JONAH and I were in a bit of a haze together for the next day and change, perfecting an art we’d stumbled over on the first try. Seth was there, in and out, handling the club and bar when he couldn’t be spared. Finally, when I’d lost the function of speech and my body was too weak to beg for more, I slept soundly through the night and woke up rested and nested, Jonah and Seth already dressed.
Which only removed part of the temptation. They looked fuckin’ delicious in that bad boy, rolled up t-shirt sleeves and jeans vibe.
Jonah started purring as my eyes opened, and Seth cuffed him gently on the back of the head.
“Give her a break man.” I stretched under the bedsheets, grinning as one slid down over my bare breast and caught Seth's eye. “Precious,” he warned.
I laughed, drawing the sheet back up as Seth held Jonah back by the cuff of his neck. “I know, I know. I do need to, like, get out of bed today. Get out of this room maybe.”
“Only if you’re feeling up for it,” Jonah said. “Books said you should indulge in…whims and shit like that.”
I grinned at his summation and shifted to sit up in the rumpled hurricane of bedding around me. “I think my immediate whim is a shower and to eat as much breakfast as Chef can afford to feed me.”
Jonah planted his hands on the bed and leaned in, and I accepted the kiss he offered, and then took a few more just because his lips were soft and he tasted wonderful and he purred like an engine.
“You’re gonna smell like me for days,” he said, eyes and smile soft.
I nodded, scratching the short beard along his jaw until he pulled away. I looked to Seth who was getting ready to duck out from under a sheet. “Hey. You too, handsome.”
I looped my arms around Seth's neck, stealing slower, softer, licking kisses until I was almost falling back into the pillows with him.
“If you two don’t cut it out, I’ll never let either of you out of this bed,” Jonah growled.
Seth sighed, breath slipping over my lips and untangled me from around him, scooting off the bed. “You’re dangerous.”
“Come find us if you need anything. Or grab one of the other idiots around here,” Jonah said.
“Can do.”
He nodded and took another long look at me before his lips quirked. “Cover up so I’m not lookin’ at skin I want to taste when I’m trying to walk out of here.”
I giggled and dove under the covers, Seth snorting and shuffling his way out from the nest.
“Cheese, man.”
I waited for them to close the bedroom door behind them before stretching again, throwing back the sheets and groaning at the incredible ache in my muscles. It was probably just as well Jonah and
Seth had worked up the will power to leave the bed because I was feeling just on the too much side of sore. Not from the knotting, but definitely from the extra sexual effort I’d put in during the last twenty- four hours.
I slid out from under the sheets and through the maze of the blanket fort walls, running to the bathroom on tiptoes, my stomach already rumbling. I used a mix of the goodies my guys had gotten me, and the things they’d left behind for themselves. It may not have been traditional scent marking, but it still left me with a warm fuzzy feeling to use their body wash.
My phone chimed as I came out of the shower. The dresser in the bedroom was an odd combination of my clothes with some of Seth's spares, and I settled on a pair of leggings and a t-shirt of his that came down to mid-thigh with a faded motorcycle company logo.
Chef ’s got the grill goin’ for you. Be good today, baby girl. But not as good as you were for me and Bomber ;) I blushed, recalling the grit and rasp of his voice in my ear in those final cascading moments where ‘baby girl’ became ‘good girl’ and I turned into a needy, gasping creature.
Right. Food. Socialization. Must not think about knotting and sweaty, delicious, half-hour long orgasms.
I found my leather jacket from Dusty on my way out of the apartment, ignoring the discomfort of leaving the nest. If I got really twitchy I could come back, but I wanted to see some friendly faces and I didn’t want to keep dragging people into my space to do it. Especially not when it might lessen the fresh and heady smell of what I’d been doing there with Jonah and Seth.
It was nearing lunchtime when I tugged my boots on and locked up the apartment, and the rest of the floor was quiet, either still sleeping the night off or already at work. I wondered if Chef needed a waitress for the diner. Or if Dusty would want a secretary for the garage, some way for me to help out with my pack. By the time I was coming in the back way to the diner, I was drooling over the smells.
“There’s our girl,” Chef purred, bringing a hot plate of fluffy biscuits, fried eggs, and crispy potatoes with a deep bowl of sausage gravy on the side. “Whatcha want to drink, honey?”
“Grapefruit juice and coffee, please.”
I was drowning my plate in gravy when Brody grabbed the counter stool next to mine. “You gonna eat all that?”
I snorted. “If you want some, ask Chef to make you a plate. Yes, I’m gonna eat all of it.”
Okay, so it was kind of a big plate for me, but Brody looked like the kind of guy that could eat the entire thing in two bites. I wasn’t just gonna invite him to do it.
“Coffee, cream, and honey for our honey,” Chef said.
“Flirt,” I shot back, earning myself a wink before I took a deep sip of the coffee. Just how I liked it. Even the alphas who had betas of their own took good care of me.
“You gonna barf if you eat all of that and then come down to the gym with me?” Brody asked.
I wrinkled my nose. “The gym?” It wasn’t not like I’d never seen one, but they weren’t my usual stomping ground.
He didn’t really smile, but I got the impression he was amused at least. “Yeah. Your courting present. Bullet’s teaching you to shoot. I’m teaching you to punch. Fight back.”
I perked up in my seat, a bite of potatoes dressed in gravy and egg yolk halfway to my lips.
“Wait for real?”
“For fuckin’ real,” Brody said, and this time he really was smiling.
“Okay, cool! Yeah. I took a self-defense seminar but…”
“But it was awhile ago and you haven’t practiced?” I nodded, and Brody shrugged. “It’ll still
help. Drink the juice, don’t stuff yourself. If you’ve done some work before, I won’t go easy on you.”
I had no doubt about that, and despite being kind of sore, I was looking forward to Brody coaching me. My alphas definitely didn’t lack originality in their gifting.
BRODY GRUNTED behind me as I threw my legs backward, my heel hitting the cup he wore over his groin, and then yanked his wrist back, escaping out of his hold and running to the other side of the mat. I was sweaty, I hurt, and I was some uncomfortable place between rising anxiety and rising arousal after all of this physical contact and aggression. Not for Brody really, although he wasn’t hard on the eyes, even if he didn’t really fit me the way others did. Cole was in the corner though, lifting weights and working up a sweat that I found painfully delicious as his scent drifted in our direction.
“Not bad,” Brody said, turning his wrist. “I’d catch up to you, you should’ve broken my nose too.”
I laughed, still slightly gasping from exertion. “You told me not to draw back this time. I would’ve really broken it.”
He shrugged. “Dunno if you can tell, but it wouldn’t be the first time. No big deal.”
I scoffed and shook my head. Macho men.
“You tired?”
I was exhausted. And getting crabby. “I can do one more.”
“If you push yourself, you’ll injure yourself and then you won’t be able to do what I’ve been training you on.”
I frowned and rested the heels of my hands on my hips glaring at him and thinking it through. “I am tired. But I can do one more.”
His lips twitched slightly and he nodded, patting his chest. “C’mere then. We’ll do one from the front.”
Weight clunked down in the far side of the room and from the corner of my eyes I caught Cole stretching and resting from his workout. Brody growled softly in warning, hands clasping around my upper arms.
“Focus, Baby,” he said, as my eyes drifted back to him.
Before I could nod or speak, Brody’s grip tightened and he dragged me up to his chest, my legs kicking in the air, and then dropped us down to the mat, landing heavily on top of me. I let out an ‘oof’ of surprise, head thumping against the slight give of the mat, and Brody kicked my legs apart, landing between them.
I whined and tried to yank myself away, but the position was familiar, one we’d worked on in old self-defense classes. I twisted beneath Brody, his bulk and weight suddenly oppressive in the sterile space of the gym, drawing my knees up between us, until one banged against his jaw. My heart hammered in my chest and my breath stuck in my lungs as I slipped my foot to the center of his chest and shoved hard. He grunted and his hands loosened on my arms as he leaned back. I rolled, kicking at his chest and towards his face, landing one briefly against his jaw before he sat up and I twisted and crawled away.
“Good!” Brody said, but his voice was buried under a siren in my head, pulse pounding in my ears as I kept crawling. “Hey, Baby.”
“Hold up.” Cole’s bare feet squeaked against the floor as he ran closer.
“I’m okay, I’m okay.” My voice was too high to be convincing and I was sitting on my heels since my legs were shaking.
“You scared her, dickhead.” Cole sat down in front of me, shoulders rolling in so we were on eye level, blue eyes scanning my face.
“He didn’t.” I turned to look up at Brody, whose arms were crossed over his chest. His brow furrowed with worry. “You didn’t. I did good?”
He nodded slowly and then crouched, arms hanging loose at his side. “You remembered a good move. You okay?”
“Yeah. Uh… little wobbly but no strain or anything. Just kind of a reflex adrenaline stress.”
“Believe it or not, that’s a good thing. If it made you react instead of freeze, it’s useful stress.
You want me or Cole?”
My eyes widened but before I could answer, Cole was sliding closer, arms circling me and drawing me to his chest as he started to purr. “She needs a break from the eau de testosterone,” he answered for me.
“No, really, Brody. I’m grateful, thank you.” I turned in Cole’s hold to face the other alpha and stretched my leg out to nudge my toe against his calf. The giant man smiled at me, glared at his packmate behind me, and wrapped a big hand around my ankle.
“Drink juice. Get some rest. Cole, take her up to her nest and take care of her, yeah? We’ll do this again later in the week.”
I nodded and Cole was silent behind me, pulling my hair off my sweaty skin and waiting for Brody to leave us in the gym.
“He’s a brute,” Cole muttered, purring again.
“He’s not. He’s sweet. I like training, anyway.” I leaned back to absorb the vibration of the sound, trying to relax like Brody had instructed.
“Doll, you don’t need to train. That’s what you have us for.” His hands soothed up my arms and over my shoulders, twisting my hair around his fist.
I rolled my eyes and tried not to give into the sea salt and vanilla cream temptation he was oozing. “Sure, but I still like being able to manage for myself. Don’t you want a badass omega who can, um, like roll with the big guys or whatever?”
Cole was nuzzling against my jaw, and it was starting to become hard to formulate the words I wanted. Adrenaline was quickly turning to shivery heat born lust, and it occurred to me that Cole was the last of my dangerously tempting alphas to really touch me aside from the sneaky, demanding kiss he’d managed in the garage.
“I want a good little omega,” Cole growled in my ear, and when I frowned and flashed him a glare, he returned with a dazzling grin and a soft laugh. His arm wrapped around my waist loosened and his fingertips found their way between the hem of my t-shirt and leggings. “A good little omega who tastes delicious, and soaks my fingers when she comes. Do you want to be that for me?”
I shivered and twisted to look at him. It was hard to reconcile the fact that I hadn’t really gotten to know Cole in the time I’d been here, with how natural and easy it was to lean into him and accept what he was offering. This was the moment where heat cravings played tug of war against my usual beta reserve. It didn’t help that he was preternaturally beautiful either, blue eyes full of heat, tongue flicking over his bottom lip as he stared back.
“Anyone could come in,” I said, voice already breathy.
“Red probably put the word out not to disturb,” Cole said, touch slipping down into the waistband of my leggings. “Would you care if you were caught? If Scorch saw you with me, crying
out my name?”
Maybe not Jonah, I might enjoy if he watched. But some of the others? I wasn’t much of an exhibitionist usually.
“Let me take care of my omega,” Cole purred in my ear, lips trailing down to my throat to nip and lick. “I’ll have you screaming in no time.”
I was panting, already chasing his touch, craning my neck to press our faces together. I would’ve given in, and maybe he knew that, because he didn’t wait for me to say yes. I moaned as his hand burrowed down, fingers sliding through dewy arousal.
“Already wet for me,” he whispered, before claiming my mouth in a sudden and rough kiss.
There was no play for control, no exchange of pace, just claiming and devouring. I whined as he circled my clit with two fingers, rubbing and swirling until I was limp in his hold, hips rising for more. Before I could come, those fingers found their way to my entrance, plunging inside.
“Fuck you’re tight,” Cole said, tearing away from my lips and leaving my cries to echo off the too open room. I clung to his arms around me, squeezed my eyes shut, and tried to find the rhythm of his rapid pace to ride it out. It was cold in the gym, the lights overhead leaving harsh stripes of color behind my eyes. “That’s it, doll. Squeeze my fingers like you’ll squeeze my knot. Gonna make you come till you can’t walk, can’t think of any alpha but me.”
“Cole, please, slower,” I said, pressing my forehead to his cheek.
“Just starting,” he answered instead, and then his thumb was pressed to my clit, grinding hard as he fucked me with ruthless efficiency. I came, trying to pull away, and he held me tight to his chest, driving me through my orgasm. “Bet you’re as sweet as you smell, Baby. Come on, hands and knees for me.”
I gasped as he pulled his hand from my leggings, drawing it up to his lips and sucking with a long groan. He shifted up on his knees, dragging me with him, and tried to lean forward, pushing me to the floor.
“Gonna fill that greedy pussy up with my knot just like you want,” he hissed in my ear, fingers hooking in the top of my leggings to pull them down.
“Stop, stop, hold up.” I grunted, and swiped his hands off my waist, turning to face him. “You can’t knot me here.”
He frowned, sitting back on his heels, cock clearly at attention inside of his sweatpants. He was almost cute, blush high in his cheeks, and full lips pouting with annoyance. Except I was annoyed too.
“Why not?” he asked. “You can’t be satisfied yet.”
“I was satisfied before you started,” I snapped, and then sighed, trying to sort my head out. I brushed my hand over my face and then back through my hair, feeling it tangle around my fingers.
“Look, I don’t wanna be stuck down here for the next hour or more for a sex-a-thon on exercise mats that haven’t been cleaned in who knows how long.”
“Fine, we’ll go upstairs,” he said shrugging and making to rise.
“I’m sore, Cole.” He stopped, and his eyes narrowed. I ticked my eyebrows up, daring him to contradict me this time. “I’m sore. And tired, and clearly crabby. It’s… sorry to let you get started, or whatever, but no.”
He huffed and then stood, rolling his shoulders and holding a hand out to help me up. I took it, bracing myself, but he only looped strong heavy arms over my shoulder and then bent and kissed the top of my head. “Fine. Raincheck.”
I mean, maybe, I thought, not entirely impressed with his first performance. Talk about wham bam, no thank you ma’am.
“I’ll walk you up,” he said as I turned, and we headed for the door.
I wanted to manage on my own, but I wasn’t sure if I was just starting up another fever and getting snappish like I had been with Mackenzie. I let Cole walk me up out of the basement gym, his arm over my shoulder until we reached the back hall, the beta girls passing us.
“Where are you off to?” Cole called to them.
“Gonna go make a grocery run, wanna drive us?” Lizzie, the one who sometimes smelled like Cole, stopped in the hall and draped herself against the wall, dreadlocks piled high on her head.
Behind her, Emmy raised an eyebrow at me and I nodded.
“You mind, doll?” Cole asked.
“No, go for it. I’m gonna nap,” I said, smiling. He snuck a firm kiss to my lips and tugged on my hair once before sliding down the hall after the other women.
I waited for them to continue down to the exit doors, Cole murmuring something under his breath and a few giggles rising up. It bothered me more that I felt like I dodged a bullet than it did that he’d slinked off so quickly. And an orgasm was an orgasm which was alright in my book, but I was feeling a little icky about the one I’d just had.
Giving in to my omega instincts, I went in search of a cuddle.
