Do I still want tonight?
I suck in a deep breath that is way more calming than it has any right to be. Petrichor and mint and herby lemon and basil and lavender whirl together in an overwhelming cloud. The scent whispers to my omega that everything will be okay. And she believes it.
They're talking with me, not about me.
Yes. I'm… safe here.
"Good." My voice is more decisive than I feel.
Seb, who is hopping across the room, his skinny jeans halfway down his knees, while he struggles with a shoe, bursts out laughing, then disappears below the edge of the bed as he overbalances. His slightly shaking hand appears just above the mattress, and clenches into a fist, giving a thumbs up. Allen, who has stripped down to a pair of soft looking black boxer briefs, bites down a laugh, rolls his eyes, and holds out a hand to him.
Another tiny mewl slips out. Along with a burst of the scent of freesias.
"Oh, sweetheart, don't worry, I promise you will have everything you need." Ralph's chuckle is gentle, but has a strong heat in its undercurrent. "What if James takes care of you for a bit?"
He strokes my forehead, then scoots down the bed so he's perched on the corner. James nods into my neck as he strokes my hair as he pulls us both back up, so he's sitting up again. I let my body melt back against his.
Oh holy heck. I really do want all of this. All of them, even if it's only for a little while."Yes," I breathe, closing my eyes.
James hums in approval and rests his lips against my neck, his knees slowly drawing up between my legs, pulling my thighs apart. "What are your six words, omega?" he asks, his hands drifting down my sides.
"Stop. Less. Good. Yes. No."
His hands pause momentarily, coming to a rest on my ribcage. "That's only five."
I turn my head sharply, and raise my hand to his head, grabbing a fistful of his hair and tugging his face closer to my mouth. "More," I growl into his ear.
Chapter 9
So I learned something new tonight.
Apparently, my whole worldview is built oncompletelyfalse premises. It wasn't exactly the moment when I first saw her that the foundation of nearly every decision I had ever made since I was a teenager fell over in a heap; no, that came about an hour or so later. But the first rattles of the glorious, beautiful destruction of every assumption were carried on the scent of freesias.
Up until now, there were three things that Iknewto be true. Three core truths that underpinned everything.
We are professionals who care for, butneverclaim, omegas;
We always put our client first; and
No omega wouldeverwant a beta like me in favor of an alpha.
And yet, in the time it took to gulp down a couple of overpriced drinks and battle LA traffic, those core truths have evaporated like fog in sunshine. Destroyed by a little omega in barely six words. The one who complained when Iwasn'tclose enough to her.Me. A beta. Most omegas barely tolerate a beta in their bed or their nest. Yet she got upset because Iwasn'tthere.
It's fascinating watching the foundations of your belief structure fall apart in real time.
And she asked us who supports us. Allen couldn't answer her. And I'm not sure I can, either.But for the first time… No. That's nuts. It's way too quick to even be starting to think that.
Dellie half-reclines against James as she sits on his lap. His legs splay hers apart, his mouth crashing into hers with a hungry kiss. Her little growl seems to have blasted away his normally implacable self-control. He kisses her with a kind of unguarded want that would be embarrassing if it weren't so easy to envy.
James. The one who would usually rather support the rest of the pack when a client is in heat. The one who clients reject because he's quiet and doesn't have a silver tongue, who keeps Zeke limber and Seb focused. He's the one who spent half the evening purring her into putty, keeping her calm.
Their combined scents flood the room. I might as well be drunk on freesias and basil. The groan Seb releases from behind me sounds like something out of an Antipodean porno. The bed dips as Allen perches next to me, and shifts again when Seb joins him. Zeke has already reclaimed his spot next to them, primed and eager.
We're all stripped down to our boxers and very, very ready for her.
James' hands stroke down her thighs. He breaks away from the kiss and growls some quiet words into her ear. She melts backwards into him, a breathless "yes" dropping from her lips. One of his hands disappears under the folds of her skirt, his forearm bunching it up to expose her creamy thigh; but the fabric still hides what lies between her legs. The rhythm of the twitching of his forearm gives me a pretty good idea of what he's doing, though.
His other hand peels the left shoulder of her dress forwards, and dips leisurely beneath it. I can see the fabric bunching as he caresses her nipple. She leans back into him asher eyelids flutter and thighs twitch, his mouth lightly pressed against her ear, his lips constantly moving. Little breathless moans escape her lips.
