Page 6 of Bailey-Rose: The Complete Duet

“Shit,” I swore, trying to look at my wrist, but Lysse was already gripping it and checking at the number.

“What’s your limit? It used to be ninety… has it changed?” he asked, his tone all business even as he held me tenderly and pulled me closer to his chest.

“I shouldn’t go above eighty, but eight-five is the I-need-to-go-to-the-hospital-now number,” I answered, unsure if that was the answer he was looking for.

“Thank fuck, it only hit seventy-seven.” He sighed, resting his head on mine.

Not having seen Ulysses in years, I’d forgotten how big he was. I felt like a child all bundled up on his lap with his arms easily wrapping around me. His light golden brown hair was long enough to pull back into a ponytail. A short beard covered his jaw, giving him a slightly rugged appearance that I found incredibly sexy. Lysse had always been a fan of the outdoors, going hiking, camping, biking—all the things I couldn’t. However, I’d been glad that he’d managed to be one of the few people who could talk Crew into leaving for a day or two for them to go camping. The man had a silver tongue and knew how to use it to get his way, no matter how set in our ways my brother and I were.

Then a realization hit me, and I was wriggling out of Lysse’s arms, to which I got a disapproving noise, but he let me go.

Grabbing the closest pillow, I hurled it at Crew. “You promised,” I yelled, snatching up my next weapon.

Crew dodged the first but didn’t see the second one coming right after, and it biffed him in the face. “Lou⁠—”

“Don’t you LouLou me, you liar,” I shot back. “You said you’d let me be, and I could wallow without you trying to fix things.”

One after another, I chucked whatever I could grab until a hand wrapped around my wrist and another my waist causing me to freeze.

“Rosie, you need to calm down. You’re setting off your monitor again, and it’s taking everything in my willpower not to wrap you up like a burrito and make you settle down,” Ulysses whispered in my ear, his beard brushing against my neck as I felt the heat of his breath being so close.

My whole body locked up. Honestly, I’m not sure if I was even breathing as I registered how his entire body was pressed against my back. The stuffed, fluffy, smiling cloud fell from my hand, and I melted against the Alpha behind me like I no longer had bones.

“Good girl,” he said with a purr.

And this is how I die the happiest woman of all time.

“How did you do that?” Crew asked, the awe in his voice snapping me out of my daze.

I glared at my brother. “Don’t you even think about changing the subject, mister. How could you break your promise to me?” I demanded.

“How dare you accuse me because I one thousand percent did not,” Crew countered. “If you remember correctly, I said I wouldn’t try to fix things the moment you told me what was going on. It’s been two whole days, LouLou. Tell me, what part of that is breaking my promise?”

“Damn you and your contract skills,” I muttered. “Technicalities aside, why in the world would you drag poor Lysse into this while he’s just visiting? I’m sure he has far better things to do than deal with someone impersonating a cave troll.” Taking a breath, I looked up at the man in question. “You really should keep your distance. I haven’t showered in a few days.”

“She means a week,” Crew interjected, which earned him a scathing look and a middle finger from me. “What, you think that’s what’s going to gross him out? LouLou, the man is an avid backpacker, trail biker, and camper. He’s gone a week without showering many, many times.”

“Crew,” Lysse cut in as he turned me to face him. “I got this, man.”

Dropping to one knee, he cupped my face with a tenderness that I’d only gotten from my family. He took a moment to tuck some hair behind my ear so it wasn’t falling in my face anymore, making me blush. “Rosie, I smell nothing but a sweet, pure scent that tells me that you’re mine. As for what Crew did, I don’t blame him for being worried about you. Seriously, though, I’ve never seen a man with a bigger little sister complex than him.”

That got me to smile, which he returned readily.

“I think it’s safe to say that neither one of us expected me to stop by and find myself uncovering the Omega my pack and I have been looking for over the past year and a half,” Ulysses explained. “Setting that aside for just a moment, I want to clear up a few things first. The most important of them being that I’m not just here visiting… I’ve moved here permanently. My pack has already been here for six months. I was the last to join them, but I’m back for good.”

My brain started to short-circuit at this. How could no one tell me he was back? I glanced at Crew, who remained a safe distance away but grinned like a fool from where he sat on the stool in front of my vanity.

“No, don’t look at him like that,” Lysse chided, turning me around to face him. “I asked him not to tell you, to keep it a surprise.”

His hands slid from my face to glide down my arms and take my hands. “My hope had been to find a way to rebuild our friendship because I missed having you in my life. Although it looks like that’s not going to be much trouble now, is it?” He winked.

I fidgeted in his hold, painstakingly aware of how much of a hot-mess express I was right now. Everything in me just wanted to curl up against him and breathe in his scrumptious scent, but I just couldn’t let myself relax, knowing I’d been living in these clothes for a week.

“Lysse, I’m beyond thrilled that you’re back, and trust me when I say I would love to discuss what just happened between us. But I really need a shower,” I explained. “Give me fifteen minutes to clean up and make myself more presentable. Then you have my undivided attention for as long as you want.”

Crew snorted but wisely didn’t speak about the underestimation of showering time needed on my part.

“Okay, maybe I’ll need thirty minutes, but I promise to hurry. I’m guessing with how you’re dressed, you have dinner plans with your family, and I don’t want you to be late,” I amended.