Keld heaved a sigh. “That sounds like a lot of work. Lots of orders to be given. Holes to be filled. You know how it is.”
“No, I don’t, but it sounds like a truly terrible problem to have. You must suffer a great deal, Tuiket.”
Keld placed a hand over his heart. “Thank you for saying that, Kir.”
The bartender rolled their eyes and went to take another customer’s order.
A familiar scent filled the air. Keld turned to smile at Dakota, who’d left his envious friends in the dust.
“Hi, Tuiket,” he said softly. “See anyone you like tonight?”
Keld propped an elbow on the bar and feigned looking around. “Hmm, there’s one. But his friends don’t look too happy about it.”
Dakota laughed quietly. “They were arguing over who would go, so I volunteered myself.”
Keld brushed the Omega’s cheek with his knuckles. “Miss me that much?”
“If I say yes, will you play with me?” Dakota’s wavy hair clung to his lashes as he gazed up at Keld. He didn’t so much as shiver when Keld slid his hand around the Omega’s throat, over the top of a leather collar. He pushed Dakota’s slender jaw up, forcing the sub to look at him.
Dakota’s lips were parted, his pupils overtaking the blue of his irises. Not the predawn blue of Grayson’s—more like staring out into deep water.
“What do you want, Dakota?” Keld asked softly. He knew exactly whathewanted.
Dakota’s mouth quirked in a smile. “I want you to tie me up.”
Keld’s cock twitched behind its protective slit. “And?”
“Use me,” the Omega whispered. “Tease me. Fuck me.”
Keld’s fingers tightened, where blood pulsed through the arteries of his neck. “I had a bad day, Dakota. Are you sure you want to spend the evening with me?”
“Even better.” The words were barely a breath on Dakota’s lips.
“Good Omega,” Keld murmured. “Can I get you a drink before we go?”
Dakota murmured his order and slid into the seat beside Keld. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Keld shot him a wry smile and caught his chin in his fingers. “You’re sweet. But hearing you beg is all the talk I need.”
Dakota’s eyes darkened with lust as he took his drink from Kir. “Let’s finish these quickly then.”
The moment both glasses were empty, Keld seized the heavy collar around Dakota’s neck and dragged him down the hall, where private rooms stood waiting. He picked a random door and thrust the Omega inside. He flicked the door shut behind him and leaned down to press a kiss to Dakota’s throat.
Keld lost himself in quiet moans and the shush of rope across skin, but even the sight of Dakota’s delicate frame trussed in the half-light wasn’t enough to chase Grayson’s piercing gaze from his mind.
Chapter 9
Grayson
Tara’s apartment was an eclectic disaster of plants, suncatchers, and macrame. Grayson sat in a lopsided circle with Aureli, Jaeyong, and Jenna, a hard cider clutched in one hand. The rug dominating the living room was sewn with colorful scraps of fabric, and somehow managed to match the violently green sofa at his back. Their host was puttering around the kitchen, mixing several bags of snacks into an enormous bowl.
“Our first full week at Brighid’s Well!” Tara called, beaming. “We made it!”
Jenna cheered and held up her can for a toast. “And Jaeyong wins the biggest baby award, at thirteen pounds, two ounces.”
The quiet, younger man smiled. “Everyone takes turns buying my coffee for the next week, right? You’re lucky I only drink americanos.”
“Yeah,” Tara said with a snort. “Jenna already assigned everyone a day of the week. She has an entire spreadsheet. You’re Friday, Jaeyong, so we’re rock-paper-scissoring to decide who’s paying that day.”
