Bookstore princess

Chapter 22

Nadia

It's while we are cleaning up together that James got a call and he went just outside the apartment to answer it after looking at the caller ID. He looked worried, but I can only imagine the responsibilities he's been shirking to help me take care of the store. I finished the dishes on my own and went to inspect the fridge to see that it's so full, the light inside was barely showing off. I shake my head and head into the living room and turn up music on my phone. I don't want to overhear his conversation so I make sure it's extra loud. It's my usual country and pop love songs that I prefer, so I'm happy. I haven't had the opportunity to listen to them as much as I'd like lately. The extra long hours in the bookstore have me exhausted. I touch my forehead and realize I'm running a bit of a fever, and blame it on overworking. It's not usually this busy, but this week work has spiked. I've never seen it so busy before. The sales are up quite a bit, and that's not just in the store, but in Potions as well. If this keeps up, we can hire full time employees, which is the ultimate hope for us. I pick up the werewolf romance that James had picked out for me earlier, and I read the back and giggle to myself that it's going to be another long night if I'm not careful. I'm well into the fifth chapter when James comes back in with his suitcase and he is frowning.
"Is everything okay?" I ask him, and he tries to hide the frown.
"Yeah, it's going to be fine. Just a few fires at work. Do you have somewhere quiet that I can work on my laptop for a bit?" he asks hopefully.
"I can go up to my bedroom, and you can have the living room" I immediately offer and he looks pained at the suggestion. I turn off the music and start to get up when he's beside me and putting a hand on my shoulder.
"No, if you don't mind, I want you to stay here and enjoy your reading and your music. I'll go upstairs and use your bedroom for an hour or so," he says, giving the top of my head a kiss.
"Are you sure?" I ask in surprise.
"Very sure" he assures me and he brings his suitcase with him to the stairway.
"There's a few empty drawers in the dresser. You should put them to good use" I call to him.
"If you let me do that, you'll never get rid of me" he warns.
"Good! It's all down the left hand side" I grin and he stops in his tracks. He comes back and kisses me hard on the lips.
"Fuck, I'm crazy about you" he murmurs and heads back upstairs. I giggle to myself and give myself a mental pat on the back. He's so sweet and endearing. Sure he says some strange things, like today. But he's also relaxing more and not watching himself as much. I'm loving it if I'm going to be honest with myself. I turn the music back up and flop back on the couch. Melody comes and lays on my stomach and lets out a purr.

I read for a while before exhaustion is taking over me again, and I start to think inside my mind I should probably get some sleep. I don't want to disturb James, so I just grab the blanket he's been using and turn out the lights. I've barely laid down again when James re-enters the room.
"What are you doing, baby doll?" he asks me, he looks tired as well.
"Going to bed?" I ask him, like its an obvious answer. "This couch isn't very comfortable" I add, wondering how he knew so fast that I was going to bed.
"Don't squirm" is the only warning I get before he puts his hands under me and he picks me up. I barely let out a squeak as I wrap my arms around him, trying to hold on like my life depended on it. He seems unbothered by my size, and just squeezes me a little tighter.
"James, I'm heavy" I finally huff out as he's going up the stairs.
"Not heavy enough, besides, I adore you the way you are" he kisses my cheek and finishes going up the steps.
"You're not sleeping on the couch again are you?" I ask him with a frown. "I like it better when you are close" I admit as he walks into my bedroom and he sits me down on the side of the bed.
"Are you sure you're ready for that step?" he asks, seeming curious and worried at the same time.
"I'm ready" I assure him, thinking I couldn't bear another night with him just one floor below me again. Not when I know how good his body feels against mine, or his arms holding me safely to him. "But if you're not, that's okay" I add quickly, not wanting to push him for more.
"You saying I can stay is like a dream come true, of course I want to stay" he sets me down on the bed and claims my lips again. Those familiar tingles feel fantastic and all I want to do is succumb to them. I feel them slowly taking over my body as his tongue brushes against mine and I reach up and pull him in more as I lay back on the bed, pulling him with me. He braces himself with his arms and hums into the kiss. He pulls back momentarily and presses his forehead against mine and his eyes are closed as we both breathe the same air.
"What are you doing?" I whisper to him, and bite my bottom lip.
"Naming off different countries in my head so I have some semblance of self control" he opens his eyes and grins at me. "You have a fever, I'm worried," he says softly.
"I just need a little rest" I pout, knowing instantly that tonight isn't going to be my lucky night.
"I'm going to get off you, and you are going to take off your shorts because that can't be comfortable to sleep in, and I'll get undressed. We will go to sleep, and maybe wake up early to do some cuddling" he grins and kisses my cheek before crawling off of me. I pout, but do as he asks. I take off my shorts and curl up in the center of the bed on my side facing out. He takes off his socks, jeans and shirt and I am blessed with the sight of him in just his black boxer briefs. Well, he's definitely happy to see me by the looks of it. I pull back the blanket invitingly and he gets into bed beside me, facing me.
"Turn around, baby doll," he instructs. I press a soft kiss to his lips before turning in his arms and facing one of the bookcases. He wraps his arms around me, and I can't help but wriggle in his arms until my body is flat against his. He chuckles and nips the bite mark on my shoulder as though to tell me to behave. I giggle and close my eyes to get some sleep.

James

I wake up as the sun is starting to shine through the bedroom window, and pull Nadia closer. She's blissfully asleep, and unaware of how much last night meant to me. Steve called me last night about pack business. More fires were set to houses on the outskirts, however thankfully they have been vacated already and emptied. The war is coming close to the pack house, and I've already made it clear to John and Lucious that my land is off limits until I've moved. Apparently that doesn't matter to them. Some of my people got hurt. Although they have been treated and are being sent today, that doesn't make this any easier. If I wasn't so worried about the rogues across the street, I would have taken the first flight out last night back to my old pack lands and made myself very clear to the neighbouring packs. I hired more moving companies last night, and made sure that all houses and the pack house would be packed up and brought here by the end of the week. I didn't give them much time to work with if I'm going to be honest about it. I also secured everything I could for storage until the buildings were finished. It's a few months out, but I'm running out of time. I was so worked up about everything that's completely out of my control, and I was angry. I still am a little angry, but a good night's sleep put more into perspective. Steve and Sam have their orders. Get the rest of the pack here by the end of the week, and I would talk to Tony and Nick about allowing some of my pack on their lands for a few months, just until everything is completed. I'm sure with the contract we designed it won't be a problem.
When I saw my little mate about to go to bed on the couch so I could keep working, I finally decided to call it a night. I didn't realize how long I had been working at it for. I had kept the camera trained on the living room up on my phone, so I caught it right away. So I put everything away and I went downstairs and carried her to bed. Then of all the things in the world she could do, she asked me to stay. What kind of fantasy am I in now, that I can snuggle with the woman of my dreams. If she didn't have a fever, I'd have tried making a move.
I tentatively reach up and test her forehead. It's a bit warm, but I know I throw off a lot of heat naturally. I kiss her bite mark, and carefully move away. She moans in her sleep and curls into herself more as I move away. I want to stay, but I still have things to do. I grab my laptop and put on a pair of sweatpants and head downstairs, away from the only distraction that means anything to me. I had put a camera in her bedroom last night, so I just sit down at the kitchen table and pull up the feed and watch her as she's sleeping with Melody on the bed. Then I get back to work.
Over the next hour and a half before Nadia wakes up, I've successfully gotten everyone in the pack a plane ticket, except for Sam and Steve who will be taking the jet, along with a few of the extreme valuables we don't want anyone touching, with them. Steve assured me this morning that he was already transporting them all while Sam and a few trusted pack members are packing up all of our treasury. It's a large room full of gold bars and trinkets. A lot of it should be in a safety deposit box or museum, but they have the mark of the lycan king, and it's a lot of currency in my world. Something others would kill for. There's also heirlooms passed down for centuries, and relics that are priceless. It's a bit nerve wracking to be moving it all, but it needs to be done. Most important of all, our grandparents' and our parents' wedding rings. These were left to Steve and I. This morning I asked Steve if it would be okay to have our grandparents' wedding bands. He agreed, having already wanted our parents' wedding bands for when he finds his own mate. That is the most important treasure in the vault to me. I want to make sure Nadia has something that is priceless to me, just like she is.
I've lost track of the amount of sort of dates we've had. We've had one real date, where I got to take her out. But with how busy she is, I also consider coffee and eating supper together as dates. We are nearly inseparable, and although I might have relaxed a little too much yesterday and used werewolf linguistics, I don't feel the bond wavering. She seems to care about me, just as I do her.
When I see her start to move, I close up my computer, and I shut off my phone as I get up to make breakfast. I pull out eggs, bacon, toast, and precut potatoes to make hashbrowns. I get busy and start cooking. I have every intention of feeding her properly and making sure she isn't still sick before we go downstairs today. I want to make sure she starts her day off exceptionally well and that she will ask me to spend another night in bed with her tonight. If she's better, I want to finally have a taste of her. Fang and I both agree on one thing. The faster we consummate this union,  the better.