Page 82 of Shattered Trinket
When we step into A Scoop A Day, the door chimes, and we immediately feel a refreshing blast of cool air, a stark contrast to the scorching rays of the sun outside. A woman behind thecounter smiles brightly at us when we step up to the long glass case housing all their ice cream flavors.
“Welcome to A Scoop A Day! My name’s Josie. Can I get you guys some samples, or do you already know what you’d like?”
Zeke glances down at me with a lopsided smile.
“Do ye know what ye want, Ducky?”
I go back to perusing, pursing my lips as indecision wars within me. Everything looks so good and there are several flavors I’ve never even heard of that I’d like to try.
“I don’t know. Everything looks so good,” I tell him with a pout that has him chuckling before he glances back at Josie.
“We’ll take one o’ everything an’ a banana split with extra sprinkles,” he tells her, and I gasp.
“There’s no way I can finish that much ice cream! That’s too much!”
“Then it’s a good thing ye’ve got yerself a big, strong alpha wi’ a hefty appetite an’ a love for ice cream tae help ye, now isnae it?” he says, grinning and rubbing his hands together, making me laugh under my breath.
I shake my head at him, but sigh in defeat. While Josie gets to work on the ridiculous amount of ice cream we’ve ordered, we find a spot by the window. Zeke pulls my chair out for me, making my skin warm as I thank him, and when he sits across from me, I can’t help but giggle. The table looks so small with him sitting at it, his chair barely holding his bulky frame.
“What are ye laughing at?” he asks me with a soft smile, his dark green eyes sparkling as he rests his head in his hand.
“Nothing,” I laugh, biting my lip and looking away.
Josie brings our ice cream over in batches and by the time she’s placed the last cup on our table, I can hardly see it at all.
“Enjoy,” Josie says with a smile before disappearing back behind the counter.
Zeke grabs one of the cups, holding the tiny spoon with a bite out to me, and I snort, but part my lips as I take the bite. We both take turns feeding each other ice cream while he tells me about his family, where he grew up, and regaling me with tales of his childhood. In turn, I tell him about my hometown, what it was like growing up in a place that consisted of mostly betas, and I even manage to tell him a little about my parents without having a complete breakdown.
Much to his dismay, we don’t end up finishing everything, but he certainly tries. I manage to at least try all of the flavors, but I don’t eat anywhere near as much as he does. When I tell him he’s going to have a stomach ache later, he laughs, patting his belly.
“I’ve got a stomach made o’ steel, lass. I’ll be fine.”
After cleaning up our mess and paying for everything, we step back out into the sunshine. I tilt my face up, closing my eyes with a smile as the sun’s rays shine down on my face. When I reopen my eyes and look over at Zeke, he’s staring at me with an awestruck expression on his face, clearing his throat when he’s caught. He reaches out and tucks a wild curl behind my ear before carefully leaning down to kiss me sweetly, making butterflies erupt in my belly.
The drive home is spent holding hands while I laugh uncontrollably at the giant alpha I see as mine more and more every day. He sings loudly and off key to several girly pop songs, his facial expressions becoming more exaggerated the more I laugh. By the time we pull back up at home, my lips are stretched into a permanent smile and my belly aches.
Zeke helps me out of the truck, and when we make it inside, he tells me to go get my comfy clothes on while he gets us some snacks together. I listen, running upstairs and changing into one of his shirts that I stole a few days ago and a pair of shorts. His shirt hangs down past my knees and falls off my shoulder with how big it is, but it smells like him, and it’s well worn, so it’s softagainst my skin. He nearly drops everything in his arms when I come back down, meeting him at the foot of the stairs. A groan escapes him as he looks at me, biting his lip.
“Yer gonna be tha death o’ me, lass. Ye have no idea what ye’re doin’ tae me draped in my shirt.”
I watch as his throat bobs when he swallows, his eyes running down my body all the way to my toes, and despite the massive shirt hiding everything away from sight, he still somehow manages to make me feel like the most desirable woman in the world. The way he’s looking at me, it’s like he’s barely containing himself, and I find my core clenching and my belly heating the longer his dark green eyes rest on me like if he stares hard enough, he’ll develop x-ray vision and see what’s beneath.
My scent deepens, and he inhales sharply, groaning again as he shakes his head as if to clear it.
“Come on, wee minx, before I throw caution tae tha wind an’ toss ye over my shoulder like a caveman,” he says with a playful growl, jumping at me and making me squeal.
I run off out the door with a giggle as he chases me from the porch, down the walkway, and up the stairs into the nest, collapsing to the foam floor inside of my mini fort, out of breath. Zeke drops everything he’s holding carefully before pouncing, tickling my sides and making me squirm and laugh uncontrollably until tears are streaming down my cheeks and my stomach muscles hurt.
Caging me in with his forearms on either side of my head and holding his body over mine so he doesn’t crush me, Zeke brushes my hair from my face with a soft smile. His hair hangs down, tickling my cheeks, and when I look up at him, my smile slowly disappears. I swallow around the lump in my throat as his eyes bore into mine, full of emotion and raw, unbridled affection.
“It still doesnae feel real that ye’re here. Every smile and touch that ye grant me is like a dream, an’ I dinnae wanna wake up ifit is,” he whispers, his forehead resting against mine as his eyes close momentarily.
I reach up, cupping his cheek, and my heart thunders in my chest when he nuzzles into my palm with a content sigh.
“If it’s all a dream, I hope we get to stay here forever,” I murmur back, leaning up to slant my lips against his.
He kisses me so sweetly that it makes my stomach flip, and when he pulls back, I chase, not wanting him to stop yet. Chuckling, he kisses me on the forehead and falls to my side, reaching for the remote and pulling me close into his arms until he’s wrapped around my back, his hand resting on my belly.