“No, that’s not what I meant,” Fletcher said. “And I’d never ever ask that of him. Not after what he’s been through. But maybe we could raise the baby together? The three of us?”
It took only a moment for the words to sink in and for me to feel the weight of them. I glanced down at Sky once more, then met Fletcher’s gaze.
“You want to court him.” It wasn’t an accusation. Simply an observation.
Fletcher smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “I do…but only if you want it too. I love you more than anything in this world, but Gracie said that in order for Sky to balance out andrejoin the pack, he’d need an Alpha. Stability. A mate—or two. We used to share partners all the time.”
“Yes, but that was just sex,” I pointed out.
“Well, what if we tried something different? Something new? I won’t lie. Being with you and Sky made me feel alive again. It made me feel young and wanted again. Not broken.”
His words made me ache. “Oh, baby.” I gently leaned over and kissed him, nuzzling my nose against his. “You aren’t broken.”
“Sometimes, I feel like I am,” he admitted. “Just a barren old feline. I see myself in Sky, Adam. I see so much of myself, and I want to help him. I want to save him. I know you understand.”
“I do…” I murmured, then made a decision that might change the trajectory of our entire lives. “We could try. Sky may not feel the same way. He might not want to share an Alpha. We are kind of an odd couple.”
Fletcher’s lips curved. “I know, but at the very least, we can give him stability until he figures himself out.”
He snuggled down into the covers, one arm curling around Sky’s waist. I closed my eyes and listened to the breathing of my two partners, but even after Fletcher fell asleep, I was still awake, thinking about the possibilities.
Could I handle two Omegas? Would Sky even want us, outside of his heat? And if he did, would our relationship last, or was it destined to burn to embers?
21
SKY
I woke up groggy,my face smushed against something warm and firm. As I blinked myself awake, I slowly realized I was pressed flush against a sleeping man. A verynakedsleeping man.
Shit.
A glance down at myself filled in the missing pieces. I was naked too, and my body ached all over. Memories of my heat slammed into me, hazy and hot, of hands all over, grabbing and groping, lips kissing and biting, nails scratching and digging.
River? No.
Oh no.
My stomach jolted. I jerked back, and when I saw exactly who the naked man was, ice filled my veins. No, no, no…
Adam. I slept with Adam. I slept with a married man. I just potentially ruined someone’s entire life. Despair choked me as I rolled out of bed as carefully as I could, desperate not to wake him and face whatever we’d done. Shame filled my gut with hot, spiky rocks.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I yanked on the closest pair of pants and a shirt that reeked of heat hormones, and backed out of the bedroom. Tears pricked my eyes. What had I done? God, what had I done? They’d shown me nothing but kindness, and I’d paid them back with debauchery?
I took off down the hall. Maybe I could leave before I had to face their disgust. Unfortunately, I had to pass the kitchen in order to get to the door, and my bare feet slapping over hardwood alerted Fletcher of my presence.
“Sky, wait!” he called out, but I didn’t stop. My heart hammered in my throat, and I tripped over my own feet in my mad dash to escape. I couldn’t stand the thought of Fletcher hating me for what I’d done, even if I deserved it.
“Sky!” His fingers curled around my arm. I stumbled to a stop and shook my head, turning pleading eyes on him.
“I-I need to go.”
“No, wait. We need to talk about things,” Fletcher insisted, but what was there to talk about? I’d slept with his husband!
“No, we can’t—” I barked back, but he cut me off.
“I know you’re scared, but I promise we took care of you.” Fletcher’s voice took on a gentle, reassuring tone, but his words felt like a slap.
