Page 51 of Ready or Not

Chapter Sixteen

Cooper

Vale’s curvy frame trembles as her glassy eyes dart around. I saw active combat in the military. The look on her face is one I recognize.

“You’re okay,” I coo, shoving myself off the edge of the bed.

“No,” Vale whines, shaking her head. “No, I’m not.”

Approaching slowly, I raise my palms like they taught us to do with the trafficking victims we find. It’s supposed to help signal that we’re not a threat. I’ve never found that to be particularly true, since we go in wearing full tactical gear with assault rifles, but this little omega knows me. She has no reason to fear me.

“Yes, you are, sweet girl. You’re safe.”

“I know I’m safe, but I’m not okay.” Her gaze darts around. “They’re going to hate me. I’m going to mess all this up. It’s really important, Coop.”

I get close enough to wrap an arm around her back and pull her into my bare chest. She doesn’t fight me, which might be a good sign. Or she could be too overwhelmed to react.

Her cold nose roots around my skin.

It’s the first time I’ve gotten to touch the bare baby belly. It feels so strange pressing against my stomach. She’s not short for a woman, but she’s so much smaller than I am that I can only feel the top curve of her belly because the rest pushes against my jeans.

“Let’s stretch out on the bed for a couple of minutes and give you the chance to rest. How does that sound?” I tease my hand up and down her spine. Her skin is so soft in comparison to mine.

“Okay,” she agrees.

I guide her over and kick off my shoes. She’s in something that resembles a woman’s slip, but only on the bottom? Fuck if I know. It almost looks like panties, but it goes a few inches up her stomach. Huh, I wonder if that’s to help support the baby? She lies down facing the edge, and I don’t hesitate to take the room she left for me.

“I’m just going to hang out here,” she mutters, scooting closer until she can bury her nose in my armpit. “And you’re not going to say anything smart about it.”

I chuckle, running my hand down her side as she gets situated. “I would never. I’m also never going to complain about being able to touch you.”

“This doesn’t mean I’m not still upset with you.” Her fingers run over the tattoos on my right pec.

“I can understand that. Just soak up my scent, and let’s see if it helps soothe you.” I fucking pray it does. If she doesn’t settle down, I’m going to veto this little family get together. She and my mom seem to be getting along beautifully, but I know my mom. She wouldn’t cause problems, even if she didn’t like Vale. Luckily, she thinks Vale is lovely, so that’s a huge relief.

The stuff with Mercy’s family is an entirely different story. I’ve heard him complain about them for years. They’re stuck-up assholes, and I’ve got a feeling Vale is going to be too polite to call them on their shit. That’s why I’m going to be there. Well, that and to watch their backs, but if his family causes her too much stress, I will get Vale out of there.

Bishop and Holt made it crystal clear that whether or not Mercy gets his inheritance isn’t the priority. It is, but it isn’t. Not if it’s going to cause Vale and the baby any misery. Not that they needed to say much. My need to protect her and the baby fuels all my thoughts recently.

“I wish I knew why you smell so…” She hums. “Addictive. That’s not even the right word to describe it. It’s like your scent feels like a match on a level I can’t really explain.”

“I get it. It’s like an indescribable smell. I feel the same way about yours. I’m guessing it means we’re highly compatible. I mean, I was able to knock you up, and you weren’t even in heat. It feels like quite an accomplishment.”

She snorts. “That’s probably due to the breeding impulse.”

“Indeed.” Mercy comes into the room, looking exhausted. He climbs on the bed behind Vale and kisses her cheek. “The orders I placed arrived. There are probably fifty boxes downstairs, filled with diapers, wipes, and everything else on the new baby checklist.”

“We’ve already got some of that stuff.” Vale smiles at him over her shoulder. “But thank you.”

“Of course, love.” He kisses her again. “I’m going to take a quick shower. We need to leave in about twenty minutes.”

Vale’s nails dig into my chest as she nods. “I’ll get dressed. I just needed to recuperate for a few minutes.”

“No problem at all.” He climbs off the bed, stripping as he goes.

Vale leans up to watch him go.

Does it hurt my feelings?