turned his attention to the only person who seemed to be able to override any decision in this house.

Delaney laughed, it was a laugh that had some heft to it like it might have the inclination to go on for a longer time and it made me want to see how long she could last, laughing...or doing other things.

"I do need to change."

"That's not saying 'I want you to leave though,'"

She fidgeted for a minute, and I tried to put myself in her shoes. To remember what I felt like when I first came here. I'd been lucky enough to not be contending with another Beta in a pack that by most traditionalist standards wouldn't require another. What I did recall was the nerves around having so much interest leveled my way between Jackson and Emile. It was a shock to get used to both of them and even worse when they both were coming on to me at the same time.

"Delaney, you can tell him no and he won't take it personally...most of the time. He'll just pout about it, so please feel comfortable enough to make him leave."

"I do." She smiled at me before I stepped out of the room and back to mine.

She didn't make Em leave though. I also noticed that she didn't close the door either, but tonight at least the more reasonable members of the pack would give her space, though I could feel Jackson's control wearing thin, fraying piece by piece from the other room.

*****A/N*****

I've joined a little writing competition with two of my closest friends. And it's done a lot in the way of keeping me accountable. We pay whoever writes the most words each week $2.50. I haven't won it yet, but there's a chance I might manage to this week! So we're trying haha.

Engage in a little friendly competition...and destroy your opponents.

Love,
~Layla