Sugar Coated

56

Delaney Linwood

I woke to the muffled sound of my phone alarm underneath piles of blankets, and Em's smothering weight on my back leveling me into the bedding enough that it was nearly impossible to unearth the aforementioned phone.

When I did manage to pry it from between two nearby cushions and silence the alarm I was greeted by a text from Andres to the Sugar Coated group message.

Andres: In case you forgot what they looked like.

The next message was a picture that must have been taken this morning from the soft light that just barely illuminated a shot of me and Em bundled in sheets and cuddled together. The messy edge of the nest hinted that Andres must have just left our side.

Jax: Must you tempt me while the croissants are vulnerable?

Andres: Silly me, seemed like you rather enjoyed something tempting last night.

Jax: ...

Jax: Come down here and help me, then. Let them sleep.

Andres: <hot face emoji>

For every day that I woke up in his nest, it was becoming more and more clear that if given half the chance Em would sequester any and everyone in the nest...and I didn't blame him one bit. It was cozy.

I scrolled aimlessly on my phone while drowning in the smell of a chocolate fountain. I managed to hit my screen time limit on social media and extend it for another 15 minutes before Em finally stretched.

He made sure to stretch in a way that he didn't leverage any of his weight off of me though and I was feeling oddly settled by the sensation of him on top of me. "Feeling better?"

"Mmmmmm. I probably won't kill him, if that's what you're asking."

"You generosity in this pack knows no bounds, Em," I chuckled as I pulled up the photo of us and showed it to him. His squint from the brightness was comical enough that my laughter even bounced him.

He 'hmphd' over it, "The only thing that saved him was the fact I got to eat you out afterward."

I felt his lips at my neck, covering the mark of Jax's half bite and my laugh died in a throaty, "Ohhh."

The warm rasp of his tongue had me squirming and Em purring like crazy. Before I knew it I felt my own echoing purr at the base of my throat and radiating out from my chest that had felt so hollow for so many years. "Surprised he let you get away with just this," he got quiet and he placed a gentler kiss on the mark that melted me all the same.

"I didn't melt down so bad this time," it still surprised me hours and a long sleep later, "Still want a bite but I wasn't desperate for it like I was last time."

"Don't go telling me that or I'll tell him his dick game has gotten weak," His hands massaged my lower back, "He hit you with that omega kryptonite."

"Please elaborate, Em."

"Bit your shoulder but didn't bond you to let your omega know he intends to bond you at another time. Helps ease a hormonal breakdown," I felt his shrug more than I saw it. "He's gotten pretty good at them though most of mine happened after he bonded me. Insecurity was a bitch," he paused, "still is a bitch sometimes too."

That was an understatement to end all understatements.

"So what are your plans for the day?"

It was Tuesday, which meant I had a day to kill before I got to meet Bea. We were also a week out from the Halloween party I was getting dragged to, so there were things I could do to occupy the day from costume crafting to picking up some of the jobs that were sitting in my inbox online that I'd been refusing to glance at in the midst of this whirlwind dream.