Sugar Coated

60

Delaney Linwood

Sugar Coated became a madhouse in a way that I guessed they'd never seen before given the complaints that Em started spitting out each time his shift ended and he retired back upstairs. It was either that or the impending heat that was making him more and more antsy.

Andres took to needling him at every opportunity over it too, which was how I found them before their shift turned over. Andres had taken the morning and Em was due to take midshift, though he was loath to go quietly.

I'd been in the side room taking a frantic call from Foster about some fabric Rosie was trying to choose for the oversized shirts that would turn us into rats. What I gathered from Foster's end of the line was that it was Sherpa? And he was about to roll over in the grave Rosie might as well have dug for him at that fabric recommendation.

I sympathized even though I hadn't the foggiest idea what Sherpa felt like. I at least knew the way that I got about some fabrics. As Foster's panic slowed to a more reasonable cadence I was rocked with the weight of telling him what I was. It was broken piece of me that wanted to hide behind a faceless phone conversation that still felt hint of shame at the idea that I could even entertain the idea of what I was.

Granted...I knew this reveal wouldn't remain faceless if only because Rosie would fly so far off the handle that she'd land on our doorstep within 10 seconds.

And the better part of me knew I needed to tell them in person. I swallowed it knowing full well they'd fume that I hadn't told them immediately.

Em was sulking on the couch while Andres lounged on the chaise next to him just a hint too spread out that I knew he was goading a reaction out of him.

There was a sharp pat on the set next to Em, between him and Andres as I approached, "Sit." Em motioned again with another pat.

"Please?" I squinted at him as I got closer.

The ghost of pout haunted the corners of his mouth, telling me the reaction was becoming more common. He smelled like an absolute dream, rich chocolate that had the faintest note of coffee behind it. He was made to melt.

I climbed onto his lap instead and was rewarded with his mouth at my neck.

I could get used to this.

"Come to class with me tonight," Em pleaded between his kisses.

My laugh was throaty, "You ask me on the most romantic dates. 'Come to school' and 'Go to the doctor'."

I felt his shaking laughter and the scrape of teeth against my skin enough that though teasing I knew I was fully serious.

"Fair," Em's perfume saturated the space around us.

I dragged in an exaggerated breath, "I'm surprised you're even going to class like this. Feels like you won't even make it to Halloween and I might have to just go with Rosie and Fost-"

I was flipped over onto my hands and knees in an instant, nearly faceplanting into Andres' lap, his face a mixture of surprise and glee as Em leaned over my back until his lips were at my ear.

"Don't tease me." There was iron in hiss grip and his voice and it made everything in me clench and ache.

"Especially when he's being noble for once in his life," Andres' hands traced my face before slipping up to tugging Em's hair just enough to get a chuffing whine out of him. "You can't no call no show when you sleep in the same building you know."

Em scoffed. He must have warred with something though probably the want driving him to push something (me) down in the cushions and his driving predisposition to a good pout on the couch in full view of everyone.

In the end we we both rolled until we were laying with our heads in Andres' lap, Em flush against my back and purring, waiting out whatever amount of time there was until the next event.

I was just begging that sometime soon the next big event would be me. It was grating to sit here and watch this pack move forward so resolutely all the while I felt like I was standing still. I wanted a piece of each of them in such a massive way that was both delightfully dirty as well as all the intentions in between.

I wanted to operate alongside them as much as I loved the doting. For the first time in my life I wanted to pick up shifts downstairs manning the counter or running a drink. I wanted to help make dinner or to prep the next morning's dough. I wanted to go into a damn heat with Em and weather whatever the hormonal meltdown was with him.

I was itching to get to Dr. Nolan. The appointment was tomorrow morning and the wait was something else. I'd begun to build him up in my mind as someone who could save me and even I knew I was being foolish and that there was bound to be something that he couldn't answer as to why my body was dormant when all schools of thought seemed to think I should have been neatly classified as an omega by now.

I chewed on those thoughts until Em took up his shift downstairs and Andres reluctantly let me go to run errands for the house this time like picking up the groceries these men demolished so quickly.

Which left me entirely alone in their warm home.

That is until a lightly dusted Jax made his way up from the shop. He worked floating shifts where needed and also to refill any baked goods that were hit the hardest during any given day.

And when I tell you he was about to put in work as a distraction.

I meant it in the most sinful way.

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

And we're back. Had some slight technical issues between the hurricane that's dropping a ton of rain on my coast of Florida right now and the fact that I couldn't for the life of me remember the password to my account. BUT WE MADE IT.

Happy to be back <3
~Layla